“There’s so much to do right now over the next two years…In transportation there have been 32 short term measures in the last six years which has crippled the ability of local and State governments to plan and do long term projects.”  –Anthony Foxx on Charlie Rose, 2.3.2015

US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx was on Charlie Rose discussing “looking at the horizon” in transportation investments, policy and planning.  Our inherited infrastructure needs renovating everybody knows, but we also need to experiment with new kinds of development that incorporates more opportunities to grow travel options for people while enhancing economic quality and environmental stability.  We have to walk out of the shadows and start having the right conversations.  In Albuquerque the Complete Streets initiative that just passed helps shift the paradigm. “Our city engineers, traffic engineers, city planners and the biking and pedestrian community are all involved in the design of new intersections and streets, or the re-design of old ones”, Foxx said in a USA Today article.  Through his Mayoral Challenge Foxx is spearheading conversations to drive and share best practices for integrating safety for people biking and walking.  It is great to see this leadership framing the transportation discussion around protecting our greatest assets, our citizens, and keeping everyone healthy and moving!  It begins by getting the budget in order and planning together for success.  I could see a future installment in the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Public Library “People Create Cities” focused on the biking and walking communities’ participation in shaping the future form this great city is in the process of taking.

sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/22/making-it-safer-to-bike-and-walk/22128735/

http://www.dot.gov/mayors-challenge

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/overview/policy_accom.cfm

http://abclibrary.org/peoplecreatecities

http://www.cabq.gov/council/projects/completed-projects/2015/complete-streets/complete-streets