those who take public transit, ride bicycles, or travel 
on foot or with mobility aids. 
(2) Initiatives to promote sustainable and mod-
ern transportation choices like public transit, bicy-
cling, and walking have had limited success because 
many State and local transportation agencies have 
treated these modes as optional amenities, instead of 
as integral parts of the national highway programs. 
(3) Many new and improved streets across the 
United States, particularly in developing areas, do 
not provide to all users the safe and equitable access 
to public rights-of-way. 
(4) The official design guidance from the Fed-
eral Highway Administration titled ‘‘Accommodating 
Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel: A Recommended Ap-
proach’’ states that, ‘‘the resulting highway environ-
ment discourages bicycling and walking and has 
made the two modes more dangerous. Further, the 
ability of pedestrians with disabilities to travel inde-
pendently and safely has been compromised.’’. 
(5) One-third of the population is either unable 
to or chooses not to drive due to age, medical condi-
tion, ability, lifestyle, legal status, or other factors. 
(6) More than 1 in 5 Americans over age 65 do 
not drive, more than 50 million Americans have a 
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disability of some kind, and in different times of his 
or her life virtually every American will suffer from 
a mobility impairment of some kind. 
(7) The full integration of all modes in the de-
sign of streets and highways will increase the capac-
ity and efficiency of the road network, reduce traffic 
congestion by improving mobility options, clean the 
air, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the 
general quality of life. 
(8) Requiring accommodation of the needs of 
nonmotorized users will eliminate hazards and im-
prove safety for pedestrians and cyclists, who now 
make up more than 12 percent of all traffic fatali-
ties. 
(9) Improving the road network will allow more 
disabled people to gain a higher level of independ-
ence through the use of standard transit services, 
easing the economic burden on transit systems which 
must provide paratransit options at great cost. 
(10) Public health officials across the country 
have called for the construction of more bicycle and 
pedestrian facilities as an important tool in fighting 
the obesity epidemic. 
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(11) The Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 explicitly supports the implementation 
of a complete streets policy. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Transportation. 
(2) The term ‘‘complete streets’’ means road-
ways that accommodate all travelers, particularly 
users of public transit, bicyclists, pedestrians (in-
cluding individuals of all ages as well as individuals 
with mobility, sensory, neurological, or hidden dis-
abilities), and motorists to enable all users to use 
the roadway safely and efficiently. 
(3) The terms ‘‘complete streets policy’’ and 
‘‘complete streets principles’’ refer to transportation 
laws, policies, or principles at the local, State, re-
gional, or Federal level which ensure— 
(A) all users of the transportation system, 
including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit 
users as well as children, older people, motor-
ists, and those with disabilities, are adequately 
accommodated in all phases of project planning 
and development; and 
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(B) that the safety and convenience of all 
users are considered in all phases of project 
planning and development. 
(4) The term ‘‘transportation improvement pro-
gram’’ has the same meaning such term has in sec-
tion 134 of title 23, United States Code. 
(5) The term ‘‘metropolitan planning organiza-
tion’’ has the same meaning such term has in sec-
tion 134(b) of such title. 
(6) The term ‘‘senior manager’’ means— 
(A) the director of a State department of 
transportation or a designee; 
(B) the director of a metropolitan planning 
organization or a designee; or 
(C) the director of a regional or county 
transportation agency if such agency is pri-
marily responsible for planning and approval of 
transportation projects, or a designee. 
SEC. 4. COMPLETE STREETS POLICY REQUIREMENT. 
(a) LAW OR POLICY.—Beginning with the fiscal year 
that begins 2 years after the date of enactment of this 
Act, each State and metropolitan planning organization 
shall have in effect— 
(1) in the case of a State, a law requiring that 
all transportation projects shall, from the date of en-
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actment of the State law, accommodate the safety 
and convenience of all users in accordance with com-
plete streets principles; or 
(2) an explicit statement of policy of the State 
department of transportation or metropolitan plan-
ning organization that all transportation projects 
shall, from the date of enactment of the State de-
partment of transportation or metropolitan planning 
organization policy, accommodate the safety and 
convenience of all users in accordance with complete 
streets principles. 
(b) PROVISIONS INCLUDED.—The law or policy de-
scribed in subsection (a) shall— 
(1) apply to each federally funded project of 
each transportation improvement program; 
(2) include a statement that every project of the 
transportation improvement program makes roads 
accessible to users of all ages and abilities of right- 
of-way pedestrians, which may include bicyclists, 
transit vehicles and users, and motorists; 
(3) apply to new road construction and road 
improvement projects, including design, planning, 
construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, mainte-
nance, or operations, for the entire right-of-way; 
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(4) indicate that new accommodation should be 
made in pavement resurfacing projects where bicy-
cling and walking areas can be added within the 
scope of the original roadwork; 
(5) delineate a clear procedure by which trans-
portation projects may be exempted from complying 
with complete streets principles, which shall require 
approval by a senior manager and documentation, 
with supporting data, that indicates the basis for ex-
emption; 
(6) comply with up-to-date design standards, 
particularly as they relate to providing access for 
persons with disabilities; 
(7) require that complete streets principles be 
applied so that projects undertaken in accordance 
with these principles fit within the context of the 
community for which the transportation improve-
ment program is intended; and 
(8) include a list of performance standards with 
measurable outcomes to ensure that the transpor-
tation improvement program adheres to complete 
streets principles. 
(c) 
EXEMPTION
REQUIREMENTS
AND
PROCE-
DURES.—The law or policy described in this section shall 
allow for exemptions from complete streets policy only if— 
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(1)(A) affected roadways prohibit by law speci-
fied users from using them, in which case a greater 
effort shall be made to accommodate these specified 
users elsewhere; 
(B) the cost for a particular project in com-
plying with complete streets principles would be ex-
cessively disproportionate to the need or probable 
use of that particular complete street; or 
(C) the existing and planned population and 
employment densities or level of transit service 
around a particular roadway is low enough that 
there is a documented absence of a need to imple-
ment certain complete streets principles; and 
(2) all project-specific exemptions are approved 
by either— 
(A) a senior manager of the metropolitan 
planning organization which approved the 
transportation improvement program containing 
the exempted project; 
(B) a senior manager of the State depart-
ment of transportation; or 
(C) in the case of a project for which nei-
ther the metropolitan planning organization nor 
the State department of transportation is the 
agency with primary transportation planning 
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authority, a senior manager of the regional or 
county agency responsible for planning and ap-
proval of the proposed project to be exempted. 
(d) INTEGRATION.—Each State department of trans-
portation or metropolitan planning organization imple-
menting a complete streets policy shall incorporate com-
plete streets principles into all aspects of the transpor-
tation project development process, including project iden-
tification, scoping procedures, design approvals, design 
manuals, and performance measures. 
SEC. 5. CERTIFICATION. 
(a) PROJECT CERTIFICATION.—Each State shall re-
quire every agency that has primary design, construction, 
or financial responsibility for a project located within the 
approved transportation improvement program to review 
and certify that each such project incorporates complete 
streets principles set forth in section 4. 
(b) SUBSEQUENT CERTIFICATIONS.—After the initial 
certification under subsection (a), the responsible agency 
described in such subsection shall recertify annually until 
final construction is completed that federally funded 
projects remain in compliance with the requirements of 
section 4. 
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SEC. 6. ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS. 
(a) ISSUANCE OF STANDARDS.—Not later than 12 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the United 
States Access Board (originally established by section 502 
of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 792)) shall issue final 
standards for accessibility of new construction and alter-
ations of pedestrian facilities for public rights-of-way. 
(b) TEMPORARY
STANDARDS.—Until the United 
States Access Board issues final public right-of-way acces-
sibility standards as required by this section, a State or 
metropolitan planning organization shall apply the exist-
ing Department of Transportation Standards for Acces-
sible Transportation Facilities in section 37.9 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations, but to the extent that such 
standards do not address or are inapplicable to public 
rights-of-way, the 2005 Revised Draft Guidelines for Ac-
cessible Public Rights-of-Way issued by the United States 
Access Board shall apply. 
SEC. 7. TECHNICAL GUIDANCE. 
(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
make available to all State and local transportation agen-
cies a report of best practices describing how transpor-
tation agencies across the country have implemented com-
plete streets principles in accordance with the require-
ments of this Act. 
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(b) REPORT CONTENTS.—In preparing the report 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall place particular 
emphasis on the following topics: 
(1) Procedures for identifying the needs of 
users of all ages and abilities for a given roadway. 
(2) Procedures for identifying the types and de-
signs of facilities needed to serve each of these class-
es of users. 
(3) Benefits provided by complete streets prin-
ciples implementation. 
(4) Common barriers to implementation of com-
plete streets principles. 
(5) Procedures for overcoming these most com-
mon barriers to implementing complete streets prin-
ciples. 
(6) Procedures for identifying costs associated 
with implementing complete streets principles. 
(7) Procedures for maximizing local cooperation 
in the implementation and introduction of complete 
streets principles. 
(8) Procedures for assessing and modifying the 
facilities and operational characteristics of existing 
roadways to improve their consistency with complete 
streets principles. 
Æ 
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