Thank you to coalition partners and the administration for supporting, and special gratitude to City Council for unanimously approving a Complete Streets policy for the City of Trenton! We are elated by this great development, yet cognizant of the hard work yet to be done. We look forward to working with the city to make Trenton streets safer for all users.
Complete Streets for Trenton
Trenton Cycling Revolution was proud to sign on to this community letter of support, urging the Mayor and City Council to enact a Complete Streets policy here in our city.
More than 30% of our city’s households do not own a car at all. Trenton has an active bicycling and pedestrian culture, with many residents biking or walking to work, to school or simply for leisure. Unfortunately, the road conditions in Trenton are not always ideal for walking and bicycling: crosswalks are poorly marked, the bike lane system is fragmented, and maintenance is spotty, but the city is well-positioned to capitalize on its traditional grid network.
Particularly as a group of residents dedicated to creating a safe and healthy environment for bicyclists in Trenton, we urge swift action!
Bicycle and pedestrian improvements can improve the economy of Trenton by making the city safer and more accommodating for residents, as well as tourists. These improvements will help make it easier for Trenton’s kids to get active. Nearly 1 in 2 Trenton children is overweight or obese!
Please help enact a Complete Streets now! Make our streets safer for everyone and let’s get more residents using bicycles for transportation.
Federal Funding for Bike and Pedestrian Projects
With dedicated federal funding under attack this fall, Trenton Cycling Revolution sent a letter to Senator Lautenberg regarding the importance of transportation enhancements.
Here is one piece of the letter:
“Bicycle and pedestrian improvements can improve the economy of Trenton by making the city safer and more accommodating for tourists, as well as residents. Building bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure creates 46 percent more jobs than building road only projects, per million dollars spent. But these improvements will also help make it easier for Trenton’s kids to get active. Nearly 1 in 2 Trenton children is overweight or obese! These transportation enhancement programs are not inconsequential. The importance of their preservation cannot be understated.”
Transit Crisis!
Photo Source: Transportation for America
Riders who rely on public transportation and transit workers across the country today launched a series of actions over several days to rally support for emergency funding to prevent draconian service cuts, layoffs and fare hikes in more than 150 systems nationwide.
The Transportation Equity Network (TEN), an alliance of local and state groups across the country, held a “Save Transit!” day of action as Transportation for America (T4America) launched a new and expanded online database capturing the thousands of service cuts and fare hikes across the country.
“At a time when our national economy is on the brink of recovery, and Americans across the country are demanding increased access to transportation options, transit systems should not have to cut service and raise fares, but should have the support of Congress,” said James Corless, campaign director for T4America. “This is a national crisis that needs a national response, now.”
In a headlining event in Atlanta, Georgia, where MARTA is faced with eliminating 30 percent of its routes, members of the local Amalgamated Transit Union, community leaders and transit supporters rallied and painted huge red Xes on buses and trains to illustrate what the severity of local cuts should the transit system receive no Congressional or state aid before June.
“America’s transit systems are in crisis just when we need them the most – for access to jobs, education, health care and opportunity,” said Laura Barrett, executive director of the Transportation Equity Network. “Service cuts and fare hikes are hitting low-income people, people of color, students, retirees and the disabled especially hard, and they’re robbing all of us of a proven engine of economic growth. TEN is calling on Congress to keep America moving by letting our transit agencies use federal funds for operating expenses.”
The “Save Transit!” rallies are being organized by TEN, a non-profit coalition that is raising awareness about the impact of service cuts and fare increases on mass transit riders around the country. For more information, including interviews with participants or photos from the events, please contact Paula Chrin Dibley at 202-478-6138 or pchrin@mrss.com.