A public hearing for LD 1711 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 1:00 pm before the Legislature's Transportation Committee.
LD 1711, An Act to Provide for Safe Roadway Construction Design Criteria proposes to update MRSA §73, sub-§7 to establish safe roadway construction design criteria. The bill does the following:
Requires that safety metrics, crash data, and local economic significance based on a value per acre analysis are used by MaineDOT as factors to determine the classification of state roadways and funding and asset management priorities.
Establishes a MaineDOT review process for developing transportation construction project design controlling criteria that prioritize safety and requires MaineDOT to develop certain rules to administer the criteria based on standards developed by certain governmental agencies and professional transportation organizations.
Requires MaineDOT to develop rules pertaining to certain pedestrian facilities and bicycle facilities to provide transparent standards and ensure that a set of minimum standards for safety are met.
Benefits of the Bill:
Establishes an equitable transportation priority system to aid in the department's transportation capital improvement program by incorporating key safety, crash, and economic metrics. This will result in a program that is geographically balanced and addresses rural and urban transportation needs equally.
Establishes pedestrian and bicycle design criteria based on best practices to improve comfort and safety outcomes.
Provides more transparent design standards.
Establishes a diverse design review committee incorporating experts in urban design, planning, economic development, and bicycle and pedestrian safety to ensure a holistic design approach that takes into account all the complex factors that impact streets.
Questions related to this bill? Reach out to the Policy Action 2023 Complete Streets working group point person Matthew Pelletier at matthewpelletier44@gmail.com.
A public hearing for LD 1711 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 1:00 pm before the Legislature's Transportation Committee.
Begin your letter with:
Dear Senator Chipman, Representative Williams, and Honorable Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation,
My name is [ ENTER NAME] and I live in [ ENTER TOWN].
Describe your reasons for supporting LD 1711.