The Walkable Urban Streets Act will require county officials to apply its own urban street design standards and update the standards to keep abreast with national best practices. Better street designs will make urban centers safer and foster transit-oriented economic development.
Category: Press Releases
CSG RELEASE: Failure cannot be an option for Metro funding
Metro’s projected $750 million fiscal cliff for FY25 would dramatically reduce service: no service after 9:30pm, only 37 (out of 135) bus lines, and 20- to 30-minute wait times. We are calling on elected officials to take immediate action and come up with a long-term and dedicated funding solution for operating needs.
RELEASE: CODE RED/PURPLE – Time to slash region’s transportation emissions
“The CODE RED and now CODE PURPLE air quality alerts for our region must be a wake up call for our region’s elected officials,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of CSG. “Increased forest fires fueled by climate change are putting human health at risk on top of increases in severe floods, sea level rise affecting our region, more frequent drought affecting food production, and increases in insect-borne diseases.”
CSG Statement on the importance of the K Street Transitway
Response to Proposed DC Transportation FY 24 Budget
We recognize the budget challenges facing DC but are concerned about the proposed changes to DC’s transit priorities including the proposal to cut some routes and for indefinitely delaying the K Street Transitway.
The K Street Transitway is a leading bus priority project in DC that promises to serve an estimated 40,000 daily riders on more than 11 bus lines. It will likely accommodate additional downtown routes once operational. This downtown transitway will provide greater reliability to a large share of DC’s bus riders.
At a moment when budgets are tight, we need to ensure we are sustaining existing service, and making it work better. Maintaining service, giving priority to buses on city streets, and ensuring the city has the funds to address WMATA’s fiscal cliff for operating funds in FY25 are core tasks for the District.
A reasonable pause, but not indefinite delay of the K Street Transitway is merited because the design of the transitway has strayed from its original “Great Streets” approach. We are dismayed that bike lanes were recently cut from the plans, and that the tree canopy and streetscape are being treated like an afterthought. The competitiveness of downtown depends on having green, pedestrian, bicycle and transit-friendly streets, great pocket parks and other people-oriented amenities. The pause should be used to return the K Street Transitway to its early urban design approach, which will be important for downtown revitalization.
RELEASE: Groups weigh in on Fairfax Board of Supervisors races
With Fairfax County facing significant transportation, affordable housing, and environmental challenges, a diverse network of sixteen (16) local and regional conservation, smart growth, bike/ped, housing, and social equity groups released a platform for candidates for the Board of Supervisors.
Titled A Vision for an Environmentally Sustainable Fairfax County: Inclusive, Walkable, Transit-Friendly Communities, the groups have sent the platform to all Board candidates in Fairfax County for whom contact information could be found.
RELEASE: TransAction Vote
Tonight, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) will vote on a proposed $75 billion transportation plan for the region. The “TransAction” plan provides a laundry list of projects through the year 2045 from which the agency can pick and choose for funding decisions.
RELEASE: Rock Creek Park Advocates Charge New Road Plan Is “Not Good Enough”
Recreation and conservation advocates today sharply admonished the National Park Service (NPS) for deciding to allow commuting auto traffic on upper Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park for nine months out of the year.
RELEASE: Groups challenge bloated $75.7B NOVA transportation plan
Officials release bloated $75.7B transportation plan for NoVA is unlikely to “solve congestion”. Needed – a new approach: A plan that improves access to opportunity, reduces driving, saves families money, and fights climate change.
RELEASE re SGA’s Dangerous by Design report
“The Coalition for Smarter Growth urges every official in the DC region, Maryland, and Virginia, to read this report and to make safety for pedestrians and bicyclists on our streets a top priority,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director.
RELEASE: CSG and Sierra Club Hail Historic Vote at the DC region’s Transportation Planning Board to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
TPB members, led by Maryland jurisdictions and DC, adopted a resolution to slash climate pollution from cars and trucks by 50% by 2030 and identified strategies to pursue towards that goal.