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YOU CAN NOW COMMENT ON STORIES AND POLLS<br />
LET US KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ISSUES.<br />
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NEW POLL OVERVIEW:<br />
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Michigan law currently requires that walkers and bikers be considered when roads are designed.<br />
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Governor Rick Snyder recently met the obligation of his office by naming members of an advisory council called the &quot;Complete Streets Advisory Council.&quot; This governmental board was created under former Governor Jennifer Granholm.<br />
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The law mandates that anyone who designs/redesigns roads and transportation systems consider more than just automobile traffic into account when they formulate their plans.<br />
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The &quot;Complete Streets&quot; concept definition states:<br />
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;roadways planned, designed, and constructed to provide appropriate access to all legal users in a manner that promotes safe and efficient movement of people and goods whether by car, truck, transit, assistive device, foot, or bicycle.&quot;<br />
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It requires &quot;local land-use plans to 'provide for safe and efficient movement of people and goods by motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, and other legal users' (rather than just 'automobiles') and other provisions relating to the 'interconnectivity' of various elements of the transportation system.&quot;<br />
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&nbsp; It established the advisory counsel&nbsp; to make sure the &quot;Complete Streets&quot; mandate was carried out&nbsp; within the Michigan Department of Transportation to, &quot;provide education and advice to the State Transportation Commission and others, and advise the Commission on the adoption of model policies.&quot; <br />
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Represenative Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, is attempting to repeal this legislation and stated:<br />
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&quot;This is the kind of stuff I wish the governor would use his influence to have us repeal,&quot; <br />
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&quot;There are already plenty of resources available to planners. Why do we need this?<br />
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Representative Jon Switalski, D-Warren, who was one of the original sponsors of the legislation, said the law is not an example of bureaucratic overreach.<br />
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The legislative analysis of the &quot;Complete Streets&quot; legislation said the measure was expected to increase costs by &quot;unknown&quot; amounts. The analysis stated:<br />
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Some costs imposed by the bills potentially would be minimal, to the extent that the State and local units already develop long-range plans. However, the bills also would create a new State council and potentially would affect the types and nature of transportation projects implemented at the State and local levels. To the extent the changes made projects more expensive, the bills also would increase costs.<br />
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Representative Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck, said he remembers voting against the &quot;Complete Streets&quot; bills.<br />
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&quot;My chief objection to the bills was that it seemed to me that they placed a lot of decision making in the hands of MDOT and took a lot away from local communities,&quot; Rep. Genetski said. &quot;Usually, that automatically leads to increased costs.<br />
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&quot;In my opinion, this law is bad policy, not only does it increase costs, but I also believe an unintended consequence of the legislation is that it could lead to wealthy communities getting more matching funds from the state at the expense of poorer communities. It is easier for wealthier communities to do projects that meet the [Complete Streets] requirements, while many poorer communities could struggle to do so.&quot;<br />
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&quot;Complete Streets&quot; law does the following:<br />
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1.&nbsp; Requires the State Transportation Commission to adopt a &quot;complete streets policy&quot; for the Michigan Department of Transportation and one or more model policies for use by municipalities and counties.<br />
2.&nbsp; Specifies conditions under which MDOT, counties, and municipalities would have to consult and reach agreement addressing respective &quot;complete streets&quot; policies.<br />
3.&nbsp; Authorizes MDOT to provide assistance to local agencies in developing and implementing &quot;complete streets&quot; policies.<br />
4. Establishes a Complete Streets Advisory Council within MDOT to provide education and advice to the State Transportation Commission and others, and advises the Commission on the adoption of model policies.<br />
5.&nbsp; Specifies that certain improvements regarding non-motorized transportation services and facilities would have to meet established best practices.<br />
6. Requires MDOT, a county, and a city or village to notify each other upon the completion of a five-year program for the improvement of qualified non-motorized facilities.<br />
7. Revises requirements pertaining to the establishment of facilities for non-motorized transportation.<br />
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NEW POLL QUESTION:<br />
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Should the &quot;Complete Streets&quot; law and Advisory Council be repealed?<br />
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Yes<br />
No<br />
Undecided<br />
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TO VOTE IN THIS POLL CLICK ON THIS LINK<br />
<a href="http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/should-%E2%80%9Ccomplete-streets%E2%80%9D-law-and-advisory-council-be-repealed">http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/should-%E2%80%9Ccomplete-streets%E2%80%9D-law-and-advisory-council-be-repealed</a><br />
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(To enter your comments click on &quot;Add new comment&quot; after you vote.)<br />
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PREVIOUS POLL QUESTION:<br />
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If it is determined legal should Detroit sell the DIA art to cover their current debt to avert bankruptcy?<br />
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Yes - 63%<br />
No - 33%<br />
Undecided - 5% <br />
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ONE COMMENT WAS MADE ON THIS POLL QUESTION:<br />
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COMMENT #1<br />
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Sell DIA Valuable Art Collection<br />
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In my opinion, the City of Detroit should sell its valuable DIA collection ONLY if it was actually in Bankruptcy Court and declared bankrupt, not before. Don't let the corrupt politicians, greedy Unions and Democrats who got them into this mess, off the hook!<br />
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