Great news on Complete Streets!

New Hampshire Senate Bill 364, passed in the spring of 2016, created a Legislative Study Committee on Complete Streets Bill SB364. The committee met during September and October and has issued its recommendations.

Here are the committee’s recommendations:

1. The NH Department of Transportation, either through existing rulemaking authority or through legislative directed rulemaking, where applicable, to work with stakeholders to:

  • Create more formalized criteria to help prioritize Complete Streets-related project applications by municipalities, where applicable;
  • Create a guidebook to aid municipalities in implementing Complete Streets, including how to further encourage walking, biking, and a transit system within municipalities; and
  •  Update any out-of-date documents, such as our state’s minimum geometric guidelines for local roads and streets, to aid in the implementation of Complete Streets Programs.

2. Submit legislation to authorize $2.5 million in State funds to create a unique New Hampshire-based Complete Streets Pilot Program, with the goal of minimizing red tape and involving greater municipality match percentages. Such pilot program should also involve a report from the NH Department of Transportation that includes the number and types of grants applications received and funded, the estimated return on investment from the grants, and any other relevant information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program.

You can read the full report here, including the minutes of the meetings.