Sen. Markey, Rep. Cohen Introduce Legislation to Make America’s Streets Safer for Everyone

Bill Text (PDF)
Washington (June 4, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today reintroduced theComplete Streets Act, which would transform America’s public roads. The bill would require states to direct a portion of their federal highway funding toward the creation of a Complete Streets Program. A “Complete Street” provides safe and accessible transportation options for children, seniors, and people with disabilities by prioritizing infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit users. The bill would also require future construction projects on public roads to be designed for the safety of all its road users.
“The skyrocketing number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in our country is a crisis. This moment calls for us to ensure our roads are designed with safety – not speed – as our top priority,”said Senator Markey.“I am grateful for Representative Cohen’s partnership to ensure we prioritize roadway safety and accessibility over a reliance on fast, fossil-fueled vehicles. Let’s build complete streets and complete communities and accelerate into a safer, more accessible future for all.”
“In recent years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of pedestrians killed by vehicles, especially in Memphis. Our country is seeing a national safety crisis on our roads. We need streets that can accommodate all means of transportation, from foot traffic and strollers to bicycles, scooters, cars, light trucks and 18-wheelers. TheComplete Streets Actwill transform communities and make it safer for everyone to make ‘complete’ use of our roadways and adjacent infrastructure,”said Congressman Cohen.
TheComplete Streets Actis cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and in the House by Representatives Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), and Dina Titus (NV-01).
Under theComplete Streets Act, eligible local and regional entities can use funds from their state’s Complete Streets Program for technical assistance and capital funding to build safe street projects such as sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, and bus stops. The legislation would also phase in a requirement for states to incorporate Complete Streets elements into all new construction and reconstruction.
The legislation is endorsed by the National Complete Streets Coalition, Transportation for America, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, GreenLatinos, and the League of American Bicyclists.
Senator Markey and Representative Cohen first introduced theComplete Streets Actin 2019. Elements of theComplete Streets Actwere incorporated into theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Actwhich created the Safe Streets for All grant program. In 2024, Massachusetts received $25 million in funding from the Safe Streets for All program to make roads safer in communities like Lynn, Boston, Fitchburg, and Haverhill.
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