Nearly five months since approving a local Complete Streets policy to guide all future roadway improvement projects, the Metro Council is now taking up the formation of a Citizen Advisory Committee that will assist the city-parish as it begins implementing the policy.
Under the Complete Streets policy, all new roadway projects must now adhere to a rough code requiring they be designed with not just cars in mind, but also pedestrians, bikes, public transportation, emergency responders and delivery vehicles, with special attention paid to needs of the disabled and elderly.
The Citizen Advisory Committees is one of two that will guide the city-parish in implementing the policy. The Technical Committee is comprised primarily of city-parish transportation officials. The Citizens Advisory Committee, as proposed in an agenda request from Mayor Kip Holden’s office that will be introduced Wednesday, will consist of 17 members that will meet quarterly and report to the Metro Council directly.
Under the proposal, two members would be nominated by the mayor and two citizen members would be self-nominated. One member would be nominated from each of the following entities: the Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Civic Associations; Bike BR; BRAC; AARP-Baton Rouge chapter; The Advocacy Center; CPEX; the board of the Mayor’s Health City Initiative; LSU; Southern University; Baton Rouge Sustainable Transportation Committee; Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors; and Baton Rouge Growth Coalition.
There will be no compensation for board members, all of whom will be appointed by the Metro Council. Nine members would serve two-year terms, and eight would sit on the committee for four years.
In adopting a Complete Streets policy, Baton Rouge has joined more than 500 regional and local municipalities and 27 states—including Louisiana—that have such a policy.
The Metro Council meets at 4 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. See the full agenda.
—Steve Sanoski
