Senator Rand Paul is proposing legislation that would take away the small amount of money that goes to bicycling programs and redirect it to bridge maintenance. It would be just a tiny drop in the bucket and it won’t even begin to solve the problems with our bridges. But it sounds good and some Senators might buy it. We must let our Senators know how critical the safety of bicyclists is. We need biking AND bridges, not one or the other.
League President Andy Clake explains what this is all about:
The attacks on bicycling spending seem relentless. Fortunately, no one is more relentless than cyclists. If the critics of bicycling in Congress think they can outlast us, they’re wrong. But they are trying again to do away with Transportation Enhancements. We can’t let any attack go unanswered — and this one is for real.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
It’s happening again. Just one month ago, Sen. Coburn (R-OK) failed in his efforts to strip funding for Transportation Enhancements from the six-month transportation extension.
Now, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is taking the lead in trying to destroy Transportation Enhancements. On November 1, the Senate will finalize the transportation appropriations bill, which sets funding levels for FY2012. Sen. Paul has offered an amendment to redirect all funding for Transportation Enhancements to bridge repair. Here’s why his arguments don’t make sense.
This is the third time in a month that a small group of Senators have targeted Transportation Enhancements, using a different angle each time. It is a red herring, and a waste of the Senate’s time and taxpayers dollars to focus on this small and valuable program when we are in dire need of real and viable solutions to fix our failing transportation system.
We agree on the need to keep our bridges safe, but the lives of pedestrians and cyclists are important too. That is why we believe Senator Paul should withdraw his amendment now and let the Senate EPW Committee, which has jurisdiction over writing the next transportation bill, do their job. The Committee is actually scheduled to mark-up their bill on November, 9. That is the appropriate time to discuss changes to the overall transportation program, not during the appropriations process.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
If you are a student looking to add tens of thousands of dollars of long term debt, care little about the environment, and want to lump two tons of steel around campus while paying through the nose for insurance, gas, and parking…General Motors has got a perfect deal for you. Bonus: it’ll make you fat and unhealthy! All you have to do is give up that dorky bicycle that’s easy to use, practically free, gets you some exercise and is actually fun to ride.
Thankfully, a whole lot of you agreed with us…and took to Twitter and Facebook in large numbers. By the next day, General Motors had heard from so many upset cyclists that they canceled the advertisement. They also responded tweet by tweet to everyone who contacted them by Twitter to apologize. Several of the tweets said, “Want to let you know we’re making changes to the ads based on input. We created w/student input and didn’t mean to offend.”
Though it seems a little unfair to throw students under the bus for the campaign, it is remarkable, and commendable, how quickly GM made the decision and responded using social medial. However, with nearly equal swiftness, a bicycle company joined the conversation. Giant Bicycles responded with this ad, which parodies the original:
This one reads: "Reality DOES suck. Luckily Bicycles don't." We agree.
This version of the ad perfectly captures what most bicyclists were thinking when we saw the GM campaign. Bikes do not suck.
Thanks to Joe Gilpin of Alta Planning + Design for passing this along on the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals listserv.
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
On October 1, 2010, 15 cyclists left Outspokin’ bike shop in Augusta, Ga. on their weekly ride across the state border into Aiken, S.C. A truck, driven by Daniel Johnson, collided with the group and injured four cyclists and tragically left one other, Dr. Matthew Burke, critically injured with severe head trauma. After 128 days in a coma on life support, Dr. Burke passed away on February 6, 2011. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition and South Carolina cycling attorney Peter Wilborn worked on the case, and Johnson was charged with reckless homicide on February 8, 2011. After eight months of investigation and legal wrangling, Johnson admitted to his crime yesterday, October 17 and pled guilty to felony manslaughter. Johnson was taken immediately into custody and will be sentenced today, Tuesday, October 18th.
“Matt Burke’s legacy is that drivers can and should be treated as criminals for killing cyclists. Throughout the country, cycling deaths are regularly dismissed by law enforcement as mere traffic ‘accidents.’ But often they are not accidental, the needless fatalities are tragic consequences of reckless driving and lawless drivers,” Wilborn writes on his BikeLaw.com blog. “The driver’s felony conviction here proves to police, policymakers and drivers to take cycling safety seriously. This case from South Carolina is an example of how to do it right.”
Johnson claimed to have been distracted while reaching for something. Dr. Burke, a U.S. Army major and orthopedic surgeon, had been home from Iraq for about a year. “The police originally said it was just an accident,” says Wilborn. “We asked the police to just consider the data, and you know what? They listened. They did their job … and charged the driver with reckless homicide — the most serious thing that a driver could be charged with.” The South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Aiken County Solicitor’s office performed the investigation.
Dr. Burke is survived by his wife Bonnie and 1-year-old daughter, Anna. Dr. Burke was only 38. Paul Burke, the cyclist’s brother, stated on Wilborn’s blog: “Today’s felony conviction establishes the criminal responsibility of Daniel Johnson for the senseless death of Matthew P. Burke. Dr. Burke was riding legally in a group of fifteen cyclists when he and four other riders were struck from behind by Mr. Johnson on a long, flat straight road in broad daylight.”
To learn more about improving cycling safety and police enforcement, read “Enforcement: The Final Frontier” in the July/August issue of American Bicyclist magazine.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, along with US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Congressman Earl Blumenauer, announced the release of the print version of the National Association of City Transportation Official’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide.
“This is a guide cities should use,” said Secretary LaHood in front of the Union Station Bike Station. He went on to enumerate all of the exciting things that are happening in cities from New York to Chicago to Portland. The Secretary also said today that he won’t serve a second term as Transportation Secretary — certainly bad news for bicyclists.
“The Urban Bikeway Design Guide is a really critical piece for cities across the country who want to encourage bicycling as part of the transportation mix,” League President Andy Clarke said after the event, “And it fills a real void in available information on designing and implementing more innovative roadway designs and designs that work in our cities. The on-line guide is already a valuable resource to aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities – the print version just makes it seem even more real and impressive!”
From left, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and League President Andy Clarke show off their new NACTO design guides.
The NACTO Urban Bikeways Design Guide takes a ride on Capital Bikeshare.
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
In September, the Wilmington, DE, Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO) approved DelDOTs request for $480,000 in federal CMAQ funds for the final phase of the Wilmington-to-New Castle Industrial Track for fiscal year 2012. By tapping into Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) improvement funds for bicycling projects – the first time ever in Delaware – Bike Delaware and its allies have opened the door for the future funding of bicycling projects that give people options to substitute their cars trips with enjoyable, healthy, non-polluting, non-traffic-clogging bike trips.
Every year Delaware spends about $12 million in federal CMAQ dollars. “But in the 20 year history of the CMAQ program, not one dime has ever been used for bicycling, greenways or trails in Delaware,” wrote Bike Delaware Executive Director James Wilson, “Until now. We have broken a 20 year drought and also set an immensely hopeful precedent for the future.”
A completed part of Delaware's Wilmington to New Castle trail
A little background:Federal transportation dollars are divided up into different pots of money, each with different rules and eligible project-types. Over the past twenty years, most bicycle projects have been funded out of a few dedicated programs. But bicycle projects are eligible for several other, larger pots of money for purposes such as safety, congestion reduction, and general surface transportation. It’s these larger funding sources that can really make a difference in the amount of funds dedicated to non-motorized transportation. But it also means that bike projects have to compete against a broader range of transportation projects. We believe bicycling advocates and transportation agencies have come a long way and are ready for the challenge.
As I’ve said before, accessing federal funds can be a daunting task, but it’s one with potentially game-changing pay-off. Bike Delaware has shown impressive leadership and vision in doggedly pursuing CMAQ funds for bicycling, despite no precedent in the state.
The CMAQ chapter of Bike Delaware’s ongoing effort to increase the state’s investment in bicycling and walking projects, started with a major victory. In July, after much advocacy by Bike Delaware and others,the Delaware General Assembly approved “Walkable, Bikeable Delaware” and, a month later, voted $5 million in the state budget for state bike routes. The intention from the beginning was to use that amount as matching funds for federal funding programs, like CMAQ, which require a 20 percent state or local match.
Bike Delaware had several projects prioritized and they set out to get them “programmed” – projects selected for federal funding that would then be added to the Transportation Improvement Plan. The next thing they had to do was understand how projects get programmed in Delaware.
We advise advocates to learn the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY, HOW of the selection process:
Who makes the selection decisions?
What are the rules and requirements governing the selections (ie. Application form, criteria) and what are the barriers that negatively impact bike/ped?
When are applications due and selections made?
Why do some projects get selected and not others?
And how do bicycle and pedestrian projects compete with motorized projects?
Bike Delaware took up the task. Although the project selection process was fairly typical in its opaqueness, advocates identified the WILMAPCO Technical Advisory Committee as a key decision-making body. With the $5 million in dedicated state funds as a source for the required 20 percent local match, advocates were able to participate in the process to get federal funds programmed and compete on something like an equal footing for the first time with other transportation projects. The result was the breakthrough last month: Delaware’s 1st ever CMAQ-funded bike project.
As we work with advocates and agency staff across the country as part of our Advocacy Advance Action 2020 Workshops, we will be using Delaware as an example of can be accomplished with savvy and determination. We look forward to the upcoming Delaware Bike Summit on Oct 14th. We will be there to talk about federal funding opportunities and celebrating Delaware’s CMAQ break-through.
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
The League welcomes Matt Wempe, our brand new State and Local Advocacy Coordinator. He comes to us from Fort Collins, CO, where he was a transportation planner and Safe Routes to School Coordinator.
It’s a beautiful fall day here in the nation’s capital, made even better by all the children and parents walking to school for International Walk to School Day. They are joining families from throughout the world to celebrate walking as an excellent way to start the school day. Besides the absolute fun of walking with friends and neighbors, there are myriad benefits: children arrive at school energized and ready to learn, they are closer to the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise, fewer parents drive (as much as 10 to 14 percent of morning traffic can be generated by parents driving children to school), and there is a greater sense of school community.
Students at Portland, Oregon's Prescott Elementary School walk to school
If this sounds great to you, it does to us as well! League president Andy Clarke joined students in Portland, Oregon on their morning walk to school today. “All over the world, kids are walking and biking to school today,” he said, “and if the students at Prescott Elementary are any indication they are loving it. We do have an important responsibility to make sure our children can travel safe – they’ll take care of the fun!”
Prescott Elementary Students complete their Bike Train ride to school
Today doesn’t have to be the only day of the year your family walks. Safe Routes to School programs in communities nationwide work year round to support walking and biking as viable ways to get to school. The League has been working to protect Safe Routes to School funding in the federal transportation bill reauthorization. These critical funds provide a real benefit for communities across America to directly improve walking and biking infrastructure and programs for some of our most vulnerable citizens. Keep updated and learn more about the program at the League’s Safe Routes to School page.
Matt Wempe League State and Local Advocacy Coordinator
Mr. Wempe joined the League in September 2011. For the three years prior, he worked as a transportation planner and Safe Routes to School Coordinator in Fort Collins, Colo. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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Aiken, S.C. A truck, driven by Daniel Johnson, collided with the group and injured four cyclists and tragically left one other, Dr. Matthew Burke, critically injured with severe head trauma. After 128 days in a coma on life support, Dr. Burke passed away on February 6, 2011. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition and South Carolina cycling attorney Peter Wilborn worked on the case, and Johnson was 
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