CNN gets the scoop from League President Andy Clarke and Jacob Wolf Barnett from Revolution Cycles about how more people are responding to high gas prices by hopping on their bikes.
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 November, we asked you to sign our Right to the Road petition against the “mandatory sidepath” provision in the Senate transportation bill. The restrictive clause would limit cyclists from riding on roads on federal lands under certain conditions. Read more here and here. Now, we are asking you to contact your Senator directly.
We have carried over 14,000 signatures to Capitol Hill, but it’s not enough.
We are happy to report that Senators Jeffrey Merkley of Oregon and Al Franken of Minnesota are leading an effort to have this provision removed. However, some other Senate offices still aren’t convinced that their constituents care about the issue.
We now need to ask you to contact your Senator directly on the matter. You can use our action center to send an email to your Senators, or call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Senate office.
If you call, simply tell the staffer you speak with that you’re opposed to restricting bicycle use on federal lands – the law unfairly and unreasonably restricts cycling at a time when we should be encouraging bicycling for transportation, health, recreation, air quality and a host of other reasons.
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 leadership of the Alliance for Biking & Walking, Bikes Belong, and the League of American Bicyclists has agreed that uniting the three organizations would dramatically improve their effectiveness in increasing bicycle use in U.S. communities. Leaders of the three groups issued a joint statement summarizing the outcome of their recent meeting in San Diego, February 13-14.
“We can transform communities across the United States and accelerate the creation of a more bicycle-friendly America by combining the programs, resources, and members of these three leading organizations,” said Chris Fortune, Chairman of the Bikes Belong board and member of the transition team empowered to facilitate unification of the three groups. The transition team comprises representatives of each organization and will be working with the boards, staff, and members of each group to implement the process.
“There is a lot of work ahead,” acknowledged Hans van Naerssen, Chair of the League’s board and a member of the transition team. “We must determine how to combine the diverse strengths of a powerful alliance of state and local organizations, a storied national user group, and a vibrant industry association in a way that preserves their unique attributes and realizes the game-changing potential of a single entity.”
“Our enthusiasm to take this momentous step for the movement is matched by a commitment to do this right,” said Noah Budnick, board Chair of the Alliance for Biking & Walking. The boards of all three organizations must ratify the agreement. Once (and if) that occurs, the transition team will work with a variety of board, staff, partners and advisors to determine the initial programs, membership structure, and staff needs of the new organization. “Changes will be implemented carefully and respectfully over time”, continued Budnick, “and it is important to say that all existing contractual agreements will be honored and the continuity of existing memberships is assured.”
Andy Clarke, President, League of American Bicyclists
202-822-1333 / andy@bikeleague.org
Jeffrey Miller, President/CEO, Alliance for Biking & Walking
202-445-4415 / jeff@PeoplePoweredMovement.org
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Today is the last day of early bird registration for the National Bike Summit, and we want to make sure you know just why your voice is needed in Washington.
REASON 7: The Congressional Bike Ride! Enjoy the activity that brought you to Washington: riding your bike. Meet Congressional staffers, local activists, and decompress from a week well spent in the Nation’s Capitol.
Andy Clarke, League President, addresses the crowd before the ride
REASON 6: Learn from the Leaders! With 18 break-out sessions to choose from, keynotes, panels, etc., the National Bike Summit is the senior seminar for bicycling advocates and enthusiasts. Check out the agenda to see what all you can discover!
Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists, Jay Walljasper of the Project for Public Spaces, Caron Whitaker from America Bikes, Chris Kegel from Wheel & Sprocket, and John Burke of Trek
REASON 5: Get pinned! The eye-catching bike pins made famous by this fine sir are in abundance. Let people know you stand for cycling with style!
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) shows off his bike bling
REASON 4: Better connect with your members, clients, and Representatives! Luncheon Keynote Speaker Jason Ryan Dorsey is the expert at reaching Generation Y.
The're babies, I tell you!
REASON 3: Want to meet the person who designed your bike or funded your town’s bike lanes? They’re here! Come join them! From top-rate advocates to small shop owners, they’re at the National Bike Summit. See and be seen.
Gary Fisher. Need I say anything else?
REASON 2: You can help us in defeating the House Transportation Bill. You must be sick of hearing about just how terrible this bill is. And you know what? So are we! Let’s end this tragedy once and for all. Full post on this–including video–here.
(drumroll, please) REASON 1: Meeting your representatives in Congress. These personal relationships are what bring about change! Sitting down and having a conversation about bicycling can do amazing things.
Look at this personal relationship with Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R - OH)! He's now a huge bicycling supporter.
Now that you know why you need to come, let me tell you how to come! Register now for the final day of early bird pricing by clicking here. And once you’ve done that (or if you’ve already done that, wink wink) make sure to let your friends, colleagues, and grandmother on facebook know. Join the event, like us, and twitter #nbs12
Katie Omberg Membership and Events Associate
Katie joined the League in April of 2010. For the two years prior, she worked at the Corcoran College of Art + Design as a programs coordinator. Katie has a BA in Religion from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. She enjoys biking to work.
Thanks, in part, to the powerful advocacy of bicyclists, members of Congress from both parties are speaking up for bicycling and walking. Bi-partisan amendments to improve the House and Senate transportation bills are being submitted in the both chambers of Congress. In the House, Representatives Tom Petri (R-WI), Timothy Johnson (R-IL), Steven LaTourette (R-OH), have teamed up with Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dan Lipinski (D-Il), and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) to offer a bi-partisan amendment to protect bicycling and walking funding, streamline project delivery, and increase local access to funds. In the Senate, the bi-partisan Cardin (D-MD)/Cochran (R-MI) Amendment, which would increase local decision-making, is gaining addition co-sponsors from both parties.
Ohio bicycling advocates meet with Congressman Steve LaTourette (R-OH) during the 2011 National Bike Summit
In Massachusetts, the state-wide advocacy organization MassBike has been working hard to line up Congressional support for bicycling and walking. For months, building on existing relationships, they have been in communication with their state’s Senators, John Kerry (D) and Scott Brown (R), to explain the challenges they face in the state and the need for policies like those contained in the Senate amendment. Massachusetts bicyclists have made dozens of phone calls and sent several hundred emails through the League’s system. Last week, both Senator Brown and Senator Kerry agreed to be co-sponsors. (Read more at MassBike.)
This is a testament to the power of bicycling & walking and the teamwork of the state’s bicycling advocates. ”Our collaboration with other advocacy groups is what created the overwhelming groundswell of calls and emails reported by our Senators and Representatives,” said MassBike Executive Director David Watson. “Hearing personal stories from individual bikers and walkers generates a level of Congressional interest beyond what the advocates can achieve on their own.”
In meeting after meeting on the Hill, members of Congress tell us that they are hearing more from their constituents about the bicycling amendments than about any other transportation-related amendment. “Both the House and Senate transportation bills have been mired in amendments and concerns, but the work of the grassroots has really kept bicycle and pedestrian funding at the forefront. Almost every article about the transportation bill lists the changes to biking and walking funding as one of the top concerns,” says Caron Whitaker, Campaign Director for AmericaBikes. “We may be only 2% of the funding but at the moment we’re more than 2% of the bandwidth.”
So…what’s happening with the bills?
This week both the House and the Senate postponed votes on their bills until after next week’s recess: In the House, the delay is due to apparent lack of yea votes; in the Senate it is, in part, because of a host of amendments not related to transportation.
This means that lawmakers are in their home states. Now is a good time to schedule a visit to your members of Congress to make the case for bicycling and walking investments .
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.
“Laws are like sausages,” said Otto von Bismarck, “It is better not to see them being made.” Yesterday, Barbara Boxer, chair of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said about the transportation bill, “Everybody who says it’s like making sausage, it’s a lot uglier than that.”
To be sure, there has been plenty during the recent debate over the re-authorization of the surface transportation bill to make a sane person crazy: a formerly bi-partisan issue has become at times bitterly partisan; there has been delay after delay since the previous law, known as SAFETEA-LU expired in September, 2009; there is no consensus on how to pay for our nation’s transportation infrastructure; there’s been a string of short-sighted attacks on bicycling and walking, transit, and other investments that help us travel more safely, more cleanly, and, often, more happily.
But there have been many truly inspiring moments as well.
Bicyclists have really stepped up. At all levels – in local communities, in states, and nationally, and at universities and businesses across the country – we have seen a tremendous outpouring of energy. It has come from a wide range of people interested in promoting cycling, including transportation experts, health advocates, safety advocates, bicycling buffs, and even those concerned about the military preparedness of our young people.
In the past month alone, people using the League’s advocacy tool have sent 50,000 messages to their members of Congress in support of bicycling and walking in the transportation bill. Over 14,000 individuals signed our petition to protect cyclists’ right to the road in response to a mandatory side-path clause in the current version of the Senate bill. State and local advocacy organizations have done really impressive outreach in their districts and states, mobilizing countless more cyclists through custom alerts. And local leaders, like mayors, business owners, and university officials, have been making critical calls to their elected officials to explain how important bicycling and walking are to our communities. We are now asking people to start setting up in-district meetings with their representatives when Congress is on recess next week.
“We’ve proved that we can turn out a really good volume, a high number, of emails and calls,” says League President Andy Clarke. “What sets us apart is this unique blend of individual bicyclists, bike shop owners, suppliers, and businesses that get the fact that federal investments in bicycling are important to them. It’s not just a special interest – it’s a public interest issue.”
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
Today, we wrote to League members and supporters in a few key House districts to ask for their help in getting the votes needed to pass the Petri/Johnson amendment. This is the same amendment (see fact sheet) to restore dedicated bike/pedestrian funding that was narrowly defeated in Committee two weeks ago, and which has now been offered again as the bill moves to the floor of the House. We are expecting that vote as early as Wednesday, but it could get moved to later in the week.
We remain opposed to the overall bill, H.R. 7, because of its regressive attacks on transit, environmental protections, planning and bicycling. If you did not receive an e-mail from me to take action, please do so here. However, our bipartisan champions in the House want to send a clear message to the House leadership and Chairman Mica that dedicated funding for bicycling and walking programs are an essential part of a balanced national transportation system – and that these are cost-effective, job-creating programs that give local elected officials access to transportation funds that are otherwise out of their control.
This message of support for bicycling and walking needs to be heard loud and clear. If the House bill passes with the amendment, it strengthens our hand as the House and Senate bills are “conferenced” to come up with a single bill. If the House bill fails, passing the Petri/Johnson amendment strengthens our hand in the inevitable “extension” debate that follows: the current program expires on March 31 and must be re-written or extended by that time. There is a fear that another extension will not be clean, i.e. Congress won’t simply keep the existing program as is, they will start to play with the programs and funding.
Over on the Senate side, the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran amendment is gathering support to restore dedicated bike/ped funding and preserve local control over this small sliver of transportation funding. We are hearing that MAP-21, the Senate bill, won’t now make it to the floor until the week of February 27. We will keep you posted.
One thing remains constant: your voice matters. Individual calls, e-mails and visits to Congressional offices really do make a difference. This is an election year, after all, for every member of the House of Representatives. Use our on-line advocacy tools to contact your Members of Congress, but remember that next week most members will be in their home districts and states – waiting for your visit; and March 20-22nd we can help you schedule a visit as part of the National Bike Summit here in Washington, D.C.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Don’t forget to do something nice for your bike today.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
Thank you for responding to another round of attacks on bicycling and walking. Your voices are being heard on Capitol Hill: House and Senate offices are hearing loud and clear that the current proposals for a new highway bill just aren’t acceptable. Both bills threaten to end 20 years of progress in promoting more walkable and bikeable communities.
Congress is about to eliminate infrastructure programs that demonstrably create jobs, improve safety, provide transportation choices, and promote the most energy-efficient of all travel modes: walking and bicycling. All of this without reducing the cost of the overall bill. The Senate bill reduces the small percentage of transportation funding currently targeted to bicycling and walking, and allows States to simply opt-out of bicycling and walking programs entirely – preventing local agencies from investing in these critical transportation safety projects.
Along with our colleagues in the America Bikes coalition, the League has issued an action alert urging Congress to reject entirely the proposed highway bill (H.R.7) in the House of Representatives, and to support the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran amendment to the Senate bill to preserve local control over transportation funds.
The Senate and House Bill are unprecedented attacks on the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Take action today, pass the action alert to your friends and family, and register for the National Bike Summit this March 20-22 in Washington, D.C. This event is critical for bicycling, and we need cyclists to speak up and let their Members of Congress know how important bicycling is to them and their community. Contact your Senators and Representatives today – tell them that we bike, and we vote. Together we can save cycling!
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Speaker John Boehner’s weekend claim that 25% of the highway dollars are “siphoned off for non-economic projects – such as beautification and bikepaths” came as a bit of a shock. The nation’s bicyclists must have gotten a big raise over the holidays, because last November Boehner and his buddy Eric Cantor were claiming only ten percent of highway funds were “diverted” this way.
Source: Bicycling and Walking in the United States 2012 Benchmarking Report, Alliance for Biking & Walking
Neither figure is anywhere close to the truth, of course. Boehner continues to use “bikepaths” as a whipping boy for everything that he thinks is wrong with our transportation system – he knows, and his colleagues know, that “bikepaths” get barely 1.5% of Federal transportation dollars. They also carefully avoid inconvenient facts like:
The 1.5% of funds that go to bicycling and walking projects compares to the 12% of trips and 14% of fatalities for which these two transportation account nationwide.
“Bikepaths” make up a small percentage of investments made in safer bicycling and walking infrastructure – most of the funds go to popular and cost-effective projects including sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, trails, bike parking, Safe Routes to Schools programs and a host of other safety projects that benefit all road users.
The Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to Schools programs are among the only programs that give local governments the opportunity to compete fairly for transportation dollars that are fiercely controlled by state highway agencies; these funds are typically over-subscribed by a factor of three or more.
Ironically, Boehner and his claims are also undone by none other than the state Departments of Transportation – for whom, or perhaps by whom, the proposed highway bill must have been written. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently asked the Transportation Research Board to report on the job creation benefits of the small amount of stimulus funding that went to transportation infrastructure. Lo and behold, by far the most jobs per dollar spent were created by “transportation enhancement” projects, or “bikepaths”.
So if Boehner’s bill is about making good use of diminishing transportation dollars, bicycling and walking clearly ought to make the cut. They are low-cost, big impact projects that solve transportation problems as well as health, energy and environmental problems at the same time. If the bill is about creating jobs, labor-intensive, small-scale projects such as bikeways and walkways clearly fit the bill perfectly.
It’s time for Boehner to banish the bikepath-bashing bandwagon and boldly embrace the broad and brilliant benefits of bicycling.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
In January, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety placed Road Diets on the official list of Proven Safety Countermeasures. States are actively encouraged to use the listed safety countermeasures and FHWA provides guidance on their application. Road Diets slow traffic by reducing car travel lanes and replacing them with things like bike lanes and center turn lanes.
Before and after photo of Philo Road in Urbana, IL, from www.vtpi.org, provided by the City of Urbana.
To learn more about how Road Diets came to be added to the list and the practical implications of this move, we had some questions for FHWA Associate Administrator for Safety Tony Furst. Mr Furst was kind enough to take some time to talk about the safety benefits of Road Diets for all road users.
League: What is the process by which a safety measure is added to the list?
Administrator Furst: FHWA assembled experts from across the agency to research
effective countermeasures in three primary areas – intersections, roadway departure, and pedestrian safety. In its evaluation, the team assessed the implementation of countermeasures
Tony Furst, FHWA Associate Administrator for Safety
across the country, what we know about the countermeasures from the Crash Modifications Factors Clearinghouse – a comprehensive repository of research and evaluations
for safety countermeasures, and peer reviews by researchers and professional engineers from across the road safety field. Ultimately, the nine were chosen based on the quality of the research that shows that they are proven safety countermeasures and are ready to be widely implemented.
A Road Diet is an increasingly popular countermeasure that is very compatible with a Complete Streets application and one that FHWA promotes in the “Designing for Pedestrian Safety” courses – it is an excellent safety countermeasure and works well on many levels.
League:What are the safety benefits for drivers? What are the safety benefits for bicyclists and people on foot?
Administrator Furst: Road Diets reduce vehicle speed which makes the roadway environment safer for all road users. For bicyclists in particular, road diets often include bike lanes, a plus for the cycling community. For pedestrians, this countermeasure slows vehicles in the midblock area. Since 70 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur at midblock crossings, road diets can definitely help save pedestrian lives.
League:What can advocates do to encourage their state DOTs to undertake Road Diets?
Administrator Furst: When a State or municipality identifies a safety issue that can be improved by the application of a road diet, safety advocates can support its implementation. When safety advocates bring their issues to a State DOT or municipality, it helps if they can bring potential solutions, and if road diets improve the issue being brought forward, it could be that solution.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
Tuesday evening, I rode home from work in shorts. It was the last day of January, well after dark, and the temperature was still over 60 degrees. To be honest, though, the weather is the least crazy thing that’s been happening here in Washington this week.
We had less than two days to read an 864-page highway bill – the American Infrastructure and Energy Jobs Act – before a Committee mark-up on Thursday at 9:00am. Not only did the proposed bill strip all funding for bicycling and walking programs, but it tore at the very heart of existing provisions ensuring bicyclists and pedestrians at least have a seat at the table when transportation decisions are made at the state and local level.
Together with our colleagues in the America Bikes coalition, we had anticipated the funding attacks and had been working with Republican allies on the committee to prepare an amendment to restore funding. We had not anticipated the fury with which this initiative was greeted by Committee Chairman John Mica, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor – they evidently worked hard to dissuade their colleagues from supporting the bi-partisan amendment.
Chairman Mica and the House leadership succeeded in blocking a pro-bike amendment to the House transportation bill, but we made them work for it.
Representatives Petri (WI) and Johnson (IL) were rock stars. Despite the incredible pressure, they held firm and even added a third Republican when the final vote came, Frank LoBiondo (NJ). Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) joined the amendment and helped ensure every Democrat voted for it; fiery support coming from Reps Rahall (WV) and DeFazio (OR). Although we lost by just two votes, I think we left a big impression.
That was in large part due to the thousands of you (18,000 e-mails sent out through our on-line advocacy system alone, tens of thousands more through our allies) who called or e-mailed your Members of Congress on the Committee. This fantastic support made a difference. Several Republican members were truly on the fence right up to the last minute, because they had heard so loudly from their constituents. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
So what happens now? Well, the bill was finally approved in Committee and is currently scheduled to be debated on the floor of the House during the week of February 13 – it is still a very partisan bill and trying to pass an amendment is going to be extremely tough, should we go that route.
Meanwhile, the Senate MAP-21 bill threatens to spring back into life next week – which means we have to switch gears and ensure a strong “local control” provision is included to enable agencies to access funds for bicycling and walking projects. Senator Ben Cardin is our champion here, and if things do start to move as we expect we will need your help again.
(We honestly don’t control the timing of these things and really appreciate your patience and support as we send out bursts of e-mails asking for your help!)
If – and it’s a big if – both House and Senate complete their bills, including provisions to pay for them, they’ll try to combine them and get them to the President before March 31. Failing that, we will once again be looking at an extension of the current programs, but we won’t be able to let our guard down for a second: we have been warned to expect more attacks on dedicated funding for bicycling and walking programs.
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Representative Tom Petri (R-WI) and his colleagues Timothy Johnson (R-IL), and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) showed themselves today to be strong and brave defenders of biking and walking, a balanced transportation system, and livable communities. Thanks also to Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) for co-sponsoring the pro-biking amendment and all of the democrats who votes for it.
The amendment lost by just two votes. This was a strong showing in a very difficult political environment. The House leadership strongly opposed the amendment, so our thanks goes to Reps. Petri, Johnson, and LoBiondo for standing with their constituents and people everywhere who value walking and biking. If these Congressmen represent you, please let them know you recognize their efforts.
Watch this inspired performance from Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) in which he says we’re going back to the pre-1980s in this country:
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.
UPDATE II: Petri-Johnson-Lipinsky Amendment failed by two votes, 27 yea, 29 no. Thank you to everyone who contacted their members to support this amendment. We came very close. This is a major set-back for bicycling and walking and a balance transportation system, but we will keep up the fight.
Here’s League President Andy Clarke on an important vote taking place Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, that may well determine the fate of cycling in the proposed House transportation bill:
Tomorrow, on the day of the House vote on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, Representatives Tom Petri (R-WI), Timothy Johnson (R-IL), and Daniel Lipinsky (R-IL) will submit an amendment to preserve bicycling and walking. The outcome is likely to come down to one or two key votes.
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.
By popular demand, you can now read the top ten list of reasons the proposed House transportation bill, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, is terrible for bicycling and livable communities.
And you can still watch Andy Clarke spell it out here:
Top 10 Reasons the House’s Proposed Transportation Bill is
Bad for Biking and Walking
10. No traffic calming.
Under current law, traffic calming and bicycle/pedestrian safety are eligible for funding from the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The House’s proposed bill would make traffic calming and bike/ped safety ineligible for funding, encouraging faster, more dangerous streets.
Current law requires that rumble strips on roads “do no adversely affect the safety and mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled.” The proposed House bill eliminates this language, allowing for unsafe placement of rumble strips that create deadly safety hazards for people riding bicycles.
Currently, when a state or local community is interested in making their streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, they can turn to clearinghouses for information about funding sources, best practices, and other technical assistance. The House’s transportation bill would eliminate bicycle/pedestrian and Safe Routes to School clearinghouses, making it harder for states and local communities to find technical assistance.
Today’s federal transportation laws require states to keep Bicycle/Pedestrian specialists and Safe Routes to School Coordinators on staff. As huge agencies with thousands of employees, state Departments of Transportation benefit from having one or two people familiar with biking and walking issues. The House bill would eliminate these positions, effectively making state DOTs less familiar with bicycling and walking safety.
Under current law, transit funds can be used for projects that make it safer and easier to ride a bike to and from bus stops, subway stations, and train stations. Even though bicycle parking at transit stations, bike access to transit, and bike-sharing are cost-effective fixes that improve safety, the proposed House bill would eliminate federal support for these projects.
Current transportation laws allows for the use of federal funding in converting abandoned railroad corridors into walking and biking trails. The House’s proposed transportation bill makes rail trails ineligible for federal funding.
Under current law, when states do work on a bridge that has bicycle or pedestrian access on either side, they are required to build safe bicycle or pedestrian access across the bridge itself. Even though it’s only logical that people on traveling by bicycle or by foot should be able to cross bridges safely, the proposed House bill eliminates the requirement that states provide bridge access for walkers and bicyclists when it makes the most sense.
Under current law, states can receive Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding to support projects that reduce transportation-related pollution. Currently, states use CMAQ dollars to support bicycling and walking infrastructure, which are proven to help reduce air pollutants by encouraging people to walk or bike instead of drive.
No longer. The House bill would change CMAQ by making congestion reduction, not air quality, the operative measure for eligibility. In other words, in order to qualify for CMAQ funding, a project doesn’t need to reduce air pollution; it just needs to be “likely” to reduce congestion. Under this new definition, the construction of new highway lanes qualifies for CMAQ funding. If the House bill were to become law, states would likely allocate CMAQ funds for highway construction at the expense of bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly projects.
In the House bill’s own words, the Safe Routes to School Program is “repealed.” This wildly successful program helped communities fund transportation infrastructure and education to keep kids safe on their bike rides and walks to school and encourage healthy activity.
Despite the program’s success and very low cost, the House bill would completely eliminate the program, reversing years of progress in making streets safer for kids.
…And the number one problem with the House transportation bill is…
1. Transportation Enhancements is gone.
For the past twenty years, Transportation Enhancements has helped communities build the sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that keep people safe on the streets. As less than 1% of all federal transportation spending, this tiny yet effective program financed projects that made it easier, more convenient, and much safer to walk or ride a bike.
The proposed House transportation bill eliminates bicycling’s most significant funding source by making Transportation Enhancements optional. Rather than finding new ways for towns and cities to keep bicycle riders and pedestrians safe on the streets, states will be encouraged to use these dollars to build wider, faster, more dangerous arterials and highways.
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
The 50 happiest people in America this morning are waking up from a 20-year nightmare. You probably don’t know their names and you certainly wouldn’t recognize them in the street – they are the heads of the 50 state Departments of Transportation and they’ve just been promised a check for more than $200 billion over the next four years, no strings attached, to do what they love best: build highways.
For the last 20 years, they’ve had to pretend that they care about other things than highways, cars and trucks. But if the proposed highway bill introduced into Congress yesterday actually makes it into law, they can do away with that pretense. They won’t have to pretend to do anything for people who don’t drive cars; they’ll be able to skip through the public involvement process and environmental reviews; they can override local officials and plant an interstate in your back yard in double quick time – oh, and there will be heavier and longer trucks than ever thundering past your bedroom window, not only on those interstates but on many other roads besides.
Even better, the huge check comes with a variety of complex and intricate financial measures allowing them to leverage those funds and borrow a whole lot more, effectively mortgaging the future of these programs for years to come. Too bad that these agencies are among the least accountable and transparent of any at arguably the least accountable and transparent level of government – really, who knows their state legislators and if they have any effective control over their state DOT?
The House transportation bill hands the states unlimited authority to build highways like this...
...Don't expect anything but more of this...
...and say goodbye to events like this ribbon cutting for a new bike lane.
Surely all this money comes with a big vision and plan, right? Wrong. The bill has no vision or discernible direction short of just handing the keys of the car over to the State DOTs. Of course, it is purportedly about the safety of the traveling public – yet prohibits the funding of red light or speed cameras; eliminates the Safe Routes to School program, and allocates ten times more funding to increasing and speeding up traffic than it does to safety projects. Of course, it is supposedly about relieving congestion – yet eliminates most of the funding for any alternatives to driving alone and promises more and bigger highways for more and bigger vehicles which results in, if the last 60 years of evidence is anything to go by, more people getting stuck in traffic for longer than ever.
Perhaps the bill is about jobs and infrastructure? For sure, it’s about building a lot of highways. Unfortunately, it’s not so much about rebuilding and repairing the highways we’ve already got, which is an admirable goal we can all share AND sustains more jobs than building new highways we then can’t afford to maintain. And sadly there is NO place in the bill for cost-effective programs to create a more walk-able and bike-able transportation system for people that also creates more jobs per dollar spent than new highways.
Of course, we’re biased. The bill would be a disaster for bicycling and walking programs, because they are all gone. That should matter to you whether you ride a bike or not (we’re going to assume that you do walk and need to get across the street every now and then) because the principles of local control, providing transportation choices, and improving the quality of life in communities are important way beyond the bicycling community. That’s what investing in bicycling and walking is all about.
The tiny sliver of funding – just 1.5 percent – currently carved out to serve the needs of people making 12% of trips and comprising 14% of fatal crash victims, clearly is a major irritant to these agencies and their political allies. No doubt they will celebrate the return of this money and each of the 50 agencies can build another few hundred feet of Interstate instead…But it all adds up, right. Because they are also getting back all the money from discretionary programs and a 5% bonus from those high priority projects that won’t be foisted on them this time around.
No wonder this group of 50 people is smiling so broadly this morning; they are getting the closest thing to a blank check that the Federal government is writing these days.
To be fair, there are a few of this group that genuinely does care about local priorities, promoting alternatives, creating more livable communities, and the safety of people other than speeding drivers. We need them to stand up and speak up for the things they care about, because they aren’t going to be able to do them if this bill passes.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Blog
Subscribe
