Photo by Chris Jordan

An open letter to Congress on behalf of the America Bikes Coalition:

On behalf of the leading national organizations in the bicycling, pedestrian and trails communities, we respectfully and urgently ask that Congress provide balanced transportation investments, including Transportation Enhancements, in The Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  A diversity of investments are needed to build a safe and flexible transportation network to meet 21st century challenges. 

We have identified more than 1,200 shovel-ready projects totaling roughly $3.75 billion in bicycle, pedestrian and complete streets projects nationwide that will help create safe, green transportation infrastructure. These labor-intensive projects create the same number or more jobs per dollar as highway projects. They also can be completed quickly and locally– bringing jobs and economic benefits to “Main Street” engineering and construction firms. These highly popular projects will add sidewalks, curb ramps, and bike lanes to roads that don’t have them; construct multi-use trails, and improve intersections with pedestrian medians and other safety features.

To support these important projects, we ask that you explicitly direct a portion of the Recovery bill’s transportation funding to bicycle, pedestrian and complete streets projects. We also request that you route some of the money through metropolitan planning organizations—the groups that focus on cities and effectively represent the interests of 80 percent of Americans who live in these areas

We ask that you support the House version of the bill that requires 45 percent of the funding to go through the Surface Transportation Program formulas, including Transportation Enhancements. We are concerned that without sub-allocations the economic recovery package will not create a sustainable future and will not be responsive to the needs and demands of a 21st century transportation system. Congress needs to assert leadership because the state transportation lists that we have seen are disproportionately skewed towards highway, road and bridge projects--many that fail to provide any accommodation for the tens of millions of Americans who need and want to bicycle, walk, and take public transportation. 

By retaining standard sub-allocation to metropolitan areas as well as allocations to Transportation Enhancements (TE), the economic recovery package will give Americans facing economic hardship the option to avoid the high costs of driving. Since 40 percent of trips made by Americans are two miles or less, there is great potential for investments in bicycling and walking to reduce transportation costs--the second biggest factor in household budgets. 

In addition to the economic benefits, bicycle and pedestrian projects provide:

  • Safety:  Bicyclists and pedestrians suffer 13 percent of the nation’s traffic fatalities, and the primary culprit is a lack of safe infrastructure. 
  • Green Infrastructure:  An essential part of fighting climate change is giving Americans safe options to leave their cars in the driveway.  Researchers have found that a 5 percent increase in a neighborhood’s walkability leads to a 6 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled.  We know that these low-cost modes can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tons annually.
  • Oil Independence. Bicycling and walking are solutions we can use right now, to reduce dependence on foreign oil.  Safe infrastructure for pedestrians is an integral part of every transit trip.  By building such complete transportation networks, we can promote a greener, energy-independent future.
  • Health:  Making it safer and easier for individuals to bicycle, walk, or take transit for transportation reduces the risk of obesity and adds public health benefits.  Our country spends more than $200 billion each year on medical costs associated with physical inactivity and obesity.

To ensure that the economic recovery funds enter local economies quickly and help communities create safe, healthy, and less-polluting transportation options for all Americans, we ask that you support the allocation of transportation funding to State Departments of Transportation in accordance with existing STP funding formulas.  Without such legislative direction, many states will opt not to allocate funding to support ready-to-go bicycle and pedestrian projects, and will instead focus only on building roads that will exacerbate our climate and energy challenges.

Congress has the power to move our transportation system in the right direction – supporting economic recovery, as well as public health, safety, energy independence and a clean environment.  Thank you for your consideration.  For more information on this issue, please contact Caron Whitaker of America Bikes at 202-215-3908 or via email at caron@americabikes.org.

Sincerely,

America Bikes Coalition
http://www.americabikes.org/

Rails to Trails Conservancy, Active Transportation for America: the case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking, 2008; American Public Transportation Association, Public Transportation: Benefits for the 21st Century, 2007.