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Entries tagged: Cmaq

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee published its proposal for the next federal transportation program late on November 4. The 600-page bill will be marked-up in committee on Wednesday, November 9. The proposed legislation makes significant changes to the core, dedicated funding programs for bicycling and walking activities, as this side-by-side analysis shows.

America Bikes coalition members and staff are analyzing the bill, working with committee staff and members to address specific issues, and preparing to brief the media and stakeholders on all aspects of the proposed legislation. Please visit the America Bikes website and stay tuned to the Alliance blog for updates today and in the days ahead.

After a mandate from members and a decade of dedicated work, Bike Pittsburgh celebrated last week as the local Port Authority announced 100 percent of buses now have bike racks.

The story starts way back in 2002, when BikePGH was just getting its feet wet as an upstart advocacy organization. Already, the Port Authority and City of Pittsburgh had received a $75,000 grant for “Ride, Rack and Roll,” an initiative intended to outfit 75 buses with bike racks. But, a year after the program was established, only eight routes had racks — and often, even on those lines, buses would arrive sans rack. So BikePGH got to work.

“[From 2003 to 2006] stakeholders represented by Sustainable Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, the Port Authority and BikePGH met on and off to try to figure out the issues regarding the Rack ‘n Roll service,” Erok Boerer, BikePGH Advocacy Director, explained on the group’s blog last week. “It was clear the only answer was to get more racks into the entire system.”

In 2004, the program got an influx of money — $290,150 from the federal Transportation Enhancements program — to grow the program to 12 routes. But still, service was spotty and riders had little confidence that their bus would arrive with a rack. So it wasn’t surprising that BikePGH members considered the bus situation a major frustration. “At a BikePGH strategic planning session, members expressed that outfitting 100 percent of Port Authority buses with bike racks should be a high priority campaign that we should pursue,” Boerer explained.

So, in 2007, when the Port Authority announced it was buying new buses without racks the advocates pressed for a new policy that could solve the problem: No new buses should be purchased without a bike rack. The Port Authority agreed. By 2008, the landscape started to change as old buses were retired and, from the get-go, the new ones hit the streets with racks attached. To make sure the Port Authority had the cash to complete the task, BikePGH worked with local officials to get funding from another federal source — the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program — and from a private foundation. By the end of 2009, they had secured the dollars to outfit the remaining 190 buses and the city promised to get it done by the end of 2011.

Finally, on Friday, the Port Authority and BikePGH had reason to party: All the city buses are now equipped with bike racks.

“This momentous development didn’t happen overnight,” Boerer wrote before the event. “It took a decade, with many different folks working to better the program. When it all came down to it, though, it was all about advocacy and leadership that made it happen.”

Read more on the BikePGH blog.

In the next few days, officials could swipe millions of dollars from bicycle and pedestrian projects in your state.

Don’t let your Department of Transportation send crucial federal funding for biking and walking back to Washington, DC!

Last week, Congress passed a jobs bill that contains a $2.2 billion rescission of transportation funds from state DOTs. In many states, the DOT will likely target bike funding programs to send those dollars back to Washington — unless local advocates speak up and make sure that doesn’t happen.

States must report which program funds are affected by August 25 and the law gives officials maximum flexibility to choose which unobligated balance of funds are rescinded. So we need you to take action this week.

Funds may be rescinded from the following programs:

- Transportation Enhancements
- Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)
- Recreational Trails
- State Planning and Research
- Surface Transportation Program
- Metropolitan Planning

The US DOT is urging state DOTs to reach out to stakeholders, which makes this a perfect opportunity to remind your state’s DOT of the value of bicycle and pedestrian projects. One request we have of state DOTs is that they follow the “proportionality clause” of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 – this ensures that cuts be made equitably across programs.

What can you do? Flood your governor with calls and e-mails to showcase the importance of bicycle and pedestrian facilities — and prove we’re paying attention! Tell your governor: Don’t let the state DOT disproportionately cut funding for Transportation Enhancements, recreational trails, and bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Read more from America Bikes, then visit the League of American Bicyclists Action Center to craft and send a message to your governor. Learn more about rescissions in this Advocacy Advance report.