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Federal Action: A Thank You, Update and Next Steps

imageThe struggle has only just begun.

On Thursday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee narrowly voted against preserving the small amount of essential federal funds that make it safer for people who walk and bike across the country. During the contentious vote, 27 committee members supported the bipartisan Petri-Johnson-Lipinski amendment, coming just two votes shy of a victory.

The good news: Thanks to incredible efforts of many local advocacy leaders to engage grassroots members in action, we gained bipartisan support for the amendment and showed Congress that we mean business.

The amendment was introduced with support from both sides of the aisle: Representatives Tom Petri (R-WI), Tim Johnson (R-IL), and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and all committee Democrats voted in favor of the bill. These three Republican Representatives deserve special commendation, because they chose to champion safety for all road users despite extreme pressure from their House leadership to essentially throw school children, pedestrians and cyclists off the bridge to the future.

And we definitely got the House leadership’s attention. The amendment sparked heated remarks from both sides, including an impassioned defense of Safe Routes to School by Representative DeFazio (D-OR).

But there is still a long climb ahead.

Elimination of funds for biking and walking isn’t the only reason the House bill is terrible policy. The House bill puts public transit in jeopardy by diverting transit funds, an issue that has raised the alarm at Transportation for America and the American Public Transportation Association. A coalition of environmental organizations strongly objects to the bill’s environmentally backwards provisions, as well.

The Alliance joins our partners at America Bikes in thanking the tens of thousands of bicycling and pedestrian advocates from across the country who contacted their representatives on the T&I Committee in support of the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School programs. The amendment also drew support from more than 60 national, state, and local organizations that recognize the importance of federal support for local infrastructure and safety projects. Several Alliance organizations engaged their membership on this effort, and we appreciate their leadership.

As the House bill moves through committee to the floor and the Senate makes progress on its transportation bill, the Alliance is working with America Bikes to engage our organizations in key states that will help ensure influential Representatives and Senators are on our side and can support needed action to protect funding for walking and biking. Please stay tuned for specific emails to engage your organization in this focused strategy and be sure to contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with any questions or concerns.

And be sure to register for two important events this Wednesday, February 8:

  • 1 p.m. Eastern: Federal Policy Webinar, hosted by the Alliance and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. We’ll be joined by Caron Whitaker, Campaign Director for America Bikes, who will have up-to-the-minute information from Capitol Hill and insight on collective strategies to preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking in the next federal transportation bill. Register here.

  • 2 p.m. Eastern: Working with Your Members of Congress Mutual Aid Call. Now, more than ever, building and cultivating relationships with your members of Congress is vital to protecting biking and walking funding at the federal level. Hear examples, strategies, tips and insight from Tyler Frisbee, legislative assistant to Congressman Earl Blumenauer; Ed Barsotti, Executive Director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists; and Gerik Kransky, Advocacy Director for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Register here.