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We’ve just won a big battle for biking and walking in the Senate. After several long weeks of intense work from advocates around the country, the Cardin-Cochran Amendment has been accepted as part of the base Senate transportation bill, MAP-21.

If MAP-21 becomes law, the language from this amendment will ensure that local governments, school systems, and metropolitan planning organizations are able to access much-needed funds to make bicycling and walking safe and accessible.

With the acceptance of the Cardin-Cochran amendment, here’s how MAP-21 would work if it becomes law:

• Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, and Recreational Trails are consolidated into a new program called Additional Activities.
• State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) will make their Additional Activities funding available to metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and local governments. Here’s how they’ll allocate the funds:
  • The state DOT will allocate 50% of the Additional Activities, based on population, to MPOs and rural areas. MPOs will then distribute the funds through a competitive grant program for projects in their communities.
  • For the remaining 50% of Additional Activities, the state DOT would host its own competitive grant process for projects. Local governments, school districts, and others would be eligible to compete for this funding.

If it becomes law, this legislation would ensure that local governments and communities have a voice in the transportation decisions that affect their streets. The safeguards included in MAP-21 would ensure that communities of every size benefit from making their own localized transportation decisions for safe streets.

Huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen, including:

• Senators Cardin (D-MD) and Cochran (R-MS) who sponsored the original amendment.
• Environment and Public Works Committee leadership who accepted the language into the base bill:
  • Senator Boxer (D-CA)
  • Senator Inhofe (R-OK)
  • Senator Baucus (D-MT)
  • Senator Vitter (R-LA)
• And of course, everyone who called and emailed in support of this amendment. Your voices made this possible!

In order to make this law, the Reid Amendment must pass the Senate. Please urge your Senators to vote for cloture on the Reid Amendment!

Stay tuned to the America Bikes website for updates and developments. And thank you again for your continued support and hard work to make biking and walking in America safe and accessible.

The America Bikes coalition — representing the nation’s leading bicycling and walking groups — today expressed their appreciation for the continued inclusion of funding opportunities for biking and walking in MAP‐21.

America Bikes remains deeply concerned, however, that bicycling and walking programs suffer disproportionate cuts in funding in the new bill, and that significant additional activities are made eligible for these limited funds. We remain committed to working with the EPW Committee and full Senate to resolve these issues, especially in the light of the Senate’s continued, strong bi‐partisan support for bicycle and pedestrian funding as shown in several recent votes on the Senate floor.

The process of honoring the public’s strong support for these programs begins immediately with amendments that have been introduced already by Senate supporters of dedicated funding for non‐motorized transportation. Specific concerns include:

1. The current dedicated funding programs for bicycling and walking are combined into one program, with significantly less funding;


2. An expanded list of eligible activities are added to this smaller funding pot, including such big‐ticket items as NEPA compliance and land acquisition for wetland mitigation; and

3. The proposed bill effectively allows states to completely opt out of the program and would allow all this money to be redirected to highway construction.

The America Bikes coalition calls on the leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to restore dedicated funding for bicycling and walking in MAP‐21 and remove the opt‐out provision that would encourage States to eliminate funding for these two modes altogether.

When America Bikes, America Benefits

From San Francisco to Bentonville, Arkansas, and from Oklahoma City to New York City, communities are increasingly investing in bicycling and walking infrastructure and programs to support popular, healthy and cost‐effective transportation. These investments — made possible by dedicated federal transportation dollars — are working:

• Commuting trips by bike have increased nationwide by more than 40% since 2000; bicycling and walking now account for 12% of all trips in the United States.
• Thousands of Safe Routes to School programs are reducing congestion and improving safety in communities across the country.
• Recreational trails are heavily used and provide crucial economic benefits, especially in rural communities.

A transportation bill designed to efficiently move America in this new century should continue to include dedicated funding to create safe and accessible places for people to bike and walk. Since 2005, a total of just 1.5 percent of annual federal transportation funding has been devoted to supporting these activities. Biking and walking not only comprise more than 12 percent of all trips but also account for 14% of annual traffic fatalities.

Dedicated funding for bike/ped projects – one or two cents of every dollar – is a time‐tested, popular, and effective approach to building a truly multi‐modal national transportation system that offers choice, safety and access for all. Increasing the safety and use of non‐motorized transportation reduces congestion, saves lives and money, protects the environment…and creates more jobs per million dollars of investment than highway‐only projects: exactly what MAP‐21 should be trying to do.

Dedicated funding for bicycling and walking enjoys broad support at all levels of Government. Less than one week ago, 60 Senators voted in bi‐partisan support of preserving the Transportation Enhancement program – the third such vote in support of the program this year. At the state level, transportation enhancement, safe routes to school and recreational trails programs typically receive at least three times more requests for funding than is available. In May, a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors showed solid support among Mayors for funding of bicycling and walking infrastructure.

Click here to download the statement as a PDF.

America Bikes is a coalition of leaders from the bicycle community advocating positive outcomes for bicycling in the federal transportation bill.

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.

BikeWalk Mississippi claimed a victory on February 8th when the Senate unanimously voted to pass SB3014, the John Paul Frerer Bicycle Safety Act.

The safety bill will provide additional measures to increase safety on the road for both bicyclists and pedestrians. Critical components of the legislation include the implementation of a 3 Feet rule and Anti-Harassment language to protect bicyclists. There are a few more hurdles before the bill becomes official but BikeWalk Mississippi remains active and confident stating “this is an incredible day for bicyclists around the state.”

BikeWalk Mississippi extends THANK YOUs to both Chairman King and President Hewes for their amazing efforts in the Senate, “their leadership navigated the bill as well as our advocates through the legislative process.” To find out more about BikeWalk Mississippi’s efforts and the current status of the John Paul Frerer Bicycle Safety Act, visit www.bikewalkmississippi.org