Posts by Caron Whitaker

Election Day is here, and we’ve got the breakdown on what’s at stake for bicycling at the ballot box. In the U.S. Senate, a change of party control, which is looking likely, could spell trouble for bicycling at the national level. Here’s why: We could be looking at a May 2015 vote to cut funding for bike projects and removed eligibility for bike and pedestrian facilities from the transportation bill. Senate allies have successfully fought off amendments and legislative maneuvers on this in 2009, 2011 and 2012. If Republicans have more than 55 seats, bicycling priorities will liekly face some opposition, and many of bicycling’s strongest champions in the Senate will no longer be heading up the important committees making the decisions.

A few years ago Advocacy Advance recognized the rise of local ballot initiatives to boost funding for transportation as a key opportunity to raise new funding for biking and walking projects. This summer we had the opportunity to partner with Americans for Transit to invest in new research to identify voters who support funding for transit and biking infrastructure.

Last week in Pittsburgh, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, announced a groundbreaking agenda by US DOT to address the safety of people who bike and walk in all 50 states. “Safety is our highest priority and that commitment is the same regardless of which form of transportation people choose, including walking and biking,” Foxx told the more than 1,000 attendees at the Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place conference.

Thank you to the more than 10,000 of you who submitted comments to the Federal Highway Administration asking them to institute a non-motorized safety performance measure. As of this publication, there have been 10,815 comments submitted.

In May of this year, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) invited Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard (R) to testify in front of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) on the importance of local control over the Transportation Alternatives Program — a program that funds bicycling and walking projects and other local priorities.

Today, Senators Corker (R-TN) and Murphy (D-CT) unveiled a bi-partisan agreement to raise the gas tax. The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is set to go bankrupt in mid to late August and Congress must find a solution over the next few weeks or the federal government will have to slow or stop payments to states on transportation projects. This could cost significant job loss during the high construction season, as well as a delay on much needed transportation improvments. HTF is primarily funded by fuel tax on gas and diesel tax