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Thanks, in part, to the powerful advocacy of bicyclists, members of Congress from both parties are speaking up for bicycling and walking. Bi-partisan amendments to improve the House and Senate…

“Everybody who says [writing the transportation bill] is like making sausage, it’s a lot uglier than that,” said Barbara Boxer.

Today, we wrote to League members and supporters in a few key House districts to ask for their help in getting the votes needed to pass the Petri/Johnson amendment. This…

Happy Valentine’s Day. We love our bikes and we’re sure that you love yours, too. Here are a few videos to celebrate. The man who lived on his bike Pure…

Thank you for responding to another round of attacks on bicycling and walking. Your voices are being heard on Capitol Hill: House and Senate offices are hearing loud and clear…

Speaker John Boehner’s weekend claim that 25% of the highway dollars are “siphoned off for non-economic projects – such as beautification and bikepaths”  came as a bit of a shock.…

In January, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety placed Road Diets on the official list of Proven Safety Countermeasures. States are actively encouraged to use the listed safety countermeasures…

Tuesday evening, I rode home from work in shorts. It was the last day of January, well after dark, and the temperature was still over 60 degrees. To be honest,…

Representative Tom Petri (R-WI) and his colleagues Timothy Johnson (R-IL), and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) showed themselves today to be strong and brave defenders of biking and walking, a balanced transportation system, and livable communities. Thanks also to Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) for co-sponsoring the pro-biking amendment and all of the democrats who votes for it.

The amendment lost by just two votes. This was a strong showing in a very difficult political environment. The House leadership strongly opposed the amendment, so our thanks goes to Reps. Petri, Johnson, and LoBiondo for standing with their constituents and people everywhere who value walking and biking. If these Congressmen represent you, please let them know you recognize their efforts.

Watch this inspired performance from Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) in which he says we’re going back to the pre-1980s in this country:

Let’s keep the fight going at the National Bike Summit.

Here’s the breakdown of the vote. Remember, votes for the Petri amendment are good for biking and walking programs and votes against are bad.

UPDATE II: Petri-Johnson-Lipinsky Amendment failed by two votes, 27 yea, 29 no.  Thank you to everyone who contacted their members to support this amendment. We came very close. This is a major set-back for bicycling and walking and a balance transportation system, but we will keep up the fight.

UPDATE: You can watch the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee mark up the bill live right now (starting at 9:00am EST).

Here’s League President Andy Clarke on an important vote taking place Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, that may well determine the fate of cycling in the proposed House transportation bill:

Tomorrow, on the day of the House vote on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, Representatives Tom Petri (R-WI), Timothy Johnson (R-IL), and Daniel Lipinsky (R-IL) will submit an amendment to preserve bicycling and walking. The outcome is likely to come down to one or two key votes.

No matter who your Congressperson is, you can TAKE ACTION here.  However, if your Representative is on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it is essential that they hear your voice right now (this links to a different alert for T&I committee member).