[regarding a recent proposal by a US House subcommittee to de-fund all Transporation Enhancements
projects in the next federal transportation bill]
On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 20:18:36 -0400, Mark Hickey wrote:
> Bike commuters ride on the road, not bike paths. The only ones who'll suffer are rollerbladers and
> dog walkers.
First of all, they're actually proposing to eliminate more than just Enhancements funding. They've
pretty much gone in and ripped out every bit of bike/ped funding they could find. And while they're
at it, they've drastically reduced funding for transit and Amtrak.
Second, one of the great steps forward in ISTEA and TEA21 is the provision for citizen input into
plans and projects. If much Enhancements money has been spent on multi-use paths, it's because
citizens have been standing up and clamoring for paths. If you and other transportational cyclists
in your area want Enhancements money spent on projects that you prefer--wide curb lanes, street
cleaning, driver or cyclist education, "Share the Road" signs, bridge access, bike racks on buses,
or whatever else turns your crank--then get together, lobby your local governments and
metropolitan planning organizations, and make those things happen INSTEAD OF (or in addition to)
the trails you dislike.
Here are some of the projects I happen to know have been funded here in Missouri from ISTEA-TEA21
Enhancements funds:
* Adding width to some streets & highways to better accommodate bicycles (and I don't mean just
drawing a bike lane on an already wide street--although I'm sure that has been done, too--I mean
actually laying down new, wider pavement)
* "Share the Road" signs
* Bike racks on buses in Kansas City and St. Louis areas
* Hazard mitigation (replacing dangerous grates, fixing potholes, adjusting traffic lights
for bicycles)
* A series of high-profile radio advertisements educating motorists about driving safely around
bicyclists
* Distribution of bicycle safety literature (and not just pablum, either--pretty good "effective
cycling"-type stuff)
* Funding for programs to encourage bike commuting and things like "guaranteed ride home"
* Funding for Statewide Bicycle Coordinator position in MoDOT. This person is a bicycle advocate in
a place that previously had no bicycle advocate nor anyone who especially thought of bicycling on
state roads. This one change has brought about a daisy-chain of positive results, including a new
rumble-strip policy, a new drain grate policy, better mention of bicycle-related issues in the
official state Driver Guide, work on state-wide bicycle routes and maps, and numerous
improvements to specific road projects.
* Funding for Bike/Ped Coordinator positions in every Metropolitan Planning Organization (such
coordinators help create region-wide bike plans and standards and can help greatly to encourage
cities and towns within the region to plan and build bicycle-friendly roads)
* Creation of various city-, county-, region-, and state-wide bicycle plans and construction
standards. Again, previous to ISTEA there was essentially no planning around bicycling in
Missouri and no consideration of bicyclist needs in road construction.
And, yes, Enhancements funds have paid for the construction of a lot of multi-use trails in
Missouri, including almost all of the Katy Trail. And Enhancements funds have paid for pedestrian
projects and a lot of other things you probably don't care about, like highway landscaping,
transportation museums, and other such stuff.
But Enhancements is the main pot of federal money that can be used to improve the roads for
bicycling.
So--don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!
Last I heard, discussion of these proposed cuts in the House Appropriations Committee is scheduled
for 10AM, Thursday, July 24th, 2003.
For more details see
http://www.antc.net/campaign/fy04_appropriations_alert.asp
To contact a member of the US House of Representatives, see
http://www.house.gov/
--Brent Missouri Bicycle Federation bhugh [at] mwsc.edu