pk
August 1st, 2003, 06:52 AM
FROM AMERICA BIKES
For Immediate Release
July 30, 2003
Congressional action jeopardizes bicycle, pedestrian projects
Fact Sheet, Resource Guide Available
Communities counting on federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian
projects will have to shelve their plans, if a measure recently passed by
the House Appropriations Committee becomes law. The Committee voted on
July 24th to eliminate funding for the popular Transportation Enhancements
program from the federal transportation budget for 2004.
The Transportation Enhancements program dedicates a small portion of each
State’s annual federal transportation funding to community-initiated
projects such as multi-use paths, bike improvements, sidewalks,
streetscaping and renovation of historic transportation structures.
Thousands of communities have used the funds to build nearly 16,000
projects since the program was created in 1991. More than half of the
funds have gone to creating safer places to bicycle and walk.
“For twelve years, this program has provided a reliable stream of funding
for projects that communities have identified as important to improving
quality of life for their residents.” says Andy Clarke, director of state
and local policy for the League of American Bicyclists.
“If this measure becomes law, the immediate impact will be confusion,”
says Clarke. “The decision to fund enhancement-type projects will be left
in the hands of the State Departments of Transportation. Our experience
prior to the creation of the program suggests that most States will choose
NOT to spend funds this way,” he says.
To help community leaders and reporters, America Bikes has created a fact
sheet and resource guide to answer questions about the implications of
eliminating the Enhancements program. You can find it at
www.americabikes.org/saveenhancements_factsheet.asp .
Representative Ernest Istook (R-OK) chairs the House Appropriations
subcommittee which drafted the bill eliminating the funding. “In a time of
falling resources, you need to make decisions of where the greatest need
is,” explains Micah Swafford, Rep. Istook’s press secretary. “For years we
have siphoned off funds from highway repair and construction.”
“Rep Istook’s argument about “falling resources” is not reflected in the
numbers,” counters Martha Roskowski of advocacy group America Bikes. The
federal transportation budget approved by the Appropriations Committee on
July 24, 2003 was $33.3 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion over 2003
spending. Enhancements was expected to be funded at about $600 million in
2004. “The successful and popular Enhancements program is being paved
over for no good reason,” says Roskowski.
A majority of Americans believe that federal funds should be used to
create safe places to bicycle and walk. Sixty-eight percent of Americans
surveyed in a recent poll by the Surface Transportation Policy Project
said they would like to see more federal funds spent on walking
facilities, even if it means less money would go toward roads.
The budget now moves to a vote by the full House of Representatives,
expected in early September. Supporters of the Enhancements program,
including America Bikes and other organizations, are mobilizing to
convince Congress to guarantee full funding for the Enhancements program.
America Bikes is a national coalition of organizations representing more
than 50 million Americans who bicycle, and is asking Congress to enact a
federal transportation law to ensure that new and existing transportation
investments improve conditions for bicycling and walking.
For further information, see our fact sheet at
www.americabikes.org/saveenhancements_factsheet.asp or contact Barbara
McCann at (202) 641-1163, Martha Roskowski at (202) 833-8080, or Andy
Clarke at (202) 822-1333.
# # #
Photo of ribbon cutting on Enhancements funded project with local
officials available at
http://www.americabikes.org/resources_events.asp#Crapo A higher
resolution copy is available from info@americabikes.org
Suggested caption: Celebrations frequently accompany the completion of
projects funded with Transportation Enhancements dollars. Senator Mike
Crapo (R-ID) is flanked by local officials as he cuts the ribbon on a
section of the Teton Pass Trail, portions of which received Transportation
Enhancements dollars. Photo: Chi Melville
For Immediate Release
July 30, 2003
Congressional action jeopardizes bicycle, pedestrian projects
Fact Sheet, Resource Guide Available
Communities counting on federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian
projects will have to shelve their plans, if a measure recently passed by
the House Appropriations Committee becomes law. The Committee voted on
July 24th to eliminate funding for the popular Transportation Enhancements
program from the federal transportation budget for 2004.
The Transportation Enhancements program dedicates a small portion of each
State’s annual federal transportation funding to community-initiated
projects such as multi-use paths, bike improvements, sidewalks,
streetscaping and renovation of historic transportation structures.
Thousands of communities have used the funds to build nearly 16,000
projects since the program was created in 1991. More than half of the
funds have gone to creating safer places to bicycle and walk.
“For twelve years, this program has provided a reliable stream of funding
for projects that communities have identified as important to improving
quality of life for their residents.” says Andy Clarke, director of state
and local policy for the League of American Bicyclists.
“If this measure becomes law, the immediate impact will be confusion,”
says Clarke. “The decision to fund enhancement-type projects will be left
in the hands of the State Departments of Transportation. Our experience
prior to the creation of the program suggests that most States will choose
NOT to spend funds this way,” he says.
To help community leaders and reporters, America Bikes has created a fact
sheet and resource guide to answer questions about the implications of
eliminating the Enhancements program. You can find it at
www.americabikes.org/saveenhancements_factsheet.asp .
Representative Ernest Istook (R-OK) chairs the House Appropriations
subcommittee which drafted the bill eliminating the funding. “In a time of
falling resources, you need to make decisions of where the greatest need
is,” explains Micah Swafford, Rep. Istook’s press secretary. “For years we
have siphoned off funds from highway repair and construction.”
“Rep Istook’s argument about “falling resources” is not reflected in the
numbers,” counters Martha Roskowski of advocacy group America Bikes. The
federal transportation budget approved by the Appropriations Committee on
July 24, 2003 was $33.3 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion over 2003
spending. Enhancements was expected to be funded at about $600 million in
2004. “The successful and popular Enhancements program is being paved
over for no good reason,” says Roskowski.
A majority of Americans believe that federal funds should be used to
create safe places to bicycle and walk. Sixty-eight percent of Americans
surveyed in a recent poll by the Surface Transportation Policy Project
said they would like to see more federal funds spent on walking
facilities, even if it means less money would go toward roads.
The budget now moves to a vote by the full House of Representatives,
expected in early September. Supporters of the Enhancements program,
including America Bikes and other organizations, are mobilizing to
convince Congress to guarantee full funding for the Enhancements program.
America Bikes is a national coalition of organizations representing more
than 50 million Americans who bicycle, and is asking Congress to enact a
federal transportation law to ensure that new and existing transportation
investments improve conditions for bicycling and walking.
For further information, see our fact sheet at
www.americabikes.org/saveenhancements_factsheet.asp or contact Barbara
McCann at (202) 641-1163, Martha Roskowski at (202) 833-8080, or Andy
Clarke at (202) 822-1333.
# # #
Photo of ribbon cutting on Enhancements funded project with local
officials available at
http://www.americabikes.org/resources_events.asp#Crapo A higher
resolution copy is available from info@americabikes.org
Suggested caption: Celebrations frequently accompany the completion of
projects funded with Transportation Enhancements dollars. Senator Mike
Crapo (R-ID) is flanked by local officials as he cuts the ribbon on a
section of the Teton Pass Trail, portions of which received Transportation
Enhancements dollars. Photo: Chi Melville