«
»

House Transportation Committee’s Bill Reduces Funding For Biking And Walking

The Bicycle Coalition is once again calling for action to help defend the rights and opportunities of cyclists. Last week, the House Transportation Committee unveiled a proposal for their six-year plan. According to the HTC, the proposal “streamlines and reforms federal programs, expedites the project approval process, maximizes leveraging of limited resources, provides flexibility for states, and ensures long-term funding stability for job-creating transportation programs.”

The HTC lists some of the proposal’s highlights as:

>>>Reforms the surface transportation programs by consolidating or eliminating approximately 70 programs that are duplicative or do not serve a federal purpose
>>>No longer requires states to spend highway funding on non-highway activities, but permits them to fund those activities if they so choose
>>>Provides more of a focus on transit programs that benefit suburban and rural areas and will improve transit options for the elderly and disabled

The Bicycle Coalition lists the propsal’s highlights as:

>>>Reduces spending levels 33% lower than current spending levels
>>>Eliminates biking and walking funding
>>>Cuts federal funding for transit by 34%

The Bicycle Coalition also claims the proposal would cause an annual loss of over $10 million in bike/ped funding and 100 jobs, along with an “annual loss of $188 million to NJT, PATCO and SEPTA (37% of what they receive from the federal government) and 4446 jobs.”

Read more at the Bicycle Coalition’s website and send a letter to your elected officials asking them to keep bike/pedestrian funding in the bill here.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 11th, 2011 at 3:32 pm.

  • Zombie Larry

    I have been walking since age 2 and have ridden a bike since age 3. To date, I have not required government funding to do so. The “funding” amount should be zero.

  • mentiras

    Maybe you haven’t required government funding to do so but you’ve definitely used it, unless of course you’ve never walked on a sidewalk.

  • http://www.webkist.com/ MikeWebkist

    So they’re eliminating sidewalks too?

  • http://www.webkist.com/ MikeWebkist

    But more to the point: let the sidewalk in front of your house go to hell and see who fixes it. Hint: it ain’t the government.

  • heatmiser

    @Mike It’s the property owners responsibility to fix broken sidewalks, not the city or governments.

    http://www.phila.gov/streets/highways_faq.html

  • http://www.webkist.com/ MikeWebkist

    Exactly.

  • rk

    lol. bicycle riders who ride on sidewalks are assholes + breaking the law. So either be an asshole and ride on the sidewalk, or accept that government money helps you ride your bike, and ride on the street and/or bike paths and/or trails through parks and things.

    Unless you want to be assholes. at which point, screw federal money. that works, too.

  • chuck63

    Oh, Larry, you are definitely my favorite zombie: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/07/08/half-of-us-social-pr.html (thanks for the inspiration, mentiras!)

  • schmapty

    Further proof that many of us live in a country that wants nothing to do with our way of life and world view. It’s dispiriting at times but we are making it work. Just remember, as city dwellers and Philadelphians especially, we are all in this together.

  • Zombie Larry

    Chuck63…
    Eliminate my tax bill and I will gladly kiss all of that shit good by

  • chuck63

    Larry…of course you would. Please remember to save some money for the walls and moat you’ll desire in that crazy society for which you yearn.

  • http://www.webkist.com/ MikeWebkist

    People love laughing at Zombie Larry, but there are two real points here: 1) yes, if you use roads, thank the government. Whoopie. We all love roads now! 2) chuck63′s gotcha is really a reductio ad absurdum: the “child and dependent care tax credit” is on that list. Basically it’s saying “having a baby is a government program.” Color me unimpressed.

    And really, Larry’s first point *was* a good one. You don’t need a government program to ride a bike. Roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, whatever. But hey…you want to say a little thanks to Harrisburg every time your fixie gets stuck in a trolly track, go right ahead. Kids today…

  • chuck63

    @ Mike…you are missing the point in total and, on that entry, specifically. Through our representative form of government, we have all agreed that there is a base-line for taxes due per each individual. The program in question carves out an exception for those whose expenses include caring for a child or dependent. Now, you can spin that to mean it’s not really a program, sure. But it is definitely an intervention by the federal government on behalf of those it deems necessary. You don’t have to be impressed. You just have to recognize that all those so-called “rugged individualists” might not be so individualist after all.