----- Original Message ----- >
> New Federal Transportation Law Authorizes Billions for Bicycling
>
> August 5, 2005 &mdash The new federal transportation bill approved July 29
> by
> Congress will make bicycling safer, more convenient, and more
> fun for all Americans.
>
>
>
> The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
> Act-A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) authorizes as much as
> $4 billion in new federal spending on bike paths, trails, and
> related programs through September 2009. Every U.S. state
> and virtually every city should benefit.
>
> The gains for bicycling were largely engineered by the America
> Bikes Coalition, an unprecedented alliance of eight non-profit
> organizations, which received primary funding from the Bikes
> Belong Coalition. Supported by bicycle industry suppliers and
> retailers, Bikes Belong invested $2 million in this successful
> campaign. Based in Colorado, Bikes Belong is the national
> bicycle industry advocacy group dedicated to putting more
> people on bicycles more often.
>
> SAFETEA-LU's total dollar authorization (for highways and mass
> transit as well as bicycling and walking) is $286.5 billion, or
> roughly $1,000 for every American man, woman, and child.
> Here's a short list of the ways this law will benefit bicycling:
>
>
>
>
>
> * Two key programs, Transportation Enhancements and
> Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, could contribute close to
> $2 billion for new bike paths, lanes, and safe crossings.
>
>
>
>
> * The law includes $612 million for a new federal Safe
> Routes to School program that will help communities create
> safe ways for kids to pedal and walk to school.
>
>
>
>
> * An average of $70 million per year is authorized for the
> Recreational Trails Program, which pays for the construction
> and repair of trails. This $20-million-per-year increase will
> provide meaningful improvements for mountain biking.
>
>
>
>
> * Another $100 million has been approved for a new
> program called Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Programs
> designed to develop model bicycle/pedestrian cities in
> Columbia, Missouri; Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Marin County,
> California; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
>
>
>
>
> * SAFETEA-LU includes more than $500 million (and
> perhaps as much as $1 billion) in guaranteed funding for high- priority
> projects with bicycling components that were requested
> by individual members of Congress. (This figure is still being
> calculated.)
>
> For the last five years, Bikes Belong's number one goal has
> been maximizing bike funding in this bill. Bikes Belong paid
> most of the operational and lobbying costs incurred by America
> Bikes, a coalition that includes Adventure Cycling Association,
> Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals,
> International Mountain Bicycling Association, League of
> American Bicyclists, National Center for Bicycling and Walking,
> Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Thunderhead Alliance, as well as
> Bike Belong. Bikes Belong also invested close to $1 million in a
> grassroots grants program designed to garner support for
> bicycling from members of Congress once they saw the
> benefits of new bike facilities in their home districts.
>
> "This transportation bill should be at least $1 billion better for
> bicycling than the last bill that passed in 1998," said Bikes
> Belong executive director Tim Blumenthal. "In a time when the
> federal budget is severely strained and most programs have
> been cut or flat-funded, our gain is especially significant.
>
> "The entire bike industry came together and worked with
> bicycle advocacy groups in an energetic, effective campaign,"
> Blumenthal continued. "It's proof that when we stand united,
> bicycling benefits."
>
> Blumenthal said the member groups of America Bikes as well
> as local government agencies and advocacy groups still have
> lots of work to make sure the authorized money gets spent on
> bicycling. He said the new Safe Routes to School program is a
> special opportunity that promises tremendous benefits to
> children and the communities where they live.
>
> "We were successful because we banded together to support
> great advocates and lobbyists," he said. "All of these groups
> and individuals, as well as the leaders of Congress who backed
> us, richly deserve our thanks and continuing support.
>
> "We were also successful because bicycling makes good sense
> for America. It boosts our economy, improves our health and
> our communities, and is a life-long activity for people all
> across America. We'll keep working to make sure that the
> promise of this bill is realized so that it becomes one of the
> very best developments in the long, storied history of bicycling
> in America."
>
>
>
> For more information about the details of SAFETEA-LU and
> suggestions on how you can stay involved, visit americabikes.org
> www.americabikes.org




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