On March 15th, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, announced a new policy statement that calls for the end of treating bicycling and walking as second-class modes of transportation. Read the whole statement.
LaHood’s leadership sets a great example for the states to follow. It is an important step in completing bicycle and pedestrian networks all over the country. But there is a lot of work to do to get there. Already, opponents have attacked the secretary for speaking out in favor of active transportation. We need our elected officials and state Departments of Transportation to really understand how important bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is to all of us. You can help!
Please take a moment to:
Thank Secretary LaHood for his leadership on this issue and call on him to continue to fight for safe, healthy, clean transportation options – thank him on Facebook, (also follow his blog and Twitter feed)
Congressman LaTourette (OH) asked if the Department still had mandatory drug testing in place
Iowa Representative Tom Latham complained other transportation needs would be “swept aside”. (See our response)
All because we are now NOT going to ignore the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians in transportation projects! Imagine if the Secretary had said the opposite? What if he had said we should ignore the needs of all of us who walk and bike? It would have been unacceptable. And yet that has been the reality in far too many places for too long.
Far from what the naysayers claim, investing in bicycling infrastructure has been shown over and over again to benefit local economies and the nation.
The secretary rightly wants to encourage biking and walking. Addressing obesity, congestion, and high carbon emissions are national priorities and they require national leadership. This will be done by providing a safe and convenient way to replace short cars trips with clean and healthy bicycle trips for those who choose it. Forty percent of all trips in the U.S. are two miles or less – an easy biking distance. And it’s not just in cities. In rural areas, thirty percent of trips are two miles or less.
But listening to the critics you would think he wanted to replace all trucks with cargo bikes. Let’s look at what the policy actually says.
“Transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for” bicycling and walking. – “Go Beyond minimum requirements.” Not exactly a rallying cry for a war on cars. That state Departments of Transportation need this kind of nudge tells you something about their historical single-mode focus.
“Considering walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes…Walking and bicycling should not be an afterthought in roadway design.” – Equal consideration does not mean equal cost. Bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure costs a fraction of highways (and contributes an even smaller fraction of the wear and tear on the roads). Much of the time they can be incorporated in roadway plans at minimal expense – often it just requires some thinking. And the statement makes it clear that short trips are the target, not interstate freight trips.
“Ensuring that there are transportation choices for people of all ages and abilities, especially children” – Children should have a safe way to get to school and our parents and grandparents should have an alternative to driving. This is stuff we can all get behind.
“Integrating bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new, rehabilitated, and limited-access bridges” – Bike access to bridges is critical to connecting a bicycling network. This is the key to getting the most out of them. As they say in Seattle: if you can’t get across the bridges, nothing else matters.
The USDOT statement then goes on to encourage collecting data on walking and biking trips, setting targets for walking and bicycling and tracking them over time, and maintaining existing infrastructure. The policy recommendations are common sense, equitable, and give people the chance to make their own transportation choices – without imperiling our nation’s highways.
We welcome the Secretary LaHood’s policy memo and hearty support. But he’s not drafting brand new policy here. Since ISTEA in 1991 – spanning four different presidential administrations, from both parties – many of these policy elements have been in place with little attention, fanfare or funding. Many states and municipalities have used these policies to make communities better places to live and work. Our hope is that by prioritizing these existing policies, the rest of the country can share in the improved livability of those who are already benefitting from them.
I’m in full agreement with the National Association of Manufacturers, who said on their Shopfloor blog last week that “treating bicycles and other non-motorized transportation as equal to motorized transportation would cause an economic catastrophe.” Such a policy will negate any effort the Administration has made to create jobs and will hinder the movement of our nation’s goods. As we work to emerge from these difficult economic times, we need policies that promote the safe, efficient movement of goods. The Administration’s major policy revision will be particularly detrimental if it diverts Highway Trust Fund dollars from critical expansion and repair projects that will help use meet national goals.
“I’ve been called many things as I ride to and from work every day in our nation’s capital, but a harbinger of economic catastrophe…now that’s a first!
As I think back to major economic catastrophes of the last 40 years, I am having a hard time finding any tell-tale trace of bicycle tire tracks. On the contrary, my recollection of significant recent economic crises is that they are invariably caused by our predeliction for foreign oil – the 1973/74 oil embargo; 1988 oil crisis; 2008 gas price increases quickly followed by the mortgage and foreclosure crisis that piled unsustainable housing costs on top of budget-busting suburban commuting costs.
In terms of economic competitiveness, I would suggest that the crippling – and rapidly rising – health care costs associated with physical inactivity and obesity among the US workforce is a crisis worth worrying about. This adds significantly to the cost of everything produced here in the United States, making us less competitive abroad. Getting people moving through daily physical activity is a national priority – enabling people to bike and walk as part of everyday routines is a remarkably cost-effective way of achieving that goal, and surely something that manufacturers and employers would be behind 100 percent. The fact that it would also reduce congestion and increase discretionary spending on goods and services seems like a pretty good deal for the business community.
League President Andy Clarke has posted two comments. Here is the first:
“Secretary LaHood’s announcement related to bicycling and walking certainly didn’t go unnoticed in the nonmotorized, or active transportation, community. Unsurprisingly, the new policy and approach has been hailed as the dawn of a new era, long-overdue recognition of the value and importance of bicycling and walking to our communities and to our transportation system; and a welcome opportunity to finally play on something approaching a level playing field.
Keith and other respondents have already covered some good ground on the myriad benefits of accommodating active transportation, providing real transportation choices, and enabling more people to ride and walk for more of their everyday trips. I think everyone can agree that if more people rode and walked more often, that would be a good thing – for individuals, for communities, and for the nation; in relation to health, energy independence, congestion, climate change, and even the economy.
However, Greg Cohen provides a timely reminder of the pushback the Secretary’s new direction will inevitably face from a disgruntled few and so it’s worth addressing some of the less obvious benefits and issues. My organization, the League of American Bicyclists, is a group of cycling enthusiasts, to be sure. But it would be wrong to try and portray this new policy as being about a few bike paths and a handful of lycra-clad Lance Armstrong wannabees getting some special treatment because they caught the ear of the Secretary.
If you were given $26.5 billion worth of transportation funds and tasked with spending it as quickly as possible to create as many jobs as possible, what would you do with it?
This may be a thought experiment for you and me, but for state Departments of Transportation last year it was a real question. They answered it. America Bikes has analyzed the Federal Highway Administration’s Fiscal Management Information System (FMIS) to see what share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds were committed to bicycle and pedestrian projects.
According to the analysis, $734 million were obligated for bicycle and pedestrian projects – 3 percent of all ARRA transportation spending. (During a normal year, only about 1.5 percent goes to bicycle and pedestrian projects.) Most came from Transportation Enhancements (TE) set-asides. Of the dozen different activities that qualify for TE money, more than half (58 percent, $456 million) of the TE spending went to the three bicycle and pedestrian projects categories. States prioritize bicycling and walking over the other eligible TE activities.
In an additional sign that state DOTs recognized the job-creation benefits of bicycle and pedestrian projects, $125 million went to bicycle and pedestrian projects in areas with large populations (over 200,000) from flexible funds. Another $109 million came from flexible statewide funds. When states could spend the money on anything they chose, they spent more than $200 million on bicycle and pedestrian projects – that’s in addition to TE money.
This means that states recognized the job-creating benefits of bicycle and pedestrian projects: they generally require less concrete and materials, so a higher share of cost goes to salaries; they tend to be relatively small and quick to get going; the small size means there is a high cost benefit for the public who uses the facilities; there are a lot of worthy projects to choose from.
To make sure the ARRA were injected into the economy quickly, the law required states to commit $800 million dollars in TE funds by March 2, 2010. By the deadline, 98 percent had been committed. The stimulus experience shows that bicycle and pedestrian projects and other TE projects can be initiated quickly, perhaps more quickly than many other types of projects. This same dedication to TE needs to continue during the course of normal operating procedure.
Finally, America Bikes’ analysis uncovered, once again, the enormous problems with getting reliable information from FMIS – only national source of transportation spending. State DOTs very often fail to code projects correctly as bicycle or pedestrian projects. As a result, the federal government under estimates spending on non-motorized projects. During an earlier analysis, America Bikes identified more $50 million in trail, sidewalk, and bike lane projects that were miscoded by spot checking just a few states. Some of the specific errors have since been corrected. However, this is systematic problem of neglect that still exists. We support the secretary’s call for better data collection on bicycle ridership. Tracking bicycle and pedestrian spending should also be a priority.
See how much of your state’s Transportation Enhancements funds were obligated, how much went to bike and pedestrian projects and how much of the flexible funding went to bike/ped in your state: READ THE AMERICA BIKES ANALYSIS and other America Bikes resources.
The ever-busy and effective advocacy organization, BikeWalkLee (Lee County, Florida) announced that their Municipal Planning Organization (MPO) board unanimously passed a motion in support of the USDOT policy statement. They encouraged Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to support it as well.
BikeWalkLee immediately thanked the MPO for their support. “BikeWalkLee is gratified by the continued leadership and commitment demonstrated by the MPO led by Chairman Judah to complete Lee County’s streets and to integrate the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists in road projects,” said Darla Letourneau, a local community advocate and BikeWalkLee leader. “Not only is the MPO leading the county’s efforts, its quick endorsement of this policy statement puts Lee County in the forefront of communities around the country who recognize the significance of this bold action by the Secretary of Transportation. In fact, Lee County may be the first in the country to have officially endorsed the new policy.”
They may be the first – does anyone know of others? – but it is important that they are not the last to make their support public. We need to see more official statements of support for two reasons. First, the Secretary did not need to make this policy statement. He did it because he understands the benefits of non-motorized travel. But no savvy policy maker is going to stick his or her neck out repeatedly unless they see support for their efforts. Statements of the kind made by the Lee County MPO will help ensure the Secretary and others who share the vision will continue to speak out. Second, words need to be only the beginning. As bicyclists and advocates, we need to encourage the USDOT, state DOTs, and MPOs to back up their words with action. There are dozens of good bicycle and pedestrian projects in every region that need to be funded and pushed efficiently through the funding and building process.
Please encourage your MPO, county and state agencies to publicly support the DOT non-motorized transportation policy.
UPDATE: Here is the language of the motion that the Lee MPO unanimously passed:
Motion: That the MPO Board pass a motion in support of the USDOT Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations, announced by Secretary LaHood on 3/15/2010, and that FDOT be encouraged to also support this policy statement.
Here’s the story of how they got it done:
A supportive member of the Lee MPO asked Darla Letourneau of BikeWalkLee to make a public comment about the requested motion. Darla addressed some regional issues and then went through the main points of the policy statement. She told the group that the USDOT policy statement encourages states, local governments and public transportation agencies to adopt similar policy statements. She commended the leadership of the MPO for passing a Complete Streets policy in 2009, and closed with this: “To demonstrate your continued commitment and to better position Lee County/SW Florida for complete streets grant opportunities, we request that you pass a motion today stating your support of this USDOT Policy Statement and encouraging FDOT to also support this USDOT Policy Statement.”
As reported in the Courthouse News Service article “Republicans Ridicule Bike Lanes,” Republican Congressmen derided Republican Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood for his call for a “sea change” in the Department of Transportation to treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes. At a Congressional hearing, Ohio Republican Steven LaTourette asked, “What job is going to be created by having a bike lane?” Tom Latham, the Representative from Iowa, said that a cyclist is one fewer person paying into the transportation trust fund. He claimed that other transportation needs are being “swept aside.” Representative LaTourette even got a personal dig in, asking, “Is there still mandatory drug-testing at the department?”
There are a few issues. First, the Secretary wants to provide more transportation choices for the millions of Americans who want healthy, safe, efficient, environmentally sustainable, and enjoyable ways to get around. Second, investing in bicycling and walking creates jobs and is good for the economy. Third, the problems with the transportation trust fund have little to nothing to do with bicycling.
Supporting the freedom of Americans to choose from a range of transportation options shouldn’t be partisan issue. Providing non-motorized transportation options benefits health, the environment, and the economy. Walking and bicycling are also the only options for many young, old, and low-income citizens.
Investing in bicycling and walking infrastructure creates jobs. That’s why state Departments of Transportation have committed $734 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to stimulate the economy with ready-to-go, job-creating bicycle and pedestrian projects. Building better biking and walking infrastructure requires people to pour concrete, lay asphalt, and drive bulldozers – and in fact because these projects tend to be small, labor intensive and quick to get off the drawing board, they are actually estimated to generate more jobs per million dollars spent than massive highway and bridge reconstruction projects. On top of that, the Secretary is also making the critical observation that it doesn’t cost anything more to restripe many roads with a bike lane – you are just putting the lane stripes down in a different place!
Once bicycle and pedestrian projects are completed, they boost the local economy by attracting visitors and improving shopping districts. The Outdoor Industry Foundation estimates that the bicycling industry supports 1.1 million jobs and generates $17.7 billion in tax revenue each year.
The argument that bicyclists don’t contribute to road costs doesn’t hold water. Just over half of the cost of transportation at all levels of government is paid for by fuel and vehicle taxes and tolls. The rest comes from property taxes, general fund allocations, bond issues, and transit fares. Non-drivers are already helping to pay. In addition, the majority of the 57 million American adults who bicycle also drive and so pay into the trust fund anyway. The bike riders that don’t drive reduce costly congestion and road wear.
The Congressmen should have commended the Secretary for recognizing the myriad benefits of bicycling and walking and the central part it plays in many people’s lives. We encourage all members of Congress to join the Congressional Bike Caucus and support the following legislation:
1. Active Community Transportation Act of 2010
2. Complete Streets Act of 2009
3. Safe Routes to School Program
4. Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act
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