An effort to secure a fair share of federal transportation funds for walking and biking facilities was introduced by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer on Tuesday as H.R. 4722, the Active Community Transportation Act of 2010. The bill calls for concentrated investment at the community level through competitive grants administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The key background is that bicycling and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in America — while less than 2 percent of federal transportation funds go to the facilities walkers and bicyclists use. Yet these active modes of transportation are up 25 percent since 2001, and bicycle commuting is up 43 percent since 2000. A copy of the bill will be linked here once the bill is back from the government printer.
If you'd like to tell your members of Congress your views on this bill, a good way to start is at the Bike Advocacy Center. Meanwhile, Green Mobility and other Florida advocates have joined many others in a letter of support for the bill.
