Friday, May 21, 2010
Congressional letter supporting US DOT bicycle policy
As we reported earlier, at this year's National Bike Summit Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced new Federal policy recommendations to state DOT's to ensure that bicyclists and pedestrians are treated as equals with other transportation modes. As Secretary LaHood said at the time, "This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized."The policy has received some pushback from a few highway special interest groups, including the trucking industry and the National Association of Manufacturers. LAB posted a good response to their mis-characterization of the policy.
Yesterday Congressman Blumenauer and twenty-three of his colleagues, including Congressmen Connolly and Moran, sent a letter to Secretary LaHood supporting the new Policy Statement on Pedestrian and Bicycle Accommodations, Recommendations, and Regulations. According to the letter:
We were pleased to see the policy statement's acknowledgment of bicycling and walking as an important part of the transportation system. Bicycling and walking serve as cost-effective solutions to many of the serious issues facing our transportation system, including traffic congestion, funding concerns and air pollution. Moreover, as 40 percent of trips taken in our country are two miles or less, bicycling and walking should play an important role in providing transportation options in our small towns, suburbs and cities.
Labels: congressman blumenauer, transportation secretary LaHood
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