FABB Blog

From the League:

While overall highway fatalities have been declining, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities have been on the rise in recent years and now represent nearly 17 percent of total fatalities. The Mayor’s Challenge aims to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities around a framework of seven Challenge activities that are based on the latest innovations in improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

The initiative will begin in March when Mayors and staff responding to the invitation will convene at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) headquarters for a Mayoral Summit to discuss how to build upon or implement the challenge’s seven activity areas.

The seven Challenge activities are drawn from the recommended actions stated in the2010 USDOT Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations. For example, recommended actions in the policy statement include gathering and tracking data on biking and walking in their community and ensuring street designs are appropriate for pedestrian and bicycle safety. Attendees at the Summit will work with USDOT staff to identify new Departmental resources they can use during the Challenge and will network with their peers.

The Mayor’s Challenge is a vital piece of Secretary Foxx’s overall pedestrian and bicycle safety initiative. In September, Secretary Foxx announced the launch of the Safer People, Safer Streets initiative and asked USDOT field offices to conduct road safety assessments in every state. In March 2016, cities participating in the Challenge will reconvene for a capstone meeting to share lessons learned, and celebrate their success.

Click here for additional information pertaining to the Mayor’s Challenge.

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx Photo: Weldon Weaver

As for bicycling, Foxx has actively supported it. He's held an annual "Bike to Breakfast" eventand he hops on a road bike to help launch "Bike Charlotte," an annual cycling promotional campaign. When Charlotte launched their bike share system last summer, Foxx grinned for the local media during the inaugural ride.

Rob Sadowsky, executive director of Portland's Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) said this evening that he's "very excited to have a Secretary that likes to bike, understands the need for a balanced transportation system and understands urban land use."

As a bike town, Charlotte isn't a major bright spot; but they appear to be on the rise. They are currently recognized as a "Bronze" level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. The City of Charlotte Bicycle Plan was last updated in 2008. According to the 2012 Benchmarking Report from the Alliance for Biking and Walking, Charlotte ranks 44th (out of 51) in U.S. cities in terms of how many people walk and bike and 23rd in spending per capita on biking and walking projects. The U.S. Census reports that Charlotte has a 0.2% bicycling mode share.

Launch of Charlotte bike share Photo: Weldon Weaver

Tobe [Tobe Holmes, a board member at the Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance] reports that during his tenure, Mayor Foxx worked to improve multimodal transportation — and recognized the importance of funding positions within the city’s DOT to focus on biking and walking accessibility.

“During his tenure Mayor Foxx has been supportive of initiatives including an expansion the city’s bike route network, green bike lanes, bike boxes, sidewalk construction projects and other projects to meet bicycle and pedestrian needs,” Tobe said.

Perhaps the Mayor’s most memorable active transportation achievement was his leadership during the installation of the city’s bike sharing system by Charlotte Center City Partners. His understanding of its importance to the transportation network was essential to its launch in advance of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

The law clearly states that bicycle and pedestrian facilities shall be considered where appropriate. However, FHWA guidance has embellished the law from "consider where appropriate" to a must include condition unless not doing so can be justified. Furthermore, it states that "there must be exceptional circumstances" for not providing such facilities. This regulation presents an undue burden on states to justify exceptional circumstances when not including provisions for bicyclists and pedestrians in a project.

Recommendation: FHWA should rescind their guidance on the meaning of "due consideration."

For example, today DOT gave its employees a new bicycle commuting benefit. We signed it into effect right on our front steps surrounded by the DOTers who participated in today's Bike To Work Day festivities. This program allows bicyclists to receive reimbursement for qualified commuting costs similar to that provided to employees who take public transportation to and from work. And I'm particularly proud that DOT is the first Cabinet-level agency to make this benefit available.