- House-passed transportation bill includes many polices supported by bicycle advocacy groups.
- Please ask your Senators to support Senate version bill.
The League and Safe Routs Partnership were instrumental in getting additional safety-related amendments added to the bill.
Earlier this month the House of Representatives passed the INVEST in America Act, a five-year transportation bill, as part of a larger infrastructure package. The act provides $494 billion over five years to make transformative infrastructure investments in surface and rail transportation.
Of interest to bicyclists, the act:
- Requires States with the highest levels of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities to set aside funds to address these safety needs.
- Requires the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to adopt context sensitive design principles to provide for complete streets in urban areas and ensure the safety of all road users.
- Boosts safety funding by approximately 30 percent over current investments and boosts Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) investments by more than 60 percent over current law. Makes safety funds available to expend on safety improvements beyond infrastructure projects.
- Codifies and expands eligibilities for safe routes to schools.
- Funds Active Transportation Connectivity Grants to provide $250 million for pedestrian and bicycle networks and spines and related planning, including complete streets planning.
The bill that the House passed included two important amendments supported by national bicycling advocacy groups. One requires the Department of Transportation to study and understand federal infrastructure problems that disproportionately harm the environment and public health of exposed communities to help build a transportation system that serves everyone. The second amendment will ensure that cars sold in the United States have the same protections for bicyclists and pedestrians as cars sold in Europe.
The Senate version of the transportation bill will be considered when that body returns to Washington. The League of American Bicyclists reports that the Senate version also includes policy changes promoted by the League and the Safe Routes Partnership.
Show you support for the transportation bill bicycle and safety-related policies by mailing our two senators:
- Senator Mark Warner at https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactPage
- Senator Tim Kaine at https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact/share-your-opinion
