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Dear fellow mountain bikers,

The anti-bike sentiments that some members of Congress have expressed in recent weeks are cause for grave concern. I hope you'll join IMBA and other cycling groups in standing up for biking and walking programs.

Please take a few minutes today to speak out in favor of the bike-friendly federal Transporatation Enhancements (TE) program. It only takes a few minutes to record your support with a web form provided by our friends at Safe Routes to Schools.

This year, around $700 million of federal transportation funds, which in reality is less than 2 percent of total transportation dollars, will be spent on bicycling and walking. In 2012 that figure might be a big fat zero.

Senator Tom Coburn (OK) and others have indicated that they want to kill the TE program, despite its popularity and cost-effectiveness in building new bike facilities, and despite research which shows that the program generates more jobs per million dollars invested than regular road projects.

The TE program makes up less than 2 percent of all federal transportation funding, and if it's eliminated the money won't be used to reduce our national deficit - it will simply go to road projects instead of biking and walking programs.

I hope you'll join me and make your voice heard - do it right now if you can!

National Policy and Advocacy

Sincerely,

Jenn Dice, IMBA Government Affairs Director

 

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Update response to our votes.

Earlier this evening the Senate passed a clean extension of the surface transportation program until March 31, 2012. The measure passed by a vote of (92-6).
The League would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time this week to participate in our campaign to urge your Senators to pass a clean extension of the transportation bill in opposition of Senator Coburn’s (R-OK) efforts to strip Transportation Enhancements from the bill.
Due in very large part to your participation the League generated over 10,000 messages to Senate offices, this number combined with other national advocacy groups brought the total number of messages sent to Senate offices to well over 45000. In the face of such a resounding response Mr. Coburn eventually gave up his opposition to the bill. THIS TIME.
Bicycle and pedestrian advocates and enthusiasts are certainly a passionate group and over the course of the next six months as Congress continues to debate the next transportation authorization bill we will need to call on you again. We fully expect the next battle to be even more challenging.
Thanks again.
Walter Finch
Advocacy Director
League of American Bicyclists