Bikes Belong, an organization of bicycle
manufacturers, has pledged $500,000 to support a new campaign
by the top national bicycling organizations to push for
pro-bicycling policies in the reauthorization of TEA-21.The new bike TEA-3
campaign coalition plans to hire Martha Roskowski, Executive
Director of Bicycle Colorado, to manage the campaign.
The
coalition includes the Adventure Cycling Association, the
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, the Bikes
Belong Coalition, the International Mountain Bicycling
Association, the League of American Bicyclists, the National
Center for Bicycling & Walking, Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy, and the Thunderhead Alliance.STPP is a non-voting
member of the group.
“Bikes Belong is following through with
its commitment to put more people on bikes more often by
supporting this major legislative battle,” said John Burke,
President of the Bikes Belong Coalition.
Meanwhile, the Association of
Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) has issued its
platform for reauthorization, which aims to mainstream
bicycling and walking, strengthen the role of bicycle and
pedestrian programs established in ISTEA and TEA-21, and to
initiate new programs. For more information on APBP’s
legislative agenda for reauthorization, visit http://www.apbp.org/.
TRB Meets, Debates Level of
Service
The Transportation Research Board's annual
meeting in Washington last week included a debate over the
future of the Level of Service (LOS) measure of road quality.
In this session, Adolf D. May of the University of California
at Berkeley moderated as five panelists debated the usefulness
of LOS, which grades roads from "A" to "F" based on volume and
capacity or intersection wait. The majority of the panelists
agreed that current LOS measures need to be substantially
adjusted, or even scrapped, to allow for a broader definition
of effectiveness. Panelists noted that although LOS is the
measure used most frequently in traffic impact analysis of new
developments, it is easily "gamed" to suit developers'
purposes. Several participants also commented that the current
LOS measure also usually penalizes roads for providing good
pedestrian crossings, frequent bus stops, and similar
transportation improvements. The implications of this debate
are enormous, as LOS is commonly used as the primary
justification for new roads and widenings.
The TRB's 81st
annual meeting attracted more than 8,000 transportation
professionals from around the world, and featured hundreds of
sessions, most on highway engineering topics. Some innovative
sessions dealt with multi-modal measures of congestion,
international perspectives on climate change, new methods in
improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, and a discussion of
the public health impacts of transportation projects. For more
information on the meeting or TRB, visit http://trb.org/
Monthly
Transit Commuter Benefit
Grows
On January 1, 2002, a
federal tax change mandated by TEA-21 went into effect,
raising the maximum allowed transit commuter benefit from $65
to $100 per month. This program allows employers to pass on
the $100 benefit tax-free to their workers to pay for public
transportation or vanpool commutes, and it is expected to
contribute to an increase in public transportation ridership.
As part of the program, employees receive the benefit in the
form of transit vouchers or cash, and employers receive a tax
deduction for the cost of the program and a decrease in
payroll-related taxes.
On 1/11, President
Bush signed into law H.R. 2869, the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, marking one of the
first major federal legislative victories for smart
growth.
“Enacting brownfields legislation will
boost smart growth efforts around the country. The signing of
this law is a win-win for the economy and the environment,”
said Don Chen, Executive Director of Smart
Growth America, one of the first organizations to endorse
the bill.
"Many of our nation's
best brownfield redevelopment success stories, from the River
District in Portland, Oregon to Washington's Landing in
Pittsburgh, have integrated new public transit, pedestrian
walkways, bike paths and other transportation choices in new
developments," said Chen. "The benefits of such projects go
far beyond what's built. In many cases, the reduced reliance
on automobile travel has helped relieve traffic congestion,
improved air quality, and lowered infrastructure costs. In
fact, the Environmental Protection Agency now considers infill
brownfield redevelopment to be a transportation control
measure."
H.R. 2869 will more than double the
annual spending for brownfields assessment and cleanup to $200
million, and according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors,
create more than 550,000 jobs and generate between $878
million and $2.4 billion in additional tax
revenues.
Alliance for a New Transportation Charter
Update
Since its launch in December,
the Alliance for a New Transportation Charter (ANTC) has grown
to over 340 groups from 41 states.ANTC is the coalition
STPP is building in support of its TEA-21 reauthorization
campaign.New
endorsers include the National Alliance for Nutrition and
Activity in Washington, D.C., diverse local organizations such
as the Las Vegas/San Miguel, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce,
the Center on Independent Living in San Antonio, Texas, Faith
in Motion of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Preservation Oklahoma of
Oklahoma City, Utica Citizens in Action of Utica, New York.
Mayor Will Toor of Boulder, Colorado, and County Executive
Kathleen Falk of Madison, Wisconsin have also signed on.
STPP encourages additional
endorsements. Endorsing the Charter makes you a member of the
Alliance, but there are no further obligations.The full text of the
Charter, the list of endorsements, and the endorsement form
are on the front page of STPP's website, http://www.transact.org/. Other materials are available
to assist in discussing TEA-21 with community leaders.
For more information, contact Andrea Broaddus at
202-466-2636.
In
Brief...
Senate Transportation Hearing
Schedule The dates for the
January, February, and March Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee hearings on TEA-21 reauthorization have been
set. On January 24, the full Committee will be addressing
"Success stories of TEA-21." On February 19, the Committee
will hold a hearing on the FY03 budget and the Highway Trust
Fund. On March 22, the Committee will hold a hearing on
"Mobility, Congestion, and
Intermodalism."
Upcoming Events:
League of American Bicyclists Bike Summit: March 6-8,
2002
National Conference on Aging & Mobility: March
25-27, 2002
Transfer is edited by
John
Goldener of the Surface Transportation Policy
Project.
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