That $286 billion transportation bill recently passed by Congress includes $100 million for pilot programs in four communities to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes.
The four are the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; Sheboygan County, Wisconsin; Columbia, Missouri; and Marin County, California, according to an Associated Press article on the bike commuter plan.
Keith Laughlin, president of Rail-to-Trails Conservancy, told the Associated Press that the programs in these cities would be aimed more at commuters than recreational cyclists.
“This is for transportation. There will be an emphasis on connecting destinations, getting to work, getting kids to schools.”
The idea for the $100 million for projects reportedly sprung from Rep. Jim Oberstar of Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee. He asked Rails-to-Trails on suggestions for communities that could use the grants.
The other winning areas also had well-placed legislators — Republican Congressman Tom Petri of the highway subcommittee; Missouri Senator Kit Bond, chairman of the Senate Environmental Committee's transporation subcommittee; and California Senator Barbara Boxer who served on the House-Senate conference committee along with Oberstar, Petri and Bond.
How much would $25 million buy? The St. Paul Pioneer-Press says:
“Officials aren't sure how far the money will go. A mile of bike path in the suburbs can cost from $100,000 to $500,000, but in the city, that can grow to as much as $1 million because of the high cost of land acquisition.”
Columbia, Missouri, has the same questions. According to the Missourian, the city officials “are unsure about how the money will be distributed, overseen, or spent.”
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