With the nation's cities choked by more and more cars, it's interesting to hear from US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters that she considers bike paths just so much pork barrel.
Peters says that earmarked funds going to pay for — among other things — bike paths and trails should go instead to support the infrastructure.
What Peters must not realize is that more commuters are turning to bicycles all the time to beat traffic, reduce pollution and make themselves more fit (just check out this crowded bike parking lot in Seattle). They use bike paths. Doesn't that make paths and trails for bicycles and pedestrians part of the infrastructure?
Bridge collapse
For instance, when the Minneapolis bridge collapsed several weeks ago, one of the first requests from public officials was for people to ride their bikes instead of using their cars.
Actually, the issue came up when Peters was interviewed by Gwen Ifill earlier this week on the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer (interview transcript) regarding that bridge collapse and how infrastructure improvements could be funded.
Bike trails
She complained that too much transportation funding went to congressional earmarks, special programs in a congressman's district.
“I think we have to examine where we're spending money today. And if we think that we're spending money today in the highest and best use, then perhaps we would need to make that discussion, but I don't believe we are. …
“There are museums that are being built with that money, bike paths, trails, repairing lighthouses. Those are some of the kind of things that that money is being spent on, as opposed to our infrastructure.”
Later:
“Well, there's about probably some 10 percent to 20 percent of the current spending that is going to projects that really are not transportation, directly transportation-related. Some of that money is being spent on things, as I said earlier, like bike paths or trails. Some is being spent on museums, on restoring lighthouses, as I indicated.”
Response
Not surprisingly, this type of neanderthalic thinking raises the hackles of bicycle advocates, like those at the League of American Bicyclists. Executive director Andy Clarke fired off a letter to Peters to try and get her back on the right path.
Among other things:
“Your statement that bicycle trails and paths are not 'transportation-related' or 'infrastructure' is baffling. … Tens of millions of bicyclists and pedestrians in communities across the country use trails to get to work, school, shops … and everyone of these trips prevents congestion.”
He asked that Peters “publicly correct the misleading impressions regarding bicycling that you left with viewers…”
If you'd like to help encourage Peters to correct those impressions, you can send Peters an email through the League of American Bicyclists.
For other responses, check BikePortland and Commute by Bike blogs.
First seen at the Beer or Kid blog
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