The League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking & Walking announced a three-year campaign to double federal funding for bicycling and walking by 2013, even while bemoaning the defeat of one of their great champions in Congress in Tuesday's mid-term election.
The Advocacy Advance initiative is backed by renewed support from SRAM, an innovative maker of bicycle components.The League and Alliance have been awarded up to $1.2 million from SRAM over the next three years to unite active transportation advocates across the nation and give them tools and resources to secure increased funding from existing federal transportation programs for critical bicycle and pedestrian projects.
“At SRAM we believe that bicycles improve the environment, ease congestion, reduce the cost of transportation and create healthier communities,” says Stan Day, SRAM CEO. “The biggest barrier to increased bicycle use in daily lives is the lack of appropriate infrastructure, and local bicycle advocates are working to break down those barriers across the country. The Advocacy Advance campaign will empower those advocates to dramatically improve conditions for bicyclists.”
Another big obstacle could be an intense focus on reducing spending by the Republican leadership that will take over the U.S. House of Representative next year. Among the incumbents voted out of office this week was James Oberstar, (D-MN), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Oberstar has been a major supporter of increasing federal spending on bike lanes during his tenure. Oberstar, who served for nearly 36 years in Congress, was defeated by political newcomer and Republican Chip Cravaack in a tight race.
“I’m sad because he is a true champion of bicyclists issues in Congress.” wrote Andy Clarke, president for the League of American Bicyclists in blog post the day after the election. “Over the past 20 years, you can trace many of the gains we’ve made straight back to the desk of Jim Oberstar. Broad eligibility for transportation funds, the
Safe Routes to School Program, state bicycle coordinator positions, the requirement to plan for bicyclists at the state and regional level, the non-motorized pilot projects all started with him. So, whichever way you spin it, bicyclists and the bicycling movement have lost a friend in Congress.”
The Advocacy Advance partnership was created two years ago, with major funding from SRAM. Under that banner, League and Alliance staff research issues vital to the bicycling community and create reports that give advocates the data and knowledge they need to effectively promote bicycling. The partnership has also awarded more than $500,000 in direct grants, technical assistance and scholarships to build the capacity of local and state bicycle advocacy organizations and jumpstart innovative campaigns.
Building on these successes and stepping up to a new challenge, the Advocacy Advance Team is now strategically targeting federal funding. While bicycling and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in the U.S., those modes receive less than two percent of federal transportation dollars.
“Our initiative to double the federal investment in bicycling and walking projects in three years is both bold and essential to creating more livable communities,” says Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “SRAM’s commitment to Advocacy Advance demonstrates its leadership in the industry, and its faith in the powerful partnership between the League and Alliance to accomplish this goal.”
“We know local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy leaders have both a remarkable passion and the community connections to make real change on the ground,” says Jeffrey Miller, Alliance President/CEO. “The Alliance and the League are committing to work even more closely with those leaders to deliver strategic training, assistance and grants so they can make communities better places to bike and walk.”
