Bicycling is an important factor in less carbon-intensive commuting

Of all the Fastlane entries over the first days of this Administration, the one that has generated the most responses is the one on my address to the National Bike Summit. We all know that bikers are passionate about their wheels; we also know that bicyclists are vulnerable to automobiles and need secure lanes and greater awareness from drivers. On Earth Day, it seems appropriate to talk about bicycling, not only as recreation, but as an environmentally sound commuting option. And, about what the DOT is doing to improve the cyclist's commute.

Bicycling was one of the earliest beneficiaries of stimulus funding, with portions of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act explicitly devoted to bicycling, and this department has been very active in getting that funding out the door. States must spend 3 percent of their allocation on the Transportation Enhancements program, which is a primary source of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure funding. The remainder of the “highway” money also creates an opportunity to build complete streets. All of the highway funding is flexible, and bicycle and pedestrian projects are eligible. The 3 percent in Transportation Enhancements is a floor not a ceiling. 30 percent of a state’s allocation is sub-allocated to urbanized areas, where commuting by bicycle is most likely.

$3.1 billion is provided for the Energy Efficiency and Block Grant Program, which provides formula funding to cities, counties, and states to undertake a range of energy efficiency activities. One eligible use of funding is for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.  $1 billion is provided for the Community Development Block Grants program, which provides formula funding to cities and counties that meet certain criteria to undertake community improvement activities. One eligible use of funding is for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

So, a number of funding opportunities exist, but cycling advocates must get their cities and states to request funds for these purposes. Many states, counties, and municipalities have already done so.

When I told the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit that "Cyclists are important users of America's transportation systems," I meant it. And, when I wrote that "With DOT, bicyclists have a full partner in working toward livable communities," I meant that as well. President Obama has challenged us to transform the way transportation serves the American people by creating more choices and encouraging less carbon-intensive transportation, and we are working hard on that challenge.

The upcoming reauthorization of DOT’s surface transportation programs provides an opportunity for us to feature bicycling as part of a new American mobility within livable communities.  As I said today in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, this includes fostering communities where bicyclists feel both safe and welcome on the roadways. Bike-friendly development also has the potential to contribute significantly to the revitalization of downtown districts and offer an alternative to sprawl and automobile-focused commuting.

Earth Day is today, but we'll need the sustained engagement of bicycle commuters and their advocates in the weeks and months to come to help keep the wheels of bicycle-friendly legislation on the road.

Comments

[William R. Walling]

Mr. LaHood,
As a bicyclist, routinely pedal more than I drive, my State D.O.T. does require FEDERAL direction assigning received monies for absent cycling infrastructure projects.
My sincere thanks to your administration on behalf of effected bicyclists throughout America!
Do recommend a 'flashing' RED tail light as bicycles ARE slow moving vehicles during operation. (Day AND Night use!)
Simply, 'Sun's Out, I'm Out!'

[Fred B]

Thank you for being such a strong advocate for cycling. This simple activity can cure the primary ills in society, a cleaner environment and a healthier population.

[Jeremy Grimm]

I commute to work everyday, and pray for more awareness. Thank you for taking the time to write about cyclists.

[Tim Keneipp]

As an avid cyclist, I want to thank you for recognizing the importance of cycling in our transportation future. I encourage you and your department to find ways to include features in all DOT projects that will benefit cycling and make it safer for everyone. The DOT should not wait on local governments to take the lead, but should show leadership in this area.

[nobody]

To make funding more noticeable, what do you think about the idea of having bike facilities on federal roads? Based on the post, you seem to imply that these facilities are being taken care of by lower levels of government, which may or may not be true. If the federal government took initiative and made it prevalent on certain sections of federal routes, it may encourage these lower levels of government to put more facilities in, as we know some of the state governments won't do this unless there is immense pressure from their people or the feds make them.

[Tim K]

Wow. I'm beyond happy to see DOT moving (and advocating!) in this direction. A strong bicycle-as-transportation policy is good for our cities, our environment, our energy policy, economy, and of course, our expanding American waistlines.

Bicycling gives us a chance to make a difference while having fun and saving money.

Let's get it (and keep it) going!

[CBrinkman]

Please hurry. I'm a 45 year old bike commuter, I've been commuting by bike for over 20 years and my city, San Francisco, is not keeping up with my increasing desire and need for safety and dignity. I don't want to fight for space, I just want to commute in the most practical, sustainable, and enjoyable way I can. Using my bike for transportation benefits me, and it benefits my City. How can we get more people my age cycling if the infrastucture isn't in place and people don't feel safe and respected?

[Martin Zimmerman, Exec Director CABA]

Secretary LaHood

Your comments are most welcome. But one cannot stress to strongly how important it is for your department to lean on state highway departments, North Carolina included who routinely fail to include bike /ped facilities on their projects. This is particularly problematic in urban areas of North Carolina because the primary roads into and thru cities like Charlotte are state and not local roads.

One way your agency may be able to help is to support the upcoming "Complete the Streets Congressional" resolution. Congressman Oberstar or the League of American Bicyclists should have the specifics on this.

This resolution along with pressure from your agency could go a long way to help change the culture of state road building organizations.

Martin Zimmerman
Exec.Director
Charlotte (NC) Area Bicyce Alliance

[Tom Rorb]

Sec LaHood,

Like what I am hearing so far, please keep the dialogue going.

[Joe S.]

I agree with Martin. Here in Atlanta, new projects routinely cut out cycling facilities - a recent example is the failure of the 14th Street bridge construction to include bicycle lanes. History shows that the only way that state DOT's will comply is when they are faced with loss of matching federal funds.

[Howard Hackett]

Mr LaHood
I'm from Los Angeles. All we hear is that the Bicycle Master Plan has to be updated BEFORE anything can be done. Local streets are torn up to install left and right turn pockets, but not one dime is spent on improving bicycle access on streets.
Further, we hear lots of bla bla bla from politicians but never any action. Not even one bucket of paint for critical lanes.

[Cheryl Holloway]

Secretary LaHood,

I want to thank you for caring about cyclist, our future, our environment and after having read all entries prior to mine, I must say I am impressed with the civility of their concerns and suggestions. I, too, commute to work and have often thought perhaps it is selfish of me to ride the roads so often because I have my children to think about. It is also true, the roads and streets of Santa Fe, NM are extremely dangerous especially against uneducated drivers. I agree its a mistake to assume local government or the DOT will take any initiative to utilize the 3% TEP allocation for bike safety nor will they increase the percentage unless given an ultimatum in either regard. Until we require bike safety awareness with drivers licenser/renewal, cyclists like myself, a mother of five, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a retired firefighter/Paramedic, a friend, a dog rescuer and a humanitarian, our lives will not be safe or respected as commuters/bicyclists by so many motorist that do not understand that we are providing a future for them and a future for our children on this planet.
Again, I applaud you and urge you to take the initiative in making it mandatory to fund road safety and cyclist rights.

[Lisa M. Gardner]

Tim K. has me pegged - I would prefer to commute by bike than by car.

HOWEVER - I live in a rather bike-unfriendly community (which also lacks a useable public transit and often even sidewalks), and so commute by car every day. I have never regularly commuted by bike. So while I would prefer to use my bicycle, this place is intimidating - the roads simply aren't wide enough and the drivers are often very rude to bicyclists. So, though I want to get started on it, it scares the hell out of me to do so.

An infrastructure that included bicycles would bring a lot of people like me out of the woodworks, commuting by bike.

I applaud you bringing this issue to the table, and I really hope that something productive comes from it!

Thanks!

[Kenji Sugahara]

Secretary LaHood,

Thank you for your support of cycling! I am encouraged by your enthusiasm and engagement with our community.

Fortunately, we have a very strong cycling community in Oregon, with great leaders such as Scott Bricker, Jerry Norquist, Jonathan Maus and many others. While I am involved in the recreational/competitive aspect of cycling, I fully support your efforts to increase commuting by bicycle. My rationale is that the more cyclists that are out there, the safer cycling becomes for everyone. Keep up the good work- and please continue to use new media to reach out to our community.

I would love to see a small primer on the funding opportunities that exist- which could then be distributed to the network of cycling organizations. I also think that many of the smaller communities could benefit from technical assistance with applications.

I am also available as a resource as our organization has the highest per capita number of racers in the United States and has among the highest number of races per capita. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

If you are ever in Oregon, please look me up and I would love to take you out on a ride.

Sincerely,

Kenji Sugahara
Executive Director
Oregon Bicycle Racing Association

[Sarah B.]

Thanks for supporting funds for bicycle infrastructure and for writing about bike commuting. There are so many of us who would love to bike-commute if only there were safe routes with dedicated lanes or bikable shoulders. And every additional bike commuter is one less car on the road-- easing the commute for those who cannot bike to work, and keeping the air clean for all of us!

[S. Bonaparte]

Thank you, Secretary LaHood for your continued efforts in promoting multi-modal transportation.
Safer biking is what we need- to encourage people of all ages and abilities to leave the cars at home. It is critical here in NJ, a completely urbanized state.

I am working on the local level to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities. States, counties, regionals, and municipalities still need a wake-up call. Please consider enforcement of federal mandates as you review SAFETEA-LU!
Thank you.

[Rebecca Zienkowicz]

I have been commuting on my bike for the last 3 years. I now live in California and the drivers are much kinder to cyclists than when I lived in New York.I always felt like I was taking my life into my own hands each time I rode.

I'm glad somebody out there is trying to make it easier for the rider. As a person that wants to help our world by being green, any help to supporting bicycling is great. I look forward to these changes and hope that the media and each state will make the car drivers more aware of us.

[Andy Stahl]

Secretary LaHood,

I am fortunate indeed to bike commute 36 miles round-trip in Eugene, Oregon, where bicyclists are generally respected and city leaders have a long tradition of supporting bicycle infrastructure.

Several months ago, business travel took me to Washington, D.C. My representative, Peter DeFazio (D-OR), has kept a "constituent" bicycle in his office for visitor use for two years. But no one has ever sought to use it.

I hoped to be the first. But after a day spent on-line trying to figure out how to bicycle from Capitol Hill 18 miles into southern Maryland, I threw up my hands in despair and took the Metro instead.

Your Department could do worse than to reform bicycle transit close to home -- in the Nation's Capitol. The DC Metro area is one of the most unfriendly bicycle commuting areas I have come across.

Good luck!

Andy Stahl
Executive Director
Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics
Eugene, Oregon
www.fseee.org

[Paul Tay]

By law in all 50 states, bicyclists are DRIVERS of VEHICLES that operate in TRAFFIC, on public roadways. All 50 state legislatures EXPECT bicyclists to MIX with motorists, in TRAFFIC.

What is the problem? States need funding for ENCOURAGEMENT and EDUCATION, not engineering. Motorists are tired of yelling at cyclists to get off the road. Cyclists are tired of hearing it.

Let's put everyone on the same page with driver retesting at renewal with at least three questions related to sharing the road with cyclists.

[Linda C.]

Lanes, trails, paths for cyclists are great, but please don't forget walkers! We need safe walkable places, too. “After 50 years of planning for cars, it is time to start planning for people."--UCLA Urban Planning Professor Donald Shoup
Linda C.

[Jon Spangler]

Dear Secretary LaHood,

What are you doing to free Energy Secretary Steven Chu from his security detail so he can commute by bike?

Thanks,

Jon Spangler

http://www.grist.org/article/energy-boss-misses-bike1/

UNCHAIN CHU
Energy boss Steven Chu misses his bike

23 APR 2009

BY CHARLES KOMANOFF

> We all know Secretary Chu has to toe the party line, which, for
> now, is cap-and-trade. No, what hurt was this:
>
> Q: Is it true you don’t drive a car?
> A: My wife does, but I no longer own a car. Let me just say that in
> most of my jobs, I mostly rode my bicycle.
> Q: And now?
> A: My security detail didn’t want me to be riding my bicycle or
> even taking the Metro. I have a security detail that drives me.
> Q: How do you feel about adding carbon emissions to the air?
> A: I don’t feel good about it.
>
> “I don’t feel good about it”? The guy is in agony over it! Chu is
> an avid, lifelong bicyclist—the interviewer didn’t have to ask, Chu
> volunteered that fact—and now he’s sealed up in a Chevy Tahoe. Ouch!
>
> What followed was even worse:
>
> Q: I guess the President wants to keep you alive.
> A: My wife is in favor of that as well.
>
> Double ouch. Chu knows—he must know—that all those years he was
> cycling to work, nothing kept him alive as well as bicycling.
>
>

[Jeff S]

Handing money to the states, at least my state, is not very beneficial. The majority of the money went to projects that had already been funded.

So now, they pull the original funding back and can use it for anything they choose.

Many areas also need considerable guidance on transportational cycling issues.

[Marion Schwartz]

Secretary LaHood, your leadership in this matter should liberate a lot of would-be bicycle commuters just waiting for someone to meet their infrastructure needs. Let's remember the power of multi-modal transportation. Today, even though I have meetings till nine tonight, I can bike to work in the daylight and put my cycle on the bus rack to go home in the dark. And now the threat of rain is no reason to avoid my bike. Bike racks also extend the effect of public transit, by making the core routes accessible to people who live further from them than they care to walk. Mass transit grants should cover bike racks!

[Ed Moyers]

Mr. LaHood,

Is the DOT funding also available for bicycle education? While our city has a long way to go in developing bicycle infrastructure, they have a plan for future development, and are making good progress, in spite of the current economy.

Their success has resulted in a significant increase in cyclists on the streets over the past few years, but many of the new riders don't know how to ride properly with traffic. We would love to see courses offered for these folks, but don't have the funding to support. Any chance federal stimulus money would be available for cycling safety courses??

Thanks!

Ed Moyers

[Thomas Brois]

We are so blessed here in NY city with the wonderful Bicycle path that runs down almost the entire Western side of the Manhattan island. If every city had this type of construction devoted to bicycles and pedestrians, we'd all be healthier and have a greener world and stronger economy. It truly is more efficient: you are completing your commute while "going to the gym" SIMULTANEOUSLY!
I have also heard the comparison that driving relatively short distances by car is like "killing a canary with an atom bomb." It is truly overkill. IF everyone understood this, we would not be wasting valuable real estate to build such WIDE roads just to accommodate these "atom bombs" when we could accomplish the same feat with a much narrower lanes required for bicycles and pedestrians. And look Ma', NO POLLUTION! (and less lives cut short from cardiovascular disease due to inactivity). Thanks so much for your help and devotion to this cause, Mr. Secretary.