Yesterday, I visited Sarasota, Florida, where I was hosted at a town hall discussion with local leaders by my former colleague, Rep. Vern Buchanan.
Now, many people know that Rep. Buchanan has said he thinks the Obama Administration's economic stimulus hasn't worked, but no one should be surprised that he and I would appear together. As he said yesterday, "My goal is to get people working together." That is something we agree on.
One of the ideas I mentioned yesterday was something we learned from the stimulus, that the DOT can get money out the door both responsively and responsibly. So, one of our priorities going forward with transportation reform will be streamlining regulations associated with federal money so local projects can be supported more quickly.
That seems to be a goal of the leaders we met yesterday, as well as of many planners and officials I've met around the country.
Others told me they want more bikeways and walking paths, high-speed rail, and more transit options. By now, readers of this blog should know that this Administration strongly advocates these livability elements in future transportation policy.
I want to thank the folks in attendance yesterday for sharing their concerns with me. And, I particularly want to thank my host, Rep. Vern Buchanan, for his generosity and collegiality. I hope we all learned a bit about each other, and I look forward to working together as we move forward on transportation reform.
Dear Secretary LaHood,
I was the fellow who asked you the question at the Town Hall meeting at the Sarasota/Manatee Airport, about the bicycle/pedestrian question. My question concerned a problem of state and local concern. Florida has been the nation’s leader in bicycle/pedestrian fatalities for over 30 years. From 2001 to 2007, the only years that I have checked, Florida was either #1 or in the top three in bicycle and pedestrian fatalities. No other state comes close to Florida in this tragic statistic.
Sarasota and Manatee Counties are among the worst of the worst. In the latest five year rolling average of bicycle fatalities and injuries from FDOT, Sarasota County is #4 and Manatee County is #3.
My question to you was if you could correct a longstanding historical inequity which is contributing to this problem. In 2007, bicycle and pedestrian fatalities were 13% of overall traffic fatalities, according to NHTSA. Yet, USDOT safety funding, through the 402 and Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) were less than 1% for bike/ped safety.
When I asked you if you could administratively correct this problem, you referred me to Congressman Buchanan. I am following up with him. However, I still wonder if the Secretary of USDOT can influence how these funds are spent. Is this the sole prerogative of Congress? Or, can you place some administrative requirements on the funding?
Preliminary findings suggest that the states themselves have broad discretion in how these funds are spent. Can USDOT actively encourage the states to increase their funding for bike/ped safety?
Preliminary findings also suggest that only 52% of HSIP funds are spent by the states anyway. Thus, a lack of funds is not the issue. Can USDOT encourage the states to use the unspent funds on bike/ped safety.
These are three administrative avenues to explore. Should the congressional avenue still appear to be the best one, it would be great if USDOT would use its influence to encourage the Congress to insert the following language into 23 USC Section 148:
(h) FUNDS FOR BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY- A State shall allocate for bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements in the State a percentage of the funds remaining after implementation of sections 130(e), in an amount that is equal to or greater than the percentage of all fatal crashes in the States involving bicyclists and pedestrians.
Thank you, Secretary LaHood, for coming to Sarasota and responding to my question. And, thank you for reading and responding to this.
Mike Lasche
Bicycle/Pedestrian Advocates
Posted by: Mike Lasche | July 24, 2009 at 12:45 PM