Coburn Report dismissesRecovery-supported bike paths

Should biking advocates be angry that Senator Tom Coburn included two bike paths in his  latest list of stimulus "waste?" Or thrilled that the Senator singled them out?

As reported by The Washington Times, Coburn said, "When we run $1.4 trillion deficits, the money we spend ought to be a high priority for the American people as a whole."

What he really means is that, because he doesn't get bikes, no one else does either.

His report calls-out an extension of Minnesota's Cedar Lake Bike Trail that would allow people to commute to and from downtown Minneapolis all the way to the new Minnesota Twins stadium. It's a project supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I guess a better bike connection to Minneapolis's central business district doesn't count as infrastructure to some folks.

And he calls-out the Meridian Bridge conversion to bike and pedestrian use. A newer bridge now carries automobile traffic over the Missouri River between Yankton, SD, and Nebraska. Hmm...demolish Yankton's signature landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Or use Recovery Act money to connect an extensive network of trails on the Nebraska side with a similarly extensive network of trails on the South Dakota side?

As Liz Oxhorn, a spokeswoman for Vice President Biden put it:

"The real question here is whether Recovery Act critics will at long last acknowledge that well over 99 percent of the projects are sound, effective and working as promised."

I couldn't agree more. We've worked hard this year to get our Recovery Act dollars out to the states quickly and effectively. Yes, some of those projects include bike paths, a key ingredient in our livability initiative to allow people to live, work, and get around without a car.

We don't call that waste; we call it progress.

Comments

[Elena Rohweder]

Very shortsighted view to not consider bikes as part of the transportation system.

[CP]

Great response! Way to go, Secretary. Keep up the good work.

[Greg Cohen]

Coburn's report and the Secretary's response illustrate an important disagreement that needs to be resolved over the appropriate role of the federal government in transportation. I think it would help the American people properly judge a future surface authorization bill if we defined the federal role clearly and also clearly stated what types of projects should be entirely funded by local governments. The question is not whether bike paths are a good thing for our communities but how they should be funded and by whom.

[Kirk Johnson]

Dear Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood: As a downtown Minneapolis business professional, I represent "one less car" and bike daily, all four seasons, to my job from Edina 9 miles away.

Thanks for the support for better infrastructure. Our US Census data for 2008 shows that Minneapolis is the second in the nation for trips taken by bike. As we create better infrastructure, we can save money when there is less auto traffic causing less demand for more expensive highways/wider roads; we will have less pollution; we will have healthier workers and residents; we will have more livable communities and closer connections to each other. This is my 4th winter biking to work and I highly endorse and recommend continued biking infrastructure.

We have the numbers to prove the demand is there (currently above 4%). When we can get to 10%+ trips taken by bike, the differences will be even more noticeable due to less car traffic, less pollution, less noise, etc.

Thanks for your work! The connection to the river will be used by many commuters and recreational riders alike.

[Damian]

My vote, progress. Thanks. Keep up the good work.

[Cycler]

Hear hear- well put!
It's great to hear such progressive thinking on infrastructure from our federal government!

[Jerry Johnson]

Ray,
Thanks for defending this path extension! As you know, Minneapolis is at the forefront in developing bicycle transportation amenities. Your support is greatly appreciated!

[Michael E. Bailey]

It is critical to having environmentally sound communities that we have infrastructure put in place that will provide as many alternatives to the car as possible--including bike and pedestrian paths. South Orange County has a number of bike lanes on the streets and you can see bike riders using them from early morning to late at night. And every person who lives close enough to work or school to take a bike is one less polluting car taken off the road. And people are also healthier. You don't see too many overweight bike riders. And that means less medical expenses for health problems caused by too much weight. OCTA buses and Metrolink trains have incorporated bike carriers into them so you don't have to chain your bike at the bus stop or the train station, you can take it along with you. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[jay]

I'm really glad our current secretary of transportation does "get" bikes. Biking can never work for everyone, but neither does driving -- and a lot of us would bike, or bike more, if we could do it safely, using projects like these.

I think the senator's attack on improved infrastructure should just be titled "Coburn Backs U.S. Billion-Dollar-A-Day Dependence on Foreign Oil."

[cyclist]

Ray LaHood - Just keep doing what you do. Thank you.

PS - Increase the gas tax, please.

[Matt Eldridge]

I could not agree more! As an American citizen living in London it is striking how different the commuter culture is when it revolves around public transport, bikes, and pedestrians than when it revolves around automobiles. One surprise benefit of investing more street space and money to these alternatives is that there is less congestion overall and people are able to move quicker and more efficiently in ways which are more satisfying than being stuck in a car in traffic.

[Jake Wegmann]

Secretary Lahood,

Thank you for being a breath of fresh air. There are many, many of us who greatly appreciate your work to make DOT more attentive to the full variety of transportation modes. Your rebuke to Sen. Coburn is entirely appropriate and well-stated.

Jake Wegmann
Oakland, CA

[Nadia]

:::bangs head on desk::: Senator Tom Coburn, you are a dolt.

[JP]

Thank you for standing up to the Senator. Look at what Portland has done with bicycle infrastructure. Despite their rainy climate, Portland has the highest rate of bike commuters in the country. Our cities should follow their lead. I'm so glad Ray LaHood gets it.

[Anthony LaMesa]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Ben Stein]

Great post, Mr. Secretary.
Keep up the good work, and keep responding to the critics.
We love our bike trails in southeast PA.

[david from omaha]

YOU GO LAHOOD

[Tom Lais]

These paths are extremely good investments, that are used for business and transportation. Build them and they will be used. I bike these paths in Minneappolis and even today with snow,wind and temps in single digits,I counted 9 bikers on the path at 6 AM. by noon the snow had been criss crossed so many times by bikes it was hard to tell the number of trips. The cost benefits are huge when you consider the health,environmental, and cost of buying oil overseas.

The foresite of a few is blinded by the voice of one. I don't think so.

[Nick M]

Thank you for supporting biking infrastructure. It is a viable mode of transportation and deserves to be supported as such. I truly believe that 20 years from now a majority of short trips will be done by bike, and we will look at quotes like Coburn and laugh at how silly the government was back then.

[Marlene Mahoney]

Biking is great but not for everyone, indeed. I doubt that I shall ever see, one special handsome RR inspector from the DOT peddling his way early in the morn, when high speed rail is about to be born.
Merry Christmas to the great FRA RR safety inspectors who make the rails safer every single day.
Have a safe 2010.

[Shelly Epps]

If we want to be competitive with other countries, we must continue to grow transportation modes to offer alternatives to owning a car - usually a households second largest expense after rent/mortgage payments. Without offering options to an investment that only decreases in value (and our health), America will continue to have a struggling economy with higher healthcare costs and issues.

[Karen Voyer-Caravona]

thank you, Mr. LaHood. Here in Flagstaff, Arizona the cost of living is very high. Bike infrastructure allowed my husband and I do go down to one car, which really helped with our household budget. Sen. Coburn and his constituents might have the luxury of the care and feeding of multiple cars but we do not. I would think he would at least give those of us who find less expensive alternative would get a bit of support for assuming the "personal responsibility" for finding workable solutions.

[Cara Seiderman]

Dear Secretary LaHood,
I'll add my voice in appreciation of the work you do in support of sustainable transportation all over the country; bicycling and walking provide mobility choices can also help to address environmental issues.
By the way, bicycle trips in Our Fair City accounted for 10% of all trips in a travel survey we recently completed -- when people can make that choice, many do!

Looking forward to your presence at TRB next week!

In appreciation,
Cara Seiderman
Cambridge, MA

[Dan Magee]

I'm very happy that Tom Coburn is not my senator.

[Dsmradio]

Giant step backward in time! We should invest in measures that result in a safer, more efficient infrastructure!