Senate Passes MAP-21 Bill, Includes Safe Routes Provisions

Senate Passes MAP-21 Bill, Includes Safe Routes Provisions

March 14, 2012:  Today the Senate passed the MAP-21 transportation bill, including provisions to ensure that local governments can compete for Safe Routes to School funding, by a vote of 74-22.  The Safe Routes to School National Partnership applauds the Senate for their bipartisan action on the transportation reauthorization and urges the House to move quickly to take up the bipartisan MAP-21 bill.

The final MAP-21 bill contains a number of improvements over the original bill that was first released back in November 2011.  These improvements are due to the leadership of several Senators, and from advocates who pushed their Senators to support these improvements.  We thank our many partners and supporters who helped secure these significant changes to benefit Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking.

  • Requires state Departments of Transportation to suballocate and competitively award the Additional Activities funding.  In the original MAP-21 bill, Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements and Recreational Trails were all consolidated into the Additional Activities program.  Also eligible for Additional Activities funding are road and environmental mitigation projects.  In the original language, state DOTs had full control over how to use the funding, likely resulting in little to no funding for bicycling and walking. 

    Under the revisions included in the final bill, local governments, school systems and metropolitan planning organizations will be able to access much-needed funding to make walking and bicycling safe and accessible.  We believe that moving more decision-making to the regional and local level will help ensure that Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking projects are funded through Additional Activities.  [Amendment proposed by Sens. Cardin (D-MD and Cochran (R-MS)].  Specifically:
  1. The state DOT must obligate half of the Additional Activities funding, based on population, to metropolitan planning organizations and smaller areas.  Metropolitan planning organizations must hold a competitive process to identify projects to fund with their suballocated funding.
  2. The state DOT must hold a competitive process for the remaining half of their Additional Activities funding.  Local governments, school districts, and other local agencies are eligible to compete.
  • Requires the US Secretary of Transportation to create standards to ensure that all users—including bicyclists and pedestrians—are safely accommodated in all phases of design and operation of all federally-funded transportation projects.  States can get a waiver if they already have state standards in place.  This is a big step forward for Complete Streets. [Amendment proposed by Sen. Begich (D-AK)]
  • Requires states, unless they opt out, to spend on recreational trails projects at least what they received in 2009 for the Recreational Trails program.  This funding is part of the Additional Activities program. [Amendment proposed by Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN)]
  • Adds further restrictions on the “mandatory sidepath clause” that would make roads on federal lands off-limits for cyclists when an adjacent paved path is nearby.  Now, this restriction only applies to roads with a speed limit of 30 mph or greater where the bicycle level of service is rated B or higher.  [Amendment proposed by Sens. Merkley (D-OR) and Franken (D-MN)]

  • Requires the inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian representatives in several transportation planning processes, including Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs), State Transportatin Improvement Programs (STIPs) and the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan. [Amendment proposed by Sen. Udall (D-NM)]

Breaking News: A Win for Safe Routes to School, Bicycling and Walking in the Senate

A Win for Safe Routes to School, Bicycling and Walking in the Senate

March 1, 2012

We've just won a big battle for keeping Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking a part of the federal transportation bill.  After several long weeks of intense work from advocates around the country, we are extremely pleased to report that the Cardin-Cochran amendment has been accepted as part of the base Senate transportation bill, MAP-21.  This amendment will ensure that local governments, school systems, and metropolitan planning organizations are able to access much-needed funds to make routes to school and routes throughout communities safe for bicycling and walking. 

Thank YOU for making this Senate win a reality!  We are one step closer to a federal transportation law that makes streets safer for all users. Please consider calling your Senators to thank them for including the Cardin-Cochran amendment, and to ask them to vote for MAP-21.

The list of who we need to thank for this important victory is long, and you will be hearing more—but our most immediate thanks go to:

  • Senators Cardin (D-MD) and Cochran (R-MS) for championing this amendment and ensuring that local governments have a voice in transportation planning and projects;
  • The leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sens. Boxer (D-CA), Baucus (D-MT), Inhofe (R-OK), and Vitter (R-LA), for including this amendment;
  • Dozens and dozens of national partners who helped get the word out about this amendment;
  • Hundreds of state, regional and local organizations who spread the word to their constituents and got local leaders to take action; and
  • Tens of thousands of individuals who called and emailed their Senators to ask them to vote for the Cardin-Cochran amendment.

Of course, there's lots of work ahead. With this change, we now strongly urge the Senate to move forward quickly on passing this much-needed transportation bill, MAP-21.  

While this is a big victory and a big step forward, we still have a ways to go before it can become law.  Your help will be key over the coming weeks to ensure that the Senate bill passes, to restore bicycle and pedestrian funding in the House, and to make certain that any extension retains Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements and Recreational Trails. 

But, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.  For now, let’s all take some time to celebrate this testament to the value that Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking have to our local governments and in our communities.

For additional details, please review our joint statement with America Bikes.

Utah's SNAP Program to Keep Kids Safe While Walking and Bicycling

Submitted on Thu, 2012-02-16 21:52 by Brooke Driesse

Safe Routes to School Initiatives Get Omro, WI School National Recognition

Submitted on Sun, 2012-02-05 13:59 by Brooke Driesse

Safe Routes to School Policy Report

We have released a new policy report and fact sheet that help make the financial case for Safe Routes to School in these tough economic times. The report shares new data, dollar figures, facts and local stories on benefits including reducing busing costs, easing traffic congestion, lowering medical costs, and more.

Please provide a news item for this space

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