Transportation Bill Rolls Back Progress

For Immediate Release
Contact: Hilary Reeves, Transit for Livable Communities, 651-789-1415, cell:  612-554-1795; hilaryr@tlcminnesota.org

Saint Paul, MN (June 28, 2012)-- In response to the announcement of a conference committee deal to authorize the federal transportation program through September, 2014, Transit for Livable Communities executive director Barb Thoman issued this statement:

“The proposed new law from the House and Senate conference committee is a return to a 1950s highway-heavy emphasis with greatly reduced accountability and transparency.Thankfully, funding for transit was preserved, but the conference committee stripped some very good policy from the Senate bill. If this becomes law, people will have less say over how their money is spent.

 

The proposed new law gives much greater power to state departments of transportation (DOT), leaving counties and cities with less authority over funding. Metropolitan areas, the engine of the economy, also will have less involvement in how transportation dollars are spent. The innovative and sought after TIGER funding (now under a new name), will be available only to state DOTs (not local or regional government) and then only for projects over $500 million. Two recent TIGER-funded projects—the Minneapolis Interchange multimodal hub and restoration of Saint Paul’s Union Depot—would not be eligible under the new law.

 

The bridge repair provisions championed by Senator Franken were stripped along with an emphasis on road repair, so we’ll see more potholes and failing bridges. The deal also eliminates a critical passenger rail program and eliminates the Senate’s efforts to establish new national freight policies.

 

The small share of federal funding for bicycling and walking was reduced and made optional and dedicated funding for Safe Routes to School was eliminated. Complete streets provisions, already on the books in Minnesota, were stripped. We have seen a surge in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in the Twin Cities, thanks to federal funding for nonmotorized transportation. But now, as rates of bicycling and walking rise dramatically, funding for these modes is going down not up.

 

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill (MAP-21) in March. The House wasn’t able to even pass a transportation bill in its own chamber due to the extreme provisions it included in its own five year bill (HR7). Several strong provisions in the Senate bill were lost in fighting off the House-proposed Canadian oil pipeline (Keystone XL) and a coal ash regulation provision. In the name of “streamlining,” the final deal greatly weakens environmental review.

 

We had a chance to enact the Senate bill, which recognized the challenges we face today as a nation and called for using all modes of transportation to serve economic growth and preserve our nation’s natural resources and health. If industry is hoping that Congress will return next year to raise the federal gasoline tax to shore up transportation funding, this conference report and the new transportation policy framework it lays out isn’t going to help make the case.

 

The good news is that it’s essentially a two-year bill and not the typical six year bill. And, we know that more people are voting with their wallets and feet for transit, bicycling, and walking and less driving. We will keep working with and for leaders with a vision not from the 1950s but for 21st century needs and realities. ”

 

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About Transit for Livable Communities

Transit for Livable Communities is a nonprofit organization working to transform Minnesota's transportation system to strengthen community, improve health and opportunity for all people, foster a sound economy, and protect our natural resources. Through advocacy, organizing, and research, we promote a transportation system that encourages transit, walking, bicycling, and thoughtful development.

 

Is Safety for Bike/Ped a Bargaining Chip in Congress?

For Immediate Release
Contact: Hilary Reeves, Transit for Livable Communities, 651-789-1415, cell:  612-554-1795
Bill Neuendorf, Transit for Livable Communities, 651-789-1406
Andrea Kiepe, Transportation for America 612-991-9497

Ped and Bicycle Deaths Far Outpace Slim Funding Levels House Leadership Wants to Cut

Saint Paul, MN (June 22, 2012)— This weekend, as House and Senate conferees are hammering out an agreement for a new federal transportation law, House leadership is pushing to cut the small amount of funding that goes to bike and pedestrian projects in order to get a deal done. The current transportation law expires June 30. The Senate passed a bill with bipartisan support in March but the House leadership will not bring that bill to the floor. The Senate bill includes funding for road and bridge repair and transit and preserves bicycle/pedestrian funding at 1-2% of the overall bill. Passage of a new law would remove uncertainty about transportation projects.

“It seems like the safety of bike/ped users of our transportation system is a bargaining chip for some in Congress,” said Bill Neuendorf, advocacy director for Transit for Livable Communities. “We cannot understand why progress on a new transportation law is being stalled by House demands. We need a new law to keep construction jobs going, make sure our infrastructure is maintained, and assure the safety of all users of the road.”  

 

National transportation data indicates that 12% of all trips are made by bicycling and walking but that 14% of all fatalities involve bicyclists or pedestrians. Bicycle and pedestrian projects receive 1.6% of federal transportation dollars.

According to the 2011 Crash Report from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, pedestrian crashes increased in the state by 6% over 2010 levels. While death results from 0.5% of all crashes, 5% of crashes involving motorists and pedestrians result in death. The issue was heightened in the Metro recently with the death of a 12-year-old girl when she tried to walk her bike across a road in Chanhassen. The nearest cross walk was more than one mile away.

Calls to cut bike/ped funding come as rates of bicycling and walking are increasing while rates of driving are flat or declining. In the Twin Cities, bicycling and walking are up 52% and 18% respectively from 2007-2011, according to Bike Walk Twin Cities. A recent Report to Congress on the efficacy of bike/ped funding found many benefits, including shifting trips from driving to bicycling and walking and, as a result, less gas use, less air pollution, and better health. In Minneapolis and surrounding communities more than 14 million miles shifted from driving to bicycling and walking between 2007 and 2010, according to the Report and the USDOT Volpe Center.

The League of American Bicyclists recently showed how much small declines in driving impact overall congestion. “In 2011, total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States declined 1.2%. That means, due to the economy and other factors, Americans drove s less in 2011 than they did in 2010. But what makes that remarkable is the striking result: Congestion decreased 30%,” the League’s blog said.

“Clearly, trends in Minnesota and across the country are toward a vision of transportation that includes roads, bridges, transit, bicycling, and walking,” said Neuendorf. “The Senate bill, which passed with bipartisan support, recognizes these trends. The House leadership seems to be in a different era.”

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Sources:

Graphic:   Alliance for Bicycling and Walking http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/memberservices/2012_benchmarking_report/

 

Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, 2011, page 77. Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/educational-materials/Documents/CRASH-FACTS-2011.pdf

Bike Walk Twin Cities 2011 Count Report http://www.bikewalktwincities.org/news-events/bicycling-and-walking-count-results

Report to the U.S. Congress on the Outcomes of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program SAFETEA-LU Section 1807 http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/ntpp/2012_report/

Minneapolis specific data about vehicle miles averted, US Department of Transportation, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, via email

League of American Bicyclists
http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2012/06/small-decrease-in-driving-huge-decrease-in-congestion/

Minnesota Bridges Still at Risk

March 22, 2011 (Saint Paul, MN)-- Today, one out of every eleven bridges that motorists in Minnesota cross each day are likely to be deteriorating to some degree; and 8.8 percent of bridges statewide are rated “structurally deficient” according to government standards.

A new report from Transportation from America released today shows that Minnesota ranks 34^th nationally in terms of the overall condition of the state’s bridges, with one being the worst, 51 being the best. The report includes a list of the most heavily used structurally deficient bridges in Minnesota, ranked by average annual daily traffic (ADT) counts. Nine of the ten bridges on the list are in Ramsey or Hennepin County.

“The Fix We’re In: The State of Minnesota’s Bridges” finds that drivers in Minnesota are regularly traveling across heavily trafficked bridges with “poor” ratings – bridges that could become dangerous or closed without repair.

After the devastating I-35 bridge collapse in 2007, Minnesota took a proactive step in 2008 by passing the Trunk Highway Bridge Improvement Program, providing $2.5 billion in state funds over ten years to rehabilitate or reconstruct structurally deficient bridges, prioritizing those with higher traffic volumes and those classified as “fracture critical.” This effort has greatly improved Minnesota’s network of bridges, but problems remain.

“It really shows the scale of the problem, when after a multi-billion dollar bridge repair effort, Minnesota is just above average. And we have some rural counties with one fifth or more of their bridges structurally deficient,” said Andrea Kiepe MN Organizer with Transportation for America.

Regardless of the amount of wear and tear experienced by a specific bridge, most bridges are designed to last roughly 50 years, yet more than 185,000 highway bridges nationwide (out of 600,000 total) are 50 years old or older. By 2030, that number could double without substantial bridge replacement, and it has the potential to triple by 2050. Minnesota’s average is 35.2 years old.

A recent story in the LaCrosse Tribune indicated that drivers have been ignoring weight limits that Mn/DOT posted last June on a 69-year old bridge in Winona, Minnesota, after the discovery of nine corroded gusset plates. The bridge over the Mississippi River is not slated for reconstruction until 2014.

“We have big problems with the condition of our existing bridges and highways. Yet, we continue to fund new interchanges and highway and bridge widening projects. Minnesota can’t afford anymore to make huge spending decisions without looking at the big picture—from pavement conditions to multimodal options. We’ve been expanding highways for decades. Now we need to focus on road and bridge repair and on the network for other modes of getting around: transit, sidewalks, bike routes,” said Barb Thoman, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities. 

Congress has repeatedly declared the condition and safety of our bridges to be of national significance. However, the current federal program is not designed to ensure that transportation agencies have enough money and accountability to get the job done.

“Obviously, safety is the main concern. But repair work on roads and bridges generates 16 percent more jobs than new construction,” said Andrea Kiepe. “Given the turbulent economic situation in America, the federal government should reward states that take the ‘fix it’ approach.”

“Additional funding for bridges will enhance mobility, economic development and safety on roadways throughout all of Minnesota. Moreover, bridge upgrades always leverage funding from local, state and federal sources, demonstrating that it is only through a collective and concerted effort that we will be able to ensure that present and future generations have access to the high quality infrastructure that is required of a successful 21^st century civilization, ” said Ryan O’Connor, with the Association of Minnesota Counties.

“Preserving Minnesota’s existing transportation system is crucial to ensuring regional prosperity, safety and a higher quality of life,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “The economic and social cost of neglect is simply too high. It is time for our policymakers to shore up our infrastructure and ensure Americans get the most bang for our transportation buck.”

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Transportation for America (T4 America) is the largest, most diverse coalition working on transportation reform today. Our nation’s transportation network is based on a policy that has not been significantly updated since the 1950’s. We believe it is time for a bold new vision — transportation that guarantees our freedom to move however we choose and leads to a stronger economy, greater energy security, cleaner environment and healthier America for all of us. We’re calling for more responsible investment of our federal tax dollars to create a safer, cleaner, smarter transportation system that works for everyone.

Transit for Livable Communities is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to reform Minnesota’s transportation system. Through advocacy, organizing, education, and research, it promotes a balanced transportation system that encourages transit, walking, bicycling, and thoughtful development. www.tlcminnesota.org

 

Shut-down Crisis Reveals Desperate Need for Long-term Overhal of our Nation's Transportation Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  
MARCH 1, 2010

CONTACT:
Cosabeth Bullock, 202-478-6128
cbullock@mrss.com
Ben Grossman-Cohen, 202-478-6185
bgrossman-cohen@mrss.com

 

With jobs, the economy our quality of life in the balance,
Congress must act now on authorization

 
WASHINGTON D.C. – As the national transportation program faces fiscal uncertainty today following Sen. Jim Bunning’s (R-KY) refusal to extend legislation to fund transportation and other national programs on Friday, James Corless, campaign director of Transportation 4 America, released the following statement:
 
“The problem is not simply that one Senator was able to thwart a crucial, timely vote. That lone Senator was able to shut down our nation’s transportation program only because Congress has left this essential underpinning of our economy on life-support for far too long. The highway trust fund we created to build the interstates in the 1950s simply is not up to the job of building and maintaining the system we need for the 21st century. This is not a backburner issue, even if Congress has been treating it as one.
 
“While we lurch, from extension to extension, with our transportation program teetering on the brink of insolvency, the rest of the world is not standing still. China is building a $500 billion rail network. Canada, whose hockey team just beat us for the gold medal, is beating us in building efficient urban transportation networks, even as our public transportation systems are being forced to slash service in the face of Congressional inaction.
 
“American jobs – millions of them -- are relying on the authorization of our transportation program. Americans everywhere depend on an efficient, safe and accessible network of roads and transit systems to get to work each day. If we are going to right this economy permanently, Congress must quickly address our nation’s outdated transportation program and ensure stable funding levels for public transportation, including operating assistance for struggling systems, for the repair and maintenance of our highways and bridges, and a robust investment in projects that will make  our communities sustainable for the long haul.”
 

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Transportation 4 America is a broad coalition of housing, environmental, equal opportunity, public health, urban planning, transportation and other organizations focused on creating a 21st century national transportation program. The coalition’s goal is to build a modernized infrastructure and healthy communities where people can live, work and play by aligning national, state, and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development. www.t4america.org