May 2011
As Gas Prices Rise, Bicycle Ridership Is Up -- So Why Are Lawmakers Gutting Bike Programs?
The price tag for more than 3,000 federally funded bike and pedestrian projects last year amounted to less than half the cost of one highly contested highway project.
“But here’s some troubling news: much of the talk around Washington and state capitals this year is about eliminating or slashing these successful programs. That’s penny-wise and dollar-dumb. Biking and walking comprise only 1.5 percent of the overall federal transportation budget, while they account for 12 percent of all trips made by Americans today.
Indeed, the entire price tag for more than 3,000 federally funded bike and pedestrian projects across 50 states last year amounted to less than half the cost of one highly contested highway project in Maryland that opened this spring.”
