randya
12-07-05, 11:52 AM
Bike industry, advocates unite, and Congress starts to notice
Spending - Four communities receive $25 million each to improve bicycle, walking routes
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
SETH SUTEL
The Oregonian
Darwin Hindman, the 72-year-old mayor of Columbia, Mo., is a hard-core cycling advocate. Every day he rides a bike to work that is 20 years old -- older than many of the University of Missouri students who live in the city he governs.
Hindman, who has worked on cycling issues for many of his 11 years as mayor, suddenly has an embarrassment of riches -- $25 million in federal money over the next five years to improve bicycling and walking routes in his community.
Some critics note that Columbia and three other areas chosen for the experimental walking path and bike path program all had powerful friends in Congress. But other big jumps in bicycle-related spending in this year's Congress seem to indicate that the bicycling industry overall is becoming more effective in its lobbying efforts in Washington.
Tim Blumenthal, executive director of an industry group called Bikes Belong, estimates that the total amount of money devoted to cycling and pedestrian projects nationwide could amount to $4.5 billion, up sharply from $2.5 billion spent under the previous transportation law.
That's still only 1.6 percent of the $286.5 billion covered in the bill, but Blumenthal said support for cycling programs is growing steadily in Washington, especially as people become more concerned about rising gasoline prices, traffic congestion, childhood obesity and finding ways to exercise more.
"This is a very, very positive time for bicycling in this country," Blumenthal said. "A lot of things are coming together."
Three years ago, Bikes Belong joined forces with an array of nonprofit cycling advocacy groups to create America Bikes, an umbrella organization that presses the case for pro-cycling and walking policies in Washington.
Randy Neufeld, president of America Bikes, said the organization scored a major victory in 2003 when it organized a grass-roots campaign through its membership organizations, such as the League of American Bicyclists, to oppose a congressional effort to remove certain kinds of federal funding for bike projects.
Now that the group has won new federal funding for bike-related projects, its efforts will turn to making the new programs work -- such as financing safe walking and cycling routes to school for children -- at the state and local level.
"There have been lobbying efforts on transportation bills in the past, but this time we really got our act together," Neufeld said.
It didn't hurt the cycling lobby that President Bush has become an avid rider himself in recent years, after he gave up running because of knee pain.
Bush has invited reporters, visiting officials and celebrities -- including seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong -- to go mountain biking at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush also named John Burke, the president of Trek Bicycle Corp., to serve on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Stephen Madden, the editor of Bicycling Magazine, said Bush told him before a ride that his newfound love of cycling was "absolutely" a factor behind his decision to approve the big jump in bike-related spending this summer.
Now that the increased funding for cycling and walking programs has been approved, however, much more work remains to be done. Projects must be planned and approved, safety programs put in place, and in some cases land must be bought where sidewalks should be built.
Representatives of the four communities in the $100 million pilot program -- Columbia; Marin County, Calif.; Sheboygan County, Wis.; and Minneapolis -- will meet Dec. 13-15 in Washington to figure out how to proceed, including deciding on ways to measure the success of the programs.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., a vocal advocate of cycling issues in Congress, said it was important for local organizations and transportation agencies to follow through now that federal money has been put in the pipeline.
Barbara McCann, who consults for America Bikes, said that promoting bike paths and other projects can be a tough sell in areas where people are used to getting around in cars.
Many state departments of transportation "were founded to build highways, and for some of them, looking at integrating bicycling and walking is a new thing," McCann said.
"When people made plans for roads, they mistakenly made plans for only the automobile," said Hindman, the mayor of Columbia. "The strategy of just building more and more lanes is proving to be counterproductive" in reducing congestion, he said.
For Hindman, building a network of cycling and walking paths lacing through his city has been a longtime goal that may finally come to pass with the new funding.
"We've been working on this for some time," he said.
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/business/1133925906103540.xml&coll=7
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1133925906103540.xml&coll=7
Spending - Four communities receive $25 million each to improve bicycle, walking routes
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
SETH SUTEL
The Oregonian
Darwin Hindman, the 72-year-old mayor of Columbia, Mo., is a hard-core cycling advocate. Every day he rides a bike to work that is 20 years old -- older than many of the University of Missouri students who live in the city he governs.
Hindman, who has worked on cycling issues for many of his 11 years as mayor, suddenly has an embarrassment of riches -- $25 million in federal money over the next five years to improve bicycling and walking routes in his community.
Some critics note that Columbia and three other areas chosen for the experimental walking path and bike path program all had powerful friends in Congress. But other big jumps in bicycle-related spending in this year's Congress seem to indicate that the bicycling industry overall is becoming more effective in its lobbying efforts in Washington.
Tim Blumenthal, executive director of an industry group called Bikes Belong, estimates that the total amount of money devoted to cycling and pedestrian projects nationwide could amount to $4.5 billion, up sharply from $2.5 billion spent under the previous transportation law.
That's still only 1.6 percent of the $286.5 billion covered in the bill, but Blumenthal said support for cycling programs is growing steadily in Washington, especially as people become more concerned about rising gasoline prices, traffic congestion, childhood obesity and finding ways to exercise more.
"This is a very, very positive time for bicycling in this country," Blumenthal said. "A lot of things are coming together."
Three years ago, Bikes Belong joined forces with an array of nonprofit cycling advocacy groups to create America Bikes, an umbrella organization that presses the case for pro-cycling and walking policies in Washington.
Randy Neufeld, president of America Bikes, said the organization scored a major victory in 2003 when it organized a grass-roots campaign through its membership organizations, such as the League of American Bicyclists, to oppose a congressional effort to remove certain kinds of federal funding for bike projects.
Now that the group has won new federal funding for bike-related projects, its efforts will turn to making the new programs work -- such as financing safe walking and cycling routes to school for children -- at the state and local level.
"There have been lobbying efforts on transportation bills in the past, but this time we really got our act together," Neufeld said.
It didn't hurt the cycling lobby that President Bush has become an avid rider himself in recent years, after he gave up running because of knee pain.
Bush has invited reporters, visiting officials and celebrities -- including seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong -- to go mountain biking at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush also named John Burke, the president of Trek Bicycle Corp., to serve on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Stephen Madden, the editor of Bicycling Magazine, said Bush told him before a ride that his newfound love of cycling was "absolutely" a factor behind his decision to approve the big jump in bike-related spending this summer.
Now that the increased funding for cycling and walking programs has been approved, however, much more work remains to be done. Projects must be planned and approved, safety programs put in place, and in some cases land must be bought where sidewalks should be built.
Representatives of the four communities in the $100 million pilot program -- Columbia; Marin County, Calif.; Sheboygan County, Wis.; and Minneapolis -- will meet Dec. 13-15 in Washington to figure out how to proceed, including deciding on ways to measure the success of the programs.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., a vocal advocate of cycling issues in Congress, said it was important for local organizations and transportation agencies to follow through now that federal money has been put in the pipeline.
Barbara McCann, who consults for America Bikes, said that promoting bike paths and other projects can be a tough sell in areas where people are used to getting around in cars.
Many state departments of transportation "were founded to build highways, and for some of them, looking at integrating bicycling and walking is a new thing," McCann said.
"When people made plans for roads, they mistakenly made plans for only the automobile," said Hindman, the mayor of Columbia. "The strategy of just building more and more lanes is proving to be counterproductive" in reducing congestion, he said.
For Hindman, building a network of cycling and walking paths lacing through his city has been a longtime goal that may finally come to pass with the new funding.
"We've been working on this for some time," he said.
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/business/1133925906103540.xml&coll=7
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1133925906103540.xml&coll=7