The view of today's hearing for many.
(Photo: Patrick Croasdaile)

At the House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure listening session held this morning in Vancouver, WA, many would-be participants never got the chance to be heard.

I happened to arrive at the committee meeting 35 minutes early, yet was eight people shy from getting in. By my estimation, only a third of those who showed up for the event actually made it into the Clark Public Utilities Community Room. Seeking a way around the barriers to entrance was met with a remarkably hostile response from Clark Public Utilities staff. (more...)

A chance to meet Chairman Mica.

Next Monday (2/21) the United States House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will make a stop just north of Portland in Vancouver, Washington as part of a national tour of field hearings. The goal of the meeting is to get feedback and a local perspective on how to approach the reauthorization of our nation's transportation law.

The meeting is being coordinated by the office of Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA) and will take place from 9:00 - 11:00 am at the Vancouver PUD Community Room (1200 Fort Vancouver Way). (more...)

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee — a key body that sets the transportation agenda on Capitol Hill — has announced a series of "field hearings" on changes that could be in store for America's surface transportation legislation. The closest location to Portland on the list is Vancouver, Washington. A field hearing has been scheduled to happen in Vancouver on February 21st. (more...)

The op-ed in AAA World that started it all.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has spent over three months gathering signatures on a petition to persuade the automobile advocacy group AAA to support the continued federal funding of bicycling and walking programs. On Monday, their campaign will culminate when they bike over 50,000 signatures right to the doorstep of AAA's national headquarters in Heathrow, Florida.

RTC's campaign began back in August when the leader of a regional chapter of the AAA, Don Gagnon, argued in AAA World magazine that federal Highway Trust Fund spending on non-motorized transportation was leading to an, "increasingly deteriorating highway system." Highway money should only pay for highways, AAA said. (Download Gagnon's original article here. (PDF)) (more...)

The rules would mandate that people in
cars and trucks can see behind them
when backing up.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The US Department of Transportation wants to create a new safety regulation to help eliminate blind spots behind motor vehicles. The DOT says the proposal is aimed at preventing fatalities and injuries to people victimized by "low-speed back-up accidents" and it could also have an impact on people riding bicycles as well.

The proposal, issued today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "would expand the required field of view for all passenger cars, pickup trucks, minivans, buses and low-speed vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to 10,000 pounds so that drivers can see directly behind the vehicle when the vehicle’s transmission is in reverse."
(more...)

A petition on Change.org has over
2,700 signatures.

It's been a rough year for Colorado. First there was the ban on bicycling in Black Hawk, then a candidate for Governor, Dan Maes, likened Colorado's bike-sharing program to a "U.N. plot" (thankfully, comments like that earned Maes a paltry 10% of the vote). And now comes this...

According to the Vail Daily, "A financial manager for wealthy clients will not face felony charges for a hit-and-run because it could jeopardize his job." (more...)

Number-crunching by the League of American Bicyclists shows that the percentage of funds spent by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on biking and walking projects increased in the 2010 fiscal year (which runs from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010).

In FY 2010, the League calculates that the FHWA spent 2.07 percent, or just over $979 million on on biking and walking projects, up from 1.91 percent in FY 2009. However, while the share of biking and walking projects went up, the overall amount spent on them decreased. That's because the total spending by the FHWA (on all projects) went down over $11 billion between FY 2010 and 2009. (more...)

SRAM CEO Stand Day at the
2010 National Bike Summit.
(Photo © J. Maus)

If you think the federal bike funding picture looks bleak after last night's elections, here's some news that should lift your spirits. This morning, component maker SRAM — along with the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking & Walking — announced a three-year renewal of a campaign to double federal funding for active transportation projects by 2013. (more...)

Ray LaHood.
(Photo © J. Maus)

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today that the latest traffic data shows "major, across the board declines" in all categories of fatalities and the lowest numbers in six decades.

Updated fatality and injury data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that there were 33,808 motor vehicle fatalities in 2009, a decline of 9.7 percent and the lowest number since 1950. This decline occurred estimated vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 0.2 percent over 2008. The number of people killed while riding their bicycles dropped 12 percent, from 718 deaths in 2008 to 630 deaths in 2009. (more...)

Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) speaks at a press conference near the Broadway Bridge yesterday. Standing behind him are fellow House Representatives Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader and David Wu.
(Photos © J. Maus)

(more...)

President Obama raised eyebrows in the transportation world Monday when he announced a plan to invest $50 billion in transportation infrastructure that would jump-start a long overdue reauthorization of the nation's transportation bill.

The White House says "tangible accomplishments of the President’s plan over the next six years include" $50 billion in the first year to "rebuild" 150,000 miles of roads, "construct and maintain" 4,000 miles of rail, and "rehabilitate or reconstruct" 150 miles of runway.
(more...)

Wider, smoother shoulders would be nice.
(Photo © J. Maus)

On Monday, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) -- an influential group of state DOT directors -- announced a report calling on Congress to prioritize funding for expanded rural highway capacity in the forthcoming re-write of the transportation bill. Spending hundreds of billions on highway projects and adding 30,000 new lane miles is sure to raise eyebrows in active transportation circles, but could AASHTO's plan help improve biking conditions on highways across America?

Maybe. (more...)

Bike boxes, like this one in the Rose
Quarter, aren't endorsed by the FHWA... yet.
(Photos © J. Maus)

According to Mike Wetter, the Senior Advisor to Metro Council President David Bragdon, the U.S. Department of Transportation is on the verge of a decision that could rapidly speed up the use of innovative bikeway treatments across America. Among supporters of a change to the policy is a national association of city transportation planners and U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

Currently, due to outdated federal standards, many bikeway designs that are common in Europe and Canada -- like bike boxes, colored pavement markings, bike-only signals, and buffered bike lanes -- are still considered "experimental" in the U.S.. This lack of official endorsement by the FHWA means city planners cannot use federal funds to install them and they encounter a host of significant barriers when trying to implement them. Wetter, along with transportation planners at PBOT and cities across the country, think current policies are unfair to urban jurisdictions and they might finally be close to changing them. (more...)

James Corless in Southwest Portland this morning.
(Photo © J. Maus)

James Corless, the Director of Transportation For America -- a national coalition of 400 organizations pushing for a new transportation program -- is in Portland today. Corless is here to meet with local experts, learn about Portland's innovations, and share an update on their campaign efforts. I sat down with Corless for a brief interview this morning at the headquarters of 1000 Friends of Oregon in Southwest Portland. (more...)

Joe Brazil wants bikes banned
from country roads due to safety concerns.
(Photo: FoxTV/St. Louis)
-Watch video below-

When a ban on people riding bicycles went into effect in the small casino town of Black Hawk Colorado last month, it seemed like an anomaly. Many people were outraged by it and advocates are still working to overturn it, but it seemed like just a case of small town politics gone awry. Now, Black Hawk's city leaders must be feeling a bit of validation after a much larger and more formal ban is being seriously considered by the Council of St. Charles County, Missouri. (more...)

A "No Bikes" sign greets
visitors to Black Hawk, CO.
(Photo: Bicycle Colorado)

As you probably have already heard, a small casino town in Colorado has passed - and is now enforcing - a ban on biking. The town of Black Hawk has drawn national attention for the ban and Colorado bike advocacy group Bicycle Colorado is mobilizing to have the law repealed.

The impetus behind the ban is a feeling by Black Hawk's leaders that bike traffic simply gets in the way of its casino clientele -- a clientele that has skyrocketed in numbers after a recent increase in the town's betting limits.

I'll repeat: This ban is not because the city of Black Hawk is concerned about the safety of people riding bikes, the ban was passed because bike traffic threatens the safety of motor vehicle traffic.
(more...)

[via The Rachel Maddow Show Blog]

Meet Malik Rahim, a former Black Panther and noted activist from Louisiana who's training for a bike ride from Houma to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about environmental justice and the loss of wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico...
(more...)

View of new bike lanes on Pennsylvania Ave. Photo taken today by League of American Bicyclists. See full photoset here.

(more...)

Cover of report.

New data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration shows that biking and walking have increased by 25% in America since 2001.

The National Bicycling and Walking Study: A 15-Year Status Report, put together by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (and funded by the FHWA) looked at trends in biking and walking levels since 1994 and is an update to a study done that same year. The report noted a significant increase in walking, fewer injuries and fatalities to people walking and biking, and an increased amount of federal investment in non-motorized transportation modes. (more...)

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is doing more than his part to dismantle our nation's car-centric status-quo. After his "end of favoring motorized transportation" proclamation last month, LaHood is now telling anyone who will listen that the American people have his back.

As validation of his views, LaHood is touting a new survey released by Transportation for America that shows a majority of Americans want options -- other than wider roads for cars -- to get around and relieve congestion.
(more...)