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))
Ironically, RTC discovered that there’s a nice, big trail right outside Mr. Gagnon’s office building that was paid for by none other than the federal Highway Trust Fund. RTC paid it a visit and made this video…
Since 1991, the Highway Trust Fund has been used for all aspects of our nation’s transportation system. RTC estimates that more than 19,000 miles of rail-trails and other active transportation projects have been built with those funds. RTC Director Keith Laughlin calls those trails “the lifeblood of our movement.”
To join the signature delivery event tomorrow, follow @railstotrails on Twitter.