Harrisburg Needs To Hear That You Value Bicycling And Walking

Oliver, captured moments after learning
the proposed House amendments would eliminate
funding for bicycling and walking projects

We predicted there would be opposition in Harrisburg to dedicating funding for bicycling and walking, and now we learn we were right.

The Pennsylvania Senate recently passed Senate Bill 1, a comprehensive, 21st century transportation funding solution for Pennsylvania. Given the choice, everyone would prefer Pennsylvania to exist in the 21st century, right?

Now Pennsylvania's House Transportation Committee is contemplating amendments to that bill. The proposed amendments strip out what the Senate had recommended for biking and walking.

The amendments completely eliminate dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects that make our communities safer.

These proposed amendments would also reduce the funds available for multi-modal projects and deal a huge blow to mass transit, leading to massive service cuts around the state.

These amendments would be very, very bad for Pennsylvania.

As a state we need to improve and diversify our transportation. We need to be able to get where we need to go safely. Bicycling and walking are active modes of transportation. 12% of all trips in Pennsylvania (not just Philly, but the whole state) occur on foot or on bike. But these House amendments want no dedicated funding for bicycling or pedestrian projects. 

If you care about Pennsylvania making us safer by funding bicycling and walking, please contact the House leadership and the Governor today!

• Tell them that you do not support the proposed House amendments to Senate Bill 1.
• Tell them that you support a final transportation funding package that invests adequate resources in a multi-modal transportation system that includes dedicated funding for all modes of transportation.
• Ask them to support a $2.5 billion transportation funding plan that would include a first-ever state investment in making our roads and communities safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Tell them why this is important.

Making roads and communities more conducive to active transportation options, like bicycling and walking, will reduce roadway crashes, reduce carbon emissions, help children and families build physical activity into their daily routines, and open Pennsylvania up to a larger share of the bicycle tourism industry - a $50 billion per year industry.

It's the 21st century, and we need a 21st century transportation funding bill.