You may have already heard the hubbub, that US DOT Secretary Mary Peters was quoted on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer saying that bicycle projects are not really transportation projects.
“… there’s about probably some 10 percent to 20 percent of the current [transportation] spending that is going to projects that really are not transportation, directly transportation-related… like bike paths or trails.” -U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Aug. 15, 2007
The national Rails to Trails Conservancy recently sent out an action alert suggesting that cyclists contact the media and the transportation secretary to refute her statements.
From the RTC action alert:
Most of us recognize the important transportation benefits of trails, sidewalks, bike lanes and other infrastructure that give Americans the opportunity to walk or bike for everyday travel.
Unfortunately, United States Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters expressed a dramatically different opinion on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer. Speaking about the August 1 bridge disaster in Minneapolis, she claimed that bike paths and trails are somehow not transportation-related. Further, she implied that a large percentage of our transportation budget is dedicated to these facilities, when actually pedestrian and bicycle transportation projects receive only about 1 percent of the federal transportation budget.
In other words, Secretary Peters erroneously implied that funding for bike paths and trails is the reason bridge maintenance is underfunded. This is false and Secretary Peters should know it. Please help set the record straight.
The best way to counter these false claims is by getting the word out. Letters-to-the-editor in newspapers are one of the most-read sections of a paper, so writing a letter to your paper is a great and important step in correcting Secretary Peters’ misinformation.
If you would like to take further action, please visit the advocacy center our partners at the League of American Bicyclists created to send a message to Secretary Peters.
Please tell Secretary Peters she’s wrong. Bike paths and trails ARE transportation!
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