Category Archives: Transportation Funding
Saying something doesn’t make it true
It could be that Speaker John Boehner never read the story of Pinocchio, or maybe a life in politics has taught him that if you repeat an untruth often enough, a significant percentage of the population will believe it. A case in point is a post on the Speaker’s blog over the weekend that included this [...]
Cycles
I was reminded of the inescapability of life’s cycles from the moment I woke up yesterday to the time I fell asleep. My day began as usual at 5:15 am when my wife’s alarm went off. I typically get out of bed a few minutes after so she can use the shower first. Yesterday, my [...]
Petri Amendment Fails
If you haven’t already read it somewhere, the Petri/Johnson amendment to save federal funding for bicycle projects fell 29-27 in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee vote today. Representatives Frank LoBiondo (R-NY), Tom Petri (R-WI) and Tim Johnson (R-IL) were the 3 Republicans who withstood major pressure from the chairman and leadership, and turned down [...]
Still Time to Save Cycling
The Bike Fed received our last update about the Petri (R-WI)/Johnson (R-IL) amendment to the House Transportation Bill around 8:30 last night. The news is mixed as Petri has only two solid Republican votes in support of his amendment on the 59 member committee. Rep. Reid Ribble, (R-WI) who represents the 8th district (click to see map), [...]
House Transportation Bill Reverses Decades of Progress
If you are a member of any other bicycle organization, you may have received the call to action email below. This is a serious erosion of the traditional funding sources for bicycle projects. Wisconsin is lucky to have two members of the House Transportation Committee that originated this bill. On Monday, the Bike Fed sent [...]
Practicing my goodbye to all funding for bicycling
A couple of days ago there was a conference call set up by the Alliance for Biking & Walking to update advocates across the country on the status of the new Federal Transportation Bill. The bill has not been officially made public, but a number of sources have already reported on its contents and a [...]
Should we increase the cost of trail passes in Wisconsin?
We hear it all the time: “Bikes don’t pay their way.” To the point, Tom Held, of the Journal Sentinel’s Off the Couch, shared this email he recently received: “I’m 75 and when I was a kid I had a J.C. Higgins bike that cost less than $35.00, although I wanted a Schwinn. We [...]
Why Bike the Hoan matters for Wisconsin
Tomorrow night there will be an incredibly important meeting to discuss a possible bicycle and pedestrian path over Milwaukee’s Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge. This project more than any other, could be a watershed moment for bicycling in Wisconsin. The upcoming redecking of the bridge offers a once in a generation opportunity to build a landmark [...]
Wisconsin Slips to #3: Explained
As Tom Held reported in his Off the Couch blog, the League of American Bicyclists released the 2011 ranking of Bicycle Friendly States and Wisconsin has dropped from #2 to #3. Washington remains at the top, but Maine edged past us into second place. The complete list is at the bottom of this post for reference. The League [...]
Cyclists paying our way, Walker style
I’ve got an idea I think Governor Walker will like. I’m gonna give you the same pitch I will make to the Governor to get your feedback. If you readers think it is a good idea too, I will call the him and run my spiel. (I heard about a secret code name bloggers can use if they want to talk to him). [...]
