Uninformed: Transportation Secretary Says Bikes Aren't Transportation

Richard Layman at the Rebuilding Place blog points us (U.S. Government to Bicyclists: Drop Dead! August 20, 2007) to a story that happened late last week. According to the StreetsBlog story:

On the PBS NewsHour with Jim Leher, DOT Secretary Mary Peters (pictured here) in an interview by Gwen Ifill said that instead of raising taxes on gasoline to renew the nation's sagging infrastructure, Congress should examine its spending priorities -- including investing in bike paths and trails, which Peters said, "are not transportation."

From the transcript on the PBS website we learn more:

• When asked about the possibility of adding a nickel a gallon to the gas tax for infrastructure: "I think we have to examine where we're spending money today. And if we think that we're spending money today in the highest and best use, then perhaps we would need to make that discussion, but I don't believe we are. You know, I think Americans would be shocked to learn that only about 60 percent of the gas tax money that they pay today actually goes into highway and bridge construction. Much of it goes in many, many other areas."
• "Well, there's about probably some 10 percent to 20 percent of the current spending that is going to projects that really are not transportation, directly transportation-related. Some of that money is being spent on things, as I said earlier, like bike paths or trails. Some is being spent on museums, on restoring lighthouses, as I indicated."

Presumably if these areas don't include highways and bridges than it is an in-appropriate use of federal dollars? Sheesh.

StreetsBlog also provides a link to a STPP report from 2003, debunking the myth that bridges are in ill repair because of spending in "other areas."

The League of American Bicyclists is asking people to repsond to the Secretary's Office.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a biking/Metro commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.

Comments

[Allen Muchnick]

Unfortunately, many, if not most, shared-use path projects funded under the federal Transportation Enhancements program ARE primarily recreation (not transportation) facilities (e.g., trails in stream valley parks and rural rail trails).

Bicycle transportation facilities don't have 12 MPH or 15 MPH speed limits, which the National Park Service and Prince Georges County Parks promotes in our area. Bicycle transportation facilities don't technically close to the public at dark, as nearly all park trails do, and bicycle transportation facilites are promptly cleared of snow and ice in winter. Sec. Peters did grossly exaggerate the amount of federal spending on shared-use paths, which is well under 1% of the total, but she is correct that "bike paths" typically do not effectively serve transportation. The best way to increase bicycling is to educate bicyclists on integrated traffic cycling (aka vehicular cycling). Competent bicyclists generally do not need bikeways, and bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.

Yes, some of the paths in Arlington and elsewhere in the Washington area do serve hundreds of daily bicycle commuters, but these paths are atypical of those funded nationwide, and the share of area commute trips served by these paths is quite small.

[Steve]

If you are as appalled at this as I am, you may send a note directly to Ms. Peters from this address:
http://capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=10193871&type=cu