Last night, in his address to Congress, President Trump revisited his campaign promise of a big new investment in infrastructure. He called upon Congress to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure package, using a combination of public and private investment.
We have one last victory to report at Secretary Foxx’s US Department of Transportation. USDOT has significantly rewritten their proposed system performance measures after receiving significant pressure from advocates like you. We owe a big thank you to everyone who weighed in and to USDOT for listening.
The new Congress convened for the first time this week, setting its rules and electing its leaders. The Senate will quickly move to confirmation hearings on President-Elect Trump’s nominees to head various agencies, including Elaine Chao to serve as Secretary of Transportation. Congress will move quickly on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, though new infrastructure funding is likely to wait until at least late spring.
Now, nearly a month after Election Day, Washington is in the full swing of the transition between administrations and there’s constantly changing speculation about policies and personnel. While we can’t predict what will happen, we can review what information has come to light thus far and the impact it might have on Safe Routes to School and healthy communities.
In September, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a new Strategic Agenda for Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation, which will guide their spending and initiatives for the next five years.
Back in May, we asked you to take action against the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) proposed “system performance measures” that would have measured the speed of cars and trucks in seven different ways, while devoting no measures at all to people walking, bicycling, and taking transit.
The US DOT recently enacted a rule that will require states and metropolitan planning organizations to set targets for bicycle and pedestrian safety. Targeted and effective interventions will be needed to achieve desired progress in reducing fatalities and injuries.
The Safe Routes Partnership and the YMCA of the USA recently released Making Strides: 2016 State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Bicycling, Active Kids and Communities. These report cards have an entire section devoted to state funding for Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking that provides important information for advocates.
