Over XX Organizations to Congress:
Embrace Trails, Walking and Biking as Key Components of a
CompleteTransportation System
Dear Members of the 114th Congress:
On behalf of the undersigned organizations and the millions of Americans we represent across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we write to express strong support for continued federal investment in walking and biking networks and recreational trails as part of our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Robust funding of the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and other federal programs that ensure that Americanscan safely walk or bike is critical to providing the transportation options needed by a mobile public.
Safe places to walk and bicycle are a key part of our nation’s transportation future. The number of usersof trails, sidewalks, cycling “green lanes,” and bike paths grows each year as people take advantage of opportunities to safely walk and bike created by federal investments already made in such facilities.Millions of Americans are nowusing these pathways or trails every day for recreation or to simply get around. Many do so by choice; others from necessity.Active transportation options provide critical access to jobs, schools, and other daily destinations for those whom automobiles are beyond their means or abilities.
Investment in these assets provides hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits to Americans, much of it in the form of transportation, health and environmental savings. Shifts to walking and biking, and sustained investment in its infrastructure, will avert automobile trips that contribute to congested roads.
The Recreational Trails Program (housed within TAP) is more than paid for by users of trails themselves. It is funded by the gas tax levied against motorized trail users, but shared by all types of trails. The weekend ATV rider may well be a weekday bike commuter, with both activities conducted on a facility supported by RTP funding. Trail systems benefit all and contribute to a well-balanced transportation system.
The current level of federal investment in walking and biking infrastructure and recreational trails comprises only 1.5% of federal spending on surface transportation. It is not a significant factor in our transportation funding gap and cutting it would not solve, but hamper efforts to reduce the federal deficit. Rather, the building of networks of trails and other walking and biking facilities should be prioritized in our next transportation reauthorization. It is time to embrace a balanced 21st century transportation vision for America.