U.S. Congress Secures Funding for Bicycle & Pedestrian Transportation Enhancements
The Bicycle Alliance of Washington and other similar advocacy organizations cheered a recent House of Representatives decision to restore Transportation Enhancements funding to the 2004 Federal Transportation Appropriations bill.
This victory restores $600 million in funding that is used primarily to develop bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The win also places bicyclists and other non-motorized transportation advocates in a better position to ensure that funding for these kind of projects continue when TEA-21, the federal transportation legislation, is reauthorized.
In Washington State, Transportation Enhancements funds have been used to design and construct trails, sidewalks and bike lanes, purchase and install bike racks on buses, build bicycle parking, build bicycle-pedestrian over- and underpasses, sign bike routes, and develop and publish bike maps.
