This week, both the House and Senate are considering their transportation appropriations (or funding) bills. Because most transportation funding is locked in through MAP-21, we don’t have to fight for funding every year like most programs. (See more on timing updates below)
In honor of July being Parks and Recreation month, I decided to focus on how we, as Safe Routes to School advocates, can ensure that all children have the ability to be active outside all year round. Just like walking and bicycling to school, access to parks and recreation can directly impact the overall quality of life for children.
It’s hard to believe that it has been more than a year since Congress passed the transportation bill, MAP-21, which consolidated Safe Routes to School into the Transportation Alternatives program (TAP).
While schools are out for summer and many Americans head out on vacation, things on Capitol Hill have been heating up. I’ve got updates on a range of federal policy topics to share with Safe Routes to School advocates.
Just shy of one year since the passage of the new transportation law, MAP-21, the US Department of Transportation has issued the final guidance and a
Less than a month ago, President Obama announced that his choice for the next US Secretary of Transportation was Anthony Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, NC. Based on his work in Charlotte and his remarks about transportation, we are hopeful about his potential to carry forward Secretary LaHood’s leadership on bicycling, walking and Safe Routes to School.
At the National Bike Summit this year, Douglas Meyer from Bernuth & Williamson presented some fascinating results about what Congressional allies and opponents think about bicycling.
If the news in your hometown is similar to what I hear in Washington, DC, you are probably hearing a lot about the sequester. Back in 2011, Congress and the President agreed to reduce the federal deficit, and created the sequester as a fail-safe to force spending cuts if they couldn’t reach a deal.
Since it has been a full six months since MAP-21 was signed into law, we are now seeing progress and decisions on the implementation of the law.