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The popular Hot Metal Bridge was funded with Federal Transportation Enhancements money
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New House Bill Reverses Decades of Progress
It's so much worse than we thought...
Today, the House releases its transportation bill, the American Energy and Infrastructure Act.
Last week, we knew the bill would be bad news for biking and walking. But we didn't think it would go so far as to completely cut every reference to bicycling and walking out of the federal transportation policy.
House leadership is pressing to eliminate bicycling and walking in the transportation bill:
- Destroys Transportation Enhancements by making the program optional
- Repeals the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school
- Allows states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles
- Eliminates bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs
- Eliminates language that insures that rumble strips "do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled"
But we can still save biking and walking in this bill!
This week in the Transportation Committee, Representative Petri (R-WI) will stand up by offering an amendment that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. Mr. Petri can only be successful if everyone with a stake in safe sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways contacts their Representative on the Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee today to urge them to vote YES on the Petri amendment!
This is as urgent as it gets.
Do you live in Representative Jason Altmire's District 4 (north of the City)?
 | | Click to see if you live in District 4 |
Mr. Altmire is on the House T&I Committee who is directly responsible for advancing the bill and is in a key position to save dedicated funding for biking and walking.
If you live in Rep Jason Altmire's District, we urge you to CLICK HERE to let him know how important bicycling and walking is in his district.
If you don't live in his district, hang tight and please forward this email to someone who is - a family member, friend, high school chum or post the link above to your Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts. After the bill is out of committee this week we will need every single one of you to contact your Representative before it goes to the House floor for a vote.
Even if we do win this amendment, the road ahead with be long and perilous for biking and walking . But if we lose here, we risk losing decades of progress. We know we are asking a lot of you and we thank you for all you're doing to preserve biking and walking.
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Important MovePGH Public Kick-Off Meeting