Federal Transportation Bill

The federal transportation bill that funds everything from highways and transit to bike lanes and sidewalks is rewritten every six years.

This year's bill, the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, is the best opportunity to secure federal funding for bicycling and walking and is the main focus of the America Bikes campaign.

To make biking and walking safe and convenient for all Americans, we are asking Congress for:

Complete Streets

America Bikes advocates a "complete streets" policy requiring that new roads be built to accommodate all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders. The policy would improve safety, reduce congestion and air pollution and create a stronger sense of community. It also makes fiscal sense, since building roads right the first time can avoid costly retrofitting projects in the future.

To learn more about Complete Streets visit our partner organization: www.completestreets.org.

Active Transportation Networks

America needs a seamless network of on-street bicycling and walking routes within and between communities that connect homes and schools, employment centers and recreational areas. We must ensure that spending on road and transit facilities accommodates biking and walking, and that state and local transportation plans provide safe access for cyclists and pedestrians.

And A Fair Share for Safety

Bicyclists and pedestrians accounts for 13 percent of fatalities, but less than one percent of federal funding is spent to make roads safer for them. A "fair share for safety" program would ensure that state transportation systems use federal money dedicated to safety programs to protect not just motorists, but also bicyclists and pedestrians.