The League of American Bicyclists is reporting today that they believe that federal funding of bike-related infrastructure may be in jeopardy over the next few days, and encourage supporters of bicycling to contact their representatives and senators to rally support for the funding.
According to a newsletter email from the league, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is looking to end funding for the federal Transportation Enhancements program, which has been the primary funding source over the past 20 years for such things as bike lanes, bike racks on buses, cycling education, trails, and more. And the League's opinion on these matters is that the senator and his supporters in this measure don't realize (or care) how much bicycling enhances the communities in which it's made a priority.
But studies show that money put into cycling benefits communities economically, by creating more jobs than road-only improvements, which has the effect of increasing the amount of tax money that comes in via sales and income taxes. So the money that is spent on bike infrastructure and education is a better return on investment than road-only improvement measures.
And of course, more cycling means less oil needed (allowing us to increase our national security by getting us out of wars in places like the Middle East). Fewer cars on the road means less gas used per person, as well as more efficient driving as traffic congestion is lessened. It also means that communities can be more compact (as less space for parking is required in places), which also leads to less gasonline used.
And naturally, health care costs go down as cycling improves the health of our citizens via more regular exercise and less air pollution.
The League released this document for those looking for their position on the value of bike funding (PDF document).
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