Oberstar reveals transportation blueprint

June 21, 9:31 AMBicycle Transportation ExaminerAdam Voiland

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Oberstar: a powerful ally for cyclists on the Hill.            (Credit: 2 Wheels Blog)

Rep. James Oberstar's (D-Minn), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a dedicated cycling advocate, has released a blueprint for a $450 billion, six-year federal transportation bill that would fundamentally alter the federal government's approach to transportation

The Oberstar plan would streamline the current scattershot approach to transportation funding by consolidating hundreds of programs into four central areas. Overall, it would increase funding by 57 percent over the last major transportation bill, which was passed in 2005. In broad terms, it would set aside $337 billion to highways, $100 billion to mass transit, and $50 billion to high-speed rail. The plan would emphasize linkages between different forms of transportation and attempt to create a more cohesive national system.

Bicycles come up occasionally in the text. As Bike Portland has reported, a major highlight of the bill is that it would create an Office of Livability that would emphasize alternative forms of  transportation, including bicycling. The office would be charged with encouraging "comprehensive street design principals," a bicycle and pedestrian friendly approach to road construction that sounds quite similar to the concept of complete streets. In addition, this proposed Office of Livability would administer the Safe Routes to School Program, the Transportation Enhancements Program, the Recreational Trails program, and a U.S. Bicycle Route System.  

Generally, Oberstar's plan sounds like it would benefit cyclists. Where the money to pay for the bill, however, remains up in the air. The Obama administration, which opposes increasing the gas tax in the near future, is pushing instead for an 18-month extension of the current status quo. One thing is for certain: Lawmakers have to do something to address the dwindling funds in the Highway Trust Fund (which also funds bicycle projects) soon. As the graph below shows, the fund's bank balance is falling fast and will probably run out by the end of the summer.