Busy bicycling bridge Originally uploaded by Steven Vance to Flickr.

Send a message to your Senator to tell them how you feel about their vote on this amendment.

Senator Paul’s “misrepresentation” of the facts in his amendment, as the Associated Press termed it, sought to force the Senate into a false choice: either safety in our cars while driving on our bridges or safety while walking and biking on our streets and roads. A bipartisan group of Senators made it clear that’s a choice we don’t have to make and voted against the amendment, reaffirming the importance of making our streets safe for everyone, no matter how they’re traveling.

Senator Paul claimed that the amendment would take “beautification” dollars and direct them toward bridge repair. But that money (which largely goes to help keep people safe while walking or biking) is a tiny drop in the bucket compared to what we need to actually make a dent in repairing our bridges.

The FHWA estimates that we need almost $71 billion dollars right now to repair all of today’s deficient bridges, to say nothing of the bridges that will be deficient by next year. This small program that is mostly used on bike and pedestrian facilities was around $900 million last year. Under this plan, at the cost of safety for everyone who uses a road, states would have gained enough money to repaint a few bridges.

AASHTO, the trade group that represents state transportation officials, pointed out to the AP that “the stipulation that states set aside enhancement dollars has survived for nearly two decades because it’s popular with local officials and metropolitan planning organizations.”

This relatively small amount spent on safer streets and roads is popular because they save lives and give millions of people another option for getting around.

We do deserve a serious plan to address the woeful condition of our nation’s bridges. But taking the one or two pennies of each transportation dollar that help keep people safe while walking and spending it on bridge repair isn’t the serious proposal that we need. That’s akin to going on a diet by eating Big Macs everyday — but leaving out the lettuce to lose weight.

Here’s one fact about bridge repair that you likely haven’t been told by the people cooking up these plans:

States can already take up to half of their money for bridge repair and spend it on new highway capacity, no matter the condition of their bridges. And states can already spend most of what’s usually the biggest pot of transportation funding on almost anything they want. It’s entirely flexible. They could fix bridges, build transit, highways, bridges, sidewalks; it’s all eligible, and totally up to the states. No mandates from Washington.

The breakdown of the vote is below. If you want to send a thank you message — or send a message of disappointment to your Senator who voted the wrong way — we’ve modified our action for the amendment to do exactly that. Send a message to your Senator here.

You can also use that page to give the “No’s” a call and a thank you, which is always appreciated and rarely given.

And for all of you that called or sent a message urging a “no” vote in the last two days, thank you for your support. Your action had real impacts on this particular bill.

In the 1991 transportation authorization, the first that took a multi-modal approach to transportation investment, a small slice of funding was set aside for a program known as Transportation Enhancements (TE). This required states to spend about 1.5% of their total funds on other innovative, community-based projects to enhance the travel experience by all modes, outside of typical highway or transit projects. Among the major eligible uses were bike trails, rail-to-trail conversions, sidewalks and additional streetscape improvements and other projects to make walking and biking safer.

The House bill outline proposes to eliminate this small percentage of funds dedicated to providing safer ways to walk and bicycle, though Mica has said states would not be prohibited from investing federal funds on bicycle and pedestrian projects. It would continue to be an “eligible use” of funds, but states would no longer be required to invest that small share of their federal funds in making walking and biking safer.

Considering more than 47,700 Americans were killed while walking from 2000-2009, and two-thirds of those deaths occurred on roads eligible to receive federal funds, should the federal government be stepping back from a commitment to making walking and bicycling safer? Left on their own with federal dollars and no accountability to make walking and biking safer, plenty of states will simply stop investing in the safety and convenience of walking and biking.

It’s certainly a local issue as well, but many local communities are working hard to fix these design flaws and to provide more options for safe waking and biking, and shouldn’t be forced to shoulder the burden alone.

Also lacking in the outline is a national complete streets policy, which would require that the federal dollars that states spend on federal-aid roads result in streets and roads that are safe for everyone that needs to use them, regardless of their age, ability or preferred mode of transport. The outline doesn’t explicitly mention complete streets, so the final verdict will come when a full bill is released. But without dedicated funding for bike and pedestrian facilities, a complete streets policy would at least require that states spending federal dollars on roads or highways can’t ignore the needs of those who want or need to get around on foot or by bike.

This edition of our national report, along with data and a report or factsheet for all 50 states, comes with a powerful visual: this year, we’ve taken the pedestrian fatalities from 2001 to 2009 that have location data (all but about 5 percent) and plotted them on an interactive map, allowing you to take a look at the streets and roads near you to see how safe or unsafe they may be. Test it out.

http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011/map/

Type an address and once the map draws, click on any point to see the available information about the victim, the date, the location, the street type and even what the road looks like via Google Street View. Here’s a sample from Orlando, rated the #1 most dangerous metro area in the country.

The visual is striking. Shown on a map like this, it’s shockingly easy to pick out the busy arterial roads where fatalities are strung out in a tidy little line following the path of the road. Nationally speaking, the majority of these deaths occurred along these “arterial” roadways that are dangerous by design — streets engineered for speeding traffic with little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on bicycles.

Our federal tax dollars actually go to build these streets that are designed to be perilous to children, older adults and everyone else. And yet, right now, some in Congress are considering the total elimination of funding for projects to make it safer to walk and bicycle.

The highways-only lobby insists that pedestrian safety is a “frill” and a local responsibility. But 67 percent of these fatalities over the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roads — roads eligible to receive federal funding or with federal guidelines or oversight for their design.

That’s right: Federal programs have encouraged state departments of transportation to prioritize speeding traffic over the safety of people in our neighborhoods and shopping districts. Shouldn’t our tax dollars be used to build streets that are safe for all users, and not deadly for those on foot?

The irony is that fixing these conditions is relatively cheap: Existing funds for that purpose — now targeted for elimination — amount to less than 1.5 percent of the current federal transportation outlay. A policy of giving federal support only to “complete streets” that are designed for the safety of people on foot or bicycle as well as in cars would cost next to nothing.

Tell Congress: it’s no time to start cutting funding keeps pedestrians safe.

UPDATE: Within hours of the report’s release, Senator Tom Harkin and eleven co-sponsors formally introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2011, which mirrors its House counterpart — sponsored by Republican Steve LaTourette and Democrat Doris Matsui —  in calling for streets that are safe and accessible for all users, whether on foot, in a wheelchair, on a bike or using public transit. The Iowa Democrat, who has introduced similar legislation in the past, mentioned the Dangerous by Design report in his statement this afternoon.

More than 47,700 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. between 2000 and 2009, and the majority of those deaths were preventable, according to a new report released today by Transportation for America. The report, “Dangerous by Design 2011: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths,” shows how roadway designs promoted by federal investment endanger people on foot.

Dangerous by Design also ranks America’s major metropolitan areas using a Pedestrian Danger Index that uses 10 years of data to assess how safe pedestrians are while walking. The top four – Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa – are all in Florida. Other dangerous cities in the top 10 include: San Bernardino, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Memphis, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas.

The report presents data on pedestrian fatalities and injuries in every U.S. county. And for the first time, this year’s report includes an online, interactive map showing the locations where pedestrian fatalities have occurred.

More than 688,000 pedestrians were injured over the decade, a number equivalent to a pedestrian being struck by a car or truck every 7 minutes. The report finds that while only 1.5 percent of federal funds are allocated towards upgrading dangerous roads, 12 percent of all nationwide fatalities are pedestrians. Of these fatalities, nearly 4,000 were children 15 years and younger, making pedestrian injury the third leading cause of death by unintentional injury for that age group.

The majority of deaths occur on roadways that encourage speeding but do not provide the sidewalks, crosswalks, signals and other protections for people who are walking, the report finds. Most of these roads were built using federal transportation funds. The report comes as the federal transportation bill is being debated in Washington DC and calls to eliminate programs that can promote safer, more walkable streets have increased.

“Some in Congress have questioned the federal interest in keeping pedestrians safe, believing it to be a strictly local issue,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “But two-thirds of all pedestrian fatalities in the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roadways.”

Dangerous by Design describes how communities across the country are beginning to reverse the legacy of 50 years of anti-pedestrian policies by retrofitting or building new roads as “complete streets” that are safer for walking and bicycling, as well as motorists.

“Dangerous by Design shines a spotlight on the dangers pedestrians – especially older Americans – face when they walk in unsafe crosswalks and along roads with little protection from fast-moving traffic,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President. “With a rapidly aging population, AARP is renewing its call on Congress to pass ‘Complete Streets’ legislation, which will help ensure that our streets and sidewalks are safe for all Americans regardless of age or ability.”

Hispanics suffered an average pedestrian death rate 62 percent higher than that for non-Hispanic whites. Similarly, the average pedestrian death rate for African-Americans was 73 percent higher than for non-Hispanic whites. In addition, older Americans are over twice as likely to be killed while walking as those under 65 years of age.

Dangerous by Design outlines a roadmap for the future by which Congress can tackle the problems created by poorly designed transportation systems and create safer, more efficient cities for drivers and pedestrians alike. Of particular emphasis is developing transportation systems that take into account pedestrians and bicyclists, instead of viewing them as impediments to traffic.

“Investing to make our roads safer for pedestrians is not a frill, but an urgent matter of life and death in too many of our communities,” said Corless. “Federal programs that caused the dangerous roads to be built now must be reformed to help communities make them safer.”

T4 recommendations for the next transportation bill to create safer streets include provisions to:

• Retain dedicated federal funding for pedestrians and bicyclists;
• Create complete networks of sidewalks, bicycle paths, and trails so that residents can travel safely throughout an area;
• Require federal, state, and local governments to set safety standards they must meet for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and motorists; and
• Hold states accountable for creating communities that are safe for walking.

To view the full report, please click here. (pdf)

Once completed, the project will stretch more than 200 miles and allow residents to bike from the edge of the San Joaquin Delta in eastern Contra Costa County to Berkeley and Oakland along the San Francisco Bay and Livermore to the south in Alameda County.

Pat O’Brien, General Manager of the East Bay Regional Park District, tasked with overseeing the funds, told the San Francisco Chronicle: “this is probably one of the most incredible things we’ve done. It’s really a hallmark for East Bay residents.”

The project is expected to create up to 500 jobs in engineering, trades, design and environmental law and compliance, according to Streetsblog San Francisco.

Many East Bay advocates for bicycling and transportation options have been around since the project’s conception.

“I’ve been working on getting this crossing funded since 2001, and it’s been nip and tuck all the way, especially when the economy tanked,” said Bruce “Ole” Ohlson of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition.

Some communities covered by the trail, such as Brentwood and Antioch, are located on the suburban fringe and have been historically inaccessible to non-automotive forms of transportation. With these funds, the Mokelumne Trail will allow bicyclists access between the adjacent cities through development of a new Highway 4 bypass.

“This is the suburbs, and when they were building streets, the last thing they did was build them friendly to bicycling,” said Ohlson.

Other portions of the trail will connect to BART service, the Bay Area’s commuter rail system, expanding options for getting to work and making the highways a little less congested.

“When the Iron Horse Trail is completed to Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station, everyday is going to be Bike to Work Day in Pleasanton,” says Dave Campbell, Program Director for the East Bay Bicycle Coalition.

Several other communities, including Albany, Hercules, Martinez and Crockett will also be included in the trail extensions.

Yesterday, four members of Congress whose districts include the project — George Miller, Pete Stark, Barbara Lee and John Garamendi — joined bicyclists, East Bay Regional Park Board members and others to celebrate the TIGER award in an press conference at the portion of the project that will connect to the Coliseum/Oakland Airport station.

Check out the very impressive full map of the network below.

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series profiling the winners of the US DOT’s TIGER grants on the T4 America blog. For more information about the TIGER grants, view our interactive map and list of all the winners, read the rest of the posts in this series profiling the winners, and read all TIGER-related stories with the “TIGER” tag from the blog.

Click the image to download a PDF of the one-page article, and while you’re at it you could just go ahead and subscribe to one of our country’s best magazines for only 15 bucks.

A healthier transportation system for America’s kids requires change in federal policy. But change will remain out of our grasp absent a sense of urgency from the everyday people on the ground.

The need for a meeting point between policymakers in Washington and citizens in their neighborhoods was evident in today’s roundtable on childhood obesity, titled “Keeping Kids Moving,” sponsored by Transportation for America, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, The Convergence Partnership and PolicyLink.

We’re facing an epidemic of childhood obesity and poor health, and as a few people pointed out, this could very well be a generation of children who live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents if we don’t act now to change things.

The shape and structure of streets, sidewalks and the ability to safely use them has an enormous impact on whether children become overweight or obese. Kids get more physical activity and lead healthier lives when they can bike and walk to school, play in local parks and reach recreational opportunities with ease. Among American children between the ages of 10 and 17, 32 percent are overweight or obese, and many are at risk for more serious conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Obesity rates are disproportionately high among low-income and minority children.

In search of a solution, many routes invariably lead to transportation policy.

During the panel, several federal officials stressed the need for partnerships that cross departments and jurisdictions, with Roy Kienitz, undersecretary for policy at the Department of Transportation quipping, “transportation is too important to be left to transportation professionals.” Kienitz also emphasized the need for Americans to speak up and utilize the democratic process, noting that “the distance between the top [at DOT] and that sidewalk on your street is vast.”

Chip Johnson, mayor of Hernando, Mississippi, knows just how much of a difference one repair can make. As part of a broader push to repair his town’s streets, Johnson oversaw the pouring of concrete for a new sidewalk right outside his office window. On the old, cracked sidewalk, Johnson used to see a handful of pedestrians every morning, but he saw dozens more walking by once the improvements were completed.

“People want to exercise,” said Johnson, a Republican first elected mayor in 2005, adding that it’s up to officials like him to provide them the chance to do it.

keepkidsmoving2 Originally uploaded by Transportation for America

While people like Undersecretary Kienitz, Special Assistant to the President Martha Coven and others are moving the levers where they can in Washington, local officials like Johnson are stepping up and refusing to wait, behavior encouraged by the federal officials who were present.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean didn’t wait for Washington. He made safe and accessible streets for all users a top priority and hired a director of healthy living initiatives — Adetonkunbo Omishakin, also a panel participant — to help make it happen in Nashville. Child wellness advocate Julia Lopez, herself a teenager, didn’t wait either. Along with being an instigator of change on the ground around her home of southern California, she has traveled the country to bring a youth perspective to the obesity challenge, calling on elected officials to step up and help make healthy transportation the norm, not the exception.

It’s clear that these advocates on the ground and policymakers at the top can meet in the middle to make real change, but it will take continued pressure on Congress from both ends to get the job done.

Last Friday, several of us at T4 took that appreciation a step further — or, several pedals further — by cycling with a handful of national partners, our local partners from the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, and about 50 local bicyclists to the DOT Headquarters across town to thank the Secretary in person.

The ride from Freedom Plaza at 14th and Pennsylvania in Northwest DC to the DOT building near the Southwest waterfront district took about 25 minutes. Most of the ride was taken on bike lanes, a number of which are relatively new, including new separated lanes right in the center of America’s main street, Pennsylvania Avenue.

Watch and share this video from Friday’s ride that we put together:

LaHood was on hand to receive our large bicycling posse, a group which collectively represented more than 200 organizations from every state in America. Lilly Shoup spoke on behalf of T4 America and was joined by Barbara McCann from the National Complete Streets Coalition, Margo Pedroso from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and Randy Neufield of America Bikes, who joked to LaHood: “it’s not surprising that people who ride bikes like your new policy.”

The Washington Area Bicyclists Association, one of signatories on the letter and a local T4 partner, presented LaHood with a thank you poster signed by hundreds of DC-area bicyclists at Bike to Work Day.

Making our streets safer and more accessible for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities is serious business to LaHood, a former Republican Congressman from Peoria, Illinois who cannot be accused of losing touch with mainstream Americans. LaHood goes home often and can be seen on weekends biking with his wife or grandchildren on converted rails-to-trails in both Illinois and Washington.

“You really do great honor to the people at DOT,” LaHood said, intentionally turning his back on the cameras for a few minutes to speak directly to the bicyclists gathered behind him. “What you have done is begin to change some attitudes on Capitol Hill.”

LaHood and to-be-named DC Bikeshare bike Originally uploaded by Transportation for America

The Secretary is right about that. Ohio Congressman Steve LaTourette, for instance, went from questioning whether LaHood’s policy statement on bicycle and pedestrian options was the product of drug use at USDOT to backpedaling with a pro-cycling message on his website actively endorsing the idea. LaTourette heard from his constituents, who liked the bike paths he bad been bringing back to the district over the years, and he listened.

Secretary LaHood was clear about that point: this change in policy is a reflection of what Americans are demanding, a theme which he returned to time and time again in his remarks.

The Secretary also knows, as do many of our partners, that we won’t make lasting progress on increasing walking and biking options without a comprehensive, forward-thinking reauthorization of our surface transportation law. In this crucial six-year bill, we can put real resources into projects that get kids walking to school safely, families biking together on the weekends, short trips being made by foot or bike, and everyone able to live a more active and healthy life.

LaHood was very gracious, saying this morning that our visit was a “great way to start the summer,” and we couldn’t agree more.

The Washington Area Bicyclists Association, a signatory on the letter, joined the group to present a thank you poster from local bicyclists, many of whom attended the event.

Secretary LaHood has raised the profile of bicycling and walking as an important component of our nation’s transportation system—which will improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, create more livable communities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create more opportunities for Americans to be more physically active. The US Department of Transportation’s new Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation recommends that state and local governments give equal priority to walking and bicycling as other modes of transportation and ensure safe, convenient and interconnected transportation choices for people of all ages and abilities.

View photos from the event

“The DOT is committed to providing the kinds of biking and walking opportunities people want to see in their communities,” said Secretary LaHood. “Bike and pedestrian paths are part of a cleaner, greener future for American transportation. I want to thank everyone at America Bikes, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Transportation for America, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and the many other advocacy groups who are helping us make that future a reality.”

“Across the country people are biking and walking more. Americans want more investment in these cost effective transportation solutions that reduce congestion and air pollution, and offer healthy alternatives. ” Said Randy Neufeld, President of America Bikes, “We are ready to work side by side with Secretary LaHood to achieve his vision of a bike friendly America.”

“Forty years ago, nearly half of children walked and bicycled to school. Today, less than 15 percent of children do so — because parents are concerned about traffic speed and volume, distance to school, and lack of safe sidewalks and bike lanes,” said Deb Hubsmith, Director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership. “Secretary LaHood’s leadership is critical to ensuring that state and local governments focus on improving the safety and accessibility of walking and bicycling, so that more children and their families can make the healthy and active choice for their trip to school.”

“In small towns and big cities alike, Americans are saying loudly and clearly that their lives would be better, and their nation stronger, if we build more safe, clean and healthy options to move around,” said James Corless, Director of Transportation for America. “If American voters themselves were setting our transportation policy, more than 8 in 10 would support investing in a better network of roads and trails safe for walking and bicycling. Secretary LaHood is leading the way in creating a transportation program that invests our tax dollars accountably, in the things Americans want and need.”

A copy of the letter to Secretary LaHood is enclosed with the list of organizations that have signed on.

About America Bikes
America Bikes is a coalition of leaders from the bicycling community advocating for positive outcomes for bicycling in the federal transportation bill. America Bikes member organizations include: Adventure Cycling Association, Alliance for Biking& Walking, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, Bikes Belong, International Mountain Bicycling Association, League of American Bicyclists, the National Center for Bicycling and walking, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. http://www.americabikes.org

About the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Launched in August 2005, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a fast-growing network of hundreds of organizations, government agencies and professional groups working to set goals, share best practices, secure funding, and provide educational materials to agencies that implement Safe Routes to School programs. The Partnership’s mission is to serve a diverse national community of organizations that advocates for and promotes the practice of safe bicycling and walking to and from schools throughout the United States. http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/

May 28, 2010

Secretary Ray LaHood
Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C., 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood,

We are writing to thank you for your recent Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation, leading the way to make bicycling and walking equal modes of transportation, and we are eager to work with you to implement these changes.

We commend the policy statement’s assertion of the importance of walking and biking to livable communities. We believe a number of your recommended actions, such as raising minimum design standards, setting mode share goals for walking and biking and improved data collection will foster livable communities and enable people to walk or bike routinely and provide more choices for the 50 percent of total trips that are fewer than three miles.

Leveling the playing field for pedestrians and bicyclists is also a matter of public safety. Transportation for America’s “Dangerous by Design” report last year chronicled the 76,000 preventable pedestrian deaths over the last fifteen years due to unsafe streets. By highlighting the need for transportation choices for people of all ages and abilities, the DOT’s new policy will promote streets that are safer for everyone.

The Obama administration has shown encouraging progress on pedestrian and bicycle equity, even prior to your announcement. The joint-departmental Partnership for Sustainable Communities has initiated important collaboration between agencies, and the merit-based TIGER grants in last year’s economic recovery bill are already rewarding communities that plan for and integrate walking and biking into their transportation plans.

We have a lot of work to do. We should start by integrating policies that increase safety and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists, including Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School, into federal law so that new projects receiving DOT funds accommodate all users of the road. We should also advocate funding for Active Transportation networks in our cities, towns and metropolitan areas. We? look forward? to? working? with? you? on? a? new? surface? transportation? law? that broadens transportation? choices? for? all? Americans — including older Americans, children, people with disabilities and residents of metropolitan and rural areas — and? introduces? new? benchmarks? for our ?federal? dollars, including those that will support biking and walking as equal modes of transportation.

Thank you for your leadership on creating a transportation system that is safe and accessible for all Americans, and we look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Transportation for America
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
America Bikes
Active Living By Design
Adventure Cycling Association
Alliance for Biking & Walking
America Walks
American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation
American Public Health Association
American Society of Landscape Architects
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living
Bikes Belong
CEOs for Cities
International Mountain Bicycling Association
KidCommute, Inc.
League of American Bicyclists
National Center for Bicycling & Walking
National Complete Streets Coalition
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Partnership for Prevention
PolicyLink
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Reconnecting America
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity
Smart Growth America
SMITH Optics
Society for Public Health Education
The Safe States Alliance
Trust for America’s Health

ALABAMA
AlaBike

ALASKA
Alaska Transportation Priorities Project
Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage

ARIZONA
Arizona Safe Routes To School Program
Arizona Walks
Prescott Alternative Transportation

ARKANSAS
Northeast Arkansas Bicycle Coalition

CALIFORNIA
Bay Area Bicycle Coalition
BikeSD.org
BikeStation
California Bicycle Coalition
California WALKS
CALPIRG
COAST (Coalition for Sustainable Transportation)
Community Health Councils
Cycles of Change
Davis Bicycle Collective
Davis Bicycles!
Davis Bicycles! School Committee
East Bay Bicycle Coalition
Endangered Habitats League
Green Wheels
Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Latino Urban Forum
Local Government Commission
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
Los Angeles Walks
Marin County Bicycle Coalition
Move LA
Pedestrian Friendly Alameda
Prevention Institute
Richard J. Jackson, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles
RiderShip for the Masses
Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates
San Diego County Bicycle Coalition
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
Santa Monica Cycling Club
Santa Monica Spoke
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition
Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments
Sustainable San Mateo County
The Mayor’s Challenge: Shape Up San Francisco
The Transit Coalition
TRAC – Train Riders Association of California
TransForm
Transit Advocates of Orange County
Tulare County Redevelopment Agency
UCLA Bicycle Academy
Walk Oakland Bike Oakland
Walk San Francisco
WALKSacramento
WalkSanDiego

COLORADO
BikeDenver
Colorado Legacy Foundation
Denver City Council District 8
Healthy Lifestyle La Plata
Jacob Smith, Mayor, City of Golden, Colorado
LiveWell Colorado
The Bicycle Cooperative of Fort Collins, Inc.

CONNECTICUT
Bike Walk Connecticut
Connecticut Association for Community Transportation
Greater Bridgeport Transit

DELAWARE
Bike Delaware
Delaware Bicycle Council

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington Area Bicyclist Association

FLORIDA
1000 Friends of Florida
BikeWalkLee
Broward Smart Growth Partnership
Naples Pathways Coalition, Inc

GEORGIA
Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
Bike Athens
Georgia Bikes Alliance
Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety, Inc. (PEDS)
Douglas H. Dierenfield DDS
ESP Wellness, LLC
Frank H. Sayre, D.D.S.

HAWAII
Get Fit Kauai; Nutrition & Physical Activity Coalition of Kauai County
Kauai Path Inc.
PATH – Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii

IDAHO
Idaho Pedestrian & Bicycle Alliance
Teton Valley Trails and Pathways

ILLINOIS
Active Transportation Alliance
Healthy Schools Campaign
League of Illinois Bicyclists
Stakeholders Collaboration to Improve Student Health
Two Rivers YMCA

INDIANA
Health by Design
Indiana Bicycle Coalition

IOWA
Iowa Bicycle Coalition

KANSAS
Bike/Walk Alliance-Witchita
WamSagMan Trail

KENTUCKY
Biking for Louisville
Kentucky Youth Advocates
Queen City Bike

LOUISIANA
New Orleans Metro Bicycle Coalition

MAINE
Bicycle Coalition of Maine

MARYLAND
Baltimore City Department of Transportation

MASSACHUSETTS
Danvers Bi-Ped
Maryland Height Parks & Rec Commission
MassBike
WalkBoston

MICHIGAN
The Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition

MINNESOTA
1000 Friends of Minnesota
Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
D. Scott Dibble, State Senator
Environment Minnesota
Fit City Duluth
Fresh Energy
St. Paul Smart Trips
Transit for Livable Communities

MISSISSIPPI
Bike Walk Mississippi

MISSOURI
B. Y. E. (Bikes Youth and Exercise)
Bridging the Gap
City of Independence Parks & Recreation Department
Kansas City Bicycle Club
Mark Twain Forest Regional Health Alliance
Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation
Missouri Coordinated School Health Coalition
PedNet Coalition
St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation
Trailnet
Urban Kansas City Community of Cycling

MONTANA
Active Transportation Alternatives
Associated Students of Montana State University Sustainability Center
Big Sky Fit Kids
BikeNet
Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board
Bozeman Sustainability Group
Current Transportation Solutions
Journeys From Home
Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department
Mainstreet Uptown Butte
MAST, Missoula Advocates for Sustainable Transportation
Missoula City County Health Department
Missoula Parks & Recreation
New West Health Services
Shape Up Montana
The Associated Students of The University of Montana Office of Transportation
Working for Equality and Economic Liberation
Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council
NEBRASKA
Activate Omaha

NEVADA
Community Against Reckless Driving

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire
Seacoast Area Bicycle Routes

NEW JERSEY
Bike and Walk Montclair
Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association
New Jersey Bicycle Coalition
NJ Future
West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance

NEW MEXICO
Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico
Rocky Mountain Youth Corps
Walk Albuquerque

NEW YORK
Transport Workers Union Local 100
Transportation Alternatives, NYC
Tri-State Transportation Campaign

NORTH CAROLINA
Bicycling in Greensboro
Safe Guilford/ Safe Kids

NORTH DAKOTA
Go! Bismarck Mandan Healthy Community Coalition
FM Active Transportation Group
Southern Valley Health Watch

OHIO
Bike,Walk Ohio!
ClevelandBikes
Safe Routes to School Chagrin Falls
Walk and Roll Cleveland

OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition
Washington County Walk This Weigh Sub-Committee of Washington County Wellness Initiative

OREGON
Arriving By Bike
Bicycle Transportation Alliance
Lane Transit District
Metro
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon
Oregon Environmental Council
Right2Bike
Willamette Pedestrian Coalition
All Traffic Solutions

PENNSYLVANIA
Bike Pittsburgh
Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition
PA Walks and Bikes
Philly Walks

RHODE ISLAND
East Coast Greenway Alliance

SOUTH CAROLINA
Charleston Moves
Coastal Cyclists
Cycle South Carolina
Festivelo de Charleston
Palmetto Cycling Coalition
SideWalk Chalk
South Carolina Lowcountry Environmental Education Programs

SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota Bicycling Coalition

TENNESSEE
Anthony J. DeLucia, Ph.D, Professor, East Tennessee State University
Bike Walk Tennessee
Fountain City Connections
Lose & Associates, Inc.
Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Transit Now Nashville

TEXAS
Bike Texas

UTAH
Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee

VERMONT
Local Motion
VIRGINIA
Active Williamsburg Alliance
America Walks- VA

WASHINGTON
Bicycle Alliance of Washington
Cascade Bicycle Club
Feet First
Sierra Club Cascade Chapter
Streets For All Seattle
Transportation Choices Coalition
Undriving, Inc
Washington Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity

WEST VIRGINIA
Mountain State Wheelers Bicycle Club
Peddler’s Paradise Bicycle Recyclery
Positive Spin
Spokes 4 Folks

WISCONSIN
20BY2020
Bike Federation of Wisconsin
Driftless Region Bicycle Coalition
Safe Kids Wisconsin

WYOMING
Friends of Pathways

Earlier this month, we highlighted two reports on the integral link between health and transportation. First Lady Michelle Obama’s recent Let’s Move report on childhood obesity goes one step further — endorsing a new surface transportation bill that encourages more walking and biking.

Noting the pivotal impact transportation options and the built environment have on health and physical activity, Transportation for America encouraged First Lady Obama to include the built environment in the final product. We are gratified that the task force did just that.

The full White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report contains five components: Early Childhood; Empowering Parents and Caregivers; Healthy Food in Schools; Access to Healthy, Affordable Food; and Increasing Physical Activity. Our interest is primarily in the last section, which has a section on the built environment. According to the report:

How communities are designed and function can promote—or inhibit—physical activity for children and adults.  The built environment consists of all man-made structures, including transportation infrastructure, schools, office buildings, housing, and parks.  Children’s ability to be physically active in their community depends on whether the community is safe and walkable, with good sidewalks and reasonable distances between destinations.

The report notes that several studies have already attributed obesity and health problems to aspects of our current built environment, such as sprawling subdivisions and lack of places to walk. It makes intuitive sense too. When we live further and further from where we work, where we go for recreation, where we go to school or where we shop, it makes us all the more reliant on automobiles, especially in the absence of viable alternatives. In urban areas, one-fifth of all automobile trips are one mile or less. These distances could easily be walked or biked with the proper infrastructure in place, as the report notes.

To that end, the task force lends an unequivocal endorsement to “active transportation.” Improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is one place they suggest we start, as is the continuation and expansion of the Safe Routes to Schools program, currently funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Active transport refers to approaches that encourage individuals to actively travel between their destinations throughout the day, such as by biking or walking.  Children who walk or bike to school report being more physically active, including engaging in more moderate to vigorous physical activity, than those who travel by car, bus, or train.

The First Lady’s recommendations also embrace an exciting new way of linking health to the built environment in the form of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs). Many communities are already embracing this approach, which evaluates whether a new project helps or hinders public health.

The built environment section’s key benchmark: increase by 50 percent by 2015 the percentage of children between the ages of 5 and 18 who walk or bike to school. That’s a goal we can all get behind, and one Congress ought to remember as the new surface transportation bill progresses.