Here’s a quote from the release that accompanied the President’s speech:

The President proposes to pair this with a long-term framework to reform and expand our nation’s investment in transportation infrastructure. Since the end of last year, when the last long-term surface transportation legislation expired, these investments have been continued on a temporary basis, even as the trust fund to finance them has fallen into insolvency. If we are to enjoy the benefits that come from a world-class transportation system, Congress must enact a long-term reauthorization that expands and reforms our infrastructure investments and returns the transportation trust fund to solvency.

So the million dollar question has been, when will we see this bill? With Congress unlikely to pass anything of substance between now and the election and an already full docket for the likely lame duck session to follow, what is the administration or USDOT saying about moving a bill forward?

As much progress as has been made by the House transportation committee thus far, introducing a full bill proposal all the way back in July of 2009, both chambers have been waiting for the White House to declare the transportation bill a priority and to put their significant weight behind it. Now it sounds like that day could be just a few months away.

In a meeting with advocates this week, Secretary LaHood said that they have the go-ahead from the White House to move a six year bill in 2011, with a full proposal accompanying the President’s budget request for FY12 in February, according to USDOT sources.

The question remains as to whether or not that will be a full bill, or merely the administration’s principles for a bill, but in either case, this is at least a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for our long wait for a transformational transportation bill. Which, we remind you, expired one year ago in just a few days. (See the clock above on our web site.)

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

We got some superb media coverage last week on the release of our national poll and there’s an engaging discussion underway today on the National Journal experts blog, but we wanted to especially highlight a terrific post today from Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, on his official DOT blog.

While LaHood was showered with gratitude from many for his statement at the National Bike Summit that bicyclists and pedestrians should be accommodated in our transportation network and no longer treated as second-class citizens, he also took a verbal lashing from some defenders of the transportation status quo — but not the pulse of the American people, as our poll clearly shows.

While having the concrete numbers from a bipartisan national survey is encouraging and helpful, Secretary LaHood says that most notably, our poll echoes the same drumbeat he’s heard all around the country from people in big cities, small towns and all the places in between during his first 14 months in office.

This is precisely what I’ve been talking about here in this blog with regard to livability, transit, and walking and biking. I have traveled all over this country in the past 14 months, and everywhere I go people want better options. Options that offer reduced greenhouse-gas emissions. Options that offer reduced fuel-consumption. Options that offer better health. Options that bring communities together.

Now, let me make this absolutely clear: I never said we would stop repairing, maintaining, and–yes–even expanding roadways. I said only that it’s time to stop assuming that putting more cars on more roads is the best way to move people around more effectively.

This survey demonstrates that, by and large, the American people get that. I never doubted them, but it sure is nice to see the numbers.

So, thank you, Transportation For America, for that 82%-strong vote of confidence.

The pleasure is all ours, Secretary.

This is a great start, but there’s an omission: the task force has not emphasized the potential role for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The link between physical activity and the built environment is well established – transportation practices strongly influence physical activity and health outcomes for Americans of all ages.

An active living approach to physical activity incorporates walking and bicycling into everyday activities. Forty years ago, more than half of children walked and bicycled to school, contributing to exercise and good health. Today, less than 15 percent of children walk or bike school, with the rest ferried by school buses or car.  Children who have access to safe, convenient and ample walking and bicycling opportunities in their community develop active transportation habits that can last a lifetime.

Michelle Obama has been a positive role model for children and a leader in promoting healthy habits. Let’s make sure the influence of transportation and the built environment are a part of the Let’s Move effort. More walking and biking = healthier kids.

You can see Transportation for America’s comments on the First Lady’s task force here.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is (rightfully) touting the great news on his blog this morning that the Federal Transit Administration met their ambitious deadline for distributing 100% of the transit funds from the stimulus package. That’s great news, but it should be accompanied by the sobering reminder that these public transportation systems that get people to work each day largely couldn’t use that money to keep from having to cut service at a time when it’s needed the most.

The FTA has now doled out 881 grants totaling $7.5 billion since the stimulus was signed last year, and LaHood notes that these grants have funded the purchase of nearly 12,000 buses, vans and rail vehicles; construction or renovation of more than 850 transit facilities; and $620 million in preventive maintenance to keep systems running smoothly.

But what about the hundreds of agencies cutting back service, raising fares, or laying off workers — like the terrible story from Atlanta we chronicled last Friday, where 25-30% of all service may be history come June?

Unfortunately, the FTA’s hands were tied with the rules for the grants set by Congress, which meant that almost all of the money had to be used to purchase new equipment or perform maintenance, even if those agencies couldn’t afford to hire or train the new drivers to operate the buses or railcars. We say “most of the money,” because a group of lawmakers were able to successfully include a provision in a separate bill during the summer that made it possible for local transit agencies to spend up to 10% of their transit stimulus money on operations. But in many places like St. Louis, where the deficit was ten times the $4.6 million they could now spend on service, that’s not enough to keep from having to make drastic cuts or lay workers off, even while getting an influx of federal money.

With a full transportation bill likely months away, in the short term we need to urge the Senate to include money in any future jobs bills to help keep transit systems running.

With millions who depend on these systems each day to get to work, making sure that reliable transit service doesn’t disappear will help get them to their jobs quickly and conveniently each day, ensuring that many of them stay employed.

The Obama Department of Transportation today broke historic ground in unveiling projects chosen in a first-ever program to award federal dollars on a competitive basis to innovative projects that address economic, environmental and travel issues at once.

The 51 projects announced under the TIGER grant program, funded by $1.5 billion included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), meet a broad array of challenges, including:

• Bridge replacements in Oklahoma, Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Indiana that can support multiple modes of travel;
• Port and freight-rail projects to spur economic growth in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and Ohio;
• Modern streetcar construction to support vibrant urban corridors in Tucson, Dallas, Portland and New Orleans and light rail in Detroit;
• Innovative highway funding and operations in Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, South Carolina and Arkansas;
• Bicycle and pedestrian networks in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and a complete streets project in Dubuque, IA;
• The long-awaited rebirth of New York’s former Penn Station as Moynihan Station.

“These are the kinds of projects that will create good paying jobs, spur local economic development, revive our city centers and create regional integrated transportation solutions,” said John Robert Smith, the co-chair of T4 America and former Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi. “Today’s announcement clearly shows the administration’s commitment to supporting livability initiatives in metropolitan regions, smaller communities and rural areas alike.”

A complete list of recipients can be found on the US DOT press release.

Project applications had to show multiple benefits, with priority give to these criteria: 1) that projects improve the condition of existing facilities and systems, 2) contribute to the economic competitiveness of the U.S. over the medium- to long-term, 3) improve the quality of living and working environments for people, 4) improve energy efficiency, reduce dependence on foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit the environment, and 5) improve public safety.

Secretary LaHood spoke from Kansas City, showcasing the city’s Green Impact Zone, an area of high unemployment and concentrated poverty that is being revitalized with green buildings, clean transportation options including public transportation and bicycle and pedestrian projects.

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood noted that the program was extraordinarily sought-after, garnering 1,400 applications totaling nearly $60 billion for the $1.5 billion pot. “The sheer popularity of this ground-breaking approach is testament to how many states and localities are struggling to build innovative projects that simply don’t happen under the pre-existing program,” Mayor Smith said.

“We hope this is a glimpse of what the next transportation authorization could look like,” Smith added. “Congress needs to build on this success and authorize the surface transportation program along similar lines to support innovation and integrated transportation solutions in communities of all sizes.”

In a meeting today with Transportation for America, Secretary LaHood commits to working with advocacy groups and reviewing policy to address pedestrian safety.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today pledged that the DOT Safety Council will take up the issue of pedestrian safety and work with advocacy groups to make America’s streets safer for everyone who uses them.

“The right of way doesn’t just belong to cars — it belongs to pedestrians and bicyclists as well,” said Secretary LaHood. “The DOT Safety Council is going to look at this report and work with advocacy groups to ensure our streets are as safe as possible.”

Secretary LaHood made the commitment during a meeting with Transportation for America and six coalition partners prompted by last week’s release of a report documenting preventable pedestrian deaths nationwide. More than 100 localities and states have adopted complete streets policies, requiring that urban and suburban roadways be designed for the safety and comfort of motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation riders alike.

According to Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods), more than 76,000 preventable pedestrian deaths over the last 15 years in America. That statistic is roughly equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every month. Most pedestrians were killed on streets designed exclusively to move vehicles, with little or no provision for the protection of people on foot or bicycle, the authors found.

Secretary LaHood already has demonstrated a strong interest in safety with a distracted driving initiative, the creation of a new Safety Council and his overall support for community livability in general. By adding Complete Streets to his list of safety priorities, he and his department can help ensure that every road project facilitates safe travel for everyone — including vulnerable pedestrians.

“Secretary LaHood’s leadership on the entire issue of safety is welcome, indeed,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “In elevating pedestrian and bicyclist safety to a national priority, the secretary is taking a long overdue step that will help to save lives, promote healthy levels of exercise in Americans’ everyday lives and make our neighborhoods, towns and cities even better places to live.”

Corless was joined in Monday’s meeting by representatives from the AARP, America Bikes, the American Public Health Association, National Complete Streets Coalition, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and Smart Growth America.

“This is an important commitment toward a goal we all share,” said Elinor Ginzler, AARP’s Senior Vice President for Livable Communities. “When Americans walk out of their homes to get to where they need and want to go, they should be confident in their travel safety.”

During the meeting representatives of the Transportation for America coalition presented the secretary with a petition signed by more than 4,100 Americans in the days following last week’s report release. Dangerous by Design was co-produced by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, Transportation for America and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Here’s our attempt to simplify that issue just a little bit for those who are interested in the policy details. Non-wonks, feel free to skip over this one. Just a fair warning! Click through the jump to read in its entirety.

What is a rescission?

A rescission is essentially the cancellation of some amount of a state’s transportation funds that have not been obligated to a contract or to a project. Otherwise known as contract authority, states are given a certain amount of money each year in under the current transportation bill to enter into contracts with builders to construct transportation projects of all kinds. This rescission takes away a portion of those funds that states would otherwise spend on projects to build highways, repair roads and bridges, build bike lanes, and plan transit systems.

So why in the world did Congress write a provision that takes money away? That doesn’t make much sense.

This rescission was an accounting provision (some might call it trickery) inserted to artificially reduce the size of the last transportation bill to a level the White House would support to ensure the passage of SAFETEA-LU in 2005.

Congress added this rescission to reduce the overall size of the bill to $286.5 billion while actually authorizing a larger sum of $295 billion to states. At the time, this was a way to punt the issue down the road, hoping that a future Congress would vote to cancel the scheduled rescission. This never happened, and now states are facing the loss of $8.7 billion.

Can Congress undo the rescission by passing a longer extension of the transportation bill soon?

Yes. They were close to a deal in the Senate as we mentioned above, but it appears that a collection of GOP Senators wanted the money to cover the gap to come from the stimulus package, and not from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which was initially intended for the rescue of toxic assets and troubled banks.

That said, the rescission started on September 30th, and states will likely lose some portion of their transportation money, even if Congress passes something soon to repeal the rescission (only in Washington, can you hear a statement like “repeal the rescission.”) Some have suggested that any losses could be made up by the larger full transportation bill that Oberstar hopes to pass this year.

The rescission issue does give the Senate an urgent impetus to act quickly to try and reach an agreement and find the funding to cover it. You can be certain their phones are ringing off the hook with unhappy state constituents, DOT officials, and contractors.

How will the rescission impact local transportation projects and programs in my area?

In a word, the exact funding that states will lose from particular programs is unclear. We’re working on some specifics and will share what we can when the numbers firm up. If you want to see the total money that will be rescinded from each state, you can view this table from the USDOT.

States usually prioritize transportation projects based on the amount of available money and the loss of funding may change the types of projects selected to be built. Reducing any funding commitments to help local areas repair local bridges, comply with the Clean Air Act, or increase investment in transit, biking and walking will impact everyone.

Elana Schor at Streetsblog Capitol Hill has some details on the specific cuts that a few state DOTs are facing.

Are all the cuts taken evenly from all the different transportation programs?

Somewhat, and much more now than with past rescissions, which have been much worse.

States once had broad flexibility to pick and choose which programs to take the money from. They could choose to take a larger share of money from bridge and road repair, non-motorized (bike and ped) projects, or transit projects, while cutting far less from other programs dedicated to building new capacity.  For example, during 2006, Congress issued three separate rescissions totaling more than $3.8 billion. Nearly 60 percent of the reductions came from these above programs despite the fact they made up only 20 percent of all funds.

Therefore, Congress amended SAFETEA-LU and began requiring proportional cuts to programs depending on the amount of unspent funds remaining in each program. See this DOT table for amounts to be rescinded by program, by state.

That said, there is still a small amount of flexibility, so the cuts won’t be exactly proportional. According to language from USDOT and the FHWA, they can’t take more than 10% of the amount they are directed to cut from a program. Which basically means that if a certain program has $10 million in unspent funds to be rescinded, they can’t cut more than $11 million from that program (allowing them to cut less from another program.)

This little bit of flexibility makes it an issue worth keeping an eye on. Watching your State DOT and seeing what programs they decide to cut more than others can inform you where their transportation priorities lie.

No word yet on how this will affect the proposed transportation bill outline to be released by Rep. James Oberstar tomorrow morning. Be sure to check back over the next few days for the latest.

From the DOT press room:

“This morning, I went to Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on the situation with the Highway Trust Fund. I am proposing an immediate 18-month highway reauthorization that will replenish the Highway Trust Fund. If this step is not taken the trust fund will run out of money as soon as late August and states will be in danger of losing the vital transportation funding they need and expect.

“As part of this, I am proposing that we enact critical reforms to help us make better investment decisions with cost-benefit analysis, focus on more investments in metropolitan areas and promote the concept of livability to more closely link home and work. The Administration opposes a gas tax increase during this challenging, recessionary period, which has hit consumers and businesses hard across our country.

“I recognize that there will be concerns raised about this approach. However, with the reality of our fiscal environment and the critical demand to address our infrastructure investments in a smarter, more focused approach, we should not rush legislation. We should work together on a full reauthorization that best meets the demands of the country. The first step is making sure that the Highway Trust Fund is solvent. The next step is addressing our transportation priorities over the long term.”

UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal has a story up covering LaHood’s proposal, and includes a quote from Rep. Oberstar, responding to the idea of an extension:

In a meeting with reporters Wednesday, Mr. Oberstar was adamant that Congress must pass a new law before the current one expires.

“Extension of current law is unacceptable,” Mr. Oberstar said. “Now is the time to move.”

UPDATE 2: Michael Cooper of the New York Times covers the proposed extension, and gets a statement from Jim Berard, spokesman for Rep. Oberstar. “The chairman is not too pleased with the administration’s proposal,” he said.