A new report just came out related to my recent blog on the need for more active transportation in America. It does a great job giving some historical context for federal surface transportation funding over the last two decades and shares a path forward based largely on health and equity concerns.
The report was the product of a partnership between groups, including PolicyLink and the Prevention Institute and was supported by leading foundations such as Kresge, Robert Wood Johnson, and Kellogg. The most encouraging aspect of the report to me was that its foreword was written by none other than Representative Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He put a strong stamp of approval on the report’s priority to make transportation policy a means to solving interrelated challenges that our country faces from climate change to spiraling health care costs to foreign oil dependence.
I recommend the 26-page report for those interested in contributing to just and environmentally responsible federal transportation policy in the months and years ahead. Now is the time to get involved in the process. The next six-year transportation bill is under development, so your federal leaders need to hear that you want a greater percentage of transportation dollars to flow to pedestrian paths, bike lanes, multi-use greenways, and public transit that help our communities get healthier and more economically prosperous.
Onwards in the Sustainable Energy Transition-
Tags: active transportation, bicycling, climate change, fitness, health