Bicycle Fixation Weblog
[Previous entry: "CICLE.org's Tweed Ride in Los Angeles"] [Next entry: "Marathon Manners Redux"]
11/13/2009: "FTA Wants to Expand Bike & Ped Funding"
The Federal Transit Administration just released a document proposing changes in Federal development guidelines in order to increase the funding allocated to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure that serves the catchment area of a bus or train stop, and further proposes that the present definition of "catchment area" should be expanded.This would definitely be a way to get more money for effective bike & ped facilities, and we should all read this closely.
Some quotes:
The success of public transportation can be limited by the problem of the "first and last mile." One of "the best present options for solving the first and last mile dilemma are...bicycles." (Andrea White-Kjoss)And perhaps most important in terms of actually getting infrastructure put in:
[...]
Whether used for longer trips to access amenities outside the walkable radius of a public transportation station, or whether they enable direct access to a public transportation facility, bicycle amenities play an important role in encouraging public transportation use by providing riders with greater opportunities, choice, flexibility and safety for reaching their final destinations.
[...]
...A bike-on-bus demonstration program in Phoenix, Arizona that led to over 1,400 new public transportation riders per month.
Studies suggest that developments that incorporate bicycling and walking infrastructure in proximity with public transportation can reduce fiscal outlays of local municipalities towards roads and other infrastructure expansion by twenty-five percent. (TCRP Report 102: Transit-Oriented Development in the United States: Experiences, Challenges, and Prospects, Transportation Research Board, 2004)Read the entire report at edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-27240.pdf
They are asking for comments too. You may comment by going to www.regulations.gov and following the instructions.
