From the League of American Bicyclists & Safe Routes to School National Partnership
The U.S. Senate is currently voting on a series of amendments to the economic stimulus bill. Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina has introduced an amendment that would prohibit ANY of the over $800 billion in funding be used for bicycling or walking trails or infrastructure-which would include any Safe Routes to School efforts. Senator DeMint said, “When people see bike trails and hiking trails and golf courses, they know this is not designed to stimulate the economy and create jobs.”We do not yet know when or if this amendment will be voted on-but it is critical that we demonstrate that bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure *IS* an important part of the economic recovery and building green infrastructure.
Please call both of your Senators as soon as possible. They will be continuing to vote late tonight and possibly into the weekend. Use these talking points:
· I am calling to ask the Senator to vote against the DeMint amendment to prohibit bicycle and pedestrian projects from being funded in the economic recovery bill.
· I also ask you to support explicit funding for bike/ped projects in the final economic recovery bill.
· It takes construction workers and materials to create bicycle and pedestrian, creating jobs at the same or better rate than highway projects
· These smaller projects can move quickly to get local businesses working and help Main Street economies.
· Providing safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian access to workplaces, schools, and transit gives families cheaper transportation options.
· Improving sidewalks and bike lanes can make downtown a destination, further helping local business and the economy.
To get contact information, please go to the
-all you have to do is type in your zip code to get your Senator’s phone numbers, talking points, and a form to fill in the response from your Senator’s office. If your Senator’s office does not answer, please leave a message.Things are moving quickly on the economic recovery bill, and we may be contacting you again soon with additional updates and requests for help. Thank you for taking action on behalf of increasing opportunities for healthy and green transportation options!
