Federal Wrong Turn on Transportation

Sometimes budget-cutting proposals coming out of Washington border on the ludicrous.

Take the federal transportation proposal released by the Republican chair of the House of Representative’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this past week.

The cover on the proposal shows a freeway interchange without any cars or people visible, like the ruins of an abandoned civilization—or maybe the anticipated view of carmaggedon. This dystopian vision lacks everything that comes to mind when I think of a vibrant, future-oriented transportation system here in Eagle Rock, especially from the point of view of people: People walking and biking on welcoming, safe streets are absent from the plan.

Local residents have been putting lots of thought into and York Boulevard into safer, greener, more vibrant streets. The Los Angeles Bike Plans calls for .

If Rep. John Mica and his Republican colleagues in the House of Representative get their way on their budget cutting proposal, the federal government will stop all dedicated funding for pedestrian and bike projects. This wrong and shortsighted approach fails to consider clear evidence that encouraging people to walk and bike more is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve our health, economy, and environment. 

The nation is facing an obesity crisis and exploding health care costs, but the House Republicans want to eliminate transportation funding that can promote physical activity.

When I was starting school in the 1970s, approximately 40 percent of children walked or biked to school, and just 5 percent of school-age children were obese. By the time my daughter started school a few years ago, the percentage of students walking or biking to school had fallen three fold to 10 percent to 15 percent. Obesity rates among children had exploded three to four times to 15-18 percent. 

Along with improving diet and access to healthy food, investing in safe streets is the best way to encourage a healthier lifestyle. Safer streets designed for all modes of transportation can help prevent fatalities and injuries caused by cars hitting pedestrians and cyclists.

So federal investments in projects such as safe routes to school and bike infrastructure—targeted for elimination for any dedicated federal funding by Mica and his budget cutters—doesn’t just improve mobility. It’s a smart investment in preventive health care. Eliminating this small slice of the federal transportation budget could end up costing the federal government tens of billions of dollars in future Medicare and Medicaid costs.

The latest job figures underscore that we have massive unemployment but House Republicans want to spend transportation money on road projects with less job-creation bang for the buck. According to research done at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, construction projects to build bike and pedestrian infrastructure create 46 percent more jobs than spending the same amount of money on roads. 

These investments can also give people more choices for getting around. In European cities that have significant biking infrastructure, such as protected bike lanes, cycling rates can be up to 20 or 30 times higher and bike accident rates five times lower than in American cities without dedicated, safe space for bikes.

And given that this year’s extreme weather has underscored the strength of the scientific evidence for climate change, many of our leaders’ appetite for action on the issue has weakened. In the face of a looming climate catastrophe, Republicans want to keep us in vehicles that pollute the air and destabilize the atmosphere. 

Transportation is the second leading source of greenhouse gas emissions. Particulates from vehicle engines, especially diesel, kill tens of thousands of Americans every year. Imported oil also drives the large U.S. trade deficit. Making it easier and safer for more people to walk or bike, especially for short trips, would make progress in all of these areas.

I hope the Senate and White House will ensure that pedestrian and bike projects receive dedicated funding so that we can build a healthy, clean and people-centered transportation system. Contact your representative and senators if you want your voice heard on transportation.