The [Senate Finance Committee] has posted 53 pages worth of amendments that could be voted on at today’s markup....Republicans have targeted some of their biggest traditional transportation pet peeves in their amendments, which include ones to let states opt out of the federal highway and transit programs, end spending on the Transportation Alternatives program that funds bike and pedestrian paths
And, relatedly
As the Highway Trust Fund continues is slow slide toward insolvency, biking remains popular around the country, and more and more advocates are pushing for bike lanes and other infrastructure specifically for two-wheeled commuters. But that attention comes with a price — Republicans often point to bike lanes as a waste of federal dollars, and many want bikers to pay up. But nobody seems to have figured out a way to charge bikers in a fair and cost-efficient way. “I have no problem paying an extra nickel or quarter or dollar on a bike tire,” bow-tied biker Rep. Earl Blumenauer told MT. “I’m not opposed to it, but most of the systems I’ve seen actually cost almost as much as they collect.” Maybe the best strategy, even if the ideas so far are unfair, is for bikers to not immediately reject those efforts, even if just to get a seat at the table. “We probably will not benefit by being self-righteous or smug, even though the benefits of bicycle use are multi-faceted and significant,” said Tim Blumenthal, president of People for Bikes. My story in today’s POLITICO paper looks at the obstacles to a bike fee and why recent state efforts have failed: http://politico.pro/1nHyAHM
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