Send in your request for USDOT and Congress to prioritize active transportation by Monday, September 8!
Overview
- The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is asking the public for comments to help shape the next reauthorization bill.
- This is a major opportunity to speak up for walking, accessibility, biking, and transit priorities.
- BikeWalkKC has put together some language that can help.
- Comments are due by Monday, September 8.
Read on for more information!
Every five to six years, Congress develops a major piece of legislation meant to shape the country’s transportation system. Often referred to as “reauthorization”, the measure covers everything from policies to programs, rules to funding. The last iteration of this process resulted in the adoption of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. If you want to know more about the process, click here to see an explainer from the group Transportation for America.
As part of the process this time around, the US Department of Transportation is asking for public comments to help shape how they work with members of Congress to craft parts of the legislation. This is a major opportunity to tell the agency directly that we want to see walking, accessibility, biking, and transit prioritized.
In conjunction with our state and national partners, BikeWalkKC has advocated for priorities that fall into one of the five following areas:
1) Safety over Speed: We need to build a transportation system that safely moves people rather than a system that quickly moves vehicles.
2) Reducing Barriers: We should use the reauthorization process to reduce the barriers that make it hard for communities to build the infrastructure people need.
3) Support Economic Development: Multimodal transportation is good for business, and we should use federal dollars in a way that expands access to jobs and supports local endeavors.
4) Fix It First: Rather than an emphasis on highway expansion, we should prioritize repairing existing roads, sidewalks, trails, and transit.
5) Invest in the Rest: This could mean more support for existing programs, updating vehicle standards, and more.
While we’ve been able to have productive conversations with the federal delegation for the region, we know that it can’t just be us asking legislative leaders to prioritize the modes. That’s where YOU come in. Follow the four steps below to help BikeWalkKC and our partners speak up for multimodal transportation to USDOT:
Step 1: Develop your comments for submission.
- Start your comments with “Secretary Duffy:”
- Write a paragraph explaining why greater support for walking, accessibility, biking, or transit is important where you live.
- Close out your comments with a sentence or two asking the Secretary to prioritize multimodal transportation policy in the reauthorization process.
Step 2: Click here to go to the page for submitting comments. In order to submit comments, do the following:
- Click on the “Comment” button.
- On the submission page, copy and paste your words into the section titled “Comment”.
- Under “What is your comment about?”, choose “Public Comment(s)” from the dropdown menu.
- Follow additional steps on email address, identifying yourself as an individual, and showing you’re not a robot.
- Submit your comments!
Step 3: Forward your comments to your House Representative and Senators. Click here if you need to find who they are.
Step 4: Encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same!
As we often say, advocacy is a team sport. Especially in the current political climate, it is more important than ever to speak up for our priorities. BikeWalkKC needs the help of everyday folks like YOU to send a clear message to leaders in Washington DC that walking, accessibility, biking, and transit matter and deserve to be prioritized in the next reauthorization bill.
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