LaHood a good sign for active transportation

By Ed Barsotti, League of Illinois Bicyclists

Ray LaHood, the recently retired 18th District Congressman from Peoria, has been tapped to be the new Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. This is great news for bicycling and all forms of active transportation! LaHood has been an active supporter of cycling and trails over the years, twice bucking party leadership in high-profile defenses of bikeway programs.

In a letter dated Apr. 28, 1997, LaHood joined five other Republican Transportation & Infrastructure Committee members in expressing support for the Transportation Enhancements program, which funds bicycle projects, and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program. Congressman LaHood's leadership was pivotal in ensuring that Enhancements would continue in the 1998 TEA-21 transportation legislation.

 
Saved the Transportation Enhancements program
· Supported Complete Streets, accommodating all users on federally funded roads
· Longtime member of Congressional Bicycle Caucus
· Secured funding for several bike trails, including the Morton Community Bikeway, the Sangamon Valley Trail, and the first phase of the Kaskaskia Alliance Trail (between the Hennepin and I&M Canal Trails)
· Co-sponsored the Bicycle Commuter Act, which gives tax credits for bike commuting
 

On July 11, 2003, a House Appropriations Subcommittee, led by Rep. Istook (R-OK), passed a fiscal year 2004 transportation budget that redirected the $600 million slated for Enhancements to highway construction. Zeroing out this program threatened it not only for that year, but it also threatened its inclusion in a 2005 transportation bill. An effort to restore dedicated Enhancements funding barely failed in full committee, where LaHood was one of only two Republicans voting for it. In an impressive victory that solidified Enhancements’ status, a bi-partisan amendment won 327-90 on the House floor. LaHood stood up impressively to make a floor statement in support:

“Mr. Chairman, I am a member of the Committee on Appropriations, and I think I am one of two members on our side who voted to support this effort to restore this program the way that it has existed for several years. I know it is probably not fashionable for me to be up here talking in favor of this amendment, but I feel strongly about it. I am a jogger. I have been a jogger for almost 30 years. I have taken full advantage of the Rails to Trails Program that exists in my congressional district and other parts of Illinois. I think it is a marvelous program… As we are encouraging people all over the country to exercise, to be fit, to eat right, to exercise and to do things that will continue to make people healthy, there is no better way to do it than to have this program. I am encouraging Members to support this amendment. This is a good program. It is a program that works. It is not broke.

I want to, too, mention what the gentleman from Oregon talked about, the whole issue of obesity. There has been more written about obesity in the last 6 months or so or last year. If we really want Americans to be fit and healthy and get in good shape, the way to do it is to allow for the enhancement program that has worked so well, that allows people to get outdoors, to ride their bikes, to jog, to walk. What better way to bring people in a community together. This program has been a marvelous program. We should not change it. It is a program that works. It is not broke. I encourage Members to support the amendment and continue the fine program we have had.”

At the 2004 National Bike Summit, the League of Illinois Bicyclists presented LaHood with a certificate of appreciation for his efforts – just as the League’s past president Eric Hutchison did in 1997. We now look forward to LaHood’s involvement in shaping the national transportation agenda.

Ed Barsotti is the League of Illinois Bicyclists’ executive director.

Here's what other transportation leaders are saying:

“This will be a refreshing change, and we look forward to the opportunity to work with the new Secretary to create a new transportation vision for the next 50 years that will support real transportation choices for America and recognize the importance of bicycling for both transportation and recreation.”
   – League of American Bicyclists

“The RTA is very excited and pleased with President-elect Barack Obama’s recent nomination of Congressman Ray LaHood as Secretary of the Department of Transportation. We are especially pleased because we know that Cong. LaHood understands Illinois’ needs.”
   – RTA

"As the transportation guy on Obama’s team promising change, Ray LaHood’s biggest obstacle in surface transportation is inertia. Right now every state has a suite of multi-year highway programs and long-range plans that spend every penny of projected transportation revenue for at least a decade. Our economic and environmental crises demand that we rethink the plans. The key opportunity for the new secretary is to help Congress move the stimulus and the next authorization in a new direction. Ray LaHood has the qualities and relationships to do this well. I have two suggestions for him: Get people with new perspectives – smart future transportation investment has been ignored in the past, which has contributed to our current economic and environmental crises. . Make sure you have the best expertise in every area. Listen to the mayors - They understand the complexity, realities and needs of comprehensive multi-modal systems.”
   – Randy Neufeld, Active Transportation Alliance.