Representative Tom Petri (R-WI) and his colleagues Timothy Johnson (R-IL), and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) showed themselves yesterday to be strong and brave defenders of biking and walking, a balanced transportation system, and livable communities. Representative Candice Miller (R-MI), however, did not.

The Petri Amendment to the American Energy and Infrastructure Act to restore dedicated funding for walking and bicycling lost by just two votes and unfortunately, Representative Miller, the only Michigan Representative on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, voted against it.

The House leadership strongly opposed the amendment, so our sincere thanks goes to Representatives Petri, Johnson, and LoBiondo for standing with their constituents and people everywhere who value walking and biking.

We also thank all the Michigan cyclists who responded to our action alert messages over the past few days and contacted Representative Miller to ask for her leadership on this issue. Despite all the communications she received from concerned citizens as well as the fact that her district has benefited from over $28,986,000 in Transportation Enhancement investments in the past, she still bowed to House leadership and voted against the best interests of her constituents.

We'll keep you posted of next steps to restore dedicated funding for non-motorized transportation. For now this inspired performance from Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) in which he says we’re going back to the pre-1980s in this country should help keep hope alive:

03 Feb

Urge Amtrak to Allow Bicycles on Michigan Trains

We now are asking for your help again to ensure that these recommendations are acted on promptly. Please sign our petition urging Amtrak to implement roll-on bicycle service on all Michigan service routes as they have already done in other states.

Currently in Michigan, bikes are not allowed on board Amtrak trains, nor as checked luggage. On board accommodations for bicycles will make seamless multi-modal connections possible by allowing passengers to bicycle to train stations, ride the train, and then conveniently bicycle to their final destinations within the community.

Our state is home to a number of bicycle tours in or near Michigan communities serviced by Amtrak. By adding bike facilities on Amtrak trains, many Michigan communities could benefit from increased tourism spending, particularly from vacationing Chicago residents. Without options to bring bicycles on board, Michigan is losing out on significant travel-related spending generated by bicycle tourism. Commuters traveling within Michigan would also have additional transportation options.

We encourage everyone to sign the petition, but it is especially important for Amtrak to hear from individuals living or working in or around current stations locations in Albion, Ann Arbor, Bangor, Battle Creek, Birmingham, Dearborn, Detroit, Dowagiac, Durand, East Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, New Buffalo, Niles, Pontiac, Port Huron, Royal Oak, and St. Joseph/Benton Harbor.

Please click here to add your name to the petition and please share the petition link over your networks. When you add your name to the petition please use the "Why This Is Important" option to help personalize the message.  For those on Facebook, we have also created a Facebook Event titled "Tell Amtrak to Allow Bikes on Trains - Sign the Petition" to help raise awareness around this issue.

We sincerely appreciate your support on this issue and hope that by spring we will all have the ability to bring bicycles on board passenger trains in our state.

31 Jan

URGENT: House Bill Reverses Decades of Progress on Bike/Ped

Today, the House released its transportation bill, the American Energy and Infrastructure Act. As a Member of the Committee, Congresswomen Candice Miller (Huron, Sanilac, Lapeer, St Clair & Macomb Counties) is in a key position to save dedicated funding for biking and walking. If you live in her district, please contact her today and ask her to vote to preserve biking and walking by supporting the Petri amendment.

When we posted our action alert last week, we knew the bill would be bad news for biking and walking. But we didn't think it would go so far as to completely cut every reference to bicycling and walking out of the federal transportation policy.

Why the urgency? House leaders are exerting pressure to completely cut bicycling and walking out of transportation. Lawmakers seem to have gone through line-by-line to gut programs that make streets safer. Some of the more devastating provisions in the bill include:

• Destroys Transportation Enhancements by making the program optional
• Repeals the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school
• Allows states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles
• Eliminates Safe Routes to School coordinators and bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs
• Eliminates language that insures that rumble strips "do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled"

But we can still save biking and walking in this bill. This week in the Transportation Committee, Representative Petri (R-WI) will stand up for bicycling and walking by offering an amendment that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. Mr. Petri can only be successful if everyone with a stake in safe sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways contacts their Representative on the Transportation Committee again today to urge them to vote YES on the Petri amendment!

This is as urgent as it gets! Even if we do win this amendment, there will be a long road ahead. But if we lose here, we risk losing decades of progress.

We know we are asking a lot of you and we thank you for all you're doing to preserve biking and walking.

Please pass this along to all your local contacts-particularly high-level contacts like mayors, school board members and business leaders-and ask them to weigh in too. Thank you so much for your quick action, and we'll keep you posted.

17 Jan

LMB Job Posting

LMB is pleased to report that earlier this month Representative Sean McCann of Kalamazoo introduced House Concurrent Resolution 41 to urge the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to pursue bicycle friendly policies by providing accommodations for bicycles on board trains and bicycle parking in future station plans. The language was largely taken from LMB's issue paper on the topic. 

"I was very pleased to introduce House Concurrent Resolution 41 which urges the National Railroad Passenger Corporation to put into place bicycle friendly policies by providing bicycle storage on trains as well as bicycle parking in future station plans," said Representative McCann. "This resolution was introduced with bipartisan support and seeks to increase the availability of different modes of transportation which is a necessary component of a 21st century transportation system in our country."

The resolution supports language included in both the 2010 and 2011 transportation budgets that states: "For rail passenger service supported in any part through capital or operating assistance from funds appropriated in this article, the department [MDOT] shall work with the rail carrier to identify ways in which reasonable transport of bicycles by passengers can be accommodated."

Similarly, strong support for roll-on bicycle service on Michigan trains was captured in the draft Michigan State Rail Plan, which LMB's helped to solicit public comment on. According to the draft plan: "Most of the comments, 327, focused on passenger rail topics. Passenger rail comments most frequently discussed expanding service to specific locations, increasing the frequency of service and enhancing service with new amenities such as allowing bicycles on passenger trains."

LMB is scheduled to meet with MDOT and Amtrak officials in January, 2012 to discuss opportunities of how to best accommodate bicycles on Michigan trains without requiring them to be transported in boxes as Amtrak current requires.  We are extremely optimistic about our upcoming meeting and will post an update to our website as soon as we have more details.

House Concurrent Resolution 41
Whereas, An efficient, modern, transportation system is a pillar of a healthy economic climate and vital for Michigan's future. All modes of 21st century transportation infrastructure should be made accessible to modern travelers, whether tourists or commuters. Seamless multi-modal connections are essential to facilitate tourism and to allow greater mobility for bike commuters and those without cars. Bicyclists should be able to switch between transportation modes and link trips by bringing bicycles on trains without having to check them as boxed luggage. Bicycle tourism and commuting would be further accommodated with short and long-term bike parking at Amtrak stations. Unfortunately, Amtrak does not allow bicycles on board Michigan routes at this time and bike parking is not always available; and

Whereas, Amtrak's routes out of Chicago, the Downstate Illinois Service and Missouri River Runner, offer roll-on bike service; the option to bring bicycles on board, either by storing bikes on board in bike racks, or secured as checked baggage with tie-down equipment (not in a box), and allow folding bicycles on board as carry-on baggage. All three of the Michigan Amtrak routes, The Blue Water, Lake Shore Limited and Pere Marquette lines, use the same equipment as Chicago area trains and would only have to update the reservations system to allow bikes on board in Michigan; and

Whereas, Bicycle tourism is a booming industry and many Michigan bike tour events are located in or near cities accessible by Amtrak service. These could attract more tourism dollars, especially from Chicago-area residents, if it were more convenient to bring bikes on trains and park bikes at train stations; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we urge the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to pursue bicycle friendly policies by providing for bicycle storage on board trains and bicycle parking in future station plans; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.