CTAI Blog

Although the Senate has agreed to extend the existing transportation bill for six months without any policy changes, The Washington Post reports that Senator Coburn of Oklahoma is expected to work to eliminate the small program that funds the lion’s share of bike and pedestrian projects.

This program represents less than 2 percent of all federal transportation spending and for 20 years has been the primary funding source for sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and trails.

If you support biking and walking safety, contact your Congressmen and ask them to keep the funding in place to keep our bikers and walkers safe in our communities.

The Community Transportation Association of Idaho commends Congress for extending the nation's surface transportation at current funding levels.

"The six-month extension of federal highway and transit programs approved by Congress this week ensures the continuation of critical services and thousands of job-creating infrastructure projects across the nation," said Heather Wheeler, CTAI executive director. "We congratulate the leadership on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate for their hard work to bring about this extension. We encourage Congress and the Administration to develop and pass a robust, multi-year surface reauthorization bill over the next six months. CTAI is prepared to work with the Idaho Congressional Delegation with the development of this bill."

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The House Appropriations FY2012 Transportation Funding Bill was released today. The amount appropriated for state and local bus grants is an estimated 37% decrease from the current funding level ($5.2 billion FY2012 compared to $8.3 billion in FY2011).

As a state that relies heavily on federal transportation funding, the communities in Idaho will be deeply impacted by the proposed cut to our public transportation systems. This decrease will lead to severe reductions in transportation services for many individuals across the state and will equate to a loss of thousands of jobs. With high gas prices, a slow economy, and increased ridership, now is not the time to implement cuts to the public transportation systems in Idaho.

We have asked Congressmen Simpson and Labrador to continue to work for a transportation appropriation bill that will put Americans back to work, provide businesses with relief from the costs of congestion and the insecurity of unreliable, inadequate infrastructure. And,we have encouraged them to use their leadership to move forward a bill that increases public transportation investment or at the very least, maintains current funding levels.

It is critical for you to contact Congressman Simpson and Congressman Labrador to help them understand what a 37% decrease in funding would look like for citizens in Idaho. And, to encourage them to support a higher formula level with a new, multi-year authorization bill. You can find the contact information for the Idaho Congressional Delegation through the respective links below:

Congressman Simpson: http://simpson.house.gov/Contact/  

Congressman Labrador: http://labrador.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=3  


-Heather Wheeler, CTAI Executive Director

Rep. Phyllis King presented a bill that would allow most Idaho communities to introduce High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to the House Transportation and Defense Committee earlier last week. The intent of this bill was to allow the metropolitan areas of the state to create and access the HOV lane and to allow ITD maintenance vehicles performing maintenance to access these lanes. Under current law, HOV lanes are restricted to counties with a populations of less than 25,000. CTAI Executive Director, Heather Wheeler, testified in support of the bill as this is one tool which can improve mobility in Idaho. Details of the bill can be found at this link. http://bit.ly/hTs2rd

Although the House Transportation and Defense Committee voted 10-5 to hold the bill in Committee, Ms. Wheeler will continue to work with committee members to obtain an understanding of their concerns regarding HOV lanes and to educate them on the positive impact HOV lanes have on the overall transportation system.

On Monday, President Barack Obama proposed an ambitious long-term transportation spending plan in his 2012 budget as a way to boost U.S. economic competitiveness and spur job growth. The Obama Administration’s plan is a bold, $556 billion, six-year reauthorization of America’s transportation programs. It proposes four broad goals: (I) strengthen our infrastructure (II) spurring innovation, (III) ensuring safety, and (IV) reforming government and exercising responsibility. The spending plan includes a significant investment in programs which can assist improving public transportation and mobility in Idaho. For example:

• 127 percent increase – to $119 billion over six years – in funding for transit;
• $32 billion for a “race-to-the-top” style incentive program, called the Transportation Leadership Awards, to encourage fundamental reforms in the planning, building and management of transportation system;
• Innovative policy solutions will ensure that people in small towns and rural communities can more easily connect with regional and local transit options – and from one mode of transportation to another;
• Promote regional planning; and,
• Merge five transit programs into one state of good repair program and one specialized transportation program.

To move this plan through Congress, there will need to be a lot of dialogue. Please take a moment to contact your respective Congressman to inform them of how this plan will benefit Idahoans. Click here for contact information for the Idaho Congressional Delegation or to see the Dept of Transportation's Summary of the FY 2012 Budget.