How MCBC Helped to Shape Bike Provisions in the Federal Transportation Bill

• Click here for Advisory Committee meeting information
• Click here to read about Marin County's selection as a Nonmotorized Pilot
• Click here to read media coverage
• Click here to read updates on the progress of the program

Patrick Seidler (Transportation Alternatives for Marin) and Deb Hubsmith (Marin County Bicycle Coalition) began working on the federal transportation bill in January of 2000 when Bikes Belong Coalition (a national bicycle industry group) asked for ideas on how bicycling could be improved throughout the United States. Bikes Belong was preparing for a meeting in Washington DC with the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), an avid bicyclist and powerful Congressman. Seidler and Hubsmith quickly put together a "white paper" outlining two program ideas: a national Safe Routes to School program, and a Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program.

Today - five and a half years later - both programs have been incorporated in the $286.5 billion dollar transportation bill that was passed by Congress on Friday, July 29, and signed by the President on Saturday, July 30. The transportation bill guarantees over $3 billion for bicycling throughout the nation over the next six years. This includes $612 million for a new National Safe Routes to School Program and $100 million for a new Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program.

In August of 2000, Congressman Oberstar worked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to designate two pilot programs for Safe Routes to School, to test effectiveness of a concentrated effort to get more children walking and bicycling to schools. Marin County was one of the two locations that were selected as demonstration programs. The Marin County Bicycle Coalition received $50,000 to create the Safe Routes to School pilot program, and in the first two years, bicycle and pedestrian use jumped at participating public schools from 21% to 38%.

In 2003, Congressman Oberstar introduced a new bill called the Pedestrian and Cyclist Equity Act for the 21st Century (PACE), with Congresswoman Woolsey as an original co-sponsor. The PACE bill called for a national Safe Routes to School program and a Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program. Hubsmith spoke about the success of Marin County's Safe Routes to School program at the press conference in Washington DC when the bill was introduced. Later that year, Congressman Oberstar rolled the two programs from PACE into the draft language for the House version of the federal transportation bill. With the new 109th Congress that took session in January of 2005, the transportation bill was introduced again, and the two programs remained intact.

Throughout the entire process, Hubsmith and Seidler worked closely with Congressman Oberstar, Congresswoman Woolsey, Senator Boxer, and the Marin County Board of Supervisors. In addition, national organizations such as America Bikes (which is funded by Bikes Belong Coalition) worked through their extensive grassroots networks to promote Safe Routes to School to all members in Congress. The national organization Rails-to-Trails Conservancy worked with the Marin advocates to advance and promote the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program.

Through hard work, collaboration, and holding-on to a long-term vision, Marin County advocates have played a substantial role in advancing bicycle and pedestrian provisions in the transportation bill. Sometimes dreams do come true!