Action Alert: Contact Senator Ted Cruz TODAY

On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee is voting on a number of amendments to the transportation bill. Senator Ted Cruz is on the Commerce Committee– please contact him today to ask him to support both of these key amendments.

AMTRAK roll on service– Please ask Senator Cruz to support the Manchin Amendment. 

Demand for multi-modal transportation options, including the increasingly popular combination of bikes with buses and trains, is growing across the country. Currently, only a handful of Amtrak stations and train services allow convenient roll-on access for bicycles, and where they do, the service is popular and well-used. The Manchin Amendment would require Amtrak to report to Congress on what standardized roll-on service for all users should look like and what it would take to get there. This amendment would benefit people who use wheelchairs and other assistive devices as well as those who travel with bicycles.

Safe Streets policy– Please ask Senator Cruz to support the Heller, Schatz, Markey Amendment. 

This amendment would ensure that the design of federal surface transportation projects provides for the safe and adequate accommodation of all road users in the planning, development, and operation of transportation projects. Planning for all road users from the beginning of a project lowers costs from having to retrofit later, plus contributes to a complete transportation network for all.

TIGER grants, critical sources of funding for bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and other key projects for communities, has been gutted. The current bill restricts TIGER funds to freight only. Senator Cantwell’s amendment would strike the freight-only language and restore this program. TIGER grants help cut through red tape and provide funding directly to local areas for transportation projects that boost local economies, enhance communities through connectivity, and increase transportation safety.

Use the contact form found on the Senate’s website to contact Senator Cruz and ask him to support these amendments. Thank you for making Texas– and the nation– a great place to bike and walk!