Action Alert: US Rep. Sam Johnson is Attacking Bike/Ped Funding

Your U.S. Representative, Sam Johnson, is trying to kill the largest federal source of funding for bike/ped projects with H.R. 2609.

Take Action Now! Tell Rep. Johnson to stop his attacks that would eliminate the Transportation Alternatives Program!

The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is the largest dedicated source of funding for trails and walking and biking infrastructure in America. TAP helps millions of people safely get to where they need to go, plus allows communities the freedom to decide what infrastructure is the best fit for their own needs.

Rep. Johnson suggests taking the dedicated bike/ped funding and redirecting that money toward bridge repair, even though the bike/ped money is not nearly enough to repair the nation’s bridges. Not only will this amendment not take care of bridge repair, it will leave bicycle and pedestrian programs with no funding. Gutting the Transportation Alternatives Program, which is only about 1% of the federal transportation budget, is not a viable solution to bridge repair.

BikeTexas has found the following format to be most effective when communicating with elected officials:

1. My name is _____ and my occupation is _____. I live in Rep. Johnson’s district. 
2. I (or my spouse/child/parent) ride a bicycle. The programs and infrastructure provided by Transportation Alternatives give me the freedom to make my own choices about my transportation. I am disappointed that the Congressman is seeking to eliminate this valuable program.
3. I request that Congressman Johnson withdraw his support from any bill that would eliminate the Transportation Alternatives Program.  

Thank you for reaching out to elected officials to make Texas as a great place to ride a bike. Keep an eye on BikeTexas social media as well as our partners at the Rails to Trails Conservancy and the League of American Bicyclists throughout the evening for updates.

Edited on 6-4-2015 to change bill number to HR 2609. It was previously errornously reported as HB 2609.