The fifty states of the United States should
States solve – private business
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- States solve – bicycle
- State Investments in Bikes will be more Effective than Federal Funding
- City Bike Investments Helps Save Money In Other Areas
States solve – private businessStates can attract private partners – gaining huge short-term revenue boostsPuentes ‘9 (et al, Robert Puentes – Senior Fellow @ Brooking’s Metropolitan Policy Program – Innovative State Transportation: Funding and Financing Policy Options for States – – January 05, 2009 – http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/0901TRANSPORTATIONFUNDING.PDF) Next, states can seek to increase investment in the system in the near-term. States and the federal government have long-relied on the motor fuel tax, and are likely to continue to do so. However, states have several options to supplement motor fuel tax revenue. Some states have looked to public-private partnerships to attract private sector capital and project expertise in order to move forward on priority projects. One type of public-private partnership, an asset lease, has the potential to provide states with significant upfront capital which can be used to fund a number of transportation priorities. However, these partnerships often require either new user fees or private collection of existing user fees (such as tolls), that provide a return on investment to the private partner. A public-private partnership strategy alone will not solve all of a state’s transportation challenges, but carefully managed partnerships can complement existing revenue, accelerate project delivery, and attract private capital and expertise. States solve – bicycleNew Jersey is Funding for BikesDepartment of Transportation, 2012 (Oversees federal highway, air, railroad, and maritime and other transportationadministration functions. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/localaid/bikewaysf.shtm) The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) Bikeway Grant Program provides funds to counties and municipalities to promote bicycling as an alternate mode of transportation in New Jersey. A primary objective of the Bikeway Grant Program is to support the State’s goal of constructing 1,000 new miles of dedicated bike paths (facilities that are physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or barrier either within the highway right of way or within an independent right of way). In an effort to establish regionally connected bicycle networks, this program is available to every municipality and county throughout New Jersey. Although priority will be given to construction of new bike paths, the proposed construction or delineation of any new bicycle facility will be considered. State Investments in Bikes will be more Effective than Federal FundingMcMahon, 2012 (Edward T. McMahon. Edward T. McMahon is the ULI Senior Resident Fellow, ULI/Charles Fraser Chair on Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy. http://urbanland.uli.org/Articles/2012/Feb/McMahonBicycle) Of course, it is only when cities begin investing in bicycle infrastructure that residents begin to use bicycles at rates higher than the national average. Consider Portland, Oregon: in the 1980s and early 1990s, it was a city pretty much like any other in terms of transportation behavior. Today, however, over 6 percent of residents commute to work by bicycle; the national average is less than 1 percent. Bicycle use in Portland has grown geometrically while other modes have grown modestly or declined: since 1990 bicycle use has grown 400 percent, transit has grown 18 percent, and driving has declined 4 percent, all relative to population. From 1990 to 2008, Portland added more daily bicycle commuters than daily transit commuters. Portland’s city traffic engineer says that “bicycling infrastructure is relatively easy to implement and low cost compared to other modes.” The estimated cost of Portland’s entire bikeway network—which exceeds 300 miles (482 km)—is approximately $60 million, which, as noted, is just a little more than the cost of one mile (1.6 km) of urban freeway.¶ Another city where bicycling has boomed is Minneapolis, Minnesota. Today, about 4 percent of Minneapolis residents bike to work. Biking has grown almost 33 percent since 2007 and 500 percent since 1980. Even in winter, numerous cyclists commute to work at least some of the time. Minneapolis currently has almost 130 miles (209 km) of bikeways, with an additional 57 miles (91 km) planned or under construction. “Biking has become a huge part of who we are,” said Mayor R.T. Ryback during a recent interview. ¶ Minneapolis has a long-term goal of achieving a 10 percent mode share for bicycles. This is certainly possible when one considers that 25 percent of all trips people take in the United States are within a mile (1.6 km) and 50 percent of all trips are within three miles (4.8 km), or a 20-minute bike ride. City Bike Investments Helps Save Money In Other AreasEnder, 2012. (Timur Ender. North Caroline State University. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/opinion/article_f4e5b9e8-9587-11e1-ba30-0019bb2963f4.html) More than any dime of funding, meeting the transportation needs of the 21st century requires a different mindset about how we view transportation. Cities are not the problem, they are the solution; yet too often we fail to capitalize on these solutions. Every dollar we invest in bicycle infrastructure is a dollar we can avoid spending later on rising healthcare costs, traffic congestion, expensive road repavement projects, respiratory diseases related to polluted air and dependence on foreign oil. Bicycling infrastructure mitigates the need to drill for oil in not only unstable dictatorships, but within our own beautiful country as well.¶ In our global economy businesses can choose to locate anywhere in the world. Quality of life is increasingly becoming a determining factor, if not the most important factor, for both businesses and young people when deciding where to locate. It is no surprise cities that continually rank among the best places to live have made significant investments in bicycle infrastructure. More and more cities are realizing these benefits go far beyond merely providing their citizens with another form of transportation. 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