Now’s our chance to press for state investment in greener “active transportation” projects around the state: sidewalks, bike lanes, and greenways.
The Appropriations subcommittees in the state House unveiled and adopted their proposed parts of the state budget last week. Those subcommittee reports will now go to the full Appropriations Committee for further discussion and possible amendment.
The Transportation budget saw some interesting movement affecting transportation alternatives to roads. These modest shifts appear to reflect a continuing struggle between legislators who think tax dollars for transportation should go to nothing but roads, and those who understand that we need a more balanced approach which includes public transit, rail, biking, and walking.
One positive step in the recommended budget is repeal of the current prohibition against using state money for “independent bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects.” However, the amount of funding to be set aside for those projects appears to be trivial compared to the size of the need.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (DOT) relevant budget request included less than $762,000 for biking and pedestrian projects, out of a total request of more than $2.3 billion. While bike and pedestrian projects are far less costly than roads, a single long sidewalk or short greenway can easily cost a million dollars or more, especially when built to state and federal design standards.
In addition, the little funds appropriated are restricted to projects in towns of no more than 50,000 residents. While smaller communities can need a larger assistance share, barring any aid to medium-sized or larger cities leaves out much of the state’s population and many of its areas of greatest need.
Citizen advocacy organizations like BikeWalk NC are pressing for more state support for these active transportation projects as environmentally-friendly parts of a balanced transportation system. BikeWalk NC is holding a lobby day in Raleigh this Tuesday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For those who can’t make it in person but who wish to support this advocacy, there is also an online sign-on letter. More information and registration for both can be found here.
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