^{Bicycle Advocates Gear Up for Reauthorization}

Bikes Belong, an organization of bicycle manufacturers, has pledged $500,000 to support a new campaign by the top national bicycling organizations to push for pro-bicycling policies in the reauthorization of TEA-21.  The new bike TEA-3 campaign coalition plans to hire Martha Roskowski, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado, to manage the campaign.

The coalition includes the Adventure Cycling Association, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, the Bikes Belong Coalition, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, the League of American Bicyclists, the National Center for Bicycling & Walking, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and the Thunderhead Alliance.  STPP is a non-voting member of the group. 

“Bikes Belong is following through with its commitment to put more people on bikes more often by supporting this major legislative battle,” said John Burke, President of the Bikes Belong Coalition.

The Transportation Research Board's annual meeting in Washington last week included a debate over the future of the Level of Service (LOS) measure of road quality. In this session, Adolf D. May of the University of California at Berkeley moderated as five panelists debated the usefulness of LOS, which grades roads from "A" to "F" based on volume and capacity or intersection wait. The majority of the panelists agreed that current LOS measures need to be substantially adjusted, or even scrapped, to allow for a broader definition of effectiveness. Panelists noted that although LOS is the measure used most frequently in traffic impact analysis of new developments, it is easily "gamed" to suit developers' purposes. Several participants also commented that the current LOS measure also usually penalizes roads for providing good pedestrian crossings, frequent bus stops, and similar transportation improvements. The implications of this debate are enormous, as LOS is commonly used as the primary justification for new roads and widenings. 

The TRB's 81st annual meeting attracted more than 8,000 transportation professionals from around the world, and featured hundreds of sessions, most on highway engineering topics. Some innovative sessions dealt with multi-modal measures of congestion, international perspectives on climate change, new methods in improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, and a discussion of the public health impacts of transportation projects. For more information on the meeting or TRB, visit http://trb.org/

^{Monthly Transit Commuter Benefit Grows}  

On January 1, 2002, a federal tax change mandated by TEA-21 went into effect, raising the maximum allowed transit commuter benefit from $65 to $100 per month. This program allows employers to pass on the $100 benefit tax-free to their workers to pay for public transportation or vanpool commutes, and it is expected to contribute to an increase in public transportation ridership. As part of the program, employees receive the benefit in the form of transit vouchers or cash, and employers receive a tax deduction for the cost of the program and a decrease in payroll-related taxes.

Click here for more information on the commuter choice program

^{President Bush Signs Brownfields Bill}

On 1/11, President Bush signed into law H.R. 2869, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, marking one of the first major federal legislative victories for smart growth. 

“Enacting brownfields legislation will boost smart growth efforts around the country. The signing of this law is a win-win for the economy and the environment,” said Don Chen, Executive Director of Smart Growth America, one of the first organizations to endorse the bill. 

"Many of our nation's best brownfield redevelopment success stories, from the River District in Portland, Oregon to Washington's Landing in Pittsburgh, have integrated new public transit, pedestrian walkways, bike paths and other transportation choices in new developments," said Chen. "The benefits of such projects go far beyond what's built. In many cases, the reduced reliance on automobile travel has helped relieve traffic congestion, improved air quality, and lowered infrastructure costs. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency now considers infill brownfield redevelopment to be a transportation control measure." 

H.R. 2869 will more than double the annual spending for brownfields assessment and cleanup to $200 million, and according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, create more than 550,000 jobs and generate between $878 million and $2.4 billion in additional tax revenues.

^{Alliance for a New Transportation Charter Update}  

Since its launch in December, the Alliance for a New Transportation Charter (ANTC) has grown to over 340 groups from 41 states. ANTC is the coalition STPP is building in support of its TEA-21 reauthorization campaign. New endorsers include the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity in Washington, D.C., diverse local organizations such as the Las Vegas/San Miguel, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the Center on Independent Living in San Antonio, Texas, Faith in Motion of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Preservation Oklahoma of Oklahoma City, Utica Citizens in Action of Utica, New York. Mayor Will Toor of Boulder, Colorado, and County Executive Kathleen Falk of Madison, Wisconsin have also signed on. 

STPP encourages additional endorsements. Endorsing the Charter makes you a member of the Alliance, but there are no further obligations. The full text of the Charter, the list of endorsements, and the endorsement form are on the front page of STPP's website, www.transact.org.  Other materials are available to assist in discussing TEA-21 with community leaders. For more information, contact Andrea Broaddus at 202-466-2636.

^{In Brief...}

^{Senate Transportation Hearing Schedule
The dates for the January, February, and March Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearings on TEA-21 reauthorization have been set. On January 24, the full Committee will be addressing "Success stories of TEA-21." On February 19, the Committee will hold a hearing on the FY03 budget and the Highway Trust Fund. On March 22, the Committee will hold a hearing on "Mobility, Congestion, and Intermodalism."} 

<sup>Upcoming Events:

        League of American Bicyclists Bike Summit: March 6-8, 2002</sup>  

        ^{National Conference on Aging & Mobility: March 25-27, 2002}