Support continues to expand for legislation that would add $4.4 billion to the highway portion of the FY '03 transportation spending bill. Cosponsorship of H.R. 3694 has reached 265 House members and 48 Senators have signed onto companion bill S. 1917. Bush's $59.3 billion DOT budget proposes setting Federal Highway Administration obligation limits to the states at $23.2 billion -- a level that is 16% below the baseline established in TEA-21 and 27% below this year's spending levels. Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters told members of the Environment and Public Works Committee her office is willing to work with members on their bill to restore some of the money. She also said, however, that there is still time to explore options to soften the blow of any remaining cut, such as working with states on advanced construction and financing to better leverage the money that's in the highway trust fund now.

Congressional TEA-21 Reauthorization Schedule

Duane Gibson, staff member to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit (the panel overseeing TEA-21 renewal), outlined the likely House schedule for action on legislation renewing TEA-21 during remarks last week before the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). He indicated that the subcommittee would introduce legislation in February 2003 and would act on that legislation in March of that year. The full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would act before Memorial Day 2003, and the bill would go to the full House after the Memorial Day recess.

The Senate has not announced their reauthorization schedule, but fully expects to renew the bill next year

Beginning February 2003, London drivers will face a daily charge of about $7 a day should they choose to drive into the heart of the city. According to the Washington Post, the charge "will be levied on cars and trucks entering the eight-square-mile central zone between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday." The system will be enforced by hundreds of closed-circuit cameras which will check license plate numbers of cars entering the central zone against a database of commuters who have paid the daily fee. London Mayor Ken Livingstone announced the charges last week as the centerpiece of a plan to reduce traffic and congestion in London's busy downtown area. According to Livingstone, the charges would go to fund and revitalize London's extensive but run-down transit system. "We're going to dedicate the fees paid and the fines we get strictly to improving public transit. We're going to buy 40 percent more buses over the next decade. This is going to be a boon for most people."

Similar plans are in place in several cities around the world, including Singapore and Trondheim, Norway. Despite strong initial resistance to the plans, the driving fees now have strong support in the communities in which they have been introduced due in large part to the reduction in commuting time and congestion. Stateside, a $1 a day commuter parking tax proposal was recently shelved in Washington DC because local officials believed that the tax would be unfair to commuters who do not have access to public transportation. Additionally, many elected officials, especially in Northern Virginia, were reluctant to support a new tax in an election year. The DC plan would have brought in an estimated $1 billion for regional clean-air measures over its first three years.

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Lobbyists for Segway, inventor Dean Kamen's two-wheeled, gyroscopic scooter have been criss-crossing the country in an attempt to rally legislative support for the new product. The Wall Street Journal reported March 1 that the Virginia legislature passed a bill requiring communities to allow Segway scooters on the sidewalks. A similar bill has passed both legislative houses in New Mexico, and legislation authorizing Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Devices (EPAMB) has been introduced in all 50 states.

Despite the fact that Segway LLC has made progress in pushing for legislative changes the the state level, some local officials remain skeptical of the product's safety around pedestrians and bicyclists. Acording to Kamen, the scooter, which operates at a top speed of 12.5 mph, gently stops and rolls backwards when it encounters an obstacle. Charles Trainor, chief traffic engineer in Philadelphia, where the Segway would not be allowed on sidewalks, is unconvinced. If a Segway "hits a pedestrian, there will be serious damage," says Trainor. "I would not be in favour of changing the law."

-from "BikeLeague News," the League of American Bicyclists newsletter

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As quoted in a Washington Post article on Ford's plans to introduce diesel models of the popular Ford Focus. To view the article, click here.