Action Alert: Yet Again Congress Threatens To Cut Bike Funding

A few weeks ago we sent an action alert out to contact your members of congress and ask them to support the Cardin-Cochran Amendment. Well, we’ve received word that the same transportation legislation is still being debated, with the Housestill pushing to eliminate our tiny slice of funding.

Will you call your US Representative and Senators to ask them – again – to save biking by supporting the Cardin-Cochran Amendment? The situation is very fluid, so we’re not sure this is the last time we’ll have to ask you to act. But the assaults on our tiny bit of funding seem to have no end, and so our action defending it must be equally unrelenting.

If you are a constituent of Representative Ed Markey (District 7, which includes much of Metro West), it is especially important for you to contact his office because of his involvement in this legislation. Let him know how crucially important biking is in your community and your daily activities. If you don’t know whether you’re in his district, click here and enter your address to find out.

Phone calls are best, but if you don’t have time, please click hereto send a message to your congresspersons.

Here’s how to call:

1. Call your Representative and both Senators at the numbers listed below.

Don’t know who your U.S. Representative is?

Click here and enter your address to find out.

And our two U.S. Senators:

Use the script below to ask your elected officials to preserve the Cardin-Cochran agreement:

Hi, my name is [name] and I live in[city/town/county].

 

I’m calling to ask Representative/Senator [name] to support the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran agreement in the transportation conference committee that ensures local governments have access to funds to build bikeways and sidewalks.

Americans support federal funding for biking and walking. In a March 2012 poll, 83 percent of Americans said they support maintaining or increasing federal funding for biking and walking-that includes 88 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of Republicans.

 

These projects are important to my community.(Mention a local project you know about, or use some of the facts from your stateor districtprofile.)Please support the Cardin-Cochran agreement so that [your city/town/county] can build projects important to our community.

2. Use the America Bikes tip sheet to report back on anything you learn in your calls.

Thank you for supporting biking and walking in Massachusetts and across the country!