Thank you.

 

Thank you for taking the time to show your gratitude to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) for speaking up for bicycle path funding. This action has expired.

Please consider taking actions on another issue from our action alerts page or see other ways to promote the rail-trail movement.

 

Background

On Tuesday, 9/11/07, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) proposed an amendment that would redirect funds from bike paths for bridge and road work.

Sen. Coburn's attempt to scapegoat bike paths for the August 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse was misguided. Central to Sen. Coburn's claim was the false belief that bicycles paths are never used for transportation. On the contrary, millions of Americans bike and walk to work — many of them on trails.

Unfortunately, this did not occur in isolation. Rather, it is one in a recent series of attacks on bicycling by high government officials, congressional representatives and even a presidential candidate.

Thankfully, many — including Sen. Murray — have seen through this misleading attempt and have publicly recognized bicycle facilities as an important element of our transportation infrastructure. From both sides of the aisle, elected officials and decision makers are speaking up for funding for active transportation. Acknowledging those who speak up for trails, biking and walking helps to ensure that support remains strong.

Sen. Murray noted that "bike paths and walkways provide an alternative to cars and help make our communities more healthy and more like neighborhoods." By standing up for bike paths, she played a role in ensuring continued funding for bike paths and trails in our nation's transportation infrastructure.

Responding to this action alert, many Washington residents wrote to Sen. Murray, thanking her for speaking up against this attack.