Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

When Congress passed a long-term transportation bill for the first time in more than a decade earlier this month, People for Bikes called it "a great day for bikes," and Momentum Magazine called it a "win for bikes." But is it?

Federal biking and walking funding in the new transportation bill doesn't look so awesome when adjusted for inflation. Graphs: Bike Portland
Federal biking and walking funds in the new transportation bill are on a downward slope when adjusted for inflation. Graphs: Bike Portland
false

The bill reserves $820 million for biking and walking infrastructure annually in its first two years, rising to $850 million by 2018. Michael Andersen at Bike Portland adjusted those figures for inflation. In those terms, dedicated biking and walking funds didn't fare as well as other categories of spending in the bill.

He writes:

That’s not everything the federal government spends on bike infrastructure, but it’s one of the biggest chunks. In a post on Dec. 2 about the transportation bill, the low-car advocacy group Transportation for America described it as “one of the few programs where funding doesn’t grow with the overall increases in bill.”

And does the increase in TAP funding even keep up with the growth in the number of bike riders in America? Not exactly, says Caron Whitaker, the VP of government relations for the League of American Bicyclists.

Is this a win? Well, it depends on what you’re starting from. Eleven months ago, an oil-industry-funded coalition of advocacy groups was sending a shot across Congress’s bow by declaring that “Washington continues to spend federal dollars on projects that have nothing to do with roads like bike paths and transit.”

National advocates fended off those attacks, and Congressional representatives like Washington's Rick Larsen held firm on dedicated biking and walking funds. They deserve a lot of credit for preventing significant losses in a hostile political climate.

Still, looking toward the future, Congress has to do better, especially as more people bike and demand for infrastructure grows.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Better Cities & Towns explains the problem with "forgiving" road design. And also from Bike Portland, ODOT officials say they're considering a road diet in response to the hit-and-run killing of a cyclist.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Thursday’s Headlines Are Charged Up for the Fourth

The Republican megabill is bad for the electric vehicle industry, but it could be worse.

July 3, 2025

Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Instead of making America easier to see on all modes, the US Department of Transportation is encouraging U.S. residents to just get in their cars and drive.

July 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025
See all posts