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Dear Amy
Late last week the House released an outline of their transportation bill and the news was not encouraging.
The proposal would cut total transportation funding by one-third.
It would also kill the tiny slice of dedicated funding for safer walking and biking and drastically reduce transit support, while failing to focus on fixing and repairing our crumbling roads and bridges.
Now it’s the Senate’s turn. Tell the Senate that you’re counting on them to write a better bill than the House.
This isn’t over — far from it. We’ve got a good chance for a better bill with the Senate.
A Senate committee is poised to release their version soon — perhaps even this week —and we need to make sure they know they’ve got to do better.
The situation is, in no uncertain terms, bleak:
- 12 percent of our bridges need repair;
- 50 percent of our roads are rated below "good" condition;
- 47,700 people were killed while walking in the last 10 years;
- Unemployment in the construction industry is in the double-digits; and
- More than 150 public transportation systems are cutting service, raising fares or laying off workers.
One thing is clear: This is no time to cut economy-boosting investment by a third, undermine our prospects for safer, cleaner and more affordable options and leave the well-being of our existing infrastructure to chance.
The window to pass a transportation bill this year won’t be open very long. It’s critical that the Senate puts forward a bill soon that addresses these shortcomings in the House version.
Send a message to your Senators today. There’s not much time to weigh in.
Sincerely,
Stephen Lee Davis
Deputy Communications Director
Transportation for America
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