Bike and Pedestrian Improvements program authorization cut to zero in proposed DelDOT capital bill

In the proposed FY14 Delaware capital authorization bill recently released (Senate Bill #15), the Bike and Pedestrian Improvements program authorization has been cut to zero.

This program was funded at $10.25 million in the FY13 capital authorization passed last year (House Bill #410).  (That earlier authorization is not changed by SB15; the Department of Transportation can still spend those previously authorized funds.)

Overall state and federal proposed authorization for DelDOT this year is $389 million which, if approved by the General Assembly in June, would be an increase of a little less than 3% over last year’s state and federal authorization of $379 million.

The General Assembly will consider this proposal over the next few months, and will vote on a final bill on June 30.

Even if the General Assembly rejects this proposal and decides this year to again fully fund the Bike and Pedestrian Improvements program at $10 million, that would still only represent 2 1/2 percent of DelDOT’s capital budget. (In contrast, around 25% of traffic fatalities in Delaware are pedestrians and bicyclists.)

“State Authorized Funding for Bicycling Improvements” was the top vote getter at Bike Delaware’s Strategic Vision 2013 conference in November, and also in online voting.

RELATED:

• “State Authorized Funding for Bicycling Improvements” Tops 2013 Vote

• Authorize. Program. Spend. (A Very Short Guide to Transportation Funding for Cycling Projects)

• Delaware House Bill #410

• Delaware Senate Bill #15

• Delaware Senate Concurrent Resolution #13

By Staff in Walkable Bikeable Delaware on February 11, 2013

BIKE DELAWARE is a member-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to making bicycling a safe, convenient and fun transportation option in Delaware.

Recent Articles

So what does it really mean to “Go Dutch” ?

by David Hembrow Published at a A view from the cycle path May 3, 2013   I spent many years trying to promote cycling in the UK in many ways, including driving...

 

The surprising rise of Minneapolis as the most bike-friendly city in America

By Jay Walljasper Published in Bicycle Times People across the country were surprised … when Bicycling Magazine named Minneapolis America’s “#1 Bike...

 

Swerve (Video)

Y.N.RichKids – My Bike Kathleen Patterson, Gordon Roth liked this post

 

Delaware the 5th most bicycle-friendly state in America? “I figured either LAB had gone crazy or else I had.”

  “When I first saw the headline, I figured either LAB had gone crazy or else I had.” – recent comment by Bike Delaware reader Just a few...