Maximizing Federal Support for Bicycling

The federal transportation law is the largest source of U.S. bicycle facility funding. The main reason Bikes Belong formed in 1999 was to maximize federal funding for bicycling in this law, which is reauthorized every five or six years.

Between 2002 and 2005, we invested $1 million in a coordinated lobbying effort that involved several national bicycle advocacy groups. This resulted in $4.5 billion for bicycling and walking in SAFETEA-LU, the federal transportation law passed in August 2005. This funding authorization is $2 billion more than the previous law—a considerable increase. The money is now funding new bike paths, lanes, trails, and programs throughout the U.S.

To pursue our goal of increasing federal funding for bicycling, we continue to develop our relationships with members of Congress in anticipation of the next federal transportation law, due in 2009. In addition, we’re exploring other bicycle friendly legislation and federal funding sources.

Bikes Belong’s clout in Washington, D.C. is steadily increasing. Click on a link below to learn how we maximize federal funding for bicycling.

Lobbying
National Bike Summit
BikesPAC
Overview of SAFETEA-LU