Given the discussion I thought that I would mention that WisDOT’s budget recommendation for Transportation Alternatives funding is online and would presumably be the starting point for the discussion. You can read it yourself at ftp://doaftp1380.wi.gov/doadocs/395%20-%20Budget%20Document.pdf The Transportation Alternatives issue papers are pages 243-246 and then the info on the recommended funding cut is on page 250.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Eric Sundquist Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 9:52 AM To: Matt Logan; 'Bikies' Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bike funding to be eliminated by the legislature? Actually MAP-21 sub-allocates half of the former Transportation Enhancements (now called Transportation Alternatives) funding to MPOs. That part of the funding, then, the state can't touch. The other part can be redirected to highways, as Matt says. An easy way to start to do that would be to opt out of the bike trails program, which Kansas and Florida did soon after the new law took effect, but Wisconsin didn't, so that may be a good sign. Wisconsin has sometimes effectively redirected bike/ped money in the past via rescission. The new law makes it easier to repurpose TA funding, but the basic rules of the game didn't change that much, and the sub-allocation is a plus. I don't have any idea what Walker, Vos, et al. are thinking about the state-level TA money. Best case WisDOT would use it in close cooperation with the MPO-level projects that are funded through sub-allocation; some states are doing that. As for the lobbyists, TA is pocket change compared to their asks around gas taxes and/or VMT fees, so I'd guess they would avoid rocking the boat. Ideologues like Vos might want to go after it just to make a point, but again it's not much money compared to the highway budget. FWIW. ________________________________ From: Matt Logan <[email protected]> To: 'William Hauda' <[email protected]>; 'Bikies' <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 9:31 AM Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bike funding to be eliminated by the legislature? Here is an interesting article (from the BFW) from early in 2012 highlighting the reason why Wisconsin’s Legislators may opt to zero out funding for bicycling in the 2013-14 budget: http://bit.ly/RlA93e I have heard that nobody is willing to go on record yet with the news of any details in the budget, but that there is only one concern when it comes to the transportation budget: does It benefit the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association (WTBA)? Keep in mind, the WTBA receives a bonus from the top state contractors based on the amount of money spent by the state for construction projects. The WTBA hates transit because the relatively large operating costs compared to highways mean a lower percentage of money for construction. Bicycling projects aren’t high on the WTBA’s list either, since providing an appealing alternative to driving would decrease the demand for expensive highway expansion projects. I contacted one Republican legislator’s office on Thursday (Rep Wynn) and basically confirmed that budget details are generally not available until early February, at which time there is usually a set of public hearings. I can’t get any details from my source about which Republican legislators are behind the push to eliminate funding for bicycling, but I plan to contact the assembly and senate chairs for their respective transportation committees (Rep Ripp [(608) 266-3404], and Senator Petrowski [(608) 266-2502] ) today to press for details. As we saw in 2011, by the time a state budget bill goes out for public hearings, Republican leadership has already settled on what it wants, so for next year, NOW is the time to start calling your representatives and making your feelings known. We know MAP-21 gives them the ability to zero out bicycle money and divert it to highways, and the rumors I have been hearing from insiders suggest that is going to happen. I hope the BFW can get involved with this effort quickly – and suggest spending on bicycling projects Republicans are likely to support – like bike paths for children to use to go to school in Rural districts. Yes, I know that is not the ideal, but it is better than the alternative at this point which is nothing! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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