[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17159]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PEDESTRIANS AND 
                               BICYCLISTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ALBIO SIRES

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2013

  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the importance of 
investing in safe infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists. I 
recently read a report presented by the Sierra Club and League of 
American Bicyclists, entitled The New Majority: Pedaling towards 
Equity, and as someone who rides a bicycle regularly, I think there's a 
lot to be excited about in their findings.
  Across the nation, bike ridership is up--and the numbers are 
impressive. From 2001 to 2009 there has been a 22% increase in bike 
trips among white Americans, 50% for Hispanics, 80% for Asian 
Americans, 100% among African Americans, and there's plenty of room for 
those numbers to grow.
  Unfortunately, concerns about access to safe infrastructure remains a 
barrier for many would-be riders. I believe we must do more in Congress 
to address that. It's a simple fact that when we invest in complete 
streets with safe pedestrian and bicycle pathways, we create 
communities where businesses want to invest and families want to live. 
That is why I plan to introduce a bill in the coming weeks that will 
create innovative new ways of financing non-motorized infrastructure 
projects. I am hopeful that this legislation will attract bipartisan 
support here in Congress, so that Americans of all age and background 
can enjoy equitable access to safe roads.

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