State Transportation Enhancements funding

In the article FHWA: NOT BEING ALL IT COULD BE there is a national concern about how the recent Federal recision order of transportation funds and how it will affect bike and pedestrian projects here in Martyland.

The short answer it shouldn't. Read more to hear SHA's response to the question.

from BBC-Talk list post:

Federal Rescissions are basically a budgeting trick. The feds promise (in SAFETEA-LU) more then they can actually deliver. Each year's budget then trims some of these promised funds, when money is 'called back,' bike-ped projects are often the first to be cut.

But people are smarter in Maryland. I confirmed a couple things with the good folks at SHA this afternoon-

"The good news is that Maryland will not be cutting projects in response to the federal rescissions. Our Finance staff is conservative in programming federal funds so that our project commitments can be maintained when rescissions occur, or when federal obligational authority is lower than previous years," says a high ranking official.

In other words, MDOT factors the inevitability of rescissions into the projects it puts on the books.

Further, MDOT does not expect to make any cuts to our Transportation Enhancements (TE), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), or Recreation and Trails Program or funding levels due to federal rescissions. These are the programs that often fund bike-ped projects and which, in many other states, are often the first programs cut.

So, the message is, Maryland's leaders have heard from you that facilities for biking and walking are important to the people of Maryland!

Forums like the BBC list are great for getting the word out on important issues, and it's working! Keep up the great work, since we all know there is much to be dine.

Regards,

Mark Counselman
One Less Car