Petition: support trails as part of federal transportation funding


October 14, 2010

Rails to Trails Conservancy supports flexibility to use the Highway Trust Fund to develop a healthy mix of transportation choices including trails.

arrow Petition: http://support.railstotrails.org/site/PageNavigator/AAA

arrow More details and AAA response: www.railstotrails.org/ourWork/whereWeWork/national/news/AAA.html

 

In a recent issue of AAA World magazine, Don Gagnon, the president of AAA Mid-Atlantic, raises the issue of the shortfall in federal surface transportation funding. He writes that “if the federal Highway Trust Fund is refocused solely on its original purpose— the nation’s critical highway system— a huge increase in the gas tax will not be necessary.” He cites past funding of hiking and bike trails, transit, and museums as contributing to “an increasingly deteriorating highway system.”

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy saw these as fighting words and raised a petition to support trails and active transportation: “Say YES to the federal programs that fund all ways of getting around—including trails, bicycling and walking!”

RTC recently asked AAA National President Robert Darbelnet to disavow mid-Atlantic’s position and to join RTC in our efforts to increase and improve active transportation investment. Thus far, Mr. Darbelnet has not agreed to either.

Part of our effort to shift his position is an outreach and petition campaign to our constituents and to others who care about trails and active transportation. Thus far we have more than 25,000 signatures on the petition, and that number is growing.

Would you circulate one or both of these links to your membership and other networks? The first goes directly to the petition itself with some background info:

Petition: http://support.railstotrails.org/site/PageNavigator/AAA

The second is more involved, giving more background information and some of the recent back and forth with AAA. It will also link to the petition:

What is AAA saying? http://www.railstotrails.org/ourWork/whereWeWork/national/news/AAA.html

 

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