Opinion: Stop Congress from taking Tahoe bike money
To the community,
Tahoe and the nation need your help right now. As I mentioned months ago, members in Congress are seeking to eliminate bike/ped and recreation trail funding from the transportation bill.
Finally, major Tahoe stakeholders have finally got it right about the need to build a bicycle-friendly region with a connected network of bikeways bringing us together more often — without the need for motor vehicles. But is it too late?
Help Tahoe and America stay the course with building a low cost, high-valued, and sustainable transportation system not reliant on motor vehicles. Motor vehicle infrastructure is not sustainable because we can’t afford to increasingly build more as energy costs continue to escalate from unstable governments.
Contact your local and state representatives and tell the Senate to vote for our sustainable future through human powered transportation initiatives — trails.
Keepin it real and rollin,
Ty Polastri, president Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition
I would rather see the money go to important projects, such as mortage relief, creating jobs, feeding the hungry, etc. In these times we are going through it is a matter of priorities. Which is more important, addressing the needs of a majority of recreation users or those a few? When parks and recreation areas which provide many and varied uses to the majority of those seeking recreation are being closed, is it fair or wise to concentrate scarce funds on one small segment of users to the exclusion of others.
Perhaps the burden of improving and expanding bicycle paths and trails should fall upon those who use them?
A bicycle registration fee or “green sticker fund” levied upon those who directly use and benefit from the impovements. Bicycle riders should be happy to contribute as drivers of vehicles do, paying through DMV fees, high gasoline and diesel taxes, etc for the roads they use.
There is no free ride and cyclists should assume responsibility for a portion of the cost their recreation brings.
I agree it’s a matter of priorities. We send our dollars to Washington and then were made to beg for some of it back for projects, messed up system if you ask me. Besides, their so good at priorities right… how about some sidewalks and beautification projects to bring our broken down city back to life?
Right on Boone. We are very messed up.
I think it’s time to finish something we began. Think further ahead and know that there is a real need for safe trails and routes for people who choose to bike. How can we ask citizens to lower gas consumption and use alternative transportation, without providing safe routes? Tell high paid leaders (City, County, State, Federal)to take their spending plans down a few notches and leave what we voted for alone.
I think that a nominal fee, maybe $5, when the bike is purchased, to go for bike trails and upkeep, would be tolerable, and doable.
Some bicycle/pedestrian paths are very utilitarian. These paths are used to go to church, school, get food/clothing/ect.., and to get to work.
Stop by and count all the varied people trying to get away from a 2000Lb + vehicle on hiway 50 in the Highland Woods area pathways that are separated from the roads, side walks, ect… Some of these people are going to school, getting food, keeping Jr. as far as possible from the toxic air of hiway 50,ect…
Some places like Yosemite don’t even allow private internal combustion engines in some areas.
Bike and pedestrian paths are much needed infrastructure in the Tahoe basin!
Bike trails may be necessary, but why should the federal government pay for them? Why should taxpayers from New York and Florida pay for bike trails at Lake Tahoe? If we want bike trails, we should pay for them ourselves.
And improved bike trails encourage bike tourists which bring in new tourism dollars which create jobs that bring in money to businesses….and it goes on. I am out of town now and about half the cars in my hotel’s parking lot have bikes on the back!
Keep in mind people that this is a transportation bill for the entire nation, just not the Tahoe Basin. And communities across the country benefit from expansions and improvements to their bike trail systems, be it class 1 or class 2 trails.
It’s also, a logical move for the local economies. Just look at the popularity of the Tahoe City/West Shore bike trail. People go to that area of the Lake just to enjoy the trail system with their families.
Congress wears the pants,get use to it,ride at your own risk where ever you pedal to.
There’s far more important things than bitching about bike paths when 8 months out the year they are cover in snow.
HOW ABOUT SOME POT HOLE FIXES FIRST!
Hey “Neighbor” you are right on. If the federal government only spent money on FEDERAL issues (national defense, international issues, etc.) our taxes would be much lower and we could fund our own local needs. Every dollar we send to Washington is only returned to us at about $0.10 on the $1.00. If they did this the federal government payroll would be cut significantly as well.