Federal Level
Help the National Transit Justice Campaign take a stand on restoring $10B in funding for transit operations in the Senate’s final infrastructure deal (known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal). The Transportation for America blog explains that, once again, funding for transit operations falls short of the investment we all seek to achieve faster, more frequent, and more reliable bus and train transit. These are the same issues we are fighting locally to get our agencies to provide better service, and the response we get is they don’t have the funding. Yet, it is those same transit agencies (primarily through APTA) that are now silent on asking Congress helping them to fund more fast, frequent, and reliable service. We need to stand up for transit riders and this might be our last chance to get Congress to make a historic investment in transit operations.
If you can, please do three things:
Reach out to your Congressional contacts with the attached template letter and Dear Colleague Letter to encourage them to sign. Deadline is September 7 at 5pm.
Send an Action Alert to your membership encouraging them to take one minute to email this advocacy letter their member of Congress, California’s senators, Speaker Pelosi, and President Biden.
Contact me directly if you would like to help set up a meeting or would like a customized action alert for your members.
Cyclists are getting more options with the U.S. Bicycle Route System’s latest expansion.
In total, 18 new bicycle routes have been added to the national system, which measures 2,903 miles –the largest addition to date, according to the Adventure Cycling Association.
State Level
AB 122 passed the senate! Next stop is the Governor's desk. Keep following for updates on when to send more letters of support.
General LA
L.A. City Added Bikeways in FY20-21, But Missed Some Opportunities for More and Better
"The city Transportation Department (LADOT) has been good at adding straightforward bike facilities where there is sufficient width to add them without removing anything from drivers. This Streetsblog editor just wishes that they would go a bit further – mostly in figuring out how to squeeze facilities through pinch-points, where they instead drop."
Central LA (Includes East, Northeast, South Central, Mid-City)
EAST LA:
Concrete arches revealed at the Sixth Street Viaduct
The $500-million L.A. River crossing is scheduled to open in 2022.
NORTHEAST LA:
LADOT is making improvements to the intersection of Ave 50 & Meridian Street and to neighborhood streets in Highland Park! Please share your feedback.
CENTRAL LA:
LADOT is working with communities to identify potential connections and crossings on neighborhood streets that will make walking and biking easier and more stress-free. They want to hear about your experiences -- and what might be getting in the way of you biking or walking on those streets.
SOUTH LA:
LADOT is working with communities to identify potential connections and crossings on neighborhood streets that will make walking and biking easier and more stress-free. They want to hear about your experiences -- and what might be getting in the way of you biking or walking on those streets.
San Gabriel Valley (Includes Pasadena, SouthPas, Pomona)
LA PUENTE:
La Puente Safe Routes to School Plan would like you to use their mapping tool to share destinations, preferred routes, barriers/challenges, and your suggestions related to travel to and from schools in the community. They also have a separate online survey to identify concerns and collect suggestions related to improving school travel in La Puente.