Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Improvement Act of 1993

Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Improvement Act of 1993 - Requires each State to obligate for bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways not less than three percent of the funds: (1) apportioned to the State under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and the Surface Transportation Program; (2) apportioned to the State for the National Highway System; and (3) made available for forest development roads and trails, public lands development roads and trails, park roads, parkways, Indian reservation roads, and public lands highways.

Allows the Secretary of Transportation to require States to acquire right-of-ways reasonably necessary for bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Prohibits the Secretary from approving Federal-aid system projects, including bridge projects, that will result in the severance, reduction, or destruction of an existing or potential route for nonmotorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project provides a reasonable alternative route or such route exists.

Requires States to survey all public roads to identify hazardous locations which may constitute a danger to bicyclists and to correct such locations.

Permits the use of electric golf carts on trails and walkways, when State and local regulations allow.

Requires appointed members of the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee of the Department of Transportation to be selected from, among others, organizations representative of bicyclists and pedestrians.

[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1824 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1824

 To amend title 23, United States Code, to provide a minimum level of 
funding for bicycle transportation facilities and pedestrian walkways, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 1993

 Mr. Kennedy introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Public Works and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 23, United States Code, to provide a minimum level of 
funding for bicycle transportation facilities and pedestrian walkways, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bicycle and Pedestrian 
Transportation Improvement Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States transportation system requires 
        greater diversification in order for the country to retain and 
        improve its economic competitiveness in relation with other 
        nations.
            (2) Bicycling and walking have been overlooked as modes of 
        transportation by policymakers.
            (3) It is possible and desirable to dramatically increase 
        the number of persons who commute by bicycle or foot; since 54 
        percent of Americans live within 5 miles of their workplace and 
        75 percent live within 10 miles of their workplace and, of the 
        over 100,000,000 bicycles owned by Americans, only 1 in 40 is 
        used to commute to and from the workplace.
            (4) A transportation system that includes facilities for 
        bicycle and pedestrian transportation provides numerous 
        advantages for commuters and the Nation as a whole, including 
        reduced traffic congestion, reduced air pollution, reduced 
        dependence on imported oil, increased conservation of 
        nonrenewable resources of energy, reduced deaths and injuries 
        due to accidents between pedestrians and cyclists on the one 
        hand and motorized travelers on the other, increased health for 
        those who travel by bicycle or foot, and improved preservation 
        of natural habitats, particularly environmentally sensitive 
        areas such as wetlands.
            (5) Traffic congestion is a serious threat to our Nation's 
        economic wellbeing. In 1989, traffic congestion in 39 of the 
        Nation's large urban areas cost the country $41,000,000,000 in 
        travel delays, increased fuel consumption, and increased auto 
        insurance premiums. Traffic congestion currently causes over 
        2,000,000,000 hours in delays per year. Over the next 14 years, 
        congestion on highways will rise by 400 percent and on urban 
        thoroughfares by 120 percent.
            (6) The transportation needs of many parts of the country 
        cannot be met simply by expanding the size and number of 
        roadways. In urban areas, one-half of all urban space is 
        devoted to roads, parking spaces, and other motor vehicle 
        facilities. Throughout the country, it is infeasible to meet 
        increased travel demands by expanding existing roadways. For 
        example, Interstate Route 95 between Miami and Orlando, 
        Florida, would have to be expanded to a 40-lane highway to meet 
        expected traffic flows by the year 2005.
            (7) Motor vehicles contribute significantly to air 
        pollution. Cars and trucks generate 80 percent of carbon 
        dioxide emissions. The average automobile emits 9 pounds of 
        hydrocarbons and 62.5 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. 
        Accordingly, reduced reliance on cars and trucks can contribute 
        significantly to meeting the goals of the Clean Air Act.
            (8) Diminished reliance on motor vehicles reduces America's 
        reliance on foreign oil. Currently, approximately one-half of 
        all oil used in the country is imported. Of that amount, 63 
        percent is used for transportation.
            (9) Nationwide, 20 percent of fatalities on roadways 
        involve pedestrians or bicyclists, and in cities, the figure is 
        50 percent.
            (10) Constructing bicycle and pedestrian facilities is far 
        less expensive than building new roadways. A one-mile stretch 
        of bicycle and pedestrian path costs approximately $46,000. One 
        mile of a 4-lane highway costs approximately $1,000,000.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To diversify the Nation's transportation system to 
        enable it to remain efficient into the next century and to 
        improve our Nation's ability to compete economically with other 
        nations.
            (2) To reduce deaths of and injuries to bicycle and 
        pedestrian commuters.
            (3) To reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, dependence 
        on foreign oil, and development of natural environments.

SEC. 3. MINIMUM FUNDING LEVEL.

    Section 217 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h) Minimum Obligation Requirement.--Each State shall obligate in 
a fiscal year--
            ``(1) not less than 3 percent of the funds apportioned to 
        the State in such fiscal year under sections 104(b)(2) and 
        104(b)(3) of this title for projects authorized by subsection 
        (a);
            ``(2) not less than 3 percent of the funds apportioned to 
        the State in such fiscal year under section 104(b)(1) of this 
        title for projects authorized by subsection (b); and
            ``(3) not less than 3 percent of the funds made available 
        to the State in such fiscal year for forest highways, forest 
        development roads and trails, public lands development roads 
        and trails, park roads, parkways, Indian reservation roads, and 
        public lands highways for projects authorized by subsection 
        (c).''.

SEC. 4. RIGHT-OF-WAY ACQUISITION.

    Section 109(f) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``bikeways'' and inserting ``bicycle and pedestrian 
facilities''.

SEC. 5. PROTECTION OF EXISTING BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC.

    Section 109(n) of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``, including bridge projects,'' after 
        ``title'';
            (2) by inserting ``, reduction,'' after ``severance''; and
            (3) by striking ``major'' and inserting ``or potential''.

SEC. 6. HAZARD ELIMINATION.

    Section 152(a) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after ``motorists'' the following: ``, bicyclists,''.

SEC. 7. OTHER USES.

    Section 217(h)(3) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting ``and electric golf carts'' after ``motorized wheelchairs''.

SEC. 8. NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    The third sentence of section 404(a)(1) of title 23, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting ``, of bicyclists and pedestrians,'' 
after ``owners''.

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