Despite the high injury risk for pedestrians and cyclists in Florida, one of our own Congressmen is attempting to eliminate important protections that attempt to help reduce that risk. In this regard, a new federal transportation bill would eliminate the requirement that states designate 10 percent of federal project funds to incorporating sidewalks and bike lanes into road project designs.
Representative John Mica (R-FL) authored the bill. He believes that cutting out the requirement empowers state and local governments to spend the federal money in the way they see best, including the development of sidewalks or bike lanes if they are deemed necessary. More than 90 percent of the bill's funds will be awarded directly to states.
Mica's bill is part of a larger goal to reduce federal spending. The bill allocates 20 percent less to transportation spending than the last transportation bill passed by the Bush administration. Mica's legislation allocates $230 billion to transportation, which some believe will not be enough to cover the nation's transportation costs.
Though it makes sweeping cuts, Mica's bill does not have a lot of support in Congress from either party. Many agree that the bill goes too far, and will need revisions in order to pass through both the House and Senate.
This is good news for bike and pedestrian advocates like the Rail-to-Trail Conservancy, who believe that without the provision to allocate funds to pedestrian and bike lanes, state and local governments will overlook the need for such development.
The Bill's Potential Impact on Pedestrians and Bicyclists in Florida
If the bill becomes law, it would be bad news for Florida's pedestrians. A recent study of state data by Transportation for America ranked Florida first out of all 50 states in its Pedestrian Danger Index. Between 2000 and 2009, over 5,000 pedestrians lost their lives while walking Florida's roadways.
Ocala pedestrian accident attorneys understand the dangers that face pedestrians and bicyclists in Florida. Ocala was the 10th most dangerous metro area, outranking the Orlando-Kissimmee metro area. In Ocala, 103 pedestrians lost their lives between 2000 and 2009, accounting for 12.3 percent of all road fatalities. Brandenton-Saratsota-Venice suffered the most pedestrian fatalities out of any metro area.
The new bill, if passed, would immediately affect Marion County and adjacent counties such as Lake, Volusia, and others. For example, the Florida Department of Transportation hopes to expand a section of State Road 40 east of Silver Springs from two to four lanes. This is a major corridor adjacent to numerous hiking, biking and other recreational trails which are part of the Cross Florida Greenway and the Ocala National Forest. Residents in the towns along this corridor also must deal with heavy traffic and should enjoy a reasonable measure of safety if they choose to walk or bike around their communities.
Floridians should keep their eyes on Mica's transportation bill, since it threatens to cut funds for sidewalks across the nation, including the most dangerous state for pedestrians: the Sunshine State.
