State ranks last, tapping 37% of grants since 1991
from The Boston Globe
By Alan Wirzbicki
April 14, 2009
WASHINGTON – Despite a recent declaration by Governor Deval Patrick that encouraging bicycling is a priority for his administration, Massachusetts ranks last in the nation among all states in requesting federal funds for bike lanes, rail-trails, and similar improvements and has failed to use more than $80 million set aside for the state.
Since 1991, the state has only spent about 37 percent of its share of the funding designated by Congress for such projects, a far lower rate than in any other state, according to federal statistics. By comparison, Connecticut and Rhode Island have spent 99 percent of their federal funding.
Massachusetts has been allocated $135 million for bike and pedestrian funding since 1991, and has used $51.1 million. Critics blame the gap on a cumbersome application process that requires cities and towns to pay for planning and engineering studies, submit applications to two state agencies, and then wait, sometimes for years.
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Tags: Cycling, Federal, grants, Massachusetts
From the official site:
The 2007 Massachusetts Bicycle Transportation Plan is being prepared in cooperation with the U.S Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.
The primary purpose of the plan update is to develop a prioritized plan of on- and off-road bicycling improvements in order to implement a statewide bicycling network. The network will serve to improve multi-modal transportation generally and bicycle transportation specifically, as well as recreation, tourism, and economic vitality.
Tags: Massachusetts
Birding along the rail trail
Before and after sneak peak
