Political Quotes

“I just returned from a 2-day livability tour, thanks to the courtesy of my colleague, Congresswoman Allyson Y. Schwartz, a champion of sustainability. I visited her district in Pennsylvania, where she represents parts of Montgomery County and Philadelphia, where we saw rural landscapes, small townships, suburban communities, dense urban areas, open space, abandoned industrial land, and an aging but vital transit system. Together, they illustrated all the challenges that we face in our efforts to rebuild and renew America. I have a special interest in their initiative for a trail network, where their vision and hard work was rewarded by millions of dollars from the Obama administration and the economic Recovery Act to help fill in the gaps of an exciting trail expansion for the two-State region, including New Jersey. Amidst impressive progress on Mayor Michael Nutter's vision to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America, with innovative water projects, creative private sector efforts in green development, township progress on revitalization, and important progress in open space protection, the bicycle session stood out. The increase in ridership in Philadelphia was impressive, and they have undertaken a spectacular program--in all 172 elementary schools to train young cyclists and pedestrians. It certainly got my attention. But so did the challenges they face as cycling advocates.…”