Political Quotes

“I appreciate the work that has been done in this underlying legislation to put more national priority dealing with nonmotorized safety. This new program gives States funding for Vision-Zero-type activities that are on the forefront of what is happening in communities around the country that are not accepting the carnage on the highways for pedestrians and cyclists being able to use these tools, to be able to re-engineer and to enforce and protect some of our most vulnerable citizens. Being struck by a motor vehicle is the leading cause of injury- related death for children under 14, and being struck by a motor vehicle is the second-leading cause of injury-related death for senior citizens. This is our young and our old. In low-income neighborhoods, there is a much higher pedestrian fatality rate than in higher income areas. Fatalities on our roadways have declined overall, but the number of pedestrians killed annually rose 16 percent over the course of the last 5 years. We spend billions of dollars on surface transportation every year, not as much as we should, but a significant amount of money. Yet, we are spending less than a billion on critical bike and pedestrian Federal projects. That is why I strongly support the new nonmotorized public safety program. However, I have one modest concern. Only States where 15 percent or more of the traffic fatalities are nonmotorized are eligible for this funding.…”