Making road investments work

Roads are pathways for more than just cars. People should never have to choose to drive a short errand simply because other forms of travel are not safe.

Highway funding led to more cars, less choices

Early in the 20th century, walking and bicycling to work or to do errands was common in the United States, and seeing bikes on the back of streetcars was not unusual. Commuters often combined walking, cycling and taking mass transit to get around.

But that began to change in the 1950s and 60s, when car use rapidly accelerated, fueled by the new high-speed Interstate Highway System, heavily subsidized through federal funding. Ultimately crisscrossing over 40,000 miles, the new freeways chiseled through cities and towns, sometimes splitting apart neighborhoods, and created new pathways for development and sprawl far from urban centers.

Bicycling and walking increasingly took a back seat to driving. By 1990, the Federal Highway Administration called bicycling and walking "the forgotten modes" of transportation.

Greater travel choice improves quality of life and the environment

At EDF, we’re committed to channeling road investments so that they work for everyone—drivers, truck drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. A 2006 study from the World Health Organization showed that inadequate pedestrian and cycling infrastructure leads to greater injuries and traffic accidents.

As more cities improve their transportation design, there will be benefits for motorized and non-motorized transportation, as well as the environment and basic quality of life.

Americans want more travel options

In 2001 and 2002, nearly 2 million Americans cycled to work or used a bike as part of their job (compared with nearly 10 million who walked to work), according to the Bureau of Transportation. Bicycling trips have doubled since 1990, reported the 2004 national Bicycling and Walking Study.

But national polls and surveys indicate that significantly more adults would bike to work if they had safe routes and secure workplace parking and changing facilities.

Investments that improve cities and towns so that people can get around on bikes or on foot are an important part of the transportation picture, and should be a big part of encouraging clean transportation.