A bipartisan group of 68 members of the U.S. House have authored a letter to outgoing Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood asking that U.S. DOT develop performance measures that will specifically target the safety of non-motorized users.
As Martin Di Caro reports, "[t]he representatives, including D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, are asking Sec. LaHood to establish a national goal to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities and to push individual states to set 'performance measures' to accomplish the same."
While praising the recent nationwide drop in fatalities for occupants of cars and light trucks, the letter notes the distressing rise in the percentage of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths.
"Safety advocates see the establishment of performance measures as an opening for additional federal funding directed to bicycling and walking infrastructure," says Di Caro. "Currently less than one percent of federal highway safety funds are spent improving bicyclist and pedestrian safety."
FULL STORY: Dozens in Congress Press for Nat’l Bike and Pedestrian Safety Goals, Measurement

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.

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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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