Posts by Kevin Mills Page 3

Photo © Patrick Gage

Senate’s Turn Part I: Senate Committee Takes On the Transportation Reauthorization Bill

Posted 05/21/14 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Threats to Trail Building

Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a bill (S. 2322) to reauthorize MAP-21, the federal transportation legislation passed in 2012, which will expire at the end of September. The new bill seeks to fund transportation projects at status quo levels plus inflation through fiscal year 2020. The underlying premise of the bill is that transportation policies should not change substantially but should only be marginally refined, that long-term funding is critical for large infrastructure projects and that the current funding levels are acceptable.

Photo CC MyWheelsareTurning via Flickr

Complete Streets: Recently Introduced Bills Could Further Active Transportation in U.S.

Posted 02/28/14 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding

A couple weeks ago, the Partnership for Active Transportation—a national coalition of transportation, health and economic development groups organized by RTC—released our federal policy platform calling for three policy innovations: greater investment in active transportation networks, innovative financing to leverage the private value of these investments, and the integration of health impacts into transportation decision-making.

Photo CC Dr. Ted Eytan

Cross-Sector Coalition Calls for Investment in America’s Active Transportation Networks

Posted 02/14/14 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Federal, Funding

On Feb. 11, 2014, during a morning presentation on Capitol Hill, the Partnership for Active Transportation launched Safe Routes to Everywhere, a federal policy platform calling for cost-effective investments in active transportation networks to meet the changing mobility patterns and needs of today’s America. The Partnership is a dynamic cross-sector coalition convened by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy that unites leading groups addressing transportation, public health and community development.

Photo © Pedestrian and Bicycling Information Center

New Fatality Data Shows Transportation Spending Doesn't Match Transportation Reality

Posted 11/25/13 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding

The release of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) annual report on traffic fatalities made the news last week for one significant reason: for the first time since 2005 the number of people killed on U.S. roads increased - up 3.3 percent from 2011.

Photo © www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden

The Prevention Fund: Smart Money For Local Programs. So Why is Congress Trying to Kill It?

Posted 06/14/13 by Kevin Mills in Health and Wellness, Policy | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, State and Federal Programs

Created by the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the Prevention Fund is the nation's first large dedicated source of funds for preventing health problems. As we see in the above examples, making it easier for people to regularly walk or bike is a simple but powerful preventative medicine. Thanks to the Prevention Fund, relatively small investments in promoting walking and biking are saving the nation many billions of dollars in future healthcare costs.