It seems that U.S. Secretay of Transportation Mary Peters feels that spending DOT moneys on bicycle paths is just another way to spell pork. According to the excerpt below, from the League of American Bicyclists website, Peters made the remarks on a recent edition of the PBS NewsHour with Jim Leher. There are links in the excerpt where interested cyclists can access a PDF of the League’s official response, listen to a podcast from the pertinent edition of the PBS NewsHour, and contact Secretary Peters to voice support for bicycles as transportation.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters talks about infrastructure problems and travel initiatives.
Peters cited “bicycle paths” as a prime example of the waste
 

Last night on the PBS NewsHour with Jim Leher, DOT Secretary Mary Peters was interviewed by Gwen Ifill.

Peters, when asked about a possible gas tax increase, repeated President Bush’s response – No, there can be no tax increase because Congress is wasting the money they already get. Peters cited “bicycle paths” as a prime example of the waste because bicycles are not a transportation use of the gas tax money.

It is disappointing that the administration is attacking Jim Oberstar for his efforts to get the Minneapolis bridge repaired along with raising all the funding for transportation maintenance, by using Oberstar’s support for bicycles as a weapon.

The League of American Bicyclists feels strongly that this should not go without a response and we have sent a letter to Secretary Peters voicing our view. Click here to view our response.

For those of you who feel strongly about bicycling issues, we would also urge you to contact the Secretary to share your personal viewpoints.

To view a copy of the program click here