Over 1,000 Organizations Come Together With A Clear Message for
Congress: Walking and Biking Infrastructure Is Essential ~ As Congress Develops Country’s Next Surface Transportation Bill, Advocates Warn that Vital Programs That Make It Safe to Walk And Bike Are At Risk
Washington (Feb. 2, 2026)–Today, the nation’s leading advocacy organizations for trails, walking and bicycling—the American Hiking Society, American Trails, the League of American Bicyclists, PeopleForBikes, Rails to Trails Conservancy and the Safe Routes Partnership—sent a letter to leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee with a clear message on behalf of over 1,100 organizations and millions of Americans: Walking and biking infrastructure is essential to the vitality, safety and economic resilience of communities small and large nationwide.
Background
Currently, committee chairmen Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), and ranking members Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wa.) are leading efforts to pass the country’s next surface transportation bill before the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires on Sept. 30, 2026. Bill drafts are expected later this month and will define the future of vital federal programs, like Transportation Alternatives, that have long provided the majority of funding to create, connect and maintain the country’s walking and biking infrastructure and make it safe for people to navigate their communities. These programs have supported the development of over 42,500 miles of multiuse trails nationwide, hundreds of developing trail networks that provide safe transportation and recreation in every single state, and countless projects to create safe walking and bicycling routes nationwide.
What’s at Stake
According to letter organizers, this situation carries significant urgency. There are strong indicators that the future of federal programs that invest in safe walking and biking infrastructure is at risk when it is most needed—20 people die walking in the U.S. every day and people biking and walking account for a significant proportion of the 40,000 people killed on our roadways each year. As the bill is being
developed, some Congressional leaders have indicated that it will harken back to a traditional bill that predates Transportation Alternatives’ introduction in 1991, only funding vehicle infrastructure with no investment in trails, bike paths or transit. At the same time, calls from special interest groups like the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials to consolidate and lessen the already limited spending power of these programs are cause for serious concern.
Action Needed
In response to these threats, more than 1,100 nonprofit organizations, businesses, corporations and elected officials representing millions of constituents and a broad cross-section of American priorities—from manufacturing to agriculture, healthcare, economic development, tourism and retail—have come together to demonstrate the widespread need for Congress to protect these important programs. In a letter sent to Congress on Feb. 2, 2026, signatories that represent the widespread interests of Americans are calling for the next surface transportation bill to include a fortified Transportation Alternatives program, and maintain broad eligibility for trails, walking and bicycling across transportation programs, as well as existing provisions for safe walking and bicycling.
