With Earth Day upon us, and our communities becoming more and more aware of the environmental impact of automobile use, and how the use of biking and walking to get to where we need to be benefits the environment, our health and our finances, too.
I was out with a client this week in Yonkers, and I keenly noticed many bike paths and pedestrian walks that were not there the last time I was. Every day, I notice more and more parents choosing to walk to school with their children, rather than taking a bus or driving them, and it provides quality time…tell me, what beats that?
Equally, more and more people want this, will it raise home values? I would like to think so. I also feel these same people who have these needs will be more involved in the community and suppost local businesses, too.
If you support WALKABILITY in America, tell Congress.
• Congress spends about $60 billion a year on transportation. • Nearly 85% of that goes to expanding or maintaining highways. • Only 1.5%—about $3 per American per year—goes to support walking and biking. About 15% goes to support public transit. • 83% percent of Americans live in metropolitan areas, yet only 5% live within walking distance of decent public transit.
Walkable neighborhoods result from smart policy decisions that allocate our tax dollars and set the rules for development. Currently, federal rules and funding priorities make it difficult for communities to create walkable neighborhoods.
Check out Transportation For America.org for more information and let Congress know and urge President Obama and Congress to create the world-leading, clean, efficient, sustainable transportation system we so desperately need. Take action today.
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