Responding to increasing obesity rates, Congressman James Oberstar, ranking Democrat in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, introduced a bill earlier this month that would encourage people to walk and bike in their communities. Entitled the Pedestrian and Cyclist Equity Act of 2003 (PACE), the bill would establish a national Safe Routes to School program which would seek to increase the number of children who walk or bike to school and hope to reduce car trips to and from school. The bill provides $250 million a year, from 2004 to 2009, from the national Highway Trust Fund to states and communities for pedestrian and bicycle friendly projects. Grants would be given for traffic calming, bike lanes, and walkways, along with educational and traffic safety programs.

Oberstar’s bill is long overdue. Lack of physical activity is a key reason why over one-third of American children are overweight or obese. According to Surface Transportation Policy Project, a transportation watchdog group based in D.C., the estimated annual cost of physical inactivity and obesity in the United States is approximately $117 billion. A recent study by Belden, Russonello and Stewart found that over 70% of parents used to bicycle or walk to school, while only 18% of children do today.

Driving to school also causes neighborhoods traffic jams. Oberstar asserts that in many communities, 30 percent of morning commuter traffic is generated by parents driving their children to school.

The PACE bill would help reverse the obesity trend throughout the country by providing a safer, more attractive environment for the use non-motorized transportation in local communities. The bill currently has 17 sponsors, including Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ).

Similarly, another bill being considered by Congress is the Bicycle Commuter Act, (S.1093, H.R.1052) which would extend the transportation fringe benefit currently available for transit riders and drivers (e.g TransitChek in NYC) to those who commute to work on bike. Sponsors are Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mark Foley (R-FL). 

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