http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/callalert/index.tt?alertid=61513076
Help fight for paratransit and safer sidewalks!
The House and Senate are on the verge of striking a deal on the next federal transportation bill, and as negotiations near the finish line, we need your help: There is alarming news that some of the legislation’s best provisions—ones that would make everyone safer, give us more transportation options and prioritize the repair of our roads, bridges and transit systems—could be sacrificed to get a deal done.
More than 3,500 people have died while walking on New York roads since 2000. Yet Congress is considering scrapping the funding that helps communities make their streets safer.
As leadership hammers out the details of the legislation, New Yorkers are in a unique position to push for a better transportation bill, since New York Senator Chuck Schumer is among a small group of lawmakers that’s working on a deal. New Yorkers must tell him that America needs a bill that prioritizes the safety of all users of the road and protects our roadways, bridges, and transit systems.
Please call Senator Schumer at 202-224-6542 & Senator Gillibrand at 202-224-4451 and leave a message with the person who answers the phone.
Hi, my name is Dean DeRusso work and I’m calling from . I’m calling to ask Senator Schumer / Gillibrand to stand up for three important provisions in the transportation bill being negotiated right now.
1) Please preserve the Cardin-Cochran provisions and dedicated funding in MAP-21 that provides grants to communities to make walking and biking safer and prevent hundreds or thousands more pedestrian deaths. More than 3,500 pedestrians have died on New York roads in the last ten years — this small bit of money provided in the Senate bill could help save very real lives.
2) Please defend and preserve the Senate’s strong plan to make sure we repair our roads and bridges. With more than 2,000 structurally deficient bridges in New York, we need the focus on repair to help reduce this backlog.
3) Please ensure that our local public transportation systems are allowed to use some of their federal money to keep operating buses, paratransit and trains during the recession. We need more affordable, accessible ways to get around not fewer, especially for those with disabilities.
Thank them for their time, and after you hang up the phone, please forward this email to all of your friends who live in your state. Time is extremely short and there’s great pressure to strip out these critical provisions in the bill just to get a deal done.
