July 27, 2010

Dear Senator,

The Michigan Complete Streets package, House Bills 6151 and 6152 reaches the Senate Floor on
Wednesday, July 28th for a vote. Due to the need for this legislation and the overwhelming support
for them from a vast array of organizations and individuals, the Senate Transportation Committee
voted favorably on these bills and reported them out the same day that they held their first hearing.

Now the County Road Association of Michigan (CRAM) is seizing the opportunity to attempt
changes to Act 51, Section 10k, the only guaranteed source of funding for nonmotorized
infrastructure in the whole state transportation budget. As it currently stands, Section 10k requires
(as it has for the past 32 years) that 1% of all surface transportation funding in the state
transportation budget be allocated to nonmotorized transportation. Eligible projects can include
sidewalks in cities and villages, and bike lanes, widened shoulders, trails within the road right of
way, campaigns for the safety of cyclists on Michigan roads and public education efforts in all
jurisdiction that are eligible for transportation funding. This is not a hardship as jurisdictions have
ten years in which to accumulate and spend these funds. It should also be noted that nonmotorized
facilities, such as bike lanes and wide shoulders, have been proven to extend the life of our roads by
protecting their edges.

CRAM will say that there are other funding sources that can easily take the place of the 1% funding
in putting together the nonmotorized components of a “complete street”. The League of Michigan
Bicyclists and The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance know that each jurisdiction already
struggles to quilt together a wide variety of funding sources to make these projects happen. To say
that the 1% portion of the project budget can easily be replaced by another funding source is
misleading. Most projects need any and all sources that can be used for this purpose. We are
against watering down the placeholder in Section 10k which gives nonmotorized transportation its
own funding source in the state transportation budget. Altogether it is one billion dollars statewide
that already exist to put a complete streets infrastructure in place.

It is important from a financial and a philosophical point of view to retain Section 10k of Act 51 in
its current form. Let’s not put new coordination policies in place and at the same time, remove
existing funding that could help to make them happen. While we realize it will continue to take a
variety of funding sources to make a complete transportation infrastructure, it is crucial that the
state transportation budget retains its nonmotorized component to help make it happen.

Sincerely,

Nancy Krupiarz Rich Moeller

Executive Director Executive Director
Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance League of Michigan Bicyclists