Making lemonade from a pair of bitter lemons

Rep. Earl Blumenauer and friend.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) sees a future for cycling, walking and transit in the House GOP’s relentless pursuit of the Ghosts of Transportation Past.

Speaking with Jonathan Maus of BikePortland.org, Blumenauer said advocates could use the GOP’s dismantling of bike-ped and transit programs as “a springboard” toward proving that bashing alternative forms of transportation “isn’t a freebie but there are costs and consequences. … That a community doesn’t work without transit, walking and biking.”

“For the first time in history we are part of a very impressive, broad coalition that is all pulling in the same direction,” he continued.

“We’ve got an administration that has been the most supportive in history and we’ve got facts on the ground. The work that has been done with the cycling community, to broaden the base, to deal with things like economic development and Safe Routes to School, it’s all there. …

“It’s a chance for us not just to beat back this bad legislation, but to educate elected officials.”

The Republican offensive against bike-ped and transit programs should trigger a national response, like the ones that have followed attacks on Planned Parenthood and public broadcasting, Blumenauer said.

“We’re going to see if the networks we’ve been building around the country translate into something,” he said. ”If we do it right, I think we’ll come out of this stronger. If not, it could really complicate the next two years. Now’s the time to put the hammer down.”

Read more at www.BikePortland.org.