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In the July/August 2010 issue of AAA World magazine, Don Gagnon, president and CEO of AAA Mid-Atlantic, argued that the federal Highway Trust Fund – a nationwide program which is meant to sponsor a wide range of transportation options – should solely fund highway development. In an article titled “Use the Highway Trust Fund to Pay Only for Highways” Gagnon criticized Congress for spending Highway Trust Fund dollars on things other than highway repair. Currently, some of that money is spent on programs which support trails, biking, walking and transit, and the implication of using the Fund “to pay only for highways” is that these other causes would be cut.

Rails to Trails Conservancy, an organization which helps convert former railroad lines to walking and bicycling trails, is calling on bike-minded AAA members to remind the Association that many drivers are trail users, too. “ programs have helped create more than 19,000 miles of trail of bicycle facilities around the country during the past 20 years,” Rails to Trails explains, and encourages AAA to “say YES to the federal programs that fund all ways of getting around.”

The broader question, and one which Rails to Trails mentions here, is whether we want our transportation dollars to fund a balanced transportation system or one that focuses solely on automobiles. For those out there who support Rails to Trails AND belong to AAA, the answer is already clear: having transportation choices is the best policy of all.

If you’re an AAA member, tell the company not to fight integrative transportation policy. Sign your name to their petition at: http://support.railstotrails.org/site/PageNavigator/AAA