Baldwin, Johnson Join Bill to Expand Federal Funding for Bike and Pedestrian Safety and Honor Wisconsinite Killed in Biking Accident

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in introducing the bipartisan Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Safety Transportation Act – legislation to expand federal funding opportunities for local governments to improve roadway safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. This legislation is named in honor of Sarah Debbink Langenkamp, a mother, wife, Wisconsin native, and American diplomat who was killed while riding her bicycle in Bethesda barely two weeks after being evacuated from Ukraine in the summer of 2022 following Russia’s invasion.

“Whether you’re walking, biking, or driving, Americans should feel confident they can get from point A to point B safely on our roads,” said Senator Baldwin. “Sarah should still be with us today, and I’m proud to honor her legacy by preventing future tragedies and giving our local communities the tools they need to protect Wisconsin bikers and pedestrians on the road.”

“While honoring Sarah Debbink Langenkamp, this bill will protect Wisconsinites by investing in infrastructure to enhance road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. By using taxpayer dollars effectively, it will help prevent further deaths from preventable traffic accidents and ensure Americans feel safe when using our roads,” said Senator Johnson.

“Sarah’s death meant we lost a mother, a wife, a friend and an incredible diplomat, and she was just one of thousands caught up in a worsening trend of traffic death in America,” said Sarah’s husband Dan Langenkamp. “We have to do more to protect people, and this bill, by helping communities build the walking and biking infrastructure they need, will do just that.”

According to the National Household Travel Survey and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), bicyclists and pedestrians account for 7.8 percent of transportation trips but 21 percent of fatalities. In 2022, overall traffic fatalities decreased slightly, while bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities increased by 13 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) advises that bicycle lanes can reduce total crashes up to 49 percent on urban four-lane undivided collector and local roads and reduce total crashes up to 30 percent on urban two-lane undivided collector and local roads. In addition, FHWA reports that sidewalks can reduce pedestrian crashes by 65-89 percent along roadways and that adding a shoulder on a rural road can reduce pedestrian crashes by 71 percent.

The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) – created more than a decade ago and expanded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – funds projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities and other road safety efforts, and it includes a set-aside to ensure communities with a population under 5,000 have a fair opportunity to apply for these funds. However, it is those communities – often rural or low-income – that face difficulty meeting the program’s 20 percent local matching fund requirement.

The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Safety Transportation Act allows the option of using federal funds from the Highway Safety Improvement Program to cover the local cost share of safety projects under TAP. Allowing up to 100 percent federal support for pedestrian and bicycle safety initiatives will give states additional flexibility to support locally identified and initiated projects to improve roadway safety for all users.

This bill is also cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and in the House by Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Mike Thompson (D-CA-04), Bryan Steil (R-WI-01), and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03). This legislation is endorsed by The League of American Bicyclists and the Safe Routes Partnership.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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