Petri receives leadership award from League of American Bicyclists

Rep. Thomas Petri didn't have much success in his fight to keep federal dollars flowing to projects for bicyclists and pedestrians. He has, however, been rewarded for his effort.

The League of American Bicyclists honored the Republican from Fond du Lac with one of 13 leadership awards, recognizing the legislators who work to make bicycling safe and accessible.

"Unlike so many issues on Capitol Hill, bicycling truly transcends political party, bringing Republicans and Democrats together to protect and promote the health and safety of their constituents," said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. "We commend our Leadership Award recipients and call on all members of Congress to follow their lead and unite around a federal transportation bill that continues investment in bicycling programs that create jobs, cut healthcare costs and save Americans money."

The League distributed its leadership awards on Thursday, the last day of the National Bike Summit, in Washington, D.C.

Thousands of cyclists traveled to the capitol to lobby legislators for further support in the transportation bill now pending in Congress.

Petri's amendment to preserve $1.2 billion in bicycle and pedestrian projects failed a committee vote on the House version of the bill. The Senate version, passed last week, maintains the financial support for local projects, including bike lanes, paths and safe routes to schools programs.