By Hirschi                                            H.C.R. No. 78
       74R3043 KMP-D
                              HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Each year approximately five million Texans
    1-2  participate in bicycling, making this sport one of the most popular
    1-3  outdoor recreational activities in the state; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, Many Texans also rely on bicycles for transportation
    1-5  to and from work and school, helping to ensure cleaner air and
    1-6  lower road maintenance costs for all residents of the Lone Star
    1-7  State; and
    1-8        WHEREAS, The Texas Department of Transportation has given
    1-9  greater visibility and higher priority to bicycle travel by
   1-10  designating a statewide bicycle coordinator as part of the
   1-11  Partnership into the 21st Century transportation plan; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, The Texas Department of Public Safety also
   1-13  recognizes that bicycle safety is of vital interest to the state,
   1-14  particularly since more than half of all bicycle crashes involve
   1-15  children, and the agency has been developing a statewide bicycle
   1-16  training program for children that should reduce many of these
   1-17  accidents; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, According to the National Bicycle and Walking Study,
   1-19  a 10-percent increase in bicycle use would have immediate and
   1-20  significant benefits for Texas towns and cities, reducing not only
   1-21  air pollution and road maintenance costs, but traffic and
   1-22  transportation-related deaths as well; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, The study also recommends that actions be taken to
   1-24  further reduce bicycle-related injuries by 10 percent; now,
    2-1  therefore, be it
    2-2        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
    2-3  hereby commend the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas
    2-4  Department of Public Safety for their success in promoting bicycle
    2-5  use and preventing bicycle accidents; and, be it further
    2-6        RESOLVED, That the members of the 74th Legislature of the
    2-7  State of Texas hereby urge these agencies to adopt the National
    2-8  Bicycle and Walking Study's dual goal of increasing bicycle
    2-9  ridership by 10 percent and decreasing bicycle injuries by 10
   2-10  percent; and, be it further
   2-11        RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
   2-12  for William "Bill" Burnett, executive director of the Texas
   2-13  Department of Transportation, and James R. Wilson, executive
   2-14  director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, as an expression
   2-15  of the sentiment of the members of the Texas Senate and House of
   2-16  Representatives.