The city’s popular bike library has been named as one of the most wasteful or questionable federal projects of the year by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma.
Coburn annually publishes his “Worst Waste of the Year” report as part of a crusade against what he calls unnecessary federal spending.
Fort Collins’ free bike library appears alongside projects searching for aliens in outer space, an inner-city garden-and-salsa-making operation, a plan to put microchips in protected saguaro cactuses to track them if they are stolen, and a $135,000 federal grant to re-mount the world’s largest stuffed fish.
many are good ideas
Wonder if this guy’s ever traveled to some major European cities, where bike libraries/city bike programs are in effect. They are some of the best programs to keep pollution and traffic down and promote a healthy lifestyle. Bet he drives a Hummer.
Likewise the inner-city garden, I think that’s a great idea. If people knew where their food came from, they’d have the opportunity to learn about nutrition, health and sustainability, maybe eat fewer fast food meals and stay out of the junk food aisle at Wal-Mart.
Just cause he’s a Republican that doesn’t make him an automatic jerk. But based on his viewpoints, I’ve concluded that he is indeed a jerk.
Hardly a Waste of Money
Considering this is a u.s. senator speaking out…I have point out that after reading the article, that this is hugely popular venture. This is paid for w/ tax dollars and used by people who pay those taxes. Why then is this a waste of money?
I would think the huge salaries, per diem, and other government perks (like a double S.S. & fed retirement) that the u.s. senators & congress receives is more a waste to tax dollars, than something that serves the public as this program obviously does.
Booooo, to the senator….it’s time for him to give up his seat!
Mi Takuye Oyacin
Fort Collins Bike Library
Coburn put the Federal Highway Administration’s entire “transportation enhancement” (TE) program on his list as well. This $800 million program (in 2008) has been the source of most of the bike lanes, bike paths and many of the sidewalks in the nation since 1991 thanks to far-sighted members of congress who funded the enhancement program to the tune of about 4% of all federal highway monies. Thanks to them also for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program which funded the Fort Collins Bike Library, our Bicycle Coordinator, and many of the bike paths in town. These programs and the hard work of City transportation planners, in large part, have made Fort Collins a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community, according to the League of American Bicyclists, and have made Fort Collins one of the best places to live and to locate a business in the country, according to Money Magazine. Oklahoma hasn’t a single bicycle friendly community compared to eight in Colorado.
For Coburn’s 2009 list we’re working on using library bikes to offer escorted rides for kids, seniors and visitors from Oklahoma who otherwise might not bicycle.