This came up on my local cycling discussion board, and a AAA representative wrote back to one of them:

Thank you for contacting our internet department with your comments about AAA's position relative to funding walking and biking trails

AAA is a large federation of clubs serving nearly 52 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Naturally, opinions within our federation and those expressed in the various individual club publications are not always congruent, and frequently reflect specific local and regional issues. At the same time, we do share much in terms of our support of our advocacy goals, which focus on a myriad of issues including teen driver safety, senior mobility, distracted driving and child passenger safety.

The specific commentary about transportation funding that has generated e-mail from yourself and others was printed recently in a AAA club publication from the mid-Atlantic area. Here at AAA Southern New England, our positions on federal transportation program and funding reforms are clear. We seek support for a transportation system that:

O provides clear choices and multi-modal opportunities
O is affordable and accessible for all users
O facilitates personal travel needs
O preserves and maximizes the utility of the current system
O increases capacity to address growing congestion

Our local club consistently supports the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy with modest financial support each year. More importantly, we support the organization as it vocally advocates for cyclists across America. We are aware that many AAA members enjoy riding bikes for recreation, and that many people use bikes as a means to commute to work, improve their physical health and reduce their overall carbon footprint. Our club's extensive and on-going work in the area of bicycle and pedestrian safety is further testimony to the broad and inclusive view we take regarding our country's transportation system.

As we look ahead to crafting a thoughtful and responsible highway reauthorization formula in the coming year, it is critical that the needs of a diverse stakeholder group be considered. I am hopeful that the various constituencies will continue to work together to achieve our mutual goal of making transportation a national priority.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Albert
Senior Vice President
AAA Southern New England
110 Royal Little Drive
Providence, RI 02904
401.868.2000 x2130