A small group of House and Senate leaders (including our own Representative Ed Markey) are still negotiating on the final transportation bill right now. The window is closing fast on our last real chance to impact the bill.

It's all in their hands—whether or not local communities will have access to funds to build biking and walking infrastructure and support Safe Routes to School—and we need your help.

Can you take a moment to call your Senators and Representative and let them know that the transportation conference committee must preserve the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran agreement (co-sponsored by both Senator Kerry and Senator Brown)? This agreement ensures that communities will have access to funds to build bike lanes, sidewalks, and biking and walking paths, and to help kids walk and bike to school.

Here's how to call:

1. Call your Representative and both Senators at the numbers listed below.

Don’t know who your U.S. Representative is? Click here and enter your address to find out.

And our two U.S. Senators:

Use the script below to ask your elected officials to preserve the Cardin-Cochran agreement:

Hi, my name is [name] and I live in [city/town/county].

I'm calling to ask Representative/Senator [name] to support the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran agreement in the transportation conference committee that ensures local governments have access to funds to build bikeways and sidewalks.

Americans support federal funding for biking and walking. In a March 2012 poll, 83 percent of Americans said they support maintaining or increasing federal funding for biking and walking—that includes 88 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of Republicans.

These projects are important to my community. (Mention a local project you know about, or use some of the facts from your state or district profile.) Please support the Cardin-Cochran agreement so that [your city/town/county] can build projects important to our community.

2. Use the America Bikes tip sheet to report back on anything you learn in your calls.

Thank you for supporting biking and walking in Massachusetts and across the country!