Month: January 2011

from Bikeleague.org Blog by Andy
The nation’s capital was hit with both a major snowstorm and a return to Congressional action this week – with the transportation bill and future funding issues for once making more progress than the car commuters stuck in  Wednesday’s heavy snow!

On Wednesday, a Senate hearing on the transportation bill included a revealing exchange, reported by StreetsBlog DC, between Senators Inhofe, Boxer and Cardin, and witnesses from the construction industry who seem unaware that their members also build bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Inhofe (R-OK) appeared to ask for help in getting Republican support for a transportation bill that includes funding for transportation enhancements – which prompted witnesses from the National Construction Alliance and Associated General Contractors to express surprise that this even existed! Odd, given that the program has been popular and thriving for the last 20 years and their members have, presumably, been the primary beneficiaries of the investments that have gone to such community-building transportation projects such as trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes.

While no fellow Republicans leaped immediately to the defense of the program, long-time cycling supporter Senator Cardin (D-MD) certainly did, and he was joined by Senator Boxer (D-CA) who noted that many of her constituents consider cycling and walking to be transportation. Given her role as Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, this was good news.

Attention shifted to the House on Thursday. Representative John Mica (R-FL), chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced a series of dates and locations for field hearings on the next transportation bill. While there are a lot more details to come, we know for sure that its going to be important for our issues – i.e. continued investment in bicycling and walking transportation measures – to be raised at these hearings, and for those attending to know that there is a lot of public, business and public agency support for the programs that support these activities.

Concurrent with all this is an ongoing and slightly byzantine budget and appropriations process that will impact overall funding levels for transportation in the short term, and set the scene for longer-term transportation funding and policy. The America Bikes coalition – of which the League is obviously a part – is staying on top of all this, but it is a fast-moving and slightly bewildering process to try and follow from a distance. In the next month, there are probably going to be some action alerts and quick responses that are needed from cyclists around the country; we are continuing to encourage folks to meet with their members of Congress in their districts at this critical time – especially new members and new appointments to key committees. And we are looking forward to seeing many of you in Washington for the National Bike Summit in just a few weeks – where perhaps we can take stock of this current flurry of activity. It’s a lot to ask of state and local advocacy groups and individuals at a busy time for all of us – state legislatures are also back in session around the country and a lot of city and county agencies are struggling with difficult budget decisions at the same time – but all we can say is that we appreciate anything you can do to help amke the case for bicycling during this time…and this isn’t a drill, folks. The next month or so really is pretty crucial.

Which makes it really nice to have the support of key members of Congress like Senators Boxer and Cardin.

Andy Clarke
President, League of American Bicyclists

Continue reading “Congress Swings Back into Action – Boxer, Cardin Support Cyclists”

by David Alpert
One of two bills that would base all transportation decisions on models that prioritize the fast flow of cars passed the Virginia House’s transportation committee Tuesday. All of Northern Virginia’s Republicans on the committee and several Democrats voted for the bill.
HB1998 would make it state law to base transportation decisions on traditional traffic models, which consider only the fast movement of cars and nothing about how closely people live to their jobs, the relative value of transit versus roads, safe movement of pedestrians and cyclists, or any other factors.
This bill is, in essence, the exact opposite of the USDOT’s "livability" push. That agency has been retooling the formulas for federal transit funding to move away from only favoring projects that move the most people the longest distance.
…
Continue reading “Anti-livability bill passes Va. House committee”

from Streetsblog New York City by Angie Schmitt

The scene was America in the midst of a cycling craze. Cycling conventions were affecting the way people dressed and spoke. Enthusiasts were banding together to lobby for better road conditions.

Sound familiar? It was against this background in late 1800s and the early 1900s that the Women’s Suffrage Movement took hold.

The two phenomena were not entirely distinct. Women were enthusiastic participants in the cycling boom, trading petticoats for riding costumes and racing competitively. It was part of the impetus that led them to demand other types of independence, according to the book “Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom,” by Sue Macy.

Network blog Cycling and Style helps explain the importance of cycling to the Women’s Movement in its review of Macy’s book:

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leader in the women’s movement wrote in an 1895 article for the American Wheelman, that “the bicycle will inspire women with more courage, self-respect, self-reliance….” It was a prophetic statement as women, who were leaving their homes (unchaperoned!) to socialize and cycle on country roads and in parks and becoming more involved in public life. Young women were gaining more freedoms and with that came confidence and a feeling of empowerment as the Victorian era drew to a close.

Susan B. Anthony also famously commented on the importance of cycling for women:

I think it has done a great deal to emancipate women. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel. It gives her a feeling of freedom, self-reliance and independence. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can’t get into harm while she is on her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood…

Remarkable how relevant those words are even today, where women continue to play an important and unique role in the cycling movement. I like to think that these pioneering women would be proud of the brave and strong women who are helping advance the cycling cause today.

Continue reading “The Long and Triumphant History of Women in Cycling”

While this is happening in New York, there is no doubt in my mind this action is do in part by Vernon Betkey, Jr. , the head of Maryland’s Highway Safety Office so we may be next.
My issue is this is all based on assumptions. If New York ran a test period to see if a law like this would have a positive effect on reducing pedestrian crashes and no deterrent to living an active life style then hey, how can I complain? Is it really to much to ask for effective solutions over random unproven assumptions?
Continue reading “States’ Lawmakers Turn Attention to the Dangers of Distracted Pedestrians”