Greetings!
Two weeks ago
we reported on Energy Secretary Chu's
love of bicycling - news that was quickly followed by the revelation
that
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor also enjoys a spin
around the neighborhood. Click here for the AP article. Seems
like the timing for our
Equality Statement was pretty
good!
Sincerely,
Andy Clark
President, League of American Bicyclists
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Smart Cycling Conference
 There are less than two
weeks to go to the Smart Cycling Conference in San
Jose
- so check out the exciting program, various riding opportunities and
area
attractions, and sign up at the competitive conference rates that are
good
through June 12. We're looking forward to lively educational sessions,
and
you'll be the first to learn who the recipients are of two of the
League's
prestigious national awards. There's also a Board of Directors meeting
on
Thursday, June 18! Register for the conference today!
Thank you to our Sponsors NBDA and CycleAware!
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League 2009 Rally
 Registration
is now open for Weekend on Wheels
2009 - the League
National Rally of Bicyclists. The Twin Cities Bicycling Club, in
partnership
with the League and the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota,
is the proud host of the National Rally at the annual WOW event, July
31
through August 2 in Winona, Minn.
The weekend is jam-packed with activities. There will be
three full days of riding with route support and full-service rest
stops. Routes
will be from 25 to 62 miles Friday and Sunday, and 25 to 100 miles on
Saturday.
For mountain bikers, check out the great trails around Winona on
Saturday afternoon.
Go to www.bikewow.org
for more information.
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There is Safety in Numbers
In a comparison of cycle use
and cyclists' safety in English cities and counties, CTC - the UK's
national cyclists' organization, has found new evidence that cycling
gets safer the more cyclists there are. The data show that the places
with the highest cycle use - York, Cambridgeshire and Hull - are also
the safest places to cycle. Also, in London there has been a
91% increase in cycle use since 2000, together with a 33% reduction in
the actual number of cyclist casualties over roughly the same period.
This adds weight to international evidence that the best way to improve
cyclists' safety is to encourage more people to cycle. Source ctc.org
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Proposal to End Federal
Funding for Bike
Projects
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Federal Transportation Policy and
Planning Act
of 2009
Senator John D. Rockefeller,
IV (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Senator Frank
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Surface
Transportation, introduced The Federal Surface Transportation Policy
and Planning Act of 2009. One major goals of the act is to reduce
national per capita motor vehicle miles traveled on an annual basis.
Read the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation's press release. Read more at Transportation for America.
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Blumenauer's Three Specific
Initiatives
Congressman Earl Blumenauer
(D-OR) recently revealed his current top three initiatives. The first
is what Blumenauer calls a "visible achievement project." The project
would put bike lanes on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C - a high
profile pr move. It's one of the most famous streets in America; it's
home to the White House, numerous federal office buildings, and it
leads directly into the U.S. Capitol building. The next priority
Blumenauer shared is his desire to set a national goal for biking. The
idea here is to set a reachable target for advocates (both inside and
outside of government) to shoot for in the re-write of the new
transportation bill. The final national priority Blumenauer said he's
working on is to expand the Safe Routes to Schools program into high
schools and the American workplace. Safe Routes was funded with $600
million in the last transportation bill but is currently only focused
on elementary schools. The Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership
is already backing a new bill that would
triple funding for the program and take it into high schools. Read more.
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Safe Passing Bill Passes Texas
House and Senate
The final version of Texas'
Safe Passing Bill, SB 488, was passed May 31, 2009 by the Texas House,
and the Senate overwhelmingly voted to pass it on June 1, 2009. That
was the final step for the bill to complete in the Legislature and now
it is being sent to Governor Perry. We will know the outcome by June
21, the last day the Governor can sign or veto bills. Read the bill.
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Westchester
Cycle Club in a Rumble
over
Rumble Strips
The Westchester Cycle Club
filed a lawsuit against the New York State Department of Transportation
based upon accidents involving rumble strips along a rustic stretch of
Route 100. Rumble strips, an audible road delineator that ridges the
area parallel to highways and is meant to startle dozing drivers and
keep them on the road, are usually confined to heavily trafficked
highways but they are becoming more popular on smaller roads. Visit the
Westchester Cycle Club. Source: New York Times
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Complete Streets in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia was recognized
as a Bicycle Friendly Community on June 4, 2009 as the
League of American Bicyclists presented Mayor Michael A. Nutter with
the League's prestigious Bicycle Friendly Community Award at the Bronze
Level. Mayor Nutter also signed Philadelphia's first Complete
Streets Executive Order which makes full consideration of cyclists,
pedestrians and public transit users an integral part of streets
planning by City Departments and agencies. Read more. Visit the Bicycle Coalition of Greater
Philidelphia.
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Tempe's New Transportation
Hub
The City of Tempe, Ariz. and
ValleyMetro, the transit authority that provides the region's new light
rail system, have just created a new facility that incorporates smart
growth, green building and sustainable transportation. The Tempe
Transportation Center and the Metro light rail line opened this past
December. Source: tempe.gov.
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Mississippi Update
Oxford, Miss., the state's
first Bicycle Friendly Community, is part of Mississippi's efforts to
certify 30 new safety instructors, both to make biking safer in the
state and to promote more use of biking for recreation and
transportation. The Mississippi Department of Transportation's Safe
Routes to School program is sponsoring the training in conjunction with
Bike Walk Mississippi. "In exchange for support from the Mississippi
Department of Transportation for the training, each participant will
commit to providing five courses in the coming year to local schools,
youth groups and community organizations," said Dr. Mike Mossing,
chairman of Oxford's Pathways Commission. Read more. Visit Bike Walk Mississippi.
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San Francisco Bicycle
Coalition's free
Urban Cycling Workshop
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Miami Valley Cycling Summit
Join forces with cycling
enthusiasts, public officials and advocacy groups from around the Miami
Vally, Ohio region in their efforts to make Miami Valley the first bike
friendly region in Ohio. The Miami Valley Cycling Summit will provide
engaging workshops, roundtables, presentations and much more. Read more.
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The Alliance
for Biking & Walking is
Awarding Seven Grants
The
Alliance for Biking & Walking
is awarding seven grants totaling over $125,000 to grassroots biking
and walking advocacy organizations. The Advocacy Advance Grants will be
used to jump-start emerging advocacy organizations and to fund
innovative campaigns with the potential to dramatically increase biking
and walking. These grants are a key part of the Advocacy Advance
Partnership with the League of American Bicyclists. Launched this
year, the grants are made possible with generous funding by SRAM,
Planet Bike, Bikes Belong, and Cannondale. Nearly 100 proposals
totaling over $2 million were received in this first round.
Read more.
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League Job Opportunity
The League is hiring a Membership Director. The
primary objective of
this position is to manage all functions related to membership,
including but not limited to the recruitment, retention and engagement
of members. Read more.
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The
League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and
transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a
bicycle-friendly
America.
The League represents the interests of America's 57 million bicyclists,
including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For
more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org.
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Help protect
the rights of cyclists across the nation:
Donate today!
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