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Palmetto Cycling Coalition Update
March 15, 2010
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Greetings!
Quite a bit happened at National Bike Summit last week, making it worthy of an email recap of the annual event. Some of this may be old news to a few of you, but it is all really great stuff. Enjoy!
Rachael Kefalos, Executive Director
(803) 445-1099
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The Meetings & Asks
On Thursday, March 11, we met with all eight offices of South Carolina's Representatives and Senators. Although we were unable to personally meet with Senator Graham and DeMint, we had lengthy conversations with their staff dealing with transportation and infrastructure issues. All House members were on the floor for a vote that afternoon, so the only Representative we were able to meet with was Joe Wilson, who personally met us outside of the Capitol for a greeting and photo on the steps (see photo to right).
We successfully conveyed the importance of bicycling to South Carolina's Congressional Members and their staff. Although there are numerous pieces of legislation of relevance to bicycling currently underway on Capitol Hill, we focused upon the Complete Streets Act (S 584/H 1143) and the Act Act (HR 4722) in our conversations with staff. We requested that several members of Congress co-sponsor these bills, and also encouraged Representatives Brown, Clyburn, and Barrett to join the Congressional Bike Caucus (Reps. Inglis, Wilson and Spratt are currently members).
Overall, our visits with each office were very positive and optimistic, and we look forward to following up this week with the SC Delegation in DC.
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Google Announces Biking Directions
Probably the most talked about happening was Google's announcement that came Wednesday morning during the Opening Session of Bike Summit: Biking directions in the US to be integrated in Google Maps. More details from the League Press Release below:
"This new tool will open
people's eyes to the possibility and
practicality of hopping on a bike and riding," said Andy Clarke,
President of the League of American Bicyclists.
"We know people want to
ride more, and we know it's good for people and communities when they
do ride more - this makes it possible. It is a game-changer, especially
for those short trips that are the most polluting,"
Users can
now choose biking when deciding how to get to their destination,
starting today,
March 10, 2010. If you're one of the 57 million Americans who ride a
bike, mapping your daily commute, and planning recreational or trail
rides just became easier. According to Google this has been the most
requested addition to Google Maps, and the League is delighted that they
have chosen the National Bike Summit to unveil this new feature.
Google's announcement further proves the importance of the Summit and
the bicycle movement in helping our nation become a more Bicycle Friendly America. The Google biking
directions will make it that much easier for bicyclists to get to work,
school or play.
Jonathan Maus @ bikeportland.org
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This new feature includes: step-by-step
bicycling directions; bike trails outlined directly on the map; and a
new "Bicycling" layer that indicates bike trails, bike lanes, and
bike-friendly roads.
The directions feature provides step-by-step, bike-specific routing
suggestions - similar to the directions provided by our driving,
walking, or public transit modes. Simply enter a start point and
destination and select "Bicycling" from the drop-down menu. You will
receive a route that is optimized for cycling, taking advantage of bike
trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly streets and avoiding hilly terrain
whenever possible.
Visit http://maps.google.com/biking to try out this new
feature. Biking directions for Google Maps is currently in Beta.
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People for Bikes
During Tuesday evening's Welcoming and Opening Reception, Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal announced the official launch of peopleforbikes.org - a brand-new
initiative to put more people on bikes more often.
Peopleforbikes.org is collecting one million names in support of a better future for
biking - one that's safer, more convenient, and more appealing for
everyone. At this very early stage, the peopleforbikes.org movement will
depend heavily on support from bicycle advocates, enthusiasts, and
leaders like you. Please take a moment to visit the website and to sign the pledge:
Every day, millions of Americans ride for their health, for the
environment, for their communities, and for the pure joy of bicycling.
But until now, only a fraction of riders have stood up to help improve
bicycling in America.
Peopleforbikes.org is going to
change all that. They are striving to build upon the expert work of existing bike
advocacy groups and current partners to develop a powerful movement with the
clout and influence to get things done. That means promoting
bike-riding on an individual level, but also sending a unified message
to our elected leaders, the media, and the public that bicycling should
have their full support.
Though peopleforbikes.org is already up
and running, a broader public launch will coincide with the
Bicycle Leadership Conference and Sea Otter Classic in April.
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Keynote (and one surprise) Speakers
The national bicycle advocacy movement is so fortunate to have the support of several champions within US Congress that truly believe in and understand what the movement is all about. Attendees of the 2010 Summit had the opportunity to hear from two of these leaders throughout the event--Transportation/Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar and Congressman Earl Blumenauer.
And during the Congressional Reception on Thursday afternoon, we were all pleasantly surprised to have been visited by the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood. He visited the 2009 Bike Summit, but none were expecting to have seen him during the 2010 event. Watch this short 20 second clip of LaHood speaking to the rowdy 500+ advocates in the Dirksen Building on Capitol Hill--at the end of a very long day of back-to-back meetings.
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Penn Ave Bicycle Lanes!
Probably one of the most well-know roads in the United States, intersecting our fair nation's Capitol and the White House, is Pennsylvania Avenue. According to a plan unveiledPenn Ave bike lane concept drawing with Capitol in background
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Two center lanes along Penn Ave, one in each direction, will be converted to bike-only
traffic. Traffic signals will be re-calibrated so that drivers wanting to
turn left will await a left-turn arrow, while cyclists will be allowed
to turn left on the general "green dot" signal.
This is great news for DC, and for the progress of a Bicycle Friendly America.
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Make plans for next year!
Hopefully our recap of the 2010 Bike Summit is sufficient inspiration for you to make plans to attend the 2011 event. The League does a tremendous job at making this annual conference a resounding success, and it is a truly unique and fun opportunity for all. Hope to see you next year!
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The
Coalition needs the support of cyclists like yourself to continue our
efforts of making SC more bicycle friendly. We are the voice for
cyclists across South Carolina. If your membership has lapsed, please renew today! If you are not currently a member, please consider becoming one.
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Your donations ensure our success. Thank you for your support!
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