We dress to impress here in DC.
After a day of advocacy strategy meetings with others from California and beyond, we’re prepping for our meetings with elected officials tomorrow.
Off to dinner first, then more prep for tomorrows meetings! Wish us luck!
The founder and champion of Safe Routes to School, Deb Hubsmith, shares some astounding statistics about kids biking & walking to school.
In 2005, the medical costs of treatment for kid’s biking & walking injuries, including fatalities, totalled $839 MILLION – 4.5 times what we annually spend on Safe Routes to School
10-14% of ALL road traffic is made of kids being driven to school
Only 13% of kids ages 5 to 14 walk or bike to school. In 1960 this number was over 50%
One of the BIG reasons we’re in Washington DC is to fight to SAVE Safe Routes to School funding. We KNOW it’s important for our children to safely get to/from school for years to come!
This morning we heard from Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood about the future of bicycling in America. It was early morning east coast time, even earlier if you take ito account the time change, yet LaHood was able to offer some inspiring words before we take to Capitol Hill tomorrow and meet with our elected officials.
A good transportation bill, is a good jobs bill.
Our goal here in DC is to ask for continued, dedicated funding for biking & walking, LaHood is right there with us:
Read more about his words this morning on his own site here.
We’ll have more updates from the rest of the day soon enough! Twitter has been the place where a lot of acivity is happening here at the Bike Summit, follow us on there to see updates we’re sharing from other groups too.
Another record breaking year, with over 800 people this year at the National Bike Summit! So many dedicated people in one place, so much to share, we can’t wait…
Currently at the National Women Cycling Forum, with an inspiring panel of women, all hoping to increase the number of women on bicycles in our country.
Veronica Davis: Co-founder of Black Women Bike
Andrea Garland: Planner at Alta Planning+Design
Nelle Pierson: Events Coordinator for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Marla Streb: Former professional cyclist of 16 years, works with all-female Team LUNA Chix
Elysa Walk: General Manager of Giant Bicycle
Did you know that 55% of daily bicycle riders in the Netherlands is female?! That’s our hope for the future of biking in our country…
Everyone’s got great ideas about how we can accomplish such a seemingly simple goal:
-Inspire someone: Find a female you know, ask her why she doesn’t ride a bike, and try to address her concerns directly. Take her on a ride around the block, show her a bike she loves, each person counts!
-Become a mentor to a younger female: Leading by example is a powerful tool.
-Continue the conversation: What do you think would help get more women on bikes? Let us know, we want to help you make it happen!
-Speak up: For products that represent you… With the ideas you have to increase the number of women on bikes… For the future female bikers of America
-Get involved: Become a member, volunteer at your local organization so they can better represent women.
There are so many great things happening for women and bicycles right now, stay tuned for more as we have time to share it with you from Washington DC!
After a long series of red-eye flights, we’re almost the Washington DC! Stay tuned for more updates from the Bike Summit throughout the week…
Next week, the Coalition Staff will is braving the cold and heading to Washington DC for the 2012 National Bike Summit, a gathering of bicycle organizations from all over the country. We will be advocating for biking and walking, and sharing your voice with our elected officials in DC.
Our message is clear: preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking. As more people choose these active modes to move around, it’s important we provide safe facilities for everyone.
You can follow our progress here on the blog to stay up to date with what we’re up to all the way across the country. We’re out there making sure your voice is heard!
If you want to add you voice to hundreds of others as we head to DC, become a member! We are proud to be YOUR voice representing bicycles in DC, and couldn’t do it without you.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=likinty_d_g&list=UUXG6ch0MLjYShVmOln9PKKw&index=16&feature=plcp]
This weekend has been full of inspiring ideas from the movers & shakers in the bicycle world, on local, state, and national levels.
We’re on the right track in SLO County, and couldn’t do it without your love & support! Bikes are on the edge of a BIG renaissance, and we all benefit from it.
As today’s the last day, we’ll be giving you an recap of what went down in the next couple days. In the meantime, here are some pics:
