I just got this from the Bike Commuter blog. Senator Jim DeMint(R-South Carolina) introduced an amendment to the stimulus bill that would block states from using the funds for bike lane projects. But according to Jeff Miller of the Thunderhead Alliance the amendment failed. This is good news, but shows that biking is seen as a threat to some, who prefer obesity increasing automobile's to a more sustainable, healthy bikestyle.
The fact that biking infrastructure rates being attacked, may be a good sign. There must be a lot of talk about increasing bike funding, for these 20th Century folks to feel threatened. All they have is fear, because the truth is bikes are much better for us, than cars.
What can you do? It always comes down to this. If you care about increasing bike space, you should contact your elected officials. Right now, your congressional representative and senator would be the ones to contact. Let them know that you want the bike money to be a priority. After the stimulus bill is passed, you should be contacting your state an local officials to let them know that you want to see that more stimulus money goes to bicycle infrastructure.
This stimulus bill is a tremendous opportunity to change our communities for the better. The best way to insure that is by having your voice heard.
1 comment:
That's great news about the DeMint amendment failing, not just for the country, but for us locally. City representatives from Minneapolis told me that they were requesting stimulus funds to put in lights on the Hiawatha LRT bike trail.
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