National News
PLAY Every Day
Last week, the League joined 30 other public, private and non-profit organizations in the Partnership for Play Every Day coalition to promote The PLAY Every Day Bill, sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). The PLAY Every Day Bill helps promote the national recommendations of physical activity for kids, families and communities across the country. The League’s work with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and the Bicycle Friendly Community program are some of the ways we are working to promote PLAY Every Day. For more information, click here, and check the League's advocacy center for more information as it develops.
New League Board Members
The League of American Bicyclists has appointed two new national board members and re-appointed two existing members. Mike Nix, co-owner of Liberty Bicycles in Asheville, N.C., and Tim Young, executive director of Friends of Pathways in Jackson Hole, Wyo., take their seats on the board on March 17 immediately following the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. Gary Brustin, a California personal-injury attorney specializing in bicyclist cases, and Lisa Falvy, vice president of multi-modal products for Sportworks in Woodinville, Wash. return for their second three-year terms. To learn more, click here.
Elaine Mariolle to Chair El Tour de Tucson
Elaine Mariolle of Tucson, Ariz., a recent inductee of the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame, will chair the 2007 League National Bicycle Rally held in conjunction with the Perimeter Bicycling Association's El Tour de Tucson in November. In addition to setting a new attendance record for El Tour, the rally is expected to have an economic impact of $2 million to $4 million in Pima County, raising El Tour’s total economic impact to well over $20 million. An estimated 9,000 to 10,000 cyclists will make El Tour one of the five or six largest bicycling events in the country.
IMBA Supports Wilderness Bill
Representatives of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (a strong sponsor of the 2007 National Bike Summit) and the Virginia Wilderness Committee strongly support legislation introduced in Congress to protect parts of the Jefferson National Forest in southern Virginia as Wilderness and National Scenic Area. The legislation preserves important natural resources while allowing bicyclists to continue enjoying these valuable places. The Virginia Ridge and Valley Wilderness and National Scenic Areas Act of 2007, introduced on Feb. 13 by Representative Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Senator John Warner (R-VA), would designate six new Wilderness areas, additions to six existing Wilderness areas, and create two National Scenic Areas. More than 54,000 acres would be preserved.
International Information
Paris Rolls Out Free Bikes
Paris has selected French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA to operate a new free bicycle service. Joining other European cities such as Amsterdam, Paris wants to make thousands of bikes available for free to commuters, strollers and tourists — in part to help cut down on pollution. With 1,450 "stations" — bays at which people can pick up their ride with a credit card and drop it off — planned across Paris by the end of the year, the project should make bicycles free or cheaply available to many of the city's inhabitants. More than 20,000 bikes should be available by the end of the year, City Hall said in a statement.
British Cyclists Score Victory
A British cyclist who was found guilty last year of inconsiderate cycling has had the verdict overturned upon re-trial. Daniel Cadden was heading on a fast downhill of a single lane road, taking the lane and, according to police, forcing cars to cross the solid white line in the centre of the road illegally in order to pass him. Instead of citing drivers for crossing the centre line, police instead charged Cadden with inconsiderate cycling. The judge who presided over the first trial said that Cadden should have been on the cycle path instead of on the road, but Cadden's lawyer, Francis Fitzgibbon, was able to demonstrate that there was no legal obligation for cyclists to use the path, and that the brief delay drivers encountered while waiting to pass did not constitute "inconsiderate cycling." Click here to read more.
State Legislation Updates
Wyoming
Bicycle advocates are nearing the finish line with a bill to repeal the mandatory side path law in Wyoming. The bill passed out of Senate side 27-2, and the House transportation committee, approved it in a unanimous vote. The argument that legislators responded to best is that it makes pathways safer for pedestrians, moms, kids and seniors. The law will allow bicycles the common sense choice to use a safe road shoulder when a pathway is crowded with slower users, children, walkers, or if the pathway is not maintained properly for safe use. Sadly, a tragic story illuminated the need for the bill. Recently, an older man on rollerblades was hit and killed by a fast moving cyclist on one of a pathway in Jackson parallel to a highway. The cyclist should have been on the road at the speed he was going, but the law did not allow it.
Illinois
The recent League e-news listed IL's legislation as a right-turn signal bill. While it is true that the bill contains a right-turn signal provision, the most significant provision is a three-foot passing requirement. To learn more about Illinois' Senate Bill 80, visit www.bikelib.org.
South Carolina
Advocates in South Carolina filed a bicycle traffic law reform bill in December. They have several co-sponsors. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition worked with members of the South Carolina legislature to amend South Carolina's bicycling statutes through submission of House Bill 3006. H. 3006 revises South Carolina’s bicycle statutes to bring them into greater conformity with the Uniform Vehicle Code and to create a safer environment for bicyclists while riding on South Carolina roads.
The Best Jobs
Washington, D.C.
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is seeking a detail-oriented individual to serve as Membership and Development Assistant. Established in 1972, WABA is dedicated to promoting bicycling as a healthy and sustainable means of transportation by advocating for better riding conditions. The Membership and Development Assistant will assist the Membership and Development Department communicate with, acquire, and serve WABA’s members. This is a full-time position. Hours are flexible and some telecommuting are acceptable; salary is $27,000 to $30,000 with benefits. To apply, email a cover letter, resume and two writing samples to waba@waba.org with “Membership and Development Assistant” in the subject line.
Wisconsin
The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin is seeking applicants for the Executive Director position. The executive director manages and directs BFW to make Wisconsin a better place to bicycle through education, advocacy and coordination of bicycling interests throughout the state. This includes responsibility for the overall management and administration of the BFW including business operations, human resource management, program management, fund raising and public relations. The ED performs assigned duties personally or through other assigned staff and/or volunteers and/or stakeholders. The Executive Director is responsible to the Board of Directors. To see the complete job description, go to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin website at www.bfw.org.
Feel Good Tidbits
Use Your Helmet: The Song!
A musician named Jim Moore wrote a song to encourage helmet usage, and is allowing League members to use it free of charge for bicycle safety programs. Here's a link to the song: "Better Wear a Helmet When You Ride."
Adventure Cycling's New Route
After three years of research and planning, Adventure Cycling Association and the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Minority Health have unveiled the newly completed 2,058 mile Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. A breakthrough in both historically-infused adventure travel and active-living outreach to the African-American community, the UGRR promises to introduce people of all cultural backgrounds to the adventure and health benefits of cycling and bicycle travel. This unique bicycle route honors the bravery of freedom seekers and those that provided shelter by following the most storied trek to freedom in American history. Starting in Mobile, Alabama, the route winds north through river valleys and wildlife refuges to Kentucky and Ohio, before reaching Lake Erie, Niagara Falls, and its end-point in Owen Sound, Ontario on Lake Huron's Georgian Bay, the final destination for many freedom seekers.
Help a Hero
On January 14, two Evergreen Bicycle Club members were hit on their tandem while riding in Homestead, Fla. They were struck from behind by a 19-year-old man who fled the scene after the impact. A man in a van heading in the opposite direction saw the accident and chased the hit-and-run driver down and made him return to the scene of the accident where it was determined he did not own a drivers license and was arrested at the scene. Both Wayne and Melanie are home resting. Unfortunately, during the chase, the good samaritan’s car overheated, caught on fire, and he lost his van. The EBC Hero Fund account has been set up to collect funds to help this man purchase a new van. Make checks out to EBC Hero Fund and address the envelope to: Everglades Bike Club; Hero Fund; P.O. Box 430282; South Miami, FL 33243-0282.
