Bicycle Advocacy

There are many organizations that are working to make bicycling safer and more pleasant. On this page I will try to list links to as many as possible. We need to support them as much as possible. If however we are not able to send donations to them there are other ways to help.

One way is to spread the word. I'm doing that in a small way here. It is only a small effort. But if some of you who read this join some of the bicycle advocacy groups and you tell everyone who will listen and then they do the same then maybe the United States will someday be known as a nation full of bicyclists again. Not that it isn't a nation full of bicyclists, but how many know that? But this isn't an armchair movement.

Ride your bicycles whenever you can. How's that for an easy way to help bicycle advocacy. Just ride. You are a moving advertisement that bicycling is here to stay. Follow the laws. Ride safely. Wear a helmet.

More about proper on road bicycling is on the Marin County Bicycling Coalition website. While it cites California traffic laws, it is a good place to start if you want to brush up on responsible road bicycle riding etiquette.

Another good source is the booklet Bicycling Street Smarts by John Allen. This is a link to his website version. It is also available for sale in booklet form. For ordering information go to that page on John S. Allen's website by clicking here. There is information about ordering in quantities that make it affordable for organizations to give a copy to the purchaser of a new bicycle or as a safety promotion.

Yet another source of bicycling tips is about commuting by bicycle, Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips.

Get involved. Depending on how much free time we have we can get involved. We may be able to help advocacy organizations. We may be able to help in other ways. We need to keep an eye on how our taxes are being spent and what decisions our leaders are making for us. In what appears to be a turnaround caused by people the funding for the Transportation Enhancements that the government had at first cut has now been restored.

VICTORY! CONGRESS OVERWHELMINGLY SAVES ENHANCEMENTS!! On September 4, 2003 the House of Representatives voted to restore funding for the popular Transportation Enhancements program. Many individuals and groups have showed their support for this funding by contacting their representatives. The vote showed strong bipartisan support.

During consideration of the 2004 Transportation Appropriations bill, the House passed, 327-90, an amendment by Rep. Thomas Petri (R-WI) and Rep. John Olver (D-MA) to fully restore the Transportation Enhancements program. The TE program, which delivers $600 million each year to communities for local bike trails, sidewalks, and similar facilities, had been de-funded in the Transportation Appropriations bill now under consideration.

There are many other places to read more about this on the internet. One of them is at the Rails to Trails website. Another is at the America Bikes website.

A separate bill has been introduced in the House to create a Safe Routes to School program, awarding $250 million in grants each year to help communities make it safe, convenient and fun for children to walk or bicycle to school.

Bicycles to be banned in Shanghai, China - Couldn't happen here? -- Added December 13, 2003

In a country that has become famous for using bicycles for transportation and is now the largest supplier of bicycles to the U. S. one of China's largest cities is planning to ban bicycles. I just read this report on December 13 that appeared in the AP reports in many newspapers this week. I can give you many links to see this report but my favorite is the StraitsTimes Asia Report because it also mentions what it says is the income level of most of the people in that country. According to them the income level of most people in China is less than US$1000 per year. So that's how they make a full suspension mountain bicycle that sells for US$75 here in the U.S.

Bicycle Advocacy Links

Rails-to-Trails - Rails to Trails Conservancy converting abandoned railroad beds to walking, bicycling, skating, horseback riding, etc. trails.
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition's Commuting advice - Bicycle laws in California are not identical to those in other states. Your laws may vary.
Probicycle
Bikes Belong Coalition (BBC)
League of American Bicyclists (LAB)
The Institute forTransportation and Development Policy (ITDP)
Thunderhead Alliance
America Bikes
New York Bicycling Coalition

More Bicycle Advocacy Links will be added. There are many more.

Politics

Warning! The links to politics is a potentially very distasteful area. It is full of information requiring thought and investigation. It is very likely to cause mental discomfort that may only be relieved by a long bicycle ride on peaceful shaded streets or pathways on a nice day.

So that you may more easily avoid it, if you choose, the page of links to politics has its own page. In listing these links I was not able to completely keep quiet about my views. Whatever I say there, and they are very limited, are my own views and does not reflect those of any one else, be it employer, friend, acquaintance, anyone allowing me to use this space, nor anyone advertising upon it or otherwise cooperating with me so that I may use this space.

You were warned. No need to sign an agreement online though. Just click here to proceed to my political links page.