Secretary Ray LaHood

LaHood is the Secretary of Transportation, and although there was some hesitation in the cycling blogosphere when Obama nominated him. After today’s presentation, that hesitation should be gone.

He told the crowd at the opening session that we’ll build on our successes in pedestrian and bicycle promotion. He noted we’re on the verge of making more progress in doing the things America really wants to do. Creating livable communities is becoming the priority.

And finally, he assured us that we have a full partner at the Department of Transportation.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer

Blumenauer started with the rhetorical question: “How many people right now are stuck in traffic on their way to a health club to ride a stationary bike?”

He added:

• Families biking are an indicator species for livable communities
• With Congressman Oberstar chairing the transportation committee, the “table is set for us” when it comes to writing the next transportation bill.
• We need to be relentlessly bike-partisan. There are no blue or red bikes.
• There are currently 213 legislators in the bike-partisan caucus. 218 would be a majority — and that’s a Summit goal.
• The Commuter Choice act will be taken up in this legislative session. The gist is it adds flexibility to the commuter tax benefits and allows the mixing of modes, e.g. biking and transit.
• New Clean-TEA legislation would set aside 10% of a carbon tax to help communities reduce the carbon-footprint of their transportation, making it more sustainable in the long term. The justification? One-third of greenhouse gas emissions are from transportation. ?Cycling and walking can offset that. Clean-TEA would be an amendment to a climate change bill.

Also, Congressman Blumenauer biked to the Summit from the Capitol and was sporting a pant strap.

Congressman Dan Lipinski

Congressman Lipinski touted the fact that he’s not only a cyclist, but a card carrying of the League of American Bicyclists.

Lipinski did warn us that we must remain vigilant as there is still a mindset out there that bikes are not transportation.

Congresswoman Doris Matsui

Congresswoman Matsui spoke about the Complete Streets legislation that is on the verge of being introduced in the House and Senate.

In February Congressman Earl Blumenauer introduced a House Resolution that “recognizes that increased and safe bicycle use for transportation and recreation is in the national interest” and outlines general federal policy changes to support increased biking.

The outlined policies really tie together all of bicycling advocacy causes from Complete Streets to Safe Route to Schools to mountain biking access to bike commuting and much more.

You can view the complete House Resolution 305 on-line. Last week the Resolution was passed by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. It was on the House floor this week but no vote was taken due to a lack of quorum. Its current status is also on-line.

Help get this passed

One easy option for cyclists to help get this passed is to simply call their representative. Here’s the list of phone numbers for the Detroit-area congressional delegation.  You can also find your representative on-line::

• Representative Joe Knollenberg, 202-225-5802
• Representative Thaddeus McCotter, 202-225-8171 ** BILL CO-SPONSOR **
• Representative Sander Levin, 202-225-4961
• Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick, 202-225-2261
• Representative John Conyers, 202-225-5126
• Representative John Dingell, 202-225-4071

You can ask them to support House Resolution 305 from Representative Blumenauer. It’s simple and takes less than a minute. Just let them know that you’re a cyclist from the Representative’s district and you want them to support this bill.

And, if Represenative McCotter is your congressman, make sure you thank them for co-sponsoring the resolution.

The League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) is hosting a Bicycle Summit in Lansing on March 29th, 2008 from 9AM until 4PM.  There will be “full day of workshops, presentations on LMB’s advocacy and education efforts and discussions about coalitions.”

The workshops include

• Advocacy at the Local Level
• Complete Streets
• On Road Facilities
• Regional Coalitions

The cost is $25 and includes lunch.

Additional information and registration

Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa has introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2008. According to the Senator’s web site, “To reduce accidents, legislation will create ‘Complete Streets’ to keep motorists, transit vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians safe.”

Making our streets bike and pedestrian friendly is a win-win for us all. It not only promotes healthier lifestyles, it lowers the amount of traffic congestion that many people deal with every day.

So, what would this bill do for the Detroit area? It would require M-DOT and SEMCOG to adopt policies ensuring “that the safety and convenience of all users of the transportation system shall be accommodated.” That means all new road construction and reconstruction should include bicycle facilities unless very specific justifications can be documented.

Some U.S. cities and states already have Complete Streets policies. In Michigan, only the City of Jackson has done so.

What can you do to help? Make a quick call to Senators Levin (202.224.6221) and Stabenow (202.224.4822) to let them know you support Senator Harkin’s Complete Streets Act of 2008. If no one answers, just leave a message of support, your name, and address. (more…)