March 11th
Today's photos
WOW - what a day. Very intense. My new friend Tara, who owns a shop in Burlington, NC, feels the same way. We're "roomies" at the Harrington Hotel and have been "studying" what we are supposed to say to our legislators when we go "up to the Hill" tomorrow.
Today's breakout sessions included how the stimulus money works and how we might be able to piggyback on certain aspects to get funding for cycling related projects. These include everything from community block grants to the complete streets bill.
We heard from Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood; Congresspeople Oberstar, Matsui, and Lipinski, and EVERYONE OF THEM was well informed, pro-cycling and, pro-cycling related projects. I heard others at the Summit say that this year had the most support from Congress ever.
The keynote speaker at lunch, Lawrence Selzer from The Conservation Fund, blew us away! His speech, which centered around the concept of children not having access to nature and what it is doing to this generation of kids, was breathtaking. No one said a word until the end when he received a standing ovation. He was eloquent, smart, witty, and intelligent.
What I am beginning to see is this holistic coming together of a great many pieces of a pie that includes a vast variety of cycling related possibilities. The time is right; the people are right; the energy is right.
I will complete my Summit entries after I return home tomorrow and have more time to process the whole experience from a little bit of distance.
OH - I almost forgot; HubBub was again voted the #1 Bike Shop in the Great Lakes Region by the members of the League of American Bicyclists. We were also tied with Century Cycles and a shop in Michigan. We're proud to have been chosen twice in the last three years! It's quite an honor.
Night all.
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