Transportation Funding - KAPUT for cycling?

You know, almost every week on my radio show, The Outspoken Cyclist, we talk about bicyle (and often pedestrain) advocacy.  We also knew that the midterm elections were going to turn funding for bicycle/pedstrian projects into the proverbial whipping boy. Well, the news seems to get worse every day.

We lost Jim Oberstar, one of our staunchest advocates and head ot hte transportation committee, in a knee-jerk Republic reaction to anyone/thing Democrat and the AAA is railing against using any transportation trust money (of which the bicycle world receives $.015 (that would be a penny and a half) from every dollar - yet 59% of the AAA membership rides a bike and calls himself/herself a cyclist. 

Today, I received the following from the Seattle Pi blog - headline? More bad news for transit funding.

I've spoken with Jim Sayer from Adventure Cycling and Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie as well as Keith Laughlin from Rails-to-Trails and Tim Blumenthal from Bikes Belong and ALL of them think that we can get somewhere by getting back to the GRASS ROOTS advocacy - But, what IS grass roots advocacy?  Is it "guerilla advocacy"????  - Bicycle sit-ins? Protests on bridges and major thoroughfares? 

I think, as a whole, cyclists are pro cycling, pro democracy, pro taking care of each other, and for the most part, smart, educated, and caring. 

BUT REALLY, IS ANYONE LISTENING????

 

 

Comments

[Keith Laughlin]

Glad to hear your blood is beginning to boil! We are facing an uphill fight. But we can win. Back in 2003 our primary federal funding was threatened and we won on the floor of the House of Representatives 320-90.

To prevail this time, we will need to deploy many forms of advocacy: (1) letters, emails and phone calls; (2) visits to the Hill during Bike Summit; (3) visits to Members of Congress in their district; (4) showing up at Congressional town hall meetings in mass; (5) hosting "Show Congress" events on trails to highlight what funding has accomplished; and last but not least(6) rabble rousing on talk radio.

If we feel that we're not getting sufficient traction with these traditional methods, we will have to give serious consideration to "guerilla advocacy."