Hi Youth Bicycle Advocates,

I assume that your state bicycle coalitions have informed you about the move to eliminate funding of federal transportation programs for bicycling and walking. Please immediately find out who to contact in your respective state congressional delegations to share your thoughts. Pass along this information to your networks. Thank you!

Take care,

Andy Greif

Dear CBC Friends,

We need your immediate help combating the efforts of the U.S. House Transportation Committee Chair John Micca and Senator James Inhofe to eliminate Safe Routes to Schools, the Recreational Trail Program, and Transportation Enhancement funds for biking and walking facilities. Please read the attached letter from Nancy Grant, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, for information about how to contact the members of our Maine congressional delegation. Please do this before you head home for the weekend since the long-term transportation bills are being written as we speak. We need your advocacy and influence.

The Community Bicycle Center depends on Transportation Enhancement funds to provide youth development experiences through bike safety education activities including bike riding safety education, bike repair/maintenance instruction, and community service projects. We are “in the national interest” and we are “not frivolous spending.” In 2010, the CBC served over 355 kids and 154 volunteers along with providing technical support to 12 organizations plus 35 cyclists (10 kids) just raising $19,640 for the American Lung Association of New England. Just yesterday, we gave IRS W4 and I9 forms to two people we will hire along with confirming purchases of bike relating equipment from businesses in Portland, Oregon, Santa Barbara, California, Miami, Florida, and Raleigh, North Carolina. We are a growing organization and nonprofit industry providing jobs and job skill development to youth.

More importantly, six children spent nine hours with us yesterday on a 16 mile bike ride to swim at Goodwins Mills followed by attending the Music on Main Street benefit for the CBC and four other public benefit nonprofits followed by fixing bikes with another three kids and four volunteers. National interest occurrences that happened with the kids we serve through bike safety education activities during the course of the day included:

Ø Cory telling Eddie to let Dakota to try fixing a rim since he had never done this task rather than taking over and doing it for him.

Ø Eddie practicing leadership skills through leading our bike ride and role modeling to other kids Rules of the Road and safe group cycling strategies.

Ø Amber learning how to safely captain a tandem with her younger sister as a stoker in preparation for their goal to Trek Across Maine in June 2012.

Ø Megan learning how to break through her shyness to ask from strangers about how to get second helpings of food at the Music on Main Street Benefit.

Ø All the kids learning how to share caring adults, problem solve, and genuinely say thank you as they need help repairing bikes for themselves and others.

There is so much more depth to each of these stories that you must spend time with us to witness the growth in these children through our programs or more time for me to write about them. Please contact members of our congressional delegation to let them know how supporting Transportation Enhancement funding is necessary and effective to develop life skills and leadership skills in children especially those living in under-resourced situations. Let them know we are enhancing their learning, providing transportation alternatives, and developing lifelong fitness habits. Thank you for your help in sustaining the CBC!

Sincerely,

Andy Greif

Executive Director

From: Bicycle Coalition of Maine [mailto:Nancy@BikeMaine.org]
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 8:57 PM
To: info@communitybike.net
Subject: Congressional action threatens federal funds for bicycling projects.

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Dear Bicyclists,

We’ve just received some very bad news regarding federal funding for bicycling projects and we really need your help.

Today, the chair of the U.S. House Transportation Committee unveiled plans for a long-term transportation bill that will eliminate all dedicated funding for biking and walking, including Safe Routes to School, the Recreational Trails Program and Transportation Enhancements that fund many bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Chair John Mica referred to those programs as "not in the national interest.” Senator James Inhofe, a lead negotiator in the Senate debate on the bill, declared that one of his top priorities is eliminating “frivolous spending for bike trails.”

We need every person who wants safe options to walk or bicycle to contact Maine’s congressional representatives as soon as possible urging them to support funding for bicycling and walking. Click here for a quick and effective way to do so. Please urge U.S. Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree to reach out to Mica and encourage him to retain funding for bicycling and walking. Please ask Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to make the same request of Inhofe and Sen. Barbara Boxer. Read more about the issue.

Both the House and the Senate long-term transportation bills are being written as we speak. We still have a chance of influencing the outcomes. Let's make sure that dedicated funding for biking and walking programs doesn't disappear for many years.

Thank you for your advocacy.

Nancy Grant

Executive Director

Bicycle Coalition of Maine

nancy@bikemaine.org

Bicycle Coalition of Maine
P.O. Box 5275, Augusta, ME 04332
info@BikeMaine.org | 207.623.4511 | www.BikeMaine.org