ADVOCACY

PAC 98 E-W 97 GEAR TIPS JOURNALS LINKS WHAT'S NEW ME ADVOCACY

ADVOCACY

THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT MANY CYCLISTS WISH WAS PAID MORE ATTENTION TO BUT THAT MOST OF THE AVERAGE JOE'S AND JOANNE'S OUT THERE HAVE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT.

ADVOCACY DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN MILITANCY ABOUT CYCLIST'S RIGHTS OR NEEDS. CRITICAL MASS, ALTHOUGH BEGUN WITH THE IDEA OF GETTING THE AVERAGE AMERICAN COMMUTER OUT OF HIS OR HER CAR AND ONTO BIKES (OR EVEN ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION) NOW SEEMS TO HAVE EVOLVED INTO A GLORIFIED RIDE WHERE WEEKEND WARRIORS (YUPPIE ROADIES) THINK IT WOULD BE "COOL" TO BE INVOLVED IN AN "ISSUE", THEREBY ABSOLVING THEMSELVES OF ANY OTHER ACTION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IT'S DISGUSTING, REALLY. DON'T GET ME WRONG, THERE ARE STILL THOSE THAT BELIEVE CRITICAL MASS CAN ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING. AND I AGREE WITH THEM. BUT THE YUPPIES HAVE TO GO! FROM WHAT I'VE READ, IT IS THEY WHO CAUSE MOST OF THE PROBLEMS.

SO HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED? LOTS OF WAYS.

1.) ONE OF THE BEST IS TO GET IN BED WITH YOUR CITY OR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND WHEN THEY DISCUSS ROAD PROJECTS, MAKE A POINT TO ASK FOR FUNDING FOR BIKE LANES OR IMPROVEMENT OF EXISTING BIKE TRAILS.

2.) WRITE YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN EXPLAINING THE BENEFITS OF CYCLING AND HOW A SMALL INVESTMENT IN BIKE LANES WILL CAUSE MORE FOLKS TO GET ON THEIR BIKES TO GO TO WORK. THESE FOLKS WILL THEN BE HEALTHIER. AND BECAUSE THEY ARE HEALTHIER WILL BE LESS OF A DRAIN TO THE MEDICAL AND INSURANCE SYSTEMS. ADDITIONALLY, BEING MORE PRODUCTIVE AT WORK, THEY WILL MISS LESS WORK. THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!

3.) GET YOUR CYCLING CLUB TO BEGIN CIRCULATING PETITIONS, MAYBE PUT THEM UP ON THE WEB FOR FOLKS TO SIGN ON TO AND THEN FORWARD THAT TO YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES.

TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS, GO TO THE FOLLOWING SITES:

STONEY'S BIKE LINKS WHERE YOU CAN READ STONEY'S IDEAS ON ADVOCACY

KEN KIFER'S PAGE HAS A GOOD AMOUNT OF ADVOCACT LINKS

MOKUMS' VIEW

VICTORIA TRANSPORT POLICY INSTITUTE

DANIEL CONVISSOR'S HOME PAGE

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