Tell Your Government What To Do!!!

A while back I reported on a ground breaking study that was done by the Rails-to-Trails conservancy and Bikes Belong. Their ground breaking research showed that... wait for it... Biking and Walking places is good for you, the economy and the environment! Ok, so it may seem obvious to you as every single person that reads 15 Rides is in the 99th percentile of the elite academia and intelligencia, but apparently some folks needed a 50 page study to understand that concept and believe it or not, most of those folks work in our government...

But what would the Rails-to-Trails conservancy had done if they had just published the Active Transportation Report and left it at that? Where would that have left us? I'll tell you where; with me writing letters to 3 congresspeople on a monthly basis thus annoying the crap out of their staff.

Thankfully the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has followed up the the Active Transportation report with a petition notifying our Government that there should be significant considerations for active transportation in the new economic stimulus plan. That's right kids, Bicycling should get a piece of the pie. Here is this little block quote, clipped straight from BikeRadar.com:

"The threat: Unless we speak up, these transportation funds will go overwhelmingly to road projects—the same unbalanced strategy that has created our existing transportation problems.

The opportunity: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, in partnership with Thunderhead Alliance and America Bikes, has collected a list of hundreds of ready-to-go active transportation projects from communities across the country. These projects would create new jobs and revitalize communities by funding trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and other infrastructure.

This would meet the ultimate goal of the recovery package: creating immediate jobs. Additionally, such an investment strategy would provide both immediate economic benefits and lasting positive change.

The long-term benefits are many: promoting local businesses along active transportation corridors; reducing health care costs; and curbing climate change emissions and oil dependency. These projects would also establish the principle that active transportation infrastructure is a wise, efficient and desirable public investment.

Please sign our petition to President-elect Obama and key congressional leaders, encouraging them to fund these important bicycle and pedestrian projects:

Basically it's like this: Sign the Petition. I'm not going to be all nice and friendly like those Green Peace folks outside of WholeFoods with their green shirts and blue notebooks. No. Sign this F&%king thing. Look, I've given you two separate links to get to the petition, so go there, read it, and sign it now. Go ahead... I'll wait.