bleckb's blog

One of the greatest hindrances faced by Spokane's bicycling advocates is that the powers-that-be, the mayor and city council, don't hear from cyclists about their concerns. Believe it or not, these people value input from those they are elected to serve. The adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease is is very much in play when it comes to local politics.

Please, please, please contact the mayor and your city council representative and thank them for establishing and funding a bicycle/pedestrian coordinator for the city. Not only will they appreciate positive feedback for what they have done, but you will also make the cycling community more visible to them which will pay dividends in the future. You can thank them via postal mail, email or by making a phone call to their office where you may speak to them, their support staff, or you might leave a message of thanks. It's all good. Links to contact information are below.

Spokane City Council contact information

Mayor Mary Verner contact information

This past week, the city council voted to fund a bike/ped coordinator for the next few years. The position pays reasonably well, $30k according to some reports, but won't be a continuing position nor will it provide benefits, at least at this point. It's hoped that the position, and the person in the position, prove essential and it/they become a fully funded position within the city bureaucracy.

What this position does is make it so cycling interests can be more readily represented at various levels of city government. Most meetings among city staff are held during the 9-5, or 8-4 or whatever a working day might be and Bicycle Advisory Board members, having jobs and professional commitments they are expected fulfill in order to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, found it increasingly difficult to attend these meetings. The coordinator will work to keep cycling interests front and center during the day-to-day workings at city hall and should result in BAB members not having to scramble to get meetings covered so they can work more on bigger projects, such as the Bicycle Master Plan.

If you see the mayor or your council representative, be sure to thank them for supporting cycling in the city. The job description has yet to be defined, nor is there a hiring timetable as of yet.

Much of the below isn't much news to most of us who cycle regularly, but here it is as reported in the current issue of Road Bike Rider, an online newsletter.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has adopted a resolution that bicycling should be integrated into the country's transportation, climate, energy and health policy initiatives. The resolution makes interesting reading, as it provides solid reasons why cities should support cycling. Two examples: ". . . bicycle commuters annually save on average $1,825 in auto-related costs, reduce their carbon emissions by 128 pounds, conserve 145 gallons of gasoline, and avoid 50 hours of gridlock traffic; and . . . 10% of global oil production goes solely toward fueling America's cars and trucks, and the U.S. could save 462 millions of gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips. . . ." The entire document is on the League of American Bicyclists website. Scroll to "Resolution Submitted to the United States Conference of Mayors" after clicking here.

Along with getting folks to ride their bikes to work, there is, according to a blurb in this morning's Spokesman, the Sandpoint Bicycle Film Festival on the 6th at the Panida Theater. I saw there shirt last week when I was in the area, and I have to say, ours is nicer. But you'd expect that here, wouldn't you? Here's the straight dope on Sandpoint Bike Week.

Last night I was one of seven or eight BTW volunteers who manned the phones for KHQ's Help Center, which is a call in bit during their evening news hour. They provide some promotion and various organizations get some publicity while helping people with their questions. Unfortunately, it was a slow night on the phones. Slow, but interesting and informative.

If you are interested in helping plan for Bike to Work month, week and day, please join us Tuesday mornings from 7:30 to 8:30 at the Rocket Bakery at 24 West Main Street in downtown Spokane. Please send any questions to Barbara Chamberlain at barbchamberlainAThotmailDOTcom.