What its like to lobby for bicycle safety at a national level, and how you can too!
This week I joined a group of rad advocates at the virtual National Bike Summit. For many of us, it was the first time attending! There were so many exciting topics to share, but first, I wanted to share something that you can get involved in.
Contacting your Idaho representative!
On the last day of the summit, the Idaho group met with staffers of our four representatives to ask them to co-sponsor three bills. We are all happy to say that while we did not get commitments on co-sponsoring from their staff, everyone saw the merit to all the bills and expressed interest in bringing them to our representatives. Win!
The next step for us is to follow up with extra information on the bills, a thank you to them all, and keeping the conversation going. This is where you can come in to help. Below are the bills and the representatives to contact regarding them. Feel free to use the bullet points for framing your message, but don’t stress too much about it! It can be something as simple as “My name is Nina, my address is <address>, and I care about this bill because <insert your why>.
H.R 463: Transportation Alternatives
First, some background. The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is a program that gives local governments access to 2% of federal transportation funding for local priorities. This bill would update rules of the program to allow for more money to be used by states without increasing funding, allow smaller Metropolitan Planning Organizations(MPOs) (ex. Treasure Valley, Kootenai County, etc) to apply for funding, and in general allow for more Idaho projects to be funded! In addition, these updates will prioritize rural projects which is a major benefit for many Idaho towns.
When contacting your congressmen, make sure you include the bill number (HR 463).
FIND OUT WHAT DISTRICT YOU’RE IN HERE
Here is a fantastic example in Moscow ID that was completed with TAP funding! Now pedestrians and bicyclists don’t need to cross Highway 8 to access downtown and the school.
Note: This bill is also going to the Senate, but doesn’t have a number to it yet. You can still contact your Senator and share your support without the bill number!
Contact your senators!
S. 425: The Complete Streets Act of 2021
The term Complete Streets means designing a street with all users, bicyclists, pedestrians and cars in mind. When a complete street policy is in place, it sets requirements for what type of bike facility and width of sidewalk to put in on that level of road. S425 would require the US Department of Transportation to set minimum standards for what a complete streets policy must include, and requires states to set aside 5% of their highway funding to provide technical and construction assistance for local governments to implement those standards. This is an awesome bill! Can you imagine roads in Caldwell, Boise, McCall and even Dickshooter to have the same standard of road?!
Here’s a pretty great example of a complete street design. The only think I would change if adding a protected buffer for the bike lane.
When contacting your senators, make sure you include the bill number (S 425).
H.R 508: The Safe and Friendly for the Environment (SAFE) Streets Act
Finally, and possibly the most impactful, is the SAFE Streets Act.
Digging into this one can sound complicated, but here is a really basic definition of it:
This bill would require the Department of Transportation to rank states based on Vulnerable Road User (VRU) fatalities and serious injuries per capita. This would require states and MPO’s to do a VRU assessment, identify corridors with the highest rates and if above the national median, make road improvements to improve the safety of bicyclist and pedestrians on each corridor!
Amity Rd. is a road in Ada County that I immediately think of, especially because of the recent death of 7yr old Edward on Amity, right outside his neighborhood. This bill would address a blind spot that current safety formulas have, bicyclists and pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries.
This bill would be a gamechanger in addressing the infrastructure needs for vulnerable road users! Please contact your congressmen on this one! When contacting them, make sure you include the bill number (HR 508).
FIND OUT WHAT DISTRICT YOU’RE IN HERE
District 1: Share your support with Congressman Fulcher
District 2: Share your support with Congressman Simpson
Finally, I want to give a big thanks to the League of American Bicyclists for putting together a phenomenal virtual Bike Summit. I hope they continue virtual opportunities for folks who can’t travel, and I hope to see you in D.C. next year!