I assume that many of you are familiar with People for Bikes and have already signed the pledge in support of safer cycling. If you haven't, take a minute to review and sign the pledge now. Once you have signed on, the next step is to send a short email to your Congressperson asking him or her to support ongoing funding for bike projects and programs such as Safe Routes to School. People for Bikes makes that very easy to do by providing talking points and a template email to get you started.
As I mentioned in a past post, South Carolina is statistically one of the most dangerous states in the U.S. for cycling. With the help of the PCC and concerned bicycle advocates throughout the state, conditions for cycling in SC are improving. We still have a long way to go though, which is why it is so important that we remind our Representatives that a federal investment in bicycling projects and programs makes sense. Bikes Belong has a great statistics and research page to back up the claim that bicycle infrastructure is a good investment and Inhabitat points to a study which says that bike projects create twice as many jobs per dollar spent than regular road projects. Now it’s up to all of us to make sure those points are shared with our elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. Let’s work together to make the roads in our state, and the rest of the country, safe for all users.
