I posted this to the Madison Bikes Facebook Group page a couple of days ago and then remembered that some of you won't have seen it.
For those of you who don't interface yet with Facebook, I encourage you to poke around on various public groups and pages such as Madison Bikes. They are a very convenient and easy way to disseminate information and post events. Facebook is a useful tool and if you aren't using it (with or without a personal account; you can simply bookmark your favorite public pages to stay in the loop) you may be missing out on good information. https://www.facebook.com/groups/MBIIC/ -India ================================= Disclaimer: this post is written on my own personal behalf, not on behalf of the various cycling-related organizations that I own or volunteer with, and represents my personal views. --------------------- What Madison currently needs is less online banter, and more members of the cycling public and advocates for those who don't yet cycle regularly because of a lack of convenient and comfortable cycling conditions to make their desires heard by the city in a constructive and positive way. What that looks like is becoming informed (Madison Bikes exists to help! Read the weekly updates!) and communicating directly in person and in writing with your elected officials- alders, city staff, and the Mayor. Without your direct input, city staff are not always, but more often than not, going to take the path of least resistance, which thus far in Madison means avoiding the headaches associated with the loud and clear complaints about losing motor vehicle parking, travel lanes, and loading zones. If we start to show up en masse representing the needs of cyclists and asking for our rightful share of our city streets and, more importantly intersections, our elected officials and city staff will have no choice but to hear us. That will allow them to shift the "blame" (or credit, as I see it) for their progressive planning and development to us, i.e. when officials can say that they are acting on their constituents behalf, they don't have to take all the heat. I am convinced that they will then either feel compelled (by feeling either forced or emboldened, depending on the individual) to make the changes that are necessary to fill in the gaps that exist in our low-stress bicycling network throughout Madison (and connecting to the surrounding communities). While it may feel overwhelming to you in the beginning to add things to your schedule, creating the change you want to see is never easy. And I feel confident that the reward to you and your community will outweigh your personal investment. Eventually you can pick and choose more strategically and you don't have to go to an infinite number of city meetings. To initiate the cycle of change in the direction that we are looking for, we have to step up our game and work together. Alongside writing in and showing up, we have to insist on having our Mayor hire a Director of Transportation (and perhaps a Director of Active Transportation, for reference, Boston has one!) to create a citywide sustainable transportation vision that looks more than fifteen minutes into the future and is carried out strategically rather than just as a by-product of regularly scheduled road maintenance and/or public or private development construction projects. -India Co-Founder & Instructor, We Are All Mechanics <http://www.WeAreAllMechanics.com> *empowering people through education since 2003* WeAreAllMechanics.com [email protected] Follow WAAM on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/We.Are.All.Mechanics> Founding Member, Madison Bikes <http://www.madisonbikes.org/> *Creating a city where you'd choose to ride your bike from here to there.* MadisonBikes.org <http://www.MadisonBikes.org> [email protected] Follow Madison Bikes on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/groups/MBIIC/>
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