Keep the pressure up Jim Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message: > From: Andy Clarke <[email protected]> > Date: February 14, 2012 2:42:00 PM EST > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Subject: Additional action needed on H.R. 7 > > Dear Jim > > You know that core funding for bicycling improvements is under threat right > now. If you’ve already written your members of Congress to ask that they > preserve dedicated funding for bicycling and walking programs, thank you. You > and the thousands of other League members who’ve contacted their elected > officials are making a real difference. > > Today, I’m taking the unusual step of writing to you directly because we face > a pivotal vote in the House of Representatives in the next few days – and > your action today could help turn a critical swing vote in favor of cycling. > > The short version is this: we have identified your Representative as one who > could help deliver an emphatic vote in support of bicycling – without adding > any cost to the next transportation bill at all. A bipartisan amendment will > be offered to H.R.7, when it is debated on the House floor as early as this > week. This amendment is to preserve the tiny fraction of current > transportation funding that gives local governments the freedom to invest in > cycling infrastructure and safety programs. > > Please take action today to ask your Representative, Walter Jones, to support > the Petri amendment. > > Your voice will be most effective if you call your Representative’s > Washington office at (202) 225-3415. Talking points on the amendment are > below, and you can read the amendment text on our website. If you prefer, > you can send an email via our online advocacy system. > > The longer explanation is this: we believe the proposed transportation bill > being considered by the House of Representatives in the next few days is > fatally flawed as far as cyclists are concerned. Changes to transit funding, > environmental protections, the planning process, and truck size and weights > will have very negative implications for cycling; and the bill completely > wipes out funding and policies for pro-bicycling initiatives. This is why we > asked all our members to oppose the entire bill last week. > > We are still opposed to the overall bill, but our biggest champions in > Congress, on both sides of the aisle, want to send a clear message that > dedicated funding for bicycling and walking programs should be part of our > national transportation program. The best way to do that is by winning a vote > to amend the bill when it is debated on the floor of the House. This will > send a powerful message whether the next stage of the process is a Conference > Committee with the Senate (if the House and Senate both pass their bills) or > an extension of the current programs (in the event of a failure to reach > agreement in the House and Senate before March 31). > > Your Representative is a key swing vote in this process – this is a carefully > targeted appeal for support. An e-mail or call from you today, identifying > yourself as a constituent who supports dedicated funding for bicycling > programs because of the many benefits this will bring to you, your community > and the nation as a whole, is crucial. And time is short. In order to make > this easier for you, there are talking points below to provide a script for > your phone call. Our online action alert contains suggested text for your > email. > > Here is the contact information for your Representative. > > NAME: Walter Jones > PHONE: (202) 225-3415 > EMAIL: Please click through to send an email via our online advocacy system > > Please take action today to ask your Representative to support the “Petri” > (pronounced pea-TRY) amendment to H.R. 7. > > For more information, visit www.bikeleague.org or www.americabikes.org. > Please consider attending the National Bike Summit to further magnify your > impact at this critical time. > > Yours sincerely, > > Andy Clarke > President > League of American Bicyclists > > America Bikes’ Talking Points on the Petri Amendment > > The Petri Amendment preserves dedicated funding for activities that > previously qualified for federal funding under Transportation Enhancements > (TE) and Safe Routes to School (SRTS). It consolidates TE and SRTS into the > Transportation Improvement Program. The amendment’s original cosponsors > include Representatives Petri, Johnson, Lipinski, LaTourette, Blumenauer, and > E. B. Johnson. > > Tell your representative: > > • Local governments deserve a voice in transportation. The bipartisan Petri > amendment ensures that cities and counties have an opportunity to weigh in on > transportation decisions. > > • Construction projects get moving. The Petri Amendment kick‐starts small, > low-impact construction projects, providing transportation, economic, health, > and safety benefits sooner. > > • Active transportation is a wise investment. Walking and biking > infrastructure is low‐cost, creates more jobs per dollar than any other kind > of highway spending, and is critical to economic development for main street > America. > > • Safety matters. Bicycle and pedestrian deaths make up 14% of all traffic > fatalities, and pedestrian deaths are on the rise. These programs provide > funding for sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that make streets safe for > all users. > > Amendment text -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en.
