National Bike Summit
CCBA Sends MaryEllen Thibodeau to National Bike Summit
The League of American Bicyclists 9th annual National Bike Summit was held in Washington, DC from March 10-March 13. I was very fortunate to have been there representing CCBA. The summit began with an energetic kick-off session on Tuesday afternoon and ended with a bike ride on Capitol Hill on Friday morning. The time in between was jammed full of multiple educational, enjoyable and inspirational breakout sessions, visits from members of Congress and the Secretary of Transportation and, on Thursday, a round of meetings by the citizen advocates attending the summit (e.g. me) with their Congressional representatives or their transportation aides. Read more about the summit at www.bikeleague.org/conferences/summit09.
In spite of the tough economy, this summit had more attendees (580) than ever who represented advocacy groups like the CCBA, bike clubs, bike shops and manufacturers, and local governments (e.g. planners). We were educated about the most current policy issues, including pending and proposed federal legislation, what is happening around the country on streets, trails and off-road and were able to meet experts on initiatives like Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School.
A major goal of the summit is to advocate with all members of the US House of Representatives and Senate through meetings between summit attendees and their state elected officials or their staff. Unfortunately, there were only two of us attending from Connecticut - a meager amount compared to many other states. That limited our ability to meet with each of the Connecticut Congressional delegates, and arguably, our clout. It's my goal to increase next year's Connecticut presence to at least 5, one person for each Congressional district. Bike shops should ask the National Bike Dealer's Association if they are eligible for scholarships.
Photos from the event are posted here
Anyone interested in hearing more about the summit should contact Mary Ellen