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Representative Earl Blumenauer just introduced the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722. This groundbreaking bill creates a competitive grant program with $2 billion to help communities build bicycling and walking networks. For the first time, communities would be able to compete for multi-year funding to build active transportation systems, just as they do for transit and road infrastructure.

"Too often we take for granted the value of being able to bike and walk to work," said Blumenauer. "It's unfortunate that many communities don't have the infrastructure in place to make active and healthy forms of transportation more accessible. The ACT transportation grants will make it easier for people to get out of their vehicles and onto sidewalks or bikes, boosting both heart rates and community vitality."

03 Mar

ACTION ALERT: Virtual Lobby Day is Tomorrow!

Just posting a friendly reminder as a follow up on our post from last week regarding tomorrow's Virtual Lobby Day in support of the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722. Tomorrow the League of Michigan Bicyclists is leading a delegation of 13 Michigan cycling advocates to lobby for Complete Streets and more funding and federal support for bicycling in Michigan. We have a full day of meetings scheduled with Michigan Congresspeople and are asking you to back up our face to face efforts with phone calls from back home.  Specifically, please help us generate support for H.R. 4722 (Act Act).

Learn more about the ACT Act here.
Download Issue Paper on ACT Act (and Complete Streets Bill) here.

TAKE ACTION
For those Michigan bicyclists not attending the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC, please participate in the Virtual Lobby Day on Thursday March 11.  In conjunction with the National Bike Summit we ask that you call your representative at the same time that over 700 Summit participants will have in-person meetings in congressional offices. The combination of face to face and phone communications in support of this bill will demonstrate a strong and unified Michigan voice next week on Capitol Hill.

We encourage you to use the talking points below to send your own alert encouraging your members to participate.

TALKING POINTS
Please call your representatives on March 11th to ask them to co-sponsor H.R.4722: "The Active Community Transportation Act." Tell them:

• Bicycling and walking are part of the solution. Half of all trips in the United States are three miles or less, yet the majority of these short trips are made by car.  Shifting more of these short trips to biking and walking would not only reduce congestion, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and our dependence on oil, but will also improve physical activity, safety, and livability.
• Investing in bicycling and walking infrastructure works.  Commuting by bicycle has increased 43 percent since 2000 - and by 69 percent in designated Bicycle Friendly Communities that have invested in infrastructure improvements.
• Please co-sponsor the Active Community Transportation Act (H.R.4722).
  

• Senator Carl Levin (D- MI)   202-224-6221
• Senator Debbie Stabenow (D- MI)  202-224-4822
• Representative Bart Stupak (D - 01)  202-225-4735
• Representative Pete Hoekstra (R - 02)  202-225-4401
• Representative Vern Ehlers (R - 03)  202-225-3831
• Representative Dave Camp (R - 04)  202-225-3561
• Representative Dale E. Kildee (D - 05)  202-225-3611
• Representative Fred Upton (R - 06)  202-225-3761
• Representative Mark Schauer (D - 07)  202-225-6276
• Representative Mike Rogers (R - 08)  202-225-4872
• Representative Gary Peters (D - 09)  202-225-5802
• Representative Candice Miller (R - 10)  202-225-2106
• Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R - 11)  202-225-8171
• Representative Sandy Levin (D - 12)  202-225-4961
• Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick (D - 13)  202-225-2261
• Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D - 14)  202-225-5126
• Representative John D. Dingell (D - 15)  202-225-4071
  
  Don't know who your Congressperson is?  Visit http://capwiz.com/lab/home/ and enter your address to find out.
  

24 Feb

Michigan Complete Streets Grant Funding, Job Opening & Patnership

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced $1.5 billion in TIGER Grant funding for over 50 high-priority, innovative transportation projects across the country.  The projects, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will create thousands of jobs all over the country and help get the economy back on track.

M-1/Woodward Avenue Light Rail Project

$25,000,000 was awarded to construct a light rail system connecting Downtown Detroit to the New Center district along the region's main artery on Woodward Avenue. The project is 3.4 miles long with 12 station stops. The light rail system will run on both sides of the street in the second lane from the curb and will be co-mingled with vehicular traffic. TIGER funds will be used for road rehabilitation, a streetscape enhancement project, and the purchase of light rail cars.

Black River Bridge Replacement

$30,000,000 in TIGER funds will be used to construct a new Black River Bridge to replace the existing structure built in 1963. The bridge replacement is part of the integrated $583 million Blue Water Bridge Plaza Expansion Project. The Blue Water Bridge connects Port Huron, Michigan with Canada. The overall project will expand the existing international border crossing plaza, improve the approaching I-94/I-69 corridors including some interchanges, relocate a city street, relocate an electrical substation and replace the International Welcome Center. The TIGER-funded portion of the project replaces the existing aging bridge over the Black River with a modern facility separating international and local traffic.

One of the highlights of the Black River Bridge project is the inclusion of a 14-foot wide bike/pedestrian crossing.

Learn more about the TIGER Grants on the USDOT website.
A complete list of recipients can be viewed Here.

11 Feb

Help Us Promote the Summit

LMB is looking for bicyclists to a) register for the 2010 Michigan Bicycle Summit and b) help is promote the event to other interested cyclists across the state.  To help you help us, we've just posted a downloadable PDF document (see below) about the Summit that you can use to email to your friends and family and/or to print out and distribute at events.  It contains an overview of the Summit, workshop descriptions and schedule, presenter bios, and of coarse a link to our website to register.

In addition to sharing this PDF, we ask that you help promote the event through your social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and other bicycling list serves that you may be part of.  We thank you in advance for your help and look forward to seeing on March 26th and 27th for the Summit.

2010 Michigan Bicycle Summit
Promotional document for the 2010 Michigan Bicycle Summit.
2010-02-11  2.19 MB 31

04 Feb

2010 Benchmarking Report

Information and Findings from the Alliance for Walking & Biking

29 Jan

2010 Michigan Ride Calendar

The print version of the 2010 Michigan Ride Calendar is now available. The calendar was mailed with the latest edition of the Michigan Bicyclist Magazine to all LMB members the last week of January.

For non LMB members who are interested in receiving the Ride Calendar, you may join LMB and a copy will be mailed to you in your welcome pack, or you may request a 2010 Michigan Biking and Tourism packet. By mid February, you will also be able to pick up a copy in person at any Michigan Welcome Center, Visitors Bureaus or bike shop.

You may also preview or download the print version of the Ride Calendar using the "Download / Preview PDF Version" link below.

We also have an online version available. (note: some events that did not make the print calendar deadline may appear in the online version. Conversely, not all event organizers who submitted events to the print calendar have submitted their events on our online version.)

28 Jan

'Same Roads, Same Rights, Same Rules' Stickers on Midland County Sheriff Vehicles

Last spring after a couple of instances of road rage on club rides, the Tri-City Cyclist leadership requested a meeting with the Midland County Sheriff. It turns out that Sheriff Neilsen is very supportive of cycling and agreed to follow up on instances of road rage if bicyclists could get license numbers.  Upon urging from former LMB board member, Joyce Halstead, Sheriff Neilsen even agreed to put the Same Roads, Same Rights, Same Rules stickers on all 15 patrol cars.

20 Jan

$1 Per Rider Program

Put simply, "Dollar per Rider" participating groups have agreed to donate $1 to the League of Michigan Bicyclists for every rider in these events, to help us carry out our mission of promoting bicycling and increasing the safety of bicyclists on the roadways in Michigan. These generous donations help LMB work on statewide issues that affect every bicyclist every day.

LMB represents bicyclists at the state capitol, with MDOT, with Safe Routes To School and with other governmental bodies. We help write legislation and react to legislation that may endanger bicyclists. We develop education tools for bicyclists (such as the "What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know" booklet) for personal use and for improving the bicycling environment in their communities.

The reality of the world today is that it takes money to keep on top of issues and to provide these education tools. Our income is derived from four major sources. Our primary source is the proceeds from the four major tours we run annually. (We also receive funds from membership and contracts with the state.) Contributions are our second largest source of funding. These funds come from both individuals and the "Dollar per Rider" program.

We believe the "Dollar per Rider" program is an easy way for thousands of riders each year to support a statewide organization whose sole purpose is simply to improve the quality of their riding experience.

We encourage every one of you to ask your club's or organization's leaders to make their events "Dollar per Rider" sponsors, to help LMB promote bicycling and the safety of bicyclists on the roadways in Michigan.

In 2009, 6,539 riders participated in 22 pledging events, resulting in a combined donation of $6,539 to the League of Michigan Bicyclists.  We graciously thank our 2009 donors and encourage all Michigan cyclists to participate in Dollar per Rider" events in 20010.

20 Jan

Michigan Bicyclist Magazine - Winter 2010

Winter 2010

View Magazine Archives

Michigan Bicyclist Magazine Version:Winter 2010
To preview the Winter 2010 edition of the Michigan Bicyclist Magazine, visit: http://www.scribd.com/doc/25293777/Michigan-Bicyclist-Magazine-Winter2010
2010-01-26  8.73 MB 69

15 Jan

Distracted Driving Receives High Profile Attention

LMB continues to support efforts to ban texting while driving in Michigan; a practice that puts all road cyclists in danger. We are pleased the issue of distracted driving is receiving much needed attention from from hi profile figures such as Oprah and USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

DOT Unveils www.distraction.gov and National PSA to Combat Distracted Driving

14 Jan

2010 Michigan Bicycle Summit

Learn More / Register

14 Jan

2010 Advocacy Day

Bicycle Advocates Join Forces for 2010 Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Lansing, Michigan

Fee: $10

Hosted by LMB, MMBA & MTGA

Learn More

13 Jan

Facebook Anti-Cycling Page

Outcry against the Facebook Fan Page “There’s a perfectly good path right next to the road you stupid cyclist!” (which frighteningly has more than 35,000 Fans) is gaining momentum. Just this week, efforts to end the group culminated in the response group, “Help Remove this Hate Group Against Cyclists!”.  The anti-cyclists page is filled with violent comments about hitting cyclists, who the page refers to as “road hogging rats.” The profile picture is even of a car dooring a cyclist. The page claims that bicycles only belong on bike paths and should not be allowed on roads. The about me box states, “No matter how far to the left you are, you’re taking up my road. My car is hard, and i am not slowing down!”

You are encouraged to Take Action againgst the the Facebook Page.

Also, while you are in the "take action" mode, make sure also to become a Fan of LMB's Facebook page.  We are closing in on 1,000 Fans, but this is still a far cry from the 35,000 anti-cycling fans mentioned above. Please help us recruit your cycling friends and family to become our Facebook Fans as well.  Even better, encourage them to join LMB.  Strength in numbers is ultimately how we’ll insure our message of equal rights on the roadways is heard loud and clear.