![]() ![]() “We have billions of dollars right here in the metropolitan areas, housing cars. He also stressed that bicycles are key to reducing fossil fuels, improving health outcomes, and even reducing housing costs. But compared to where we were 25 years ago, it’s remarkable.”īluemenanuer applauded the billions the federal government is adding to support Vision Zero initiatives across the country as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as the local can-do spirit that helped push for legislation to build bike lane projects like Pennsylvania Avenue. “I obviously agree that there’s more that needs to be done. “We’ve seen cities around the country that are moving forward,” Blumenauer said during the event. communities have already made considerable progress considering how little they’ve been given. Blumenauer said it was past time to allocate more resources to provide these safe cycling experiences for people across the country, but he emphasized that many U.S. Beneath the shadow of the Washington monument, WABA highlighted DC’s partnership with the National Park Service to implement these protected lanes, as well as several ongoing projects like the East Coast Greenway, the great American Rail Trail, the September 11th Memorial trail, and more. To highlight what a better path forward might look like for American communities, the tour route followed a series of protected bike lanes along Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street before stopping at the National Mall. ![]() Paint is not protection.” Caron Whitaker (League of American Bicyclists, grey, left), Lilian van Ek of the Netherlands embassy (black, center), and Bob Margevicius of Specialized (blue and white, right). “Allie, Lily and Matt all paid the price of a society that refuses to build the infrastructure that can protect our most vulnerable road users. ![]() “Thousands of people are dying violent, traumatic, preventable deaths on American streets every year,” Hart said. Jessica Hart, representing Families for Safe Streets, opened the tour with a speech about the stark realities of the country’s failures to protect its most vulnerable citizens on the road - including her five year-old daughter Allison Hart, who was killed by a driver in September 2021, three year-old Lily Shambrook, who was killed by a driver in June of 2022, and Matthew Kenan, 42, who was killed by a driver in September 2021. The number of bicycle-related deaths have also increased a dramatic 44 percent over the last decade, according to data from the National Safety Council. In 2021 alone, more than 42,000 people were killed on US roadways, according to the data from the Department of Transportation, the highest number recorded since 2007 of those killed, 13 percent or more than 7,600 were pedestrians. Though it was a bright and gorgeous day for a bike ride, dark concerns about traffic violence permeated the dialogue between the legislators and their constituents. Last week, Congressional Bike Caucus Earl Blumenauer co-chair (D-Ore.) and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association hosted a bike tour through the streets of Washington, D.C., giving advocates and their representatives a unique opportunity to pedal together while pushing for legislation that makes our roads safer. A recent ride through the nation’s capital brought advocates and politicos together to experience life behind a set of handlebars - and rally support for new policies that could make that experience less deadly.
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