Fwd: TN residents please take 2 mins to call Senators Alexander and Corker @ bipartisan Cardin-Cochran amendment

[Pat Clements]

Please spread the word!  Every national, state and local advocacy group has been actively working on this, and emails and personal phone calls have been coming in for the last 3 days.  I've never seen so much attention to one single effort ever before, we've been studying the issue and it's indeed about as important an issue as we've ever faced.

Please read below, make the call or email, then forward on to other lists you may be a member of.

Thanks

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http://www.bikewalktn.org/
EXPECT BIKE TRAFFIC!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Patrick Roland <cyclad...@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Subject: TN residents please take 2 mins to call Senators Alexander and Corker @ bipartisan Cardin-Cochran amendment
To: pres...@harpethbikeclub.com, advo...@harpethbikeclub.com

Dear Harpeth Bicycle Club, 

Two years of hard work toward a federal transportation bill is finally coming to a head, and your voice is more important now than ever.

Last week, the U.S. House voted to completely wipe out 20 years of progress for bike/ped transportation. Now the focus is on a bipartisan amendment in the U.S. Senate that would help fill the gap, while accomplishing many of the same goals about local control. Our own Senators Alexander's and Corker's positions are considered especially pivotal on this vote expected to come up next week.

Will you please take two minutes today to call Senator Corker's office at (202)-224-3344 or Senator Alexander's office at (202) 224-4944 in support of the Cardin-Cochran amendment, and briefly explain why you feel safe roads for bicyclists and pedestrians are important to Tennessee? You may also email Senators Corker and Alexander at:

http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email

https://www.corker.senate.gov/public/?p=ContactMe

  (Details below)

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The current Senate transportation bill dilutes walking and biking programs. To improve the bill, we’re asking senators to vote for an amendment on the floor to guarantee local governments a voice in transportation decisions, allowing them to build sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that keep people safe.

Will you contact Senator Corker or Alexander today and ask him to make Tennessee's streets safer for everyone?

As written, the Senate’s transportation bill removes dedicated funding for walking and biking and allows state DOTs to opt-out of safe street programs. The bipartisan Cardin-Cochran amendment would improve the bill by ensuring that local governments can apply directly for funds to build walking and biking infrastructure.

Tell your senators:

• Local governments deserve a voice in transportation. The bipartisan Cardin-Cochran amendment ensures that cities and counties have an opportunity to weigh in on transportation decisions for safer streets.

• 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.

• 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.

They need to know that that finding effective, efficient transportation solutions to keep people safe should be a national priority.

Thank you for all that you do to keep streets and roads safe for walking and biking!

Sincerely,
          Patrick Morin