America Walks April / May 2012 E-News
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April/May Highlights and Upcoming Events
Greetings! America Walks continues to effectively advocate for you each day in our nation's capital and locally. Take a look at our accomplishments over the last 18 months in Striding Forward: America Walks 2011 Annual Report. Our Walking Action Network project to support and increase local walking efforts is taking shape. On May 16th at 2:00pm ET, we will host another mutual-aid phone call titled Increasing Awareness with Different Levels of Resources where we explore with several leaders their innovative local approaches; this project is a partnership with between America Walks and Alliance for Biking & Walking. America Walks has become the "go to" group to plan and lead workshops and mobile tours that explore and support increased walking as we did at the Weight of the Nation conference. Please join our walking workshop at the conclusion of Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2012 conference in September in Long Beach, CA. Also in this newsletter, we give you an update from The Hill in Washington D.C. Please watch for action alerts as the Federal Transportation Bill is debated by a House-Senate Conference Committee. Please join our incredible sponsors, including MIG, Inc. and National Coalition for Safer Roads, and donate to America Walks today. Every dollar you contribute is tax deductible and will go towards Making America a Great Place to Walk. An anonymous donor is willing to match DONATIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS through June 30! Sincerely, Scott Bricker, Executive Director |
| | Transportation Bill Update from our DC Campaign Director, Yolanda Savage-Narva
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  A Tale of Two Transportation Bills Between now and the end of September, the U.S. House and the Senate plan to conference (negotiate and debate) two transportation bills (The Senate's MAP 21 and the House's SAFETEA-LU, HR 4348), with the goal of creating and passing one. As the two chambers enter the conference process, SAFETEA-LU's add-on provisions such as Keystone Pipeline drilling, the Restore Act (a provision to help the Gulf Coast), and an Environmental Streamlining provision will add challenge. No one knows whether one or all of the above provisions will be part of the conferenced bill, but the Obama Administration has recommended veto action if a transportation bill is presented with the Keystone provision attached. What's Next? Congressional Staff are sorting out issues to provide members with the information they need to start this week's discussion. The first formal meeting of connferees was scheduled for Tuesday, May 8th at 3:00 p.m. In the Senate, all conferees have a say in the entire bill. On the House side, conferees can only have a say over areas of the bill where they have jurisdiction, leaving the House with a large number of conferees. Senator Boxer presides over the entire conference. |
| Over 800 people attended the 2012 National Bike Summit in March in Washington D.C., hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. This event is the largest advocacy conference with a specific focus of lobbying Congressional representatives. This year, America Walks partnered with the powerful bike lobby to speak up for our key programs: Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to Schools, and Recreational Trails Program. America Walks Executive Director also helped organize a networking dance party, hosted by an organization called the Enclave, to celebrate our collective work and energy for active transportation. |
| Data Released on Congress' Successful Experiment in Non-Motorized Transportation |
| The data from the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) - a Congress-mandated experiment into the impact of dedicated investment in bike/walk infrastructure in 4 communities - has just been released. Congress now has the report, and Sec. LaHood commented on it as an "eye-opening report on the value of investing in non-motorized transportation."
America Walks Board Treasurer and PedNet Executive Director, Ian Thomas, lives in one of the pilot communities, Colombia, MO. Ian says "The Transportation Pilot Program has propelled Columbia's efforts to become a highly walkable, bicycle-friendly, and wheelchair-accessible community. Study results estimate more than half a million additional walking/biking trips were taken in Columbia in 2010 versus 2007 as a result of the program. Across all four pilot communities, bicycling mode share increased 36 percent, walking mode share increased 14 percent, and driving mode share decreased 3 percent."
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Thank You to Our 2011/2012 Sponsors and Contributors |
| America Walks is able to make great strides and now can make a deep footprint in Washington, DC, due to our committed sponsors and contributors. While hundreds of you made financial and in-kind contributions, we'd like to recognize foundations, businesses, and organizations who made significant contributions: Kaiser Permanente Foundation, AARP, Anonymous Donor, Centers for Disease Control, MIG, Inc., Active Living Research, Mrs. Neill Miller Family Foundation, Swanson Thomas and Coon, SGE Endeavors, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, National Coalition for Safer Roads, Fehr & Peers, Alta Planning + Design, Eco-Counter, WalkSanDiego, America Bikes, Alliance for Biking & Walking, PedNet, APHA, APBP, PolicyLink, Convergence Partnership, Bricker Consulting, California Walks, Feet First, Eisen l Letunic, findmyaccident.com, Russell Fellows Development, Spot Devices, Plastic Safety Systems, TVA Architects, Media Drink and W-Trans. |
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America Walks PO Box 10581 Portland, Oregon 97296 703.738.4889 |
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Last edited by Howard Hartman; 05-10-2012 at 12:55 PM.
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05-10-2012, 12:47 PM
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