In Surprise Appearance, Ray LaHood Caps Off National Bike Summit by Bryan Goebel SF.Streetsblog.org | March 12, 2010

http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/03/12/in-surprise-appearance-ray-
lahood-caps-off-national-bike-summit/

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made a surprise visit to the
closing reception of the National Bike Summit last night, speaking to
a record crowd of bicycle advocates and industry representatives,
many of whom spent the day swarming the halls of the Capitol as part
of the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) annual lobby day.

"People get it. People want to live in livable communities," LaHood
told the crowd, after hoisting himself atop a table in the Dirksen
Senate Office Building room so the large gathering could see him.
"People want streetcars that are made in Portland, Oregon. People
want walking paths, biking paths, and opportunities for families to
really do the things they do best, which is to hang together and have
fun. You all created an opportunity for America with all of your hard
work."

"I’ve been all over America, and where I’ve been in America I’ve been
very proud to talk about the fact that people do want alternatives.
They want out of their cars, they want out of congestion, they want
to live in livable neighborhoods and livable communities." He added,
to thunderous applause, "you've got a partner in Ray LaHood."

"Ray, we've got your back," said Congressman Earl Blumenaur, the
founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus, who told attendees that
they have made a difference but there are "a lot of people who don't
get the big picture yet."

The reception ended the league's 10th annual summit, which saw a
record number of attendees: more than 700 advocates from all over the
country took part.

"From my perspective what has changed most dramatically is not just
the numbers over the years, but our own belief in the ability we have
to convince others this stuff actually works," said Andy Clarke,
President of the LAB. "We've got examples in the field now in San
Francisco, in Portland, in Chicago, New York City, where you can
document a real change in behavior, and we've got mode shift going on
and we can see why it's happened."

The underlying theme, as it has been in years past, was the
reauthorization of federal transportation law. Bike advocates also
asked lawmakers to expand programs like Safe Routes to School and
adopt new legislation to improve conditions for walking and biking.

"It's a challenging time to be asking for more funding," said Clarke.
"But this isn't new money, first and foremost. There's money in the
system that can be used that isn't being used on safety programs or
bridges or congestion relief programs that can very legitimately be
used for biking and walking."

That message, said Clarke, is what advocates were urged to tell their
representatives.

"I was rather impressed with some of the speeches our people made,"
said bicycling pioneer Gary Fisher, who attended the summit for the
first time. "We keep coming and coming and coming and it keeps
getting bigger and bigger."

Fisher, wearing his usual tweed suit, joined other advocates in
lobbying representatives and ran into Senator Dianne Feinstein in the
hallway. Fisher said he thinks lawmakers got the message that the
bicycle movement is truly grassroots.

The California delegation was the largest at the event, with more
than 60 members. Later in the evening, a benefit at a Union Station
restaurant for the California Bicycle Coalition raised more than
$30,000. CBC President Dave Snyder says the organization hopes to use
the money to hire an executive director.

"The reason I came here was to get national help to revive the CBC
and it was gratifying to see the national bike industry and the
California bike industry recognize how important it is to have a
strong California bicycle voice with reauthorization coming up," said
Snyder. "It surprised me to see how eager Californians are to see a
powerful bike coalition in the state."

For more on the National Bike Summit, visit Bike Portland. Jonathan
Maus cranked out some excellent coverage.

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