Recap – Cyclists In Suits – Texas Bicycle Lobby Day 2013
Image ©BikeTexas.org – Please visit their site.
When I first heard about the BikeTexas event, Cyclists In Suits, my first thought was (like perhaps a Tweed Ride) this is a bike ride where folks dressed up and rode around the capital. I would soon discover that this was not a dapper critical mass, nor did it even involve getting on my bike. Cyclists In Suits was not an event to show state legislature that we can gather for a ride, but rather, we can gather and have a productive discussion about bicycle policy in Texas.
Cyclists In Suits is a biennial event held during the Texas Legislature’s regular sessions. It is great opportunity for Texas cyclists to share their love of cycling with their state legislators. The goal is to have cyclists from every legislative district in Texas visit the capitol with our staff and remind the legislature that we are voters and we want them to represent our cycling interests.
The next thing that ran through my head was, I’m not a lobbyist, nor am I a very political person. Why would I want to participate in this event? The answer is, I LOVE CYCLING, and I will do everything I can to make it better in Texas. The least I could do was add myself to the head count and show the Texas legislature that there are many constituents who care about cycling.
Our local advocacy group, BikeDFW, hosted a bus ride to Austin that day – which I joined. The trip involved departing from DFW at 5:00 am, arriving in Austin to participate in lobby activities, network with like-minded advocates from all over the state, then return that evening. It was a really long day.
Although the group on the bus was very diverse, ranging in gender, race and cycling style, I was hoping to have a better balance of the different bike cultures. Perhaps, as cycling becomes more popular among the non-sports crowd, we’ll see more of that. Regardless of the balance of cyclist types, this group was fantastic. There’s something to be said about shedding the lycra, cleats, helmets and skinny jeans and seeing bicyclists unite for a common cause. On the bus, we weren’t ‘racers’, ‘roadies’, ‘commuters’, ‘critical mass-ers’, ‘fashionistas’ ‘VCs’ or ‘weekend riders’. We were, simply, cyclists.
When we got to Austin, we were greeted by the BikeTexas folks. They escorted us to the capital building and into a room they had reserved for the bicycle lobbyist. We were each given a couple of bags of bicycle lapel pins to hand out to anybody wanting to show support. We then got a quick tutorial on who we would be talking to and the best way to communicate to them. We also learned about the bills they were currently trying to push through, HB 2225 – Safe Passing (SB1515 – Safe Passing) and HB 1102 – Complete Streets (SB 565 – Complete Streets). There were more bills for cyclists, but the goal was to remain focused on these two for better impact with legislators – who meet with many different types of lobbyists, daily.
Fresh Of The Bus, Heading To The Capital Building
After the briefing, we were split into smaller groups and given folders containing all the information about these bills. We were to go to our selected offices, introduce ourselves as constituents and pass on the folder that represented their district. The expectation was set that we most likely wouldn’t meet with the actual Senator or Representative, but rather their staff. That was the case for all of my group’s visits, and most of the staff that we encountered were very receptive and happy to meet with us.
Jay Helping Us Lobby
After our lunch break, the whole group met at the Senate Gallery for a Reading of Special Resolution. When that was finished, we were asked to take a moment, visit the Senator and Representative from our own districts and sign their visitor log books. For my part of Richardson, this was Representative Angie Chen Button and Senator Ken Paxton. You can click here to find yours.
Texas Senate Session
Once we were finished lobbying, we all gathered on the steps of the capital building for a group picture, where we were joined by Texas Senator Rodney Ellis. It was nice to see such a large group representing Texas cyclists, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it get larger.
Bike Pins Everywhere – Showing Support
Later that afternoon, we walked over to the BikeTexas headquarters for a group happy hour. Here we were able to meet and discuss the events of the day as well as the things we learned. It was nice to network with other cycling advocates from around the state.
BikeTexas Happy Hour
BikeTexas HQ
We finished out the trip with the long bus ride back to Dallas. On the bus, I was able to reflect on what I learned that day. Here are a few:
– Cyclists in Suits is not a bike ride.
– Lobbying isn’t just for the politically minded. It’s for anybody who cares about a cause.
– Cycling policy affects all bicycle cultures. If you care, you should try to get involved.
– Texas Legislators are there to listen to their constituents. Talk to them.
– It costs a lot of money to hold these events and sponsor bus rides. If you like what is being done, you should join or support BikeDFW and BikeTexas.
Bicycle Networking
Join BikeDFW and Head To Austin For Cyclists In Suits
From the BikeDFW blog:
Every two years in Texas, we get a unique opportunity to talk about cycling with people who can make a difference.
Save the date, take the day off and take a road trip with a bunch of friends to Austin to participate in your democracy. You’ll meet the people that represent you and, most importantly, let them know that you think more effort to accommodate bicycling is important for the future of your community and your state.
It cannot be stressed enough that numbers matter; we need representation from every congressional district in North Texas.
Don’t worry about jumping off the bus and not knowing what to do. Bike Texas will provide a thorough briefing on hot topics as well as tips and techniques for meeting and communicating with your legislators. They will also organize groups according to their legislative districts. It’s also OK if you just want to be a smiling face with a bicycling pin! Your interest and presence speaks volumes to your representatives.
BikeDFW has made arrangements for one-day, round-trip chartered bus trips from both Dallas and Fort Worth to Austin to participate in Cyclists in Suits for the very reasonable cost of $30 per person. The buses are luxury coaches and we will serve breakfast and coffee on board.
Dress: The name says it all, formal office attire makes the best impression and helps to break down the lycra stereotype, allowing for more effective communication. You can wear more casual clothes on the bus and change upon arrival, that is up to you.
Dallas area departure location: Richardson Bike Mart (SE corner, Coit and Campbell, Richardson)
Fort Worth area departure location: Trinity Bicycles (343 Throckmorton, Fort Worth)
Departure Time from both locations: 5:00am
Estimated return to both locations: 9:00pm
Purchase your ticket for Fort Worth or Dallas departure at the bottom of this page.
Schedule in Austin:
The agenda per Bike Texas is as follows (more details on the Bike Texas site:https://www.biketexas.org/news/biketexasevents):
8:30am – Beginning Brief (Capitol Extension, Room E1.004)
Get briefed on the important issues and learn best practices for meeting with legislators.
9:30am – Meet your Legislators (through mid-afternoon)
Visit legislative offices and meet with legislators and their staff about the Complete Streets Bill and other bills of concern to Texas cyclists. In the course of the day, we will see the House or the Senate in session. We’ll take a group photo with the capitol as our backdrop.
Lunch – Capital Grill (expect about $10 per person)
4:00 pm — Happy Hour (Bike Texas HQ at 1902 E 6th St.)
Depart Austin: approximately 5:30 pm
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Pics From Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s Cyclesomatic Bike Fair & Spooky Cyclocross 2012
Yesterday, Bike Friendly Richardson, was invited to have a table at the Cyclesomatic Bike Fair – hosted by Bike Friendly Oak Cliff. It started off a bit chilly, but it ended up being a great day.
Along with many booths and a huge crowd, there was a cyclocross race. I’d never seen one in person, so it was pretty exciting to watch.
There was also a bike powered smoothie station hosted by BikeDFW as well as representatives from Metroplex BMX, Pedal Power, Bicycles, Inc and ReGeared. Good Karma Kitchen was there with some tasty food and the youngsters in the crowd were entertained by a bounce house and fantastic face painting. If that wasn’t enough, there was a BMX Stunt show.
Here are some pics of the event. Click here to see the entire set.
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BikeDFW Fall Meet Up – TONIGHT, Oct 22
Please join us! BikeDFW’s Fall Meet Up will be on Monday evening, October 22, 2012.
Come network with other cyclists and learn about what’s going on at BikeDFW and in our local communities to encourage cycling. Our speakers will discuss how the two bike-friendliest cities in the DFW metroplex (Fort Worth and Richardson) got to be that way and what they’ve got in store for the future.
Speakers:
Julia McCleeary
Senior Planner
Transportation and Planning Division
City of Fort Worth
Dave Carter
Assistant Director
Traffic and Transportation
Department of Development Services
City of Richardson
Just added (10/17/2012)
Short presentations by the Fort Worth Mayor’s Office (MaryAnn Means) and Bike Friendly Fort Worth on grass roots advocacy.
Refreshments will be served.
The Meet Up is open to the public and admission is free, but space is limited so you must RSVP to reserve a spot.
WHERE
4515 LBJ Fwy
Dallas, TX 75244
United States
Google map and directions
CONTACT
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National Bike Challenge – FINAL LOCAL RESULTS
For those of you who didn’t know, there was a National Bike Challenge hosted by Endomondo, The League of American Bicyclists and Bikes Belong. From May 1 through August 31 they’re tried to get as many riders as they could to ride 10 million miles – which was achieved nationally.
They’re also did regional challenges, putting small teams of 10 riders in friendly competition with each other for points and miles. BikeDFW hosted our local challenge.
We are proud to report that Bike Friendly Richardson had two teams participate in our region and both did very well. BFR team 1, who started at the beginning of the challenge, ended up taking 5th place in points (based on miles and amount of rides) in the region. Not only did we rank in the top 10, but we also had the most “transportation” (as opposed to sport/recreation) distance – topping out at over 7,111 miles. This is something that we are extremely proud of.
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BFR team 2 also did really well – even working against the odds. Although team 2 got a really late start, with half the members, we still managed to make it to 22nd place. Not bad in a region with 40 teams. Also, 97% of team 2’s miles were for ‘transportation’.
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National Bike Challenge – Team Bike Friendly Richardson July Check In
For those of you who don’t know, there is a National Bike Challenge hosted by Endomondo, The League of American Bicyclists, Bikes Belong and BikeDFW. From May 1 through August 31 they’re trying to get as many riders as they can to ride 10 million miles. They’re also doing regional challenges, putting small teams of 10 riders in friendly competition with each other for points and miles.
Bike Friendly Richardson has a team and we’re doing quite well in our region. So far, we’ve remained in the top 3.
Here is an Early July Update from BikeDFW:
July 06 at 13:53
Some interesting stats as of July 1st:
Texas has 854 total rides in the National Bike Challenge. 395 of those (46%) are from the DFW area. That means we’re providing as many riders for the NBC as the rest of Texas combined… awesome!
Texas currently ranks 34th among all states. That sounds pitiful until you consider that the state rankings are calculated on a per capita basis. Texas (pop. 25.1 million) ranks first among the really big states, including New York (rank 42nd, pop. 19.4 million) and California (rank 43rd, pop. 37.2 million)… However we’re a long way from the leaders like Wisconsin, which is currently in 3rd place with 5,788 riders (pop. 5.7 million). There’s still plenty of time, so ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO PARTICIPATE.
There’s a lively competition in the DFW team category where several area bike clubs are duking it out with the TI DLP team for top honors. However, the Bike Friendly Richardson and DORBA teams are also in the top 10 but FAR ahead in commuting miles (and gas saved). Over 75% of their mileage is commuting. David Appleby, riding for Plano Bicycle Association, was the mileage leader at the end of June with over 2,000 miles since May.
Of note, Howard T Maher of Richardson was a Gold Level drawing prize winner in the National Bike Challenge drawing on July 1st. He won a Specialized Globe bike.
We took a closer look at the stats. So far, even thought we don’t have as many collected miles as some of the local bike clubs, we do have the most cycling transport miles – recorded for transportation over recreation or sport. As of today, we’re at 4,376 miles (80% of our riding), closely followed by DORBA, who has 3,520 miles. The two teams ahead of us in the local challenge (who have many more miles/points scored) only have 1,223 and 793 miles for transportation.
We’re excited by these results, but we also feel that the community can do better and put more transportation miles on the leaderboard. If you commute, it’s not to late to join the challenge and show how DFW is doing our part.
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Support BikeDFW By Watching A Bike Movie
Our friends over at BikeDFW are hosting the movie Bicycle Dreams and would like you to come see it. The money raised will help support BikeDFW and their local bicycle advocacy efforts. Here are the details from BikeDFW:
Bicycle Dreams, the award-winning feature-length documentary about the Race Across America (RAAM), will premiere in Dallas/Fort Worth at the Studio Movie Grill Royal Lane on Wednesday, February 1 at 7 p.m. The screening is a benefit for BikeDFW.
The film, which has won numerous awards at film festivals all over the world, “is an up-close look at what RAAM riders go through,” says Stephen Auerbach, the director and producer of Bicycle Dreams. “They deal with searing desert heat, agonizing mountain climbs, and endless stretches of open road. And they do it all while battling extreme exhaustion and sleep deprivation. It’s a great subject for a film.”
“Bicycle Dreams is a spectacular and heartfelt film that offers a riveting portrait of extreme courage in the face of inhuman obstacles,” writes TheLoveOfMovies.com. “It is an artistic triumph that renewed my belief in the power of desire and the strength of the human will.”
Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Studio Movie Grill Royal Lane
RSVP (via Facebook): Click Here
Tickets: Click Here or get them at the door.
Supporting: BikeDFW
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New Group Formed – Friends of White Rock Creek Trail
Image © Friends Of White Rock Creek Trail - please visit their site
Friend of BRF, Magnus, sent us a link to an article in Lake Highlands Today about the new Friends of White Rock Creek Trail group. From the article:
The purpose of FWRCT, of course, is to support the betterment of the White Rock Creek Trail.
Current President of the advocacy group Bike DFW, Marc Mumby, is leading the charge on forming the FWRCT organization.
Read more…
What does that mean for Richardson folks? If you aren’t already using the White Rock Creek Trail to access White Rock Lake (or other parts of Dallas) perhaps you will once the Cottonwood Creek Trail and the Central Trail are complete. Having an organization like Friends of White Rock Creek Trail will help keep the trail maintained, improved and upgraded for many years of continued use.
If you would like to become part of the group or help them out, perhaps you should try to make it to their first meeting on February 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Mariano’s Hacienda on Skillman Avenue in Lake Highlands.
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Notes From The BikeDFW Meeting
Last Sunday, BikeDFW had a general meeting with special guest speaker Peter Lagerwey, Senior Transportation Planner for the Toole Design Group and former Bicycle Coordinator for Seattle, who discussed ways to provide effective input on regional bicycle and transportation planning.
Our friend, Sean Cortez-Mathis attended the meeting and shared some really great notes with the BFR Facebook Group:
BikeDFW is a bicycle advocacy and education group for the DFW area. The goal of the group, as I understand it, is to function as a clearinghouse for ideas and efforts as well as provide education for groups such as BFR.
Although I was interested in finding out about the group, I attended largely to hear Peter Lagerwey speak. The following are a few highlights from his presentation. His presentation consisted of four topics.
First he spoke of elements for successful outcomes. He noted consensus and community as two essential pieces. Along with this he stated that the advocate community needs to mirror the community for which it is advocating. Also that it is necessary to be ubiquitous and went on to describe ways in which to accomplish this.
He next spoke on “what should we be doing” and listed 7 items. Number one on the list was to get issues into all government plans. He noted that governments have multiple plans such as master plan, parks plan, transportation, etc. and that being part of each of these is critical. The next 6 items spoke to this first item. In each of the seven items he encourages you to look for items that value over and over again. Change that happens without your continued involvement.
The next topic was trends. Mr. Lagerwey presented the statistic that 60-80% of cycling is always on the road no matter what you build. He spoke about “Complete Streets”. This is the government’s needs to be inclusive of all users when designing projects. Two more items of note were safe routes to school initiative and transportation as a public health issue.
Lastly, he finished with some general thoughts. Advocacy groups need to toss out the “silly notion” of separating recreational and utilitarian cycling. This distinction is not made between auto trips and should be the same for bicycles. Lastly, speed and crash rates have direct correlation and gave examples of ways to reduce both while minimizing interruption to traffic flow.
It is my feeling that Mr. Lagerwey sets out goals and guideposts that would be of value to BFR. They are consistent with our goals. The implementation of these is made much easier as we are a newly formed group. I also feel that it is important that we maintain a connection with BikeDFW. Their mission and ours should work well together.
I’d like to thank Sean for taking the time to attend the BikeDFW meeting and sharing his notes with us.
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Bike Friendly Richardson 
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