Legislators & National Advocacy Groups to Announce New Survey Data

Join America Bikes, Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Earl Blumenauer for a press conference announcing new survey results on Wednesday, May 9. A new national poll by Princeton Survey found that the overwhelming majority of Americans want to maintain or increase federal funding for sidewalks, bike lanes, and bike paths. These results add a critical perspective to a pressing national debate about transportation, as lawmakers conference to develop a new transportation bill that will affect bike infrastructure funding in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The press conference is open to all and will take place from 9:30 until 10:15 AM on Wednesday, May 9 at the House Triangle on Capitol Hill. Speakers will include Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, a statement from Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Angela Fox of the Crystal City Business Improvement District. The press event at the House Triangle follows a National Bike to School Day celebration in Lincoln Park. From 7:30 – 8:30 a.m., school children will gather in Lincoln Park and ride in bike trains to nearby Capitol Hill public schools. Sandra Moscoso, a lead organizer of the Capitol Hill Bike to School Day event, will also speak at the America Bikes press conference. As a parent who enjoys biking with her kids to school, Sandra is glad that federal bike funding has benefitted her neighborhood. “My best days are the ones when I bike to school with the children,” says Sandra. “It’s really fun, biking to school. We have this time together on the road, not plugged into a cell phone or reading in the back seat.” Sandra appreciates the bike lanes in her neighborhood and the educational programs that make biking more accessible. Sandra’s family recently took WABA’s ABCs of Family Biking class, and her kids have participated in bike education offered through DDOT’s Safe Routes to School, a federally funded program for students. Federal funding had provided education and infrastructure to make biking safer and more accessible for her family, says Sandra. “There are mental barriers to biking, and there are physical barriers. We need federal funding to address both.” This post was written by WABA Member and America Bikes Communications Coordinator Mary Lauran Hall.