Eric Chu
Hey, all you cyclists in Bend!
I just found out recently that there are only 25 Bicycle
Transportation Alliance members from Bend.
(26 if you count me. I joined last week.)
Having only done two legitimate road rides this year and riding my
bike to work for the past few weeks, I've experienced more hostility
from motorists than ever in my life. (More than any big city I've
lived in like Chicago or Detroit.) I actually had a teenager on
Alfalfa Market Rd. point his truck at me and cross the center line
and then swerve back into his lane as a joke. hilarious.
And let's not forgot the recent "spandex menace" letter to The Source.
Let's show our strength in numbers and help support the BTA.
From the BTA website:
"The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is a non-profit membership
organization working to promote bicycling and improve bicycling
conditions in Oregon and SW Washington. Since 1990, the BTA has
worked in partnership with citizens, businesses, community groups,
government agencies and elected officials to create communities where
people can meet their daily transportation needs on a bike.
BTA Mission and Vision
The BTA creates healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling
safer, more convenient and more accessible.
We work to open minds and roads to bicycling."
Let's see if we can get our membership numbers into the triple
digits? Shall we? certainly we have more than 26 people in Bend that
value our rights (and responsibilities) as cyclists.
Can we get more than 100 members from Bend, before June? and create a
stronger voice statewide to keep our roads safe for cyclists? all of
us who choose to ride for fun, ride to the store, ride to work or
ride to school?
I fear it's only a matter of time before we have a tragic incident
between a motorist and a cyclist in our area, and I think we can
create a stronger voice by joining groups like the BTA that support
cycling and cyclists' rights. By educating motorists and our fellow
cyclists we can "share the road" safely and amicably....and
hopefully prevent or reduce the number of conflicts between motorists
and cyclists as Bend continues to grow.
for more information and to join now visit:
http://www.bta4bikes.org
cheers,
eric
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bikemecca.com