To kick off National Bike Month, I sent the following note to my U.S. Representative:
Representative Mark Kirk:
As we enter the League of American Bicyclists-sponsored 52nd Annual National Bike Month in May, I urge you to support House Concurrent Resolution 305, a Sense of Congress “recognizing the importance of bicycling in transportation and recreation”.
In my daily bicycle commute to work, I realize tremendous personal advantages in the health and longevity benefits of regular aerobic exercise as well as in the financial rewards of avoided costs for automobile payments, fuel, insurance, and maintenance. Moreover, bicycle commuting accrues social benefits by reducing automobile traffic congestion, decreasing the demand for gasoline, & reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.
My bicycle commute is made possible in part because a well-maintained bicycle path exists between the city in which I live and the city in which I work. Transportation infrastructure is a public good most effectively administered by government. For many of the reasons outlined in H. Con. Res 305, Congress should do all it can to see that bicycle transportation becomes an increasingly viable option for as many Americans as practicable. In particular, Congress should promulgate transportation policy that treats bicycle and pedestrian traffic as an equal to automobile traffic and facilitates intermodal transfer between bicycle and public transport. Please take the first step in securing the benefits of bicycle transportation for a larger segment of the American public by supporting House Concurrent Resolution 305.
Sincerely,
Keith Gillette