BACA News 2008

The League of American Bicyclists will be holding an League Certified Training Seminar in Bentonville, Arkansas December 5-7. This is an excellent opportunity to become a League Certified Instructor (LCI). However, you must have passed a Road One course to sign up for the LCI training, and you still have time to do so before December 5th. Tom Ezell will teach a Road I class on October 17-18 at The Community Bicyclist, 7509 Cantrall. The class will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The $50 fee includes a donation to BACA. For information about registration call501-912-1047 or e-mail tomezell@aristotle.net. In addition, a bicycle commuting workshop is set for October 24 at Community Bicyclist. This is a three-hour follow-up class to Road I which focuses more on biking as a basic means of transportation, carrying stuff on your bike, and safe bike route selection and planning.

Preston Tyree, the League's director of education, and Andy Clarke, LAB's executive director, will be the trainers for LCI training in December. We've all been waiting for one of these classes to be held locally, so now it's at least here in Arkansas. To take the course, you need to be an individual League member, have passed the Road I course with a score of at least 85% on the written and 90% on the road test, and sign up for the seminar at the LAB web site. The course fee is $200, which covers your course materials and training and your first year's liability insurance. (Annual renewal is whatever level of LAB dues you're paying, plus $25/year for your insurance.) The deadline to sign up for the Seminar is November 5, 2008. This is a firm deadline, since after that date you probably won't have time to get your course material, complete the pre-course written exam, and get ready to practice teach at the seminar.

Little Rock will be host to the National Trails Symposium from November 15 - 18th. Over 1000 people from around the world will be attending the symposium. The Big Dam Bridge and the Medical Mile were the impetus to bring the Symposium here. BACA members Gene Pfeifer, Ken Gould, Jess Askew and Rob Lambert are state honorary advisors. BACA member Lynn Warren is organizing workshop effort. BACA members Claibanne Williamson and Coreen Frasier are on the planning committee and are in charge of volunteers. BACA is one of the sponsors.

Volunteers are needed to help with the Symposium. If you are interested you can register on line at www.americantrails.org . Also check out the brochure for the Symposium which really showcases Central Arkansas.

In 2001 the Clinton Foundation promised to renovate the Rock Island Bridge at the Presidential Center to become a part of our 14 mile Arkansas River Trail Loop. To date that promise to our City is unfulfilled. The Foundation also sold to the public many thousands of dollars of commemorative brick pavers that were to be installed on the bridge and that commitment is unfulfilled as well. BACA supports the efforts of the Build Our Bridge campaign to persuade the Foundation to fulfill its promise to complete the Bridge.

The BACA Board, at its April, 2008 Board meeting, adopted the following principles in support of the Campaign: (1) That the Foundation establish a reasonable timeline to complete the bridge conversion; (2) that the Foundation pursue by its own initiative funding for the bridge conversion from all available revenue sources; and (3) that there non-intrusive public and private lobbying for the bridge conversion with specific regard to positive interactions with the Foundation and the public.

On June 3, 2008, a group of 7 supporters stood outside the Clinton Presidential Center and handed out flyers about the Build our Bridge campaign. They wore stickers saying "I (heart) trails." The peaceful, nonintrusive demonstration was to coincide with the Rotary Club's meeting at the Center, but the Rotary Club changed its meeting location at the last minute.

Additional informational demonstrations are planned. Check the www.buildourbridge.com website. In addition, we will be sending e-mails to our members about the demonstrations.

Coreen Frasier, Ken Gould, Judy Lansky, and Willa Williams attended the National Bike Summit in Washington, D. C. on March 4-7. The Summit, which is presented by the League of American Bicyclists, and sponsored by Bikes Belong, draws bicycle advocates, government officials, community leaders, and representatives from the bicycle industry to improve bicycling in America. Topics ranged from promoting cyclists' rights, to creating bicycle friendly national parks, to safe routes to schools and complete streets, to getting more people to ride, to engaging the community in advancing bicycling. Because we had four representatives we were able to cover all the sections and look forward to reporting on what we learned.

On Thursday, Coreen, Willa, Judy and Monty Woolley, the owner of a bike shop in Harrison, Arkansas (The Bicycle Outfitter) went to Capitol Hill to talk to our Congressional Delegation about issues of importance to bicyclists. We are proud that 3 of the 4 Representatives (Reps. Boozman, Ross and Snyder) are members of the Congressional Bike Caucus. We met with Representative Boozman and Senator Lincoln while aides of Representatives Snyder and Ross and Senator Pryor met with us. Among the issues that we requested the Delegation support House Congressional Resolution (H. Con. Res. 305), the National Parks Centennial Initiative (HR 3094 and S 1253)which requests money for the 100th anniversary of the National Park System including funds for bicycle trails, and Complete Streets Legislation. In addition, we requested that the Senators and Representatives support possible funding requests on local projects.

We are pleased to report that Representative Snyder has agreed to be a co-sponsor of the Congressional Resolution. This resolution calls on Congress to adopt a national bicycling strategy to fully realize the benefits of getting more people bicycling. It documents more than 20 specific, quantifiable benefits that bicycling brings across a wide spectrum of policy issues. The resolution creates a compelling case statement for a national strategy to increase bicycling use and safety, and argues for bicycling being substantively included in national, state and local efforts to take climate change, obesity, congestion, etc. The wording of the Congressional Resolution can be found on line at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.CON.RES.305 .

It was an exciting, informative Summit. We will be putting together a presentation for a general meeting, which will include proposed actions. For more information on the Bike Summit, go to www.bikeleague.org.

Arkansas Sustainability Network, a non-profit organization devoted to developing sustainable communities, promotes the recycling of used, abandoned and discarded bikes through its ReCycles program. It also promotes the riding of bikes as an environmentally friendly transportation option.

ASN operates a bicycle cooperative on Thursdays and Sundays at 3:00 p.m., at 209 S. Victory. BACA supports the work of ASN. Danielle DePreux, coordinator of the ReCycles program, is a BACA Board member. For additional information on the recycle cooperative, you can contact Danielle, at 372-9669.

ReCycles Wish List currently includes: • Truing Stand • Ratchet set • Chain • Road tires • Chainbreaker • Peg board & hooks • Bike lights • Helmets • Needle nose pliers • Screw drivers • Welder • BIKES!

Help support the important work of ASN.

It's Parade Time again!

We have been invited to participate in the Southside Main Street Mardi Gras Parade on February 2, 2008. I have been told that the fine folks from the Arkansas Sustainability Network will also be in the parade. The parade will be beginning at 3:00 p.m. from 17th Street to 12th Street. No one has given me an arrival time or place. So I will guess that arriving at about 2pm near Main and 17th will work.

As far as decorating? It's Mardi Gras. The more the better. Beads! Costumes! Purple, gold, and green! Again, avoid anything that will cause damage if it falls off your bike. Wear your BACA shirt and your helmet. There is more information at http://www.southsidemain.org/mardigrasupdate.htm.

Or contact Gordon Fisher with any questions. phi3d@yahoo.com or 501-954-7336

Please note that there will be a dog costume contest, but the dangers of mixing dogs and bicycles is great enough that dogs will not be permitted to go with us.

BACA presented its bicycle friendly award to Teresa Marks, Director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, at the January 3, 2008 meeting. Ms. Marks spoke to about 65 BACA supporters, and described the many features of the new ADEQ building, which can be seen north of the North Little Rock River Trail. The "green building" offers staff incentives that promote health and fitness, including bicycle racks, loaner bikes, showers and dressing areas. The ADEQ building is a model for all employers interested in promoting not only health and fitness for their employees, but alternative means of transportation.