Bicyclists chart future of Consider Biking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Wow... What a weekend for the advancement of cycling in Central Ohio! Consider Biking convened a group of 36 bicyclists for two days of strategic planning for our organization and cause. By all accounts, this gathering was a first....the most representative and most significant summit of the bicycling leadership ever held in our region. We had the participation of every form of cyclist and representatives from bike shops, bike clubs, traffic engineers, engineering planning consultants, several universities/colleges, health professionals, elected officials, environmental & greenway groups, media professionals, outlying geographic communities, major corporations and stakeholder organizations. We can't imagine a more diverse set of perspectives in one room! The group was facilitated by Jeremy Grandstaff, a professional from the National Alliance for Biking and Walking. We left the weekend with a shared vision, a concise mission, a set of guiding values, and five strong goals for Consider Biking to frame its work to achieve the mission. Additionally, the group spent much of Sunday developing and prioritizing action plans to guide our work in the coming three years. On behalf of our Board of Directors, we'd like to thank this group for the willingness and commitment to provide their wisdom, experience, and perspective to promoting bicycling in Central Ohio! We know that everyone left with energy and clarity. | Regional Bicycle Suitability Map - By the Cyclists...For the Cyclists!!
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 The long-awaited bicycle suitability map is near completion. It's been a like a set of rolling hills to get where we are.
Consider Biking began advocating for an expanded scope, comprehensive bike suitability map last August. It took us almost 30 meetings between city officials, municipal officials, and potential funders, to influence the commitment and engagement of the core groups to bring this map to reality. We couldn't be more pleased that MORPC has provided the data analysis and leadership to get "lines on the map."
Consider Biking was not only instrumental in corralling the appropriate partners around the project, but bringing the voice of everyday cyclists to the process. We felt it was important to have a map for bicyclists...created by bicyclists. We put out a call for volunteers to provide feedback and pour over the draft maps, and received over 70 responses!
There will be an Open House on Tuesday, March 10 from 5:30 - 7:30 at MORPC. The address is 111 Liberty Street in the Brewery District. Feel free to attend the open house any time during the two hour period. Please RSVP to Bernice Cage, bcage@morpc.org or by phone 233-4157. | | What else are we working on? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Consider Biking is building on the great momentum and successes of past years. You've read how we convening key stakeholders in the cycling community to help us develop a Strategic Plan this past weekend. Other significant inititives we've been working on include: applying on behalf of Columbus as a "Bicycle Friendly Community," working with Columbus to unveil a "Share the Road" campaign on High Street, working with Leadership Columbus to develop "toolkits" to introduce to workplaces to encourage cycling to work, planning our Bike to Work Week Celebration event, planning BikeColumbus Tour with Mayor Coleman on May 30th, planning the 6th annual Ride of Silence for May 20th, extending our reach and influence to surrounding communities like Hilliard, Delaware, and Lancaster, and attending the League of Bicyclists' Summit in D.C. to advocate our cause to Ohio's elected officials. If you love bicycling, and would like to help, please contact us! Otherwise...stay tuned! | | Be Counted - Join Today! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Consider Biking is a member-supported organization. We can only accomplish our goals through the support of our cycling constituents. There are over 130 peer organizations across the country, demonstrating a need for cycling advocacy groups. Many of these organizations have THOUSANDS of members, and benefit by the financial support, and the "body of cyclists" that stand behind them when they advocate for enhancements to cycling accommodation.
We'd like to ask you to join Consider Biking. We need your support to represent our common interests in Central Ohio.
You benefit by knowing we'll have the resources to fight for our needs. You'll benefit by knowing that we're working hard so you can "just ride." You'll benefit by knowing we partner with strong coalitions to advance the healthy movement of people, not just cars. You'll benefit by knowing we coordinate unique events that serve some of the dynamic segments of our cycling audience. And, you'll benefit by helping us become the primary information resource for bicyclists in Central Ohio.
Your membership donation to Consider Biking is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. We thank you for your support.
Information on membership here. | |
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