WooHoo!

I got a response to the letter in the previous post!
I hope I'm not breaking any confidentiality by posting it:

Dear ...:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your strong support for bicycles as a viable mode of transportation. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, one of my top priorities in Congress is to provide Southern California the resources necessary to provide safe roads and routes for all drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

You may be interested to learn that Congress passed a bill that includes provisions to help make bicycling and pedestrian activity safer and more convenient for millions of Americans. Specifically, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), a multi-year bill to reauthorize our nation's transportation programs, provides nearly $4 billion for new bike paths and trails. Of this funding, nearly $2 billion is dedicated for new bike paths, lanes, and safe bike crossings, including over $2.3 million for local bike and pedestrian paths in Whittier and La Habra. In addition, $612 million was included for the Safe Routes to School program that will help communities create safer ways for kids to pedal or walk to school. The Recreational Trails Program, which pays for the construction and repair of trails, will receive $350 million to ensure our communities have the funding necessary to keep bicyclists safe. I am pleased that this funding is available to ensure cyclists can have safe routes to ride in every community.

The Active Community Transportation Act of 2010 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide additional funding and incentives to promote greater activity within communities nationwide. Specifically, H.R. 4722 would establish a $2 billion Department of Transportation grant program to provide convenient and safe access to pedestrian and bike facilities. As this bill moves through the legislative process, you can be assured that I will keep your support in mind.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope you will remain in touch on this and other issues of importance to you.

Sincerely,

GARY G. MILLER
Member of Congress

HR 4722 (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4722) looks pretty cool, and I'm excited that Congressman Miller will keep it in mind. It's a shame that all the sponsors are Democrats, though. I hope riding a bicycle does not turn into a partisan issue. Maybe if it passes, Brea could get in on some of the grant money. Hopefully there will be even broader funding for things like this in the future. I'm sure we could save a lot of money with the lower cost of implementation and maintenance for bike infrastructure.

Who do you think you are?

Given my unfortunate jaded-with-everything-except-bike-racing condition I have been in for some time, I think it is extremely promising that I felt compelled to write the letter below. Not only is it naively optimistic for me to think such a measly letter would ever make a difference, but also that a politician, who does have a few splotches on his ethical record, would concern himself much with such a letter. And yet I felt compelled to write it.
Somehow things heal, and hope begins to shine through, however senseless it may be.


Congressman Gary Miller
42nd Congressional District

Dear Congressman Miller:

Ray LaHood, the Secretary of Transportation, has recently started a campaign that has caught my interest: his declaration for support of bicycles and other non-car modes as viable transportation. I understand that the political scene in Washington right now is highly polarized, and some republicans and media outlets are decrying the idea, but please set aside those issues for a moment and consider the idea based on its merits and in the interest of your constituents. I think this is especially important with your position on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

I am concerned with how reliant we are on cars in America and especially Orange County, even just to perform simple errands. Although public transportation is available, it's inefficiencies lead it to serve merely as a last resort for most of us. The exception might be Metrolink, but even then, most people still must drive to the station. Unfortunately, the struggle with public transportation is not new for Orange County. What is a new, and in my opinion a very interesting, option cropping up in America is biking.

Biking is an option I would like to have for getting around, and I think it would benefit our community. I don't know how many times I've sat in traffic thinking to myself that I could /walk/ to my destination faster, let alone bike! I think it would be really nice for us to be able to ride our bikes to places such as the Birch Street Promenade. Not only would doing so be a great way to spend a summer evening with friends or family, to see a movie or have something to eat and bike home, it would also:
-get us some exercise (don't we all need it),
-allow us to not go through the hassle of parking (and maybe we wouldn't have to spend so much money and space on parking garages),
-get us out and about with neighbors and thus increase the cohesiveness of our community (it's so easy to see other drivers as obstacles rather than people),
-the money saved from gas could be spent in the local economy (rather than supporting foreign countries and interests)
-and it would reduce traffic for those who do drive (realistically, who really believes building bigger freeways and roads will actually end congestion?).
The current "bike lanes" hardly do the job, though. It seems you need a death wish to ride in the bike lane along birch (I've tried), let alone have a pleasant ride with friends or family. The sidewalk does not work either as there are many obstacles and at many intersections you need to get off the bike and carry it on and off curbs. That certainly does not make for pleasant or easy riding.

Although I could suggest some strategies for easier-to-use bike infrastructure (that unused rail line close to Birch and Associated could be a great biking/walking path at a low cost!), that is beyond the scope of this email. I remember during my Eagle Court of Honor at Troop 801, a representative from your office expounded on the importance of good leadership, of having good character in difficult times, and of being willing to take the lead to address hard problems. Likewise, I hope you can set partisan issues aside and begin to address how we can make our community a better place, and I hope you realize that creating more and healthier options for transportation is one of them.

Sincerely,

...