PA Walks and Bikes Summit – May 4 10:00 AM

PA Walks and Bikes Summit – May 4 10:00 AM
Posted on February 28, 2011 by Josh
Announcing the 3rd Annual Pennsylvania Walks and Bikes Summit – May 4, 2011 10:00 AM

Now is the time to start planning your trip to Harrisburg for to meet your elected officials, network with other advocates, and build support for walking and biking in Pennsylvania.

The centerpiece of the event will be a rally on the steps of the Capitol building at 10 AM. Other events are in the works, and a complete schedule and other travel information will be available soon.

Please note: we had earlier released a “save the date” to hold this event on May 3. Due to scheduling conflicts at the Capitol, this date is not available. We have reserved the Capitol steps for May 4, and we can confirm that the event will be a go on that day. Hope to see you then!

YOU have the power to end Distracted Driving -- and save lives.

PennDOT has released the number of roadway deaths for 2010, and the results are not pretty. Both pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are up for the year compared to 2009. In total, 148 pedestrians lost their lives on our roads last year compared to 136 in 2009. 21 bicyclists lives were ended short, compared to 16 in 2009 and 8 in 2008.

Pennsylvania has not seen a more deadly year for bicyclists since 1998 when 23 deaths were reported. Let this be a somber reminder to our elected officials that Pennsylvania needs stronger distracted driving and bicycle safety laws.

Share this vision with me: Zero serious injuries and deaths as a result of distracted driving in Pennsylvania. Pledge to take responsibility for the motor-vehicle you are operating when you are driving.

Faces of Distracted Driving

February 16, 2011
On July 17, 2009, 21-year-old Casey Feldman was struck and killed by a distracted driver as she crossed the street in Ocean City, New Jersey. To honor her memory, Casey's family and friends produced this video for the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Faces of Distracted Driving" series.

From the Page of the Secretary of Transportation, Ray Lahood at http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room.html.

Letter from The First Lady: Michelle Obama Supports Walking and Bicycling to School

To read the letter from our First Lady, click here.

To learn more about all of the wonderful things that are happening because of the National Safe Routes to School Partnership, click here.

Remember: as you prepare for Spring, consider building your Safe Routes to School Team now. It's not too early to plan for your participation in Walk to School 2011. WalkBikeBerks is happy to help. Just send a message to info@walkbikeberks.org.

Ways to Involve Law Enforcement in Safe Routes to School

This webinar will provide an overview of why it is important to seek law enforcement involvement in Safe Routes to School programs and how to best involve officers in SRTS efforts. The webinar will also provide information about a successful local effort that involves law enforcement in Safe Routes to School.
Katie Mencarini will kick off the webinar. She'll discuss ways to involve various types of law enforcement including community officers, school resource officers and traffic officers. She'll also give an overview of resources available for officers to help them be most effective in their invovlement in Safe Routes.
Following Katie, Laura Accetta will discuss some of the challenges and successes of a SRTS effort funded through the Weed and Seed Program. She'll also provided some general information and tips on community and neighborhood policing efforts.

Presenters:
Katie Mencarini, Planner, Toole Design Group, Contributor to Law Enforcement section of National Center for Safe Routes to School website

Laura Accetta, Weed and Seed Site Coordinator, Easton, PA

Register Now!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST

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These webinars are part of the Safe Routes to School Coaching Action Network Webinar Series, developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

YOU can make walking and bicycling better in Berks!

It's simple. Sharing your story can change the lives of others in Berks County. Tell us about yourself. You decide what you do and do not want to share online -- but know that your story will encourage others to try biking or walking more often.

Over the coming months, WalkBikeBerks will be posting photos and stories of those who choose to walk or bike in Berks County. Answer the easy questions below, and make a better Berks County for all of us. Send your photo and email to info@walkbikeberks.org with answers to the following questions:

1. Tell us about your first bicycle. What did you love most about riding that bike? In a word, what did that bike mean to you?
2. Tell us about the bike you own today. What do you love most about your bike -- and your bike ride?
3. Did you walk or ride your bike to school as a child? If yes, take a moment to describe your walk or bike ride to school.
4. What in a word, what do you miss about those moments?
5. Do your children / grandchildren walk or bike to school now? Why or why not?
6. If you could change anything about your bike route -- what would you change and why?
   
7. Will you consider joining us in October for Walk (Bike or Roll) to School Day in Berks County?
8. And again in May for Bike Month?

Thank you for helping more people walk and bike safely in Berks County.

BCTV: Special Guest -- Berks County Conservancy

Click the Image to watch Mr. Lloyd from the Berks County Conservancy speak to Bob Hospidor about walking the trails in Berks County -- Neversink Mountain.

PUBLIC MEETING OF THE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

Do you want a better transportation system? Then get involved in the process and tell your congressional leaders what you need to travel in your community and across your state. See public meeting details below.

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APA invites you to attend

A TRANSPORTATION BILL LISTENING SESSION

Congressman Mica is holding listening sessions and other meetings around
the country to inform the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee's drafting of a long-term reauthorization of the nation's
surface transportation programs.

The Committee is seeking input on how to consolidate and improve the
performance of programs, cut government red tape and streamline the
project delivery process, increase private sector investment in our
infrastructure, identify creative financing alternatives, and other
ideas for writing the legislation. The previous multi-year law
(SAFETEA-LU) expired in September 2009.

Radisson Valley Forge Hotel
Franklin and Adams Rooms, 1160 First Avenue, King of Prussia, PA
February 17, 2011

NOTE: This is a listening session of the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, and not an official hearing of the Committee. Witnesses
have been invited to speak, but the public is invited to attend, and
reportedly will be able to submit written comments to the committee as
well.

* Who: Chairman John L. Mica, Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and other Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
* What: Public forum and listening session on long-term highway funding legislation
* When: February 17, 2011; 7:15 p.m.
* Where: Radisson Valley Forge Hotel, Franklin and Adams Rooms, 1160 First Avenue, King of Prussia, PA

Scranton City Council Chambers
340 North Washington Avenue, Scranton, PA
February 18, 2011

NOTE: This is a listening session of the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, and not an official hearing of the Committee. Witnesses
have been invited to speak, but the public is invited to attend, and
reportedly will be able to submit written comments to the committee as
well.

* Who: Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL), Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA),other Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
* What: Public forum and listening session on long-term highway funding legislation
* When: February 18, 2011; 8:00 a.m.
* Where: Scranton City Council Chambers, Scranton, PA

No RSVP information is available for these events.

Let's Move!: First Lady Column on Physical Activity

Let's Move!: First Lady Column on Physical Activity

I remember when I was a kid, all my friends and I wanted to do after school was run around outside until dinner. And even then, we didn't really want to come inside. But now, with video games, the internet, and entire TV networks geared toward kids, there's a lot more competition for our children's free time. And as we've seen more and more, when kids aren't moving, when they're not active, they're less likely to grow up healthy — and it's a significant factor in our country's building epidemic of childhood obesity.


So in our first year of Let's Move!, we've worked hard to reignite the magic of play and get kids moving again. We've worked with sports leagues like Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, with pro athletes and nonprofit leaders. And with Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees and gold-medal gymnast Dominique Dawes at the helm, we've established a revamped President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.

Kids are moving all over the country, from schools to our greatest national parks. Families have joined in as we reach for our goal of one million Americans to take the PALA Challenge. With this program, everyone, from a pre-schooler to grandma and grandpa, can earn the President's Active Lifestyle Award with just an hour a day of physical activity for kids and 30 minutes for adults. So we're working to set good habits that can continue long after the challenge is over.

Plus, more than 3,500 schools participated in Walk to School Month. Gyms have introduced family days with fun activities for the kids, and neighborhoods all across the country have broken ground on new playgrounds and parks for families. And the Departments of Interior and Agriculture have teamed up to get kids outdoors — from local parks and pathways to our beautiful national lands and waterways — with Let's Move Outside!

So Let's Move! isn't just the name of an initiative. Those two little words are a call to action — something we want kids to say more and more. Because playing around shouldn't be something they feel like they have to do — it should be something they want to do. The more they dance, the more they kick around the soccer ball with friends, chances are they're going to want to keep doing it even more.

That's what we're working toward — a future where kids are having fun, feeling better about themselves, and on the road to a healthier future. And if we as parents have to call a couple extra times to get them to come inside for dinner, that's not all bad either.

- First Lady Michelle Obama

This article is being distributed in celebration of the Let's Move! one-year anniversary and can be shared with your friends, neighbors and anyone else interested in solving the epidemic of childhood obesity materials. Check www.letsmove.gov for additional free materials, including copies of our new PSAs.

TONIGHT @ 8 PM

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BCTV TONIGHT at 8PM
"Candidates' Forum"
Judy Schwank (D) & Larry Medaglia (R), candidates for the 11th District, PA Senate.
Call in with your questions for the candidates: 610-378-0426.
Special Election for 11th District (the late Senator O'Pake's district) to be held on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Questions about where to vote, call: Berk...s County Election Services office at 610-478-6490.

Biking the Suburbs Conference: 2/12 Conshohocken, PA

Biking the Suburbs Conference: 2/12 Conshohocken, PA
Thanks Josh!

This weekend, the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia is organizing the Biking the Suburbs conference to bring together cyclists who reside or work in Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties and want to be better informed on how to advocate for improved bicycling facilities and policies in their boroughs, towns or at the county level.

PA Walks & Bikes will be there giving a state policy perspective and talking about the Pennsylvania Safe Routes to School State Network. If you are interested in these areas, visit
http://www.pawalksandbikes.org/safe-routes-to-school/.

If you’re from this part of the state, this event will put you in touch with a network of cyclists interested in making our communities better places to ride.

Register now, and join the conversation.

WANTED: IRISH MUSICIANS

WANTED: IRISH MUSICIANS
Must be available March 17

Call 610-323-2999 if you want to donate your talent to WalkBikeBerks.

TIME asks: How do we value walkable cities?

TIME magazine 02/14/2011, inside back cover.
This link will help! http://www.nbm.org/intelligentcities/topics/city/poll-4.html

"According to AAA, Americans spend on average $8,485 each year on their cars. Seems like a lot of money, doesn't it? And most of that money leaves your local economy. What if you were able to get rid of a car and spend -- or invest -- that money in your community? What if 15,000 people decided to make that same decision? ..."
...
"What makes a city intelligent? You do."

*Intelligent Cities is a National Building Museum Project in Partnership with IBM, TIME, and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Meet Me At the Crowne Plaza

I just KNOW that you are planning to watch the Steelers VS Packers game tomorrow night. Please, watch the game with me! I'll serve you drinks and snacks...and you can relax and enjoy the game! A special thank you to community members who are stepping up to help us make the night a success for you!

Michele Barrett, Guest Bartender
Judy Schwank, Celebrity Bartender

Crowne Plaza
1741 Papermill Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610
6:30 - 8:30 PM

WalkBikeBerks will earn 10% of Sales and ALL tips/donations earned at the bar during the Super Bowl XLV .

$45,000 in grants were awarded Thursday

In Partnership with the Berks County Conservancy, WalkBikeBerks received $7500.00 to create a management plan for Neversink Mountain.

To read the full news article, read the Reading Eagle.

Read about the work the Berks County Conservancy is continuing on Neversink Mountain.