VOLUNTEER

We need your help to make our upcoming events a success. Please say you will join us for the following activities:

Earth Day Booth, Sunday April 19
WalkBikeBerks
12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at RiverFront Park
Two hour shifts starting at 11:00 for set up.
To Volunteer, email info@walkbikeberks.org or call Michele at 610-779-9702.

RiverWalks, Sunday, April 19:
WalkBikeBerks
12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. along Riverfront Drive, Reading
Free Escorted walks to five cherry tree trail destinations. Sign-up at the RiverPlace information table.
Penn Street Bridge (0.4 miles - 8 min walk)
GoggleWorks (0.6 miles - 12 min walk)
Comcast (0.2 miles - 4 min walk)
Heritage Park (0.7 miles - 13 min walk)
Reading Public Museum (1.6 miles - 30 min walk)
To Volunteer, email info@walkbikeberks.org or call Michele at 610-779-9702.

Road I, Saturday, April 18:
WalkBikeBerks
Time: 8:00 a.m. -- 5:00 p.m.Instructor: Benton LevengoodLocation: Alvernia University Upland Center, 540 Upland Ave, Reading, PA 19611Fee: $35 (includes membership to WalkBikeBerks for 2009)
Space is limited, to reserve your space as soon as possible.
To register for this course, contact:Benton LevengoodPhone: 717-449-4474Email: blevengood@walkbikeberks.org

Bike to the Capitol, May 5:
PA Walks and Bikes
Hundreds of cyclists from across PA will demonstrate our need for bicycle legislation and Livable Communities.
8:30 a.m. Assemble at Farm Show Complex
9:00 a.m. Bike Ride begins
10:00 a.m. Representative Dave Kessler and Senator O'Pake will read their House and Senate Resolutions, and there will be reading of Governor Rendell's Bike Month Proclamation. We encourage attendees to make appointments to meet with their legislators to encourage them to support the safe passing legislation introduced by Rep. Ron Miller and the Bicycle Access Council.
To register for this event: write to info@walkbikeberks.org or call 610-779-9702.

Bike To Work, May 15:
WalkBikeBerks
Registration: 6:30 -6:45

Ride begins 7:00 a.m.
Location: Brentwood Trail Head
Event: Ride to City Hall with WalkBikeBerks and our county's leaders to celebrate Bike to Work Day.
To register for this event: write to info@walkbikeberks.org or call 610-779-9702.

Thank you for joining us to make Berks County a more Livable Community that is better for walking and biking.

Sincerely,
Michele D. Barrett
Board President

We must become the change we want to see.~Mahatma Gandhi

2009 Berks County Bike Month Sponsors

These businesses are generously supporting Bike Month 2009. To become a sponsor or to learn more, please write to info@walkbikeberks.org.

SENATOR SPECTER CO-Sponsors Complete Streets

Great news, Senator Specter has just signed on as a co-sponsor for the complete streets bill!

Thanks so much for your efforts, as you can see they paid off.

Now that he's on the bill we'd really appreciate it if you took a few moments to send a thank you letter. Take time to tell Senater Specter why your local neighborhood needs Complete Streets. Personal stories are important.

Please let me know if you can send a letter.
711 Hart Building
Washington , DC 20510
Main: 202-224-4254
Fax: 202-228-1229

Also, please ask others in PA to send a thank you letter as well.

Thanks!

**************
Stephanie Potts
Federal Policy Coordinator
National Complete Streets Coalition
c/o Smart Growth America
1707 L Street NW
Suite 1050
Washington, DC 20036

Bike to Harrisburg -- May 5, 2009!

Legislative Bike Rally in Harrisburg on May 5th

WE NEED YOU!

Imagine: Hundreds of bicycles on the stairs of our state capitol building in Harrisburg to promote Bike Month, support bicycle friendly legislation, and to demonstrate our desire for better biking in Pennsylvania.

Please come to Harrisburg on May 5th to attend the Legislative Bike Rally and Press Conference 10AM at the Capitol Stairs to promote Bike Month & influence policymakers.

The event will feature resolutions in the House and Senate introduced respectively by Rep. Kessler and Senator O'Pake and a Proclamation signed by the Governor.

After the event we will be visiting our State representatives to advocate for safe passing legislation.

We are hoping that as many people as possible will be able to come out and ride their bikes to the event. The meeting point for the ride is the State Farm Show Complex at 230 N Cameron St at 8:30 a.m. (Driving Directions)

Amtrak offers quick and reasonably priced service to Harrisburg from 30th Street Station and Paoli. An express train leaves 30th St at 7:25AM and at Paoli at 7:51 arriving in Harrisburg at 9AM. Fare is $23 each way which is less than half the cost of service to NY or DC. The Train station is a ten minute walk from the Capitol.

Only folding bikes are allowed on Amtrak. If you bring one make sure you have this document on your person or in your smartphone in case a surly conductor questions you (that's another issue for another day).

This event is organized by the joint efforts of:
Representative Dave Kessler
Senator Michael O'Pake
Governor Ed Rendell
WalkBikeBerks
Lebanon Valley Bicycle Club
Bike Pittsburgh
Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Bicycle Access Council

Tell Governor Rendell to Release Millions of Dollars of Safe Routes to School Money to Our Communities

(Thank you to Scott Bricker of BikePittsburgh for the content of this post.)

Take Action:

Remember when we told you that the League of American Bicyclists ranked Pennsylvania as 38th out of 50 states on their Bike Friendly States list? Well that’s not as low as we can go. Another measure of bike and pedestrian friendliness is the level to which Safe Routes to Schools are funded. Well, we have bad news: PA ranks 49th in the nation on Safe Routes to School spending.
If you look at the Safe Routes to School programs map below you’ll notice an enormous hole where PA is filled with only a handful of orange dots. All of our neighboring states have filled their map with Safe Routes to School success stories. Communities in PA are still waiting.
Pennsylvania has received $21 million over five years (FY05 – 09) for the federal Safe Routes to School program. So far it has only released $2 million of that money to date. This leaves $19 million collecting dust that is earmarked for making our streets safer so kids can walk and ride bikes to school. We want Governor Rendell to release this money for its intended use—to make our communities safer for kids to walk and bike to school.
These funds are critical to help schools and communities make it safer for children to walk and bicycle to school—and at least $14 million of those funds are for building sidewalks, crosswalks, and other bike/ped infrastructure near schools.
Thus far, only 11 mini-grants for $5,000 each have been awarded to schools in PA—putting the state next-to-last in the nation for funds awarded to local communities.
Last fall, PennDOT held a grant competition for approximately $12 million in infrastructure grants. Nearly 100 schools applied, requesting $56 million in funding, showing the demand for Safe Routes to School across the state.
The awards still have not been announced, and the last update from PennDOT said grants would be awarded in December 2008.
Please contact Governor Rendell to ask him to release these grants as soon as possible. Schools and communities need these funds to address traffic congestion and air quality, help children lead healthy and active lives, and to create safe infrastructure for children walking and bicycling.


Governor Edward G. Rendell’s Office
225 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Phone: (717) 787-2500
Fax: (717) 772-8284
E-mail the Governor’s Office

WHY COMMUTE BY BIKE?

1. Fight pollution -- And breathe cleaner air!

• Automobiles pollute the ground, air and water
• Burning fossil fuels creates CO2; contributes to global warming
• Automobiles also produce noise pollution

2. Stay fit -- Strengthen your body on your way to work -- talk about multi-tasking!

• Bicycling allows you to workout during your daily routine
• Riding a bike instead of sitting in traffic is less stressful
• Staying in better shape decreases your chance of getting sick

3. Avoid traffic delays -- Enjoy trees along trails or neighborhood streets.

• Off-road trails, bike lanes, wide curb lanes let you pass traffic
• Bike commutes takes less time if you add car parking and traffic delays
• Longer rides = less traffic, more enjoyment of your commute

4. Save money -- And loose weight?

• Maintenance costs for a car will decrease, as will your gas bill
• You will save money on parking (and tickets)
• You won't have to pay gym memberships to workout

5. Enjoy your commute -- It's fun to go by bike!

• Arrive refreshed and full of energy; relieve stress after work
• Bike communiting empowers you with an accomplishment
• Take the long way home; ride through parks or along rivers

Thanks to the League of American Bicyclists for this content!

US Transportation Secretary LaHood

LaHood:
Today, I'll be sharing my appearance with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. Together, we will announce a joint effort to revitalize our downtowns, foster walkable neighborhoods, and bring people, employers, and housing closer together through public transportation.
http://fastlane.dot.gov/200[…]owns-americans-deserve.html
March 18, 2009
Livable communities, the hometowns Americans deserve

Like going home. That's what I've been thinking about my visit to Congress today. I did, after all, serve my hometown Illinois district in the House of Representatives for 14 years. But, the truth is that Congress is not home; Peoria is. And communities like Peoria are the reason I'm going back to Congress today.

When I appear before the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee this afternoon, I do so on behalf of the Obama Administration, yes, but more importantly on behalf of communities like Peoria.

Fostering livable communities is a key aspect of President Obama's urban policy agenda and Vice President Biden's Middle Class initiative. The way we design our communities has a huge impact on our citizens social, physical, and economic wellbeing. Yet many Americans live in neighborhoods without sidewalks or access to public transportation.

Therefore, one of my highest priorities is to work closely with Congress, other Federal departments, the nation's governors, and local officials to help promote more livable communities through sustainable surface transportation programs. By focusing on livability, we can help transform the way transportation serves the American people and create safer, healthier communities that provide access to economic opportunities.

Today, I'll be sharing my appearance with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. Together, we will announce a joint effort to revitalize our downtowns, foster walkable neighborhoods, and bring people, employers, and housing closer together through public transportation.

I can't offer the specifics until the hearing this afternoon, but I can say this: you will see federal agencies working together and sharing resources on behalf of America's hometowns.