With the swearing in of Governor Pat Quinn on Thursday, January 29, 2009, we are hopeful that we are ushering a new era for active transportation in the State of Illinois.  Gov. Quinn has long been a supporter of our work, from helping to push the successful Bikes on Metra program to being a champion for Safe Routes to School.  He launched Walk Across Illinois, a program that we now manage.  He is a walker, a bicyclist and a transit rider.  He will forgo private planes to take Amtrak.  And he belives in a government that works for the people. 

I don't expect miracles, especially given the financial state that our economy is in.  What I expect is consistent leadership on the issues that are important to our members.  I expect attention being spent to important funding programs such as Transportation Enahncements and Safe Routes to School.  He needs support to make this happen.  Support from leadership in the General Assembly and support from constituents.  We will keep our readers and members aware of opportunities to voice this support. 

So good luck Governor Quinn, we look forward to partnering with you and your administration over the next two years.

Today, the House approved the Nadler Amendment to the federal economic stimulus bill on a voice vote. The Amendment restores $1.5 billion for the transit capital formula program and $1.5 billion for New Starts (new transit services).

For more information about the Nadler Amendment, see yesterday's blog posting.

The House also rejected a proposed amendment to strip funding for Amtrak.

These two votes are a big victory for the Chicago area.

The House is expected to approve the full stimulus bill later today.

I live in the suburbs.  I'm in my 20s.  I'm excited about bikes.  Though I'm not apologetic about each of these things individually, I feel like an unlikely person to be a player in grown-up decision making whenever I show up at a village hall meeting.  

This weekend I went to a townhall meeting on infrastructure improvements.  Sewer and roads commanded a lot of attention.  Bicycle and pedestrian facilities were not even included in the proposed outlays.   When I went up to speak my share, I identified myself as a fan of a comprehensive plan but pointed out that I was troubled by what was not included in this plan.  To my surprise, the next woman to speak stood up and agreed with me and even made a joke about me running for office.

While running for office is not what I had in mind, the woman was right about my intention to build a constituency.  In discussion about what should be on the menu, I am unashamedly for bicycles.  I suspect that you are too.  If you are anything like me though, going to public meetings is scary.  I go because I feel that I might be effective, and sometimes, like this week, I get some support.  Other times, the results are not immediate.

Recently, I heard a rebroadcast of an interview of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Studs Terkel.  In the conversation, King pointed out that everyone is a fanatic for something in his life--the question is not are you a fanatic but are you a fanatic for something positive?  King identified Jesus as a fanatic for love, Ghandi as a fanatic for justice, etc.  In the context of municipal infrastructure discussions, bicycle facilities are small potatoes compared to sewers.  At the same time, I draw strength from my conviction that speaking up for bicycling improvements is in its own small way being a fanatic for something positive.  I hope that other Active Trans members will find themselves surprised by the unlikely support they get when they speak up.

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We all know Mayor Daley has an important job and an office downtown, and probably his own personal keys to the pedway, but did you know that he has his own Safe Routes Ambassadors?  Mayor Daley’s Safe Routes Ambassadors are the Chicago Department of Transportation’s bike and pedestrian safety education and outreach team, and they have probably visited an elementary school near you.  The SRAs have a great message about walking and biking to school safely, and on January 27^th, Somilia Smith, Program Coordinator for Mayor Daley’s Safe Routes Ambassadors, will be presenting a web-based seminar for anyone interested in learning more about the education and encouragement components of Safe Routes to School.  To find out more about the webinar, click here.  To learn about Mayor Daley’s Safe Routes Ambassadors, click here.  To learn more about Safe Routes to School in Chicagoland and around the world, click here, or call Owen Read at 312.427.3325 x 236!