Bicycle-pedestrian Advocacy Day--please contact your local and state officials!

Today is MoBikeFed's Bicycle-Pedestrian Advocacy Day.

In two minutes you can send an advocacy message to key MoDOT and state legislators that will complement the message we are taking to Missouri legislators in person today.

To make a real impact we want to send ONE THOUSAND messages during Bike-to-Work Week:

http://MoBikeFed.org/MoDOTCompleteStreets

But in addition, I hope you will spend just a couple of minutes writing or calling your local, state, and/or national elected leaders with this message:

Dear XXXX,

Help us celebrate Bike Month and Bike to Work Week by helping to Missouri better and safer for walking and bicycling.

We have made real progress recently, with new bicycle safety legislation, improved MoDOT bicycle and pedestrian standards, the potential to extend the Katy Trail from state line to state line, and the upcoming Tour of Missouri Professional Bicycle Race that will bring international media coverage to Missouri.

But we have real challenges. Missourians walk and bicycle less than half the national average--and that is simply because our roads and streets are not safe for walking and bicycling as they should be. Walking and bicycling have a disproportionately high share of roadway injuries and fatalities in Missouri.

This is a difficult problem to solve, but communities across the country are doing it. I would like to work with you to find the solutions that will work in our community and our state.

Cities across the country are building Complete Streets--streets that meet the needs of all citizens, including the young, the old, the 30% of the population with no drivers license and the 8% of households with no access to an automobile. Complete Streets accommodate walking, bicycling, transit, and people with disabilities. They save money by avoiding expensive future retrofits. They build a sense of community, make our communities more livable, and raise property values.

It is time to bring Complete Streets to Missouri. See http://CompleteStreets.org

[Mention any particular problems or solutions you see for your own community.]

You can find contact info for state officials here.

U.S. House & Senate contact info here.

Local officials (including many cities) here.