Please make a year-end donation to BikeWalk NC (BWNC) – your statewide voice to our NC legislature and NCDOT.This year we worked with our partner organizations, heard from many of you and talked to our state representatives and senators about what matters to us – safe infrastructure for walking and cycling near our homes and businesses. Whether you walk or cycle for commuting, exercise, social or recreational purposes, we need our roads to be as safe as possible. With your help, we’ve had many successes:
- Protected the NCDOT Bike & Pedestrian Planning Grant Program;
- Legalized motorist’s crossing the double yellow line to pass bicyclists with 4′ berth;
- Simplified cyclists’ right turn signal;
- Provided technical guidance to NCDOT DMV statutorily enabling e-bikes to use roads legally;
- Energized our community with our annual Bike Summit in Wilmington and Tour de Fat in Charlotte, and
- Began work with NCDOT on a comprehensive statewide new safety education program aimed to reduce tensions between motorists and cyclists and prevent pedestrian and cyclist crashes and fatalities.
But, there is much more to do: Our state returned over $4 million dollars to the federal government that could have been used for bike and pedestrian infrastructure, most likely due to a lack of state/local matching funds. We want to get the state funding back that was eliminated in 2013 for stand-alone bike and pedestrian projects and advance other strategies to improve our streets for walking and bicycling.
We hear there could be new challenges in the upcoming legislative session that could reduce our biking freedoms and access. Statistically NC is among the worst in the country for pedestrian and bicycling crashes and fatalities. It is our goal to lower the number of crashes to zero through education, enforcement and better infrastructure.
Please consider becoming a member and/or making a donation to BWNC today! Your membership is tax deductible – please consider donating prior to December 31st! Membership and sponsorship are easy with our newly streamlined process. Mail a check to BikeWalk NC, P.O. Box 531, Cary, NC 27512 or contribute online at http://www.bikewalknc.org/join/ to know that you are helping the human-powered transportation voice of NC do its best to make your NC roads as safe and fun as they can be.
Thank you for your ongoing support and wishing all of you safe riding and walking during the holiday season and into 2018.
Carol Stein
Membership Director, BWNC
