Federal transportation bill
On Wednesday & Thursday of this week, the U.S. House of Representatives are going to vote on the transportation bill, including up to three votes to cut eligibility for biking projects! Our congressional delegation has always been wonderful on biking issues, but it is still good to call them and let them know how important funding for bicycling projects is to you. You can sign petitions & send letters through PeopleForBikes and through the League of American Bicyclists (click the arrow next to “1 advocacy campaign”). You can also call Congressman Cicilline’s office at 202-225-4911 and Congressman Langevin’s office at 202-225-2735. Again, they are both very supportive, so the best thing you can tell your Congressman is why you support bike investment and that you would like them to vote NO on the Carter amendments 68 and 69 and Yoho amendment 158.
RhodeWorks updates
There is a lot going on with transportation funding at the state level as well. RIDOT, the Governor’s office, and the General Assembly are all thinking right now about RhodeWorks, the administration’s proposal for a 10-year transportation improvement plan. Truck tolls are one piece of RhodeWorks, but there are additional details important to bicycling infrastructure. Read more in RIBike’s summary and Bike Newport’s summary.
BikeTalk
Our next BikeTalk event is this Wednesday! We’re super excited to have Molly & Eric from the East Coast Greenway Alliance there to tell us about their work: an exciting vision for a 2,900-mile trail network from Maine to Florida. See you at 115 Empire Street in Providence this Wednesday 11/4 at 6:00pm
Bike the Night
Did you miss the first Bike the Night with Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza? Fear not! The next of these evening slow rides is this Thursday, 11/5. Meet at the steps of Providence City Hall at 6:00 with your bike, helmet, and lights, and enjoy exploring the city in a leisurely group. The ride takes about an hour. See you there!
Johnston bike path meeting
We would love to see you at the BikeTalk event on Wednesday…unless you live in Johnston. If you do, we’d rather see you at the public meeting this Wednesday night 11/4 about extending the Woonasquatucket River Bikeway further in to Johnston. The meeting is at 7:00pm at the Johnston Senior Center, 1291 Hartford Ave. Also, if you have friends in Johnston who would support the bike path, please tell them about the meeting! RIBike and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council want to have at the meeting as many Johnston residents who support the bike path as possible.
Monthly Advocacy Meeting
Tired of all this serious business and want to just chat about bike stuff over beer and pizza instead? You’re in luck! The next of our monthly advocacy meetings is next Monday 11/9 at 6pm at Flatbread Company off Thayer Street in Providence. All are welcome!
Bikes Camera Action
We’re pretty excited about this one: we’re launching our winter bike film series, called Bikes Camera Action! It’s going to be the second Tuesday of every month this winter at 6pm at Cable Car Cinema on South Main Street in Providence. The first event is next Tuesday 11/10! We’re showing “Bicycle Movies: A Short Film Collection” for the first event. Tickets are $12, or $10 for members of RIBike. Come out and enjoy the awesome viewing experience at Cable Car, hang out with other people who like bikes, and support RIBike in the process!
Light Up the Night
We’re at it again, giving away bike lights to people who need them! Light Up the Night is back this year, thanks in part to AAA Northeast. If you also want to support this important bike safety program, let us know! We need volunteers to help hand out lights and are always interested in donations to support our work. Email info@ribike.org to get involved!
Member Monday
Every week we have Member Monday, where we give away a small item to a randomly-selected current member of the Coalition. This week, we’re giving away a free ticket to our first Bikes Camera Action film, next Tuesday 11/10, 6pm at Cable Car Cinema. The lucky member this week is Brian Goldberg! Thanks for being a member of RIBike, Brian!