Welcome
North Carolina Bicycling Pedestrian Maybe Human-Powered Transportation Inline Skating Transportation Alternatives Meeting
This is potentially a huge week for walkers, cyclists, skaters and other lovers of human-powered transportation, whether you are from North Carolina or just visit here for leisure activities, or even to raise money for the good folk of North Carolina and the rest of the world who have Multiple Sclerosis, or for other great causes.
There's a bicycling, walking and perhaps skating and more human-powered transportation coalition being formed in NC and being named and defined as an organization this week This is our chance to see if they will welcome us. if not, we go on and stay out of their way so they can do great things. if so, we have lots of great work to do with others who have many common goals and needs.
You can make your input into the name by responding to a survey. Do what you want but I have put my vote to NC WALK & ROLL COALITION or some variant of that (I prefer the write-in WALK & ROLL NC as it's a statement as well as a group name). I like the Human-Powered NC one, and the Transportation Alternatives one too. Here's the link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mPqM6vEhXT2dday62OXY5w_3d_3d
There's a email group you can join, too, if you're interested in a North Carolina advocacy group for biking and walking and maybe skating and similar activities:
Some of the members have been open to including other forms of human-powered (alternative) transportation. Others have not. But the organizers have invited us to attend and to take part as the group tries to decide what it will be.
There's a meeting in downtown Greensboro, Friday, October 26, 2007 at 1:30 PM that is intended to be convenient not necessarily for us, but for people attending the NC Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations or some such org. They've had other meetings on other days at times that suited people with regular day jobs and such.
Let's go find out what percentage are open to including other forms of human-powered transportation, and get out of the way if we're not.
The location has changed: If you can possibly be there, this is the single most important date you could make in my opinion. Friday, October 26, 2007, 1:30 p.m., Greensboro Jaycee's Building (401 Greene St, Greensboro 27401.
I hope to be there because they are writing the by-laws. If we are not in the by-laws, this organization will not likely represent us in any significant way. They may still do great things of course!
The people behind this organization seem to be somewhat from the inside, somewhat connected and experienced, so this is the first time in a while I have thought it might be worth the effort to show up. If I make it to the meeting, I will go expecting that we will not be enthusiastically included, but hoping we will be.
Whether or not we are included in the group, we will be using the trails and lanes planners make, and they would be smart to understand our needs (and those of skateboarders and five year olds on Barbie bikes and many others) when they design the trails, lanes, bridges, tunnels, intersections and more. But they can't know what skaters' needs are unless we once in a while make the effort to let them know.
If we meet one person who is interested in our cause, it will probably be worth the time.
I think this is the best chance since I started skating for skaters to be part of a group and to get some representation in the human-powered transportation community that is forming in NC. If it doesn't turn out to be a human-powered transportation community, we'll still benefit from their work, and we can start our own group and include them as part of it, ha! No point excluding anyone who loves to exercise on roads and trails is there?
I hope you can make it! I hope I can too. Let me know your thoughts. Maybe we can add an easy fun skate and bike on the new part of the Lake Brandt Greenway and some dinner afterward. Regardless, I thought you'd want to know.
Please use the survey to let them know your thoughts on their potential name! Skateylove, Blake
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mPqM6vEhXT2dday62OXY5w_3d_3d
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Comments
Who's behind this?
What I Know and How to Find More on Bike Ped Skate Run Meeting
I don't know everyone behind this group as I did not attend the first meeting or meetings. I assumed an inline skater would just be in the way (I still think that may turn out true) but one of those who went invited us at InlineNC and Roadskater.net to join in the discussion. I think the one who invited us is a "human-powered transportation" type, who doesn't feel you need to limit the mode of transportation as long as it is muscle-powered.
It was this message to which I responded that started a round of discussions about additional names for the group, "Walk & Roll" being one I mentioned, realizing it might be too late, but hoping for a name that does not specify only biking and walking.
While some in this new group are really open to other modes of transportation, others want to limit the focus of the group to biking and pedestrian issues. This is fine, and who knows, maybe better, but doesn't feel better to me.
Many things good for those groups will be good for inline skaters and other rollers, but of course we'd like to have some representation as we're just as "serious" in our use of inline skates as these folk are in their use of feet and bikes...and just as willing to have fun, I'd add.
One place to find out more is:
Note that B.I.G. is devoted to bicycling and supports issues of pedestrians. They specifically did not want to include inline skating, but they have been nice and open to our attending meetings and such. They may feel that bringing inline skating into a discussion would be an unwanted distraction for legislators and government officials, I'm not sure.
However, some key members of B.I.G. have been encouraging of our efforts to represent inline skating as a serious mode of transportation and recreation participated in by adults, and I note that at the August 12 meeting for this new group there was talk of including "skaters" and later, "in-line skaters." Nobody really wants to deal with skateboarders I imagine, but I think we should have a group open to all, as in item 16, because by including them, we have a chance to stress the kinds of behaviors that represent their sport well and can improve access for everyone.
This is from the minutes of the Aug 12 meeting, which also includes a list of attendees:
Attendees were (Name Affiliation Hometown):
* represents public official (elected and staff) who may or may not be representing their municipality/region or district at this meeting.
I really wish the folk well, and would love to be able to be part of a group that would treat us as important equals, as has been the case in our experience with the Tour to Tanglewood and the NCC chapter of the National MS Society since 1999.
I hope this helps, and if you write about it, please let us know the link!
Daily Kos Diary Mention of NC Human Powered Transport Meeting
Thanks for Spreading the Word
More Details on the Human Powered Transportation Meeting
I may post the files later but it's just as well that you join the ncbikeped list. If you have trouble getting approved please let me know. They're busy folk so I'm sure it'll take some time to get approved, just like on roadskater.net. It's the only way to keep hundreds of ads postings out.
Then look in the files section of the group for the by-laws in process, the minutes of the last meeting, and the agenda for the upcoming meeting.
Notably, the draft of the by-laws shifts toward more inclusive language. "Rollerblading" and skateboarding are relegated to footnotes, but are in the footnotes, and "non-motorized" is used instead of bicycling and walking. I hope we can get "inline skating" or "inline skating and roller skating" into the language and I hope we can get at least one "inline skating" out of the footnotes and into the body text wherever bicycling and walking are specifically mentioned.
However, the draft at least indicates an openness to other modes of transportation that are not specifically bicycling and walking, and this is a huge reason to attend this meeting.
Perhaps more on this later, but the main thing is: