While meeting with my fellow Bicycle Mayors on our monthly global Zoom meeting yesterday (there are 105 Bicycle Mayors around the world, with 5 in the USA), I gave some thought to the email I’m planning on sending to elected mayors of cities and CEOs of counties here in Metro Atlanta this upcoming Monday.
I was waiting until I served as Metro Atlanta Bicycle Mayor for a month before reaching out to them and letting them know I am available to shine a light on the good that is happening in their municipalities (according to this schedule) regarding people involved with access-for-all via bikes. (If interested, see more about my role, and my three specific goals, here.)
I’ve found a trend* I’d like to nip in the bud, and I’ll include a little mention of that. I’ll share my free bike routes, which already showcase some of the art, history, and bike infrastructure in their communities, as well as info about how I can help them boost their education offerings on their Bike League applications moving forward. And I’ll invite them to help spread the joy through a public service announcement social media/print ad that’s part of this campaign.
Finally, I’ll share a few details from my conversation with Byron Rushing, the head of Bike/Walk initiatives at the Atlanta Regional Commission — in particular, the concrete way he identified that we can all be of help to him.
As usual, I’ll run a copy of my email here on this blog. (Here was a prior Dear Mayor and City Council email for my local city from the beginning of the pandemic this year, and here is one for Metro Atlanta mayors, and more, from 2014 — I’ve been at this awhile!)
In the meantime, it’s Small Business Saturday and that gives you another opportunity to tap into fun, functional, and free gifts for you and yours. All proceeds help more women and girls ride bikes.
* including bike lanes on 35 mph+ roads that don’t meet League of American Bicyclists standards on applications to be counted as a Bicycle Friendly Community
Traveling at the Speed of Bike 