Why We Need Bicycle Advocacy
You’re out riding your bike from River Mountain Road over the Two Rivers Bridge, then back to the Big Dam Bridge, and over to the North Little Rock Trail, with a side trip up Fort Roots to view the beautiful overlook, back down the River Trail to the Clinton Library Bridge. What a beautiful ride – one we take for granted – but one that would not have been possible a few years ago.
When Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas (BACA) was formed in 2002 by a few bicyclists who wanted to promote bicycling and improve bicycle infrastructure in Central Arkansas, we had few places to safely bike. There was no River Trail on either side of the river, no bicycle pedestrian bridges, no bike lanes on any street in the Little Rock, North Little Rock or Pulaski County, for that matter. We’ve come a long way, much of it due to the hard work of BACA and its supporters.
So what has BACA done? Early on, BACA worked with Pulaski County to complete the Big Dam Bridge and worked for completion of the Clinton Presidential Bridge. BACA helped create the Little Rock and North Little Rock Bicycle Friendly Community committees. We successfully negotiated with the VA for continued access for cyclists at Fort Roots with construction of a paved bike path around the metal security gate. BACA successfully worked to get bike racks on all city buses. For a list of some of BACA’s many accomplishments over the past ten years, visit the BACA website.
Do we still need an advocacy organization? You betcha. The number of people bicycling has grown exponentially. More and more people are using bicycles as their primary means of transportation. Bicycle tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the economy. Bicycling is a win-win-win – it’s good for public health, good for the economy and good for the environment. We need a bicycle advocacy organization to help create bicycle friendly communities throughout Central Arkansas.
While North Little Rock and Little Rock have paid employees who assist in promoting and improving bicycling in the cities, their work is limited by the policies, resources and support of their employers. A strong, unified and independent voice is necessary to speak for the needs of bicyclists. Much still needs to be done, and only with the participation of the many cyclists in Central Arkansas can we make sure our voice is heard by those people making decisions affecting bicyclists.
We need to Close the Loop on the Little Rock side of the River Trail; we need to make sure laws adequately protect bicyclists and make accountable those who injure or kill cyclists; we need to develop more mountain biking trails; we need to make sure there are bike lanes, separated street cycle tracks and dedicated bike paths on commuting routes so people can commute from all parts of the area by bicycle; we need to educate the public – both bicyclists and motorists – about the need to peacefully co-exist on the roadways, including educating the public that bicycles should be treated the same as motor vehicles; we need to encourage businesses to be bicycle friendly by developing facilities and rewarding employees who commute to work by bicycle; we need to promote the health benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to ride bicycles; and we need to educate the business community about the economic benefits of bicycling. The list of possibilities becomes endless, particularly as more people are bicycling.
So next time you’re out on your bike, don’t just ride. Think about what you can do to improve bicycling in Central Arkansas. There is power in numbers, so let’s work together. Join Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas, attend BACA meetings, volunteer to help with our work, and “Like” BACA on Facebook. For more information, see www.bicycleadvocacy.com.
SAVE THE DATE: January 7th BACA meeting, 6:30 p.m. at U.S Pizza in Hillcrest (2710 Kavanaugh Blvd.) Judge Villines has been an ardent supporter of bicyclists and BACA since BACA’s inception. Over the years he has spoken at numerous BACA meetings about his plans and seeking our support. We owe him much for his contributions to bicycling, among just a very few, the Big Dam Bridge, the Two Rivers Bridge, Two Rivers Park, and bike lanes on Pinnacle Valley Road. He is truly a man with a vision for the benefits of bicycling and his latest vision is the Southwest Trail, linking Little Rock to Hot Springs along an abandoned rail line. He will tell us all about this at the January 7th BACA meeting, 6:30 p.m. at U.S Pizza in Hillcrest (2710 Kavanaugh Blvd.) Mason Ellis, BACA Vice President, will present a slide show of the proposed route. Come to the meeting to support Judge Villines and learn about the latest exciting news for bicyclists. As always, there will be good food and good company.
(News Release from Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas)
