Texas Bike News: 2002
2003
I 2002 I 2001
I 2000
Sept.
2, 2002
Texas Transportation Commission announces Bicycle
Advisory Committee appointees
The Texas
Transportation Commission announced it has approved
appointments to the state Bicycle Advisory Committee.
The BAC was originally formed in 1994 to
focus on bicycle transportation issues and provide
a forum for the exchange of information between
the Texas Transportation Commission, Texas Department
of Transportation, and users of Texas’ transportation
system. More...
July
9, 2002
TBC rides "Tour d' Kelso"
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After taking
exception to an article written by Austin
American-Statesman columnist John Kelso, representives
of the Austin cycling community including
TBC staff members, rode with him in Friday
afternoon rush hour traffic. Taking a mile-long
course through traffic from the Statesman
office to a local south Austin hangout, the
ride gave Kelso an opportunity to experience
what cyclists face every day.
Any columnist
or publisher that allows publication of any
article that even hints at aggression towards
cyclists will hear from TBC.
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After
the Tour d' Kelso finished, Cummins presented
Kelso with a TBC hat and made him an honorary
member. |
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Kelso took the
whole ride with a great deal of good humor
and purchased a round of "our favorite
beverage" at the end. However, one mile
was enough!
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July
4, 2002
Houston Freedom Riders Bike Ban B.B.A.S.H.
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Over 200 riders
concerned about several recent traffic incidents
involving Metro buses took to the streets
in Houston on July 4th. Always riding within
the law, the group sporting patriotic red,
white and blue rode a loop along neighborhood
and downtown streets with stops at Whole Foods
and the Metro office.
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(Above):
Houston Freedom Riders getting ready to start
a great July 4th celebration of cycling in
Houston.
(Left):
BikeHouston B.B.A.S.H. organizer Dan Lundeen
and TBC Executive Director Gayle Cummins requested
all riders to ride safely and legally and
to have FUN!
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June
12, 2002
TBC Board members meet with The Woodlands' The
Villager
|
TBC Board members
met with Michael Moore, the editor of The
Woodlands' The Villager on June 12
after controversy erupted over an article
written by Wendy Crooks in The Villager
June 6 edition. TBC staff and Gail and Randy
arranged a meeting with the editor to discuss
options to stop this kind of article from
appearing in the future.
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(left
to right): Gail Hurley, TBC Board member; Michael
Moore, editor of The Villager; and Randy
Wile, TBC Board member after the meeting on
June 12, 2002. |
June
5, 2002
Texas wins another national award
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At the national Bicycle Education Leaders
Conference held June 3-5, 2002 in Madison,
WI, TBC Education Director, Preston Tyree,
received the National Education Award from
the League of American Bicyclists. The award
was presented by Barbara Sturges, Chair of
the League Education Committee in front of
a crowd of League Cycling Instructors and
other interested bicycle educators from across
the nation.
This brings to four the number of awards
coming to Texas recently. At Interbike in
Las Vegas, Hill Abel of Bicycle Sport Shop
in Austin won "Advocate Retailer of the Year"
and Jim and Rhonda Hoyt of Richardson Bike
Mart won "Retailer of the Year", both awards
from the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News
magazine. Gayle Cummins, Executive Director
of TBC won the "National Advocacy Award" from
the League of American Bicyclists at the National
Bike Summit held in Washington DC in April.
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May
2002
Send TBC your National Bike Month story!
Austin
riders during the "Political Pedal" along the
Transportation Enhancement project "Lance Armstrong
Bikeway" which included Congressman Lloyd Doggett,
City Councilmembers, Jackie Goodman, Raul Alvarez
and Daryl Slusher.
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Please submit, in 200 words or less, a description
of what you/your community did to celebrate
National Bike Month. We would also enjoy receiving
pictures with extended captions as your submission.
We are collecting these for the next issue
of BikeTexas Today. We want to give
our readers an overview of all the activities
that took place across the state. We can't
wait to hear from you!
Your 200 word maximum Bike Month Blurb must
be submitted by Monday, June 10, 2002.
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May
23, 2002
TBC Executive Director honored by Austin City
Councilmember
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Retiring Austin City Councilmember Beverly
Griffith took time out from her going away
celebration to recognize Gayle Cummins for
winning the prestigious League of American
Bicyclists' "Advocacy Award of the Year" for
her work in the Texas Legislature in 2001.
Cummins remarked that "it was a group effort
and many of the people who participated in
the legislative effort should share in the
award." She also acknowledged the key role
that Councilmember Griffith has played in
keeping bicycles on the City Council agenda
through the years.
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May
23, 2002
Safe Routes to School Stakeholders' meeting with
TxDOT
TBC
attended a Stakeholders' Meeting at Texas Department
of Transportation offices (Building 200) on Riverside
Drive in Austin at 1:30pm on May 23, 2002. This
meeting allowed everyone interested in the Safe
Routes to School rule making process to have access
to the process.
Written
comments on the rules were accepted until 5:00pm
on May 31, 2002. If you wish to find out more or
would like written comments on the rules, please
let us know.
Check
out the Safe
Routes Texas Web site!
May
17-18, 2002
2002 Tour d' Fat -- Bikes, Bands, Beer and
BBQ -- A Real Texas Party!
|
The Texas Bicycle Coalition benefited from
a "Bike Party" on May 17 and 18, when mountain
and road bikers gathered at Rocky Hill Ranch
near Smithville for a "Ballyhoo of Beer
and Bikes" produced by New Belgium Brewing.
Check out the pictures!
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March
2002
Texas Senator Co-Chairs Senate Bike Caucus
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Texas Bicycle Industry (represented by
Robin Stallings) and the rest of the Texas
Bicycle Coalition delegation (Barry Reese
of Houston; Gayle Cummins, TBC Executive
Director; Regina Garcia of Houston; Twilight
Freedman of Houston; Preston Tyree, TBC
Education Director; Terry Musar of Grapevine;
and David DeLeon of McAllen) met with Senator
Hutchison during the 2002 National Bike
Summit and she agreed to co-chair the new
Senate Bike Caucus.
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March 20, 2002
TBC Executive Director wins national advocacy
award
Gayle Cummins,
Executive Director of the Texas Bicycle Coalition,
acceps the award for "Advocate of the Year"
from the League of American Bicyclists. Presenting
the award were Congressman Earl Blumenauer
(right) of Oregon and Gayle's own Congressman,
Lloyd Doggett (left) of Texas. |
At the National Bicycle Summit in Washington
D.C., Congressional Bicycle Caucus members
Earl Blumenauer (OR) and Lloyd Doggett (TX)
presented the prestigous League of American
Bicyclists award for "Advocate of the Year"
to Gayle Cummins. Congressman Blumenauer
cited Gayle's work with the Texas Legislature
as a major contributing factor in winning
the award.
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Feb. 9, 2002
$3 million for Safe Routes to Schools!
Rep. Gutierrez
(D-McAllen) displays TxDOT's letter announcing
a $3 million program for Texas' Safe Routes
to School program. |
Texas
Bicycle Coalition supporters were stunned
and overjoyed by the Feb. 9 announcement that
the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
will allocate $3 million to develop the TBC-sponsored
Safe Routes to Schools program.
The announcement was made by State Rep.
Roberto Gutierrez (D-McAllen), sponsor of
the Matthew Brown Act (HB 2204), which included
the creation of Safe Routes to School. Gutierrez
said he had been assured by both Gov. Rick
Perry and TxDOT Executive Director Michael
W. Behrens that TxDOT intends to come up
with the funds to start the program. More...
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Feb.
9, 2002
Texas Bicycle Coalition in dual awards ceremony
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The
Texas Bicycle Coalition was named "Best
in State" by a statewide transportation
advocacy group in a brief ceremony Feb.
9 at the State Capitol. TBC Executive Director
Gayle Cummins accepted the honor in the
form of a plaque presented by Trans Texas
Alliance.
The
organization's director, David Foster, made
the presentation. In presenting the "Best
in State" award to Cummins, Foster said
his group decided to recognize TBC for its
efforts in drafting and working toward the
eventual passage of the Matthew Brown Act
(HB 2204) during the 77th Texas legislature
session. More....
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David Foster,
Executive Director of Trans Texas Alliance
presenting the "Best in State" award to
Gayle Cummins, Executive Director of the
Texas Bicycle Coalition. |
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Rep.
Gutierrez received an award honoring him for
his work during the session from TBC Board
Chair Jeanne Patterson and TBC Executive Director
Gayle Cummins. |
Jan.
29 - Feb. 3, 2002
Bicycle Industry Business & Education Conference
to be held in San Antonio
Texas Bicycle Dealer's Caucus to open event
The Texas Bicycle
Coalition will be a major presenter at the annual
bicycle retailer and supplier Business and Education
Conference, Jan. 29 - Feb. 3, in San Antonio.
The conference is a partnership project of the
Bicycle Product Suppliers Association and the
National Bicycle Dealers Association. More...
