TWBC Newsletter - October 1994
TACOMA WHEELMEN'S CLUB
bn
Bicycle Club
P.O. Box 112078-TACOMA, WA 98411
Inside This Issue:
October ride cal-
endar on pages 2-4.
Halloween Ride
and Annual Pan-
cake Breakfast.
Ride notes and
Tour de Muck on
page 5.
Commuter Of The
Month and Advo-
cates on page 6.
Tour de Kent's
Corner, Why I Ride
So Far, and new
members on page
7.
ProBike, ProWalk
workshop report on
page 8.
Bicycle Shop dis-
count list update
on page 9.
*
The next TWBC
Board meeting is on
Tuesday, October 11,
1994, at Scott Pierson's
home. The address is
2804 N. 19th Street,
Tacoma, WA., and the
meeting starts at 7:00
p.m. All members. are
welcome.
An~
Tacoma Wheelmen’s
TWBC
NEWSLETTER
Dave Tison Elected VP
1994-1995 Budget Approved
At TWBC's September 19th meeting, Club
members elected Dave Tison Vice-President
for 1994-1995. See Kent Wienker's column on
page 7 for information about Dave.
Club members also approved a new
budget for the next fiscal year. The budget
was approved as published on page 9 in the
September Newsletter with one change—an
item for bicycle cases was included in the
amount of $700.00. These cases will be
available to Club members for transporting
their bicycles on trains or planes.
Members can save the budget page from
their September Newsletter for future refer-
ence.
WSDOT Presents Draft Multi-
Modal Plan At October Club
Meeting
by Ralph Wessels
Would you like to know about the future
of bicycling and walking, and be able to
affect the outcome? You will have an oppor-
tunity to do so at our October 18th Club
meeting.
Craig Stone and Mike Dornfeld, from the Washington State Department of Transporta- tion, will be giving a presentation on the Statewide Multi-Modal Transportation Plan. Craig is the Growth Management Act, Sys- tems Planning Supervisor in the Office of Urban Mobility, and Mike is the Statewide Pedestrian, Bicycle Program Manager.
The focus of the presentation will be on
non-motorized transportation. The multi-
modal plan covers a 20 year period, and
contains nine separate transportation ele-
ments. Non-motorized transportation repre-
sents one of these elements.
The plan is currently in the draft stage. WSDOT is soliciting comments from citizen groups with known interests in transporta- tion, such as the TWBC, in order to obtain a plan that truly reflects the goals and values
October, 1994
of the community. Craig and Mike will
distribute handout material on the plan and
ask attendees to complete a questionnaire.
They would like to receive comments from
the public by the end of October.
If you cannot attend the Club meeting, but would like to find out more about the plan, one of six statewide open-house meet- ings on the plan is scheduled to be held in Tacoma on October 6th from 4:00 to 8:00 p-m. at Hunt Middle School, 6501 South 10th. You can also contact Craig at 464-5878, or Mike at 705-7258.
Our Club meetings are held at the South End Community Center, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA. This large white build- ing is across the street from the Standard Brands paint store. Meetings begin at 7:00 p-m., and include food, drink, and door prizes.
Call Kent Wienker for more information
at 474-9395. :
Ride Log Alert: update your ride logs for 1994 so you can turn them in to the Touring Captains by Octo- ber 31st. Mat and Connie will com- pile the information so you can re- ceive recognition at the Annual Ban- quet.
Turn in your logs at the next Club
meeting, or mail them to the Club
address, P.O. Box 112078, Tacoma,
WA 98411, care of Touring Captains.
Club members with computers and
modems interested in taking part in
a local bicycle forum on TribNet can
call the Editor, William Hoehne, at
759-4464, for information.
TWBC RIDE CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER 30 to NOVEMBER 5, 1994 Questions about rides or activities? Call the leader!
DATE TIME MILES START POINT ACTIVITY
Fri Car camping.
9/30 to Portland Bike Fest
10/2
Sat 50 to
10/1 100K
Carla Gramlich
Steve Brown
753-4038
Fort Stevens
Astoria, Oregon
(See ride notes below)
Public Safety Building | Manashtash Century
2nd & Pearl Fall Colors Tour
Ellensburg, WA $8.00
Bob Myrick
473-7455
Carla Gramlich
Steve Brown
753-4038
To Seaside, or decide
to ride.
Fort Stevens
Astoria, Oregon
Chicken Dinner Ride
$6.50
Spanaway Senior
Center.
Sun 8:00 to RE Cycle Bike Shop Mountain Bike
10/2 9:00 a.m. Ellensburg, WA
Sun McDonald's Likity Split through
10/2
Carla Gramlich
N. 21st & Pearl peaceful Tacoma.
(Rain will cancel)
Sun 2
10/2 Steve Brown
753-4038
Tues AM 30+ Call the ride leader or | Tuesday Ride 3 Dianne Koch
10/4 Ride Line (759-2800) 564-3271
2:30 p.m. 10 Fort Steilacoom Mountain Bike 2 Dave Tison
272-4571
Hank Giddings
894-2643
Joy Roelofsz
847-1843
John Hansen
471-0962
Bike Fest
Portland, Oregon
Washington Park Zoo
parking lot.
Washington Mutual Stair Climb Cystic Fibrosis Tower Building $18.00 Individual Foundation Seattle, WA $45.00 Relay Team (3) Paige Perry
1-800-647-7774
UPS Breakfast 2. Helen Burgess
N. 11th & Union Little Park 884-3234
Fort Dent Park Mercer Island 2. Louie Boitano
922-6156
Bob Myrick
473-7455
Hurricane Ridge
(Rain will cancel)
Call first.
TWBC NEWSLETIER October, 1994 Page 2
:00 a.m. Sequim County Park Port Angeles 4 Bob Myrick
10/9 (Rain will cancel) 473-7455
Call first.
Tues AM 30+ Call the ride leaderor | Tuesday Ride 3 Louie Boitano
10/11 Ride Line (759-2800) 922-6156
Tues Hl _m. Scott Pierson's home, Kent Wienker
10/11 2804 N. 19th St., 474-9395
Tacoma, WA
ep)
‘
Wed
10/12
Scott Pierson's home, Government Affairs Bob Myrick 10/12 2804. N. 19th, Tacoma, | Meeting. 473-7455
=
a
ep)
iS}
7
UPS Fieldhouse Pancake Breakfast Steve & Phyllis Lay
N. 11th & Union Spanaway Senior 759-1816
Center.
McDonald's Ft. Lewis to Yelm & Bob Myrick
Spanaway beyond. (Rain may 473-7455
cancel)
Park & Ride Mountain Bike. Kent Wienker
Hwy.512 &S. Tacoma | Mt. St. Helen's Blast 474-9395
Zone.
McDonald's Raymond Greg Torfin
1-5 & Hwy. 512 (Rain will cancel) 537-5823
Carpool.
Louis Marret
564-8599
Jerisich Park Sunday Afternoon Connie Reitzug
Gig Harbor Spin, Crescent Valley 265-2127
Loop.
Kent Wienker
WSDOT Multi-Modal 474-9395
Transportation Plan.
UPS Fieldhouse Brown's Point via Dave Tison
N. 11th & Union Point Defiance, 272-4571
Ruston, Tideflats, etc.
McDonald's Mt. Bike Tour de Ft. Bob Myrick
Spanaway Lewis (Rain may 473-7455
cancel).
TWBC NEWSLETTER October, 1994 Page 3
McDonald's
5
N. 21st & Pearl
25
Likity Split through
peaceful Tacoma.
(Rain will cancel)
Park & Ride Mountain Bike. 3
Hwy.512 &S. Tacoma | Capital Forest
Way.
3:00 p.m. 20 McDonald's Sunday Afternoon 2 Connie Reitzug
Gig Harbor Spin. 265-2127
Tues 30+ Call the ride leader or | Tuesday Ride 3 Louie Boitano
10/25 Ride Line (759-2800) 922-6156
Wed 5:30 p.m. 10 Steilacoom Park Mountain Bike 2: Kent Wienker
10/26 474-9395
Sat 5 30 Park & Ride Tour de Ft. Lewis East 2. Joy Roelofsz
Roy Y. 847-1843
Peggy Fjetland
841-4458
: 75
10/29 (Rain will cancel)
Re McDonald's Bob Myrick
John Hansen
471-0962
Sun
10/23
Sun
10/23
Kent Wienker
474-9395
10/23
ei] fF
ce
=
>
<
[elie
Sat
10/29
Mt. Bike to Pac Forest
& Yelm or Nisqually.
(Rain will cancel)
Spanaway
McDonald's
N. 21st & Pearl
Sun
10/30
Likity Split through
peaceful Tacoma.
(Rain will cancel)
John Hansen
Sun
10/30
Halloween Ride in
costume.
Potluck
Tues AM 30+ Call the ride leader or | Tuesday Ride 3 Louie Boitano
1 Ride Line (759-2800) 922-6156
Tues | Kent Wienker
474-9395
Ride Code Definitions (See column six in ride calendar): 1.Easy pace—frequent stops to catch-up and re-group. 10-13 mph.
2. Moderate pace—occasional stops to catch-up and re-group. 13-16 mph. 3. Steady pace—limited stops. Cue sheets or map
provided. 13-16 mph. 4. Fast pace—very limited stops. Cue sheets or map provided. 16+mph. Maps provided for all rides
over 35 miles.
See article in ride notes
below.
“
Steve & Phyllis Lay
759-1816
Scott Pierson's home,
2804 N. 19th St.,
Tacoma, WA.
Carla & Steve's home,
3218 N. 28th, Tacoma,
WA.
Carla Gramlich
Steve Brown
753-4038
Annual Pancake
Breakfast 8-9:30,
followed by ride.
For More Information About Rides, Call The Ride Line At 759-2800. (To record your message on the ride line without waiting for the other messages to play, press the * button on a touch tone phone.)
Wear A Helmet, And Carry Repair Items And First Aid Supplies On Your
Ride!
TWBC NEWSLETTER October, 1994 Page 4
Ride Notes:
Fort Stevens Car Camping Trip with the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition: Friday, September 30—Meet at Fort Stevens near Astoria, Oregon. Bicycle or hike around the park. Saturday, October 1—Bicycle ride Seaside, or whatever the group decides. Sunday, October 2—Drive to Portland and bicycle to the Portland Bikefest. Meet at 10:00 a.m. at the
Washington Park Zoo parking lot.
Portland's Bikefest is located on the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland. The bridge is open to bicycle and pedestrians only from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Music, food, and bicycle exhibits, plus many giveaways are featured. Call Steve or Carla at 752-4038 for information.
It is time for the Annual Haunting of 1320 N. Cedar by Tacoma Wheelmen: Yes, it is time for the TWBC Halloween Party! The date is Sunday, October 30, 1994.
We will start the ride at noon. Wear a costume (be sure you can ride safely and wear your helmet). The potluck will start at 3:00 p.m. Bring your favorite dish. You may come for all or any part of the festivities. There will be a prize for the best male and female costume. (Also remember to turn your clocks back that day.)
Ride Report:
Tour de Muck—
A Trail From Hell
by Steve & Phyllis Lay
We should have known we were
doomed when both the August and
September newsletters said: “...and the
scenery is some of the most beautiful in
the state previously only accessible by
rain.”
The three day Labor Day camping trip
was to explore the Iron Horse Trail—the
old Milwaukee Railroad over Sno-
qualmie Pass. According to news re-
ports last spring, the 2.5 mile tunnel
under the ski area was to be open Au-
gust Ist. Wrong! It will open September
24th. However, according to the ranger
and the map, there were trails to get
back to I-90 and the old Denny Creek
road to the summit. From there, the trail
was picked up behind Hyak (the other
end of the tunnel), and could be fol-
lowed to within a few miles of Easton,
where you went under a yellow gate
and took a paved road the last couple of
miles to Easton. Sounds easy? Wrong
again!
Sixteen brave, adventurous, un- suspecting Tacoma Wheelmen met in North Bend on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We started riding on the trail a little east of North Bend at a stop on the railroad called Garcia, now just a wide spot on the trail. The trail on the west side of the pass is mostly packed dirt with the loose rocks only on the trestles.
The riding to the tunnel was easy, but
the mist and drizzle soon turned into
rain. When we arrived at the tunnel
Greg T. and Louie B. had lifted their
bikes over the 10 foot wall, and were riding through the tunnel. Other riders said that the doors at the other end were open, but soon we saw lights and here were Greg and Louie. The doors at the other end were locked. Greg said he kept knocking and scratching on the doors, but no one answered his pleas for help.
We had been told about a service road
by other riders who said it would be
easier than the trail, but we could not
find it. We started down the Annette
Lake trail.
This is a hiking trail with rocks, roots, and narrow and slippery places. It took usa long time to muscle the fully loaded bikes down the trail. Then we had to ride up the Denny Creek road to the summit. By this time it is raining very hard! We ate lunch and or dinner at the summit and tried to get dry. Rich kept saying there were waves going down the street, because it was raining so hard.
By this time it is 5:00 p.m. and we still have 18 miles to go. We started this adventure at 8:00 a.m. and had covered only 24 miles. Concern was setting in, but hey, what the heck, it is an adven- ture, right? Louie and Greg went back to Garcia to get their cars to go to the campground. We have not seen Fast Granny or Chuck and his friend since the start—they are ahead of us.
We go to find the trail from Hyak. Rich
and Linda W. decide they have had
enough fun for one day and turn back to
return to the motel at the summit.
The rest of us find the trail. There is
more loose rock, and the trail is much
rougher than on the west side, but the
rain does lessen as we leave the pass.
Just after we cross the road to Stam- pede Pass we find Bob and Dave. Dave has another flat. Helen loans him her pump and we keep going. It is now 7:00 p.m. Steve is looking for places to camp along the trail, as it gets darker and the rest of us get slower.
Finally, the yellow gate. Very difficult
to get over, under, or around, then up a
steep dirt hill (the ranger did not men-
tion this) to pavement. A little more up
hill, then down hill to Easton. Yeah!
We still have about a half mile to the.
state park. It is now 8:30 p.m. and very
dark! Now we have to find the group
site. This takes us until 9:00 p.m. Even
darker now! The rain has almost stop-
ped. This ride has taken 12.5 hours for
43 miles!
We still have to set up camp and take a shower. Fast Granny, Greg and Louie are at the site. Chuck and his friend have gone home. Soon after we arrived Bob and Dave came in their taxi. The side wall had split on Dave's tire and could not be fixed.
By contrast, the rest of the weekend
was dull! Some of us rode into Roslyn
on Sunday. The town was celebrating its
Wing Ding Festival with a parade at
noon. If we had known, we could have
joined the parade.
We also toured the town cemeteries.
The cemetery had labeled areas for each
nationality that had lived here. Some of
the stones have ceramic pictures of the
person. The cemetery is probably bigger
than the town!
We rode to Cle Elum for lunch and
took the Iron Horse Trail back to Easton.
(Continued on page 6)
TWBC NEWSLETTER October, 1994 Page 5
(Continued from page 5)
The trail is rough in places but quiet
with no other traffic.
Greg took people back to Garcia for
their cars on Saturday night. Almost
everyone was driving to the summit for
breakfast before heading home. Steve
and I were going to get a ride, but the
sun was shining and it was a beautiful
Commuter Of The Month
by Kent Wienker, TWBC President
Greg Grenier commutes to work daily,
and has done so since 1982. His fourteen
mile roundtrip takes him to a business
he has owned for five years. Tacoma
Marine Repair does motor and electrical
wiring controls.
Greg has been our past Club president
for four years. He co-chaired the Daffo-
dil Classic five times, and was the chair-
man of the Peninsula Metric Century
twice.
Over the years he has ridden the STP
seven times, three times roundtrip.
Some members and STP riders will
remember the tandem he rode many
times with daughter, Gina.
Greg suggests that a commuter should
.search for different routes until one is
found with a minimum of traffic and
good shoulders. Cycling to work and
Advocates Begin
To Stir Pot
by Bob Myrick
The first real advocacy meeting in recent memory (there were those few meetings with Dianne Larabee, John Joyce and others back in 1986, and probably many back early in the cen- tury) was held on September 28th at Scott Pierson's home. Several people who race were invited, in addition to TWBC members.
The first meeting was an introductory meeting, so we did not create many waves. There are a whole bunch of issues we need to discuss, including safety and education, liaison with Now- Bike, Bicycle Federation of America, neighboring jurisdictions, WSDOT's Bicycle Advisory Board, the Water Ditch Trail, catch basin grates, Point Defiance trails, access across the tideflats, and
day, so at the last minute we decided to
ride back.
Bob and Dave had already left. They planned to take the trail back to Hyak. Steve and I rode up I-90. The shoulder is wide and the grade not too steep, so we seemed to fly. Quite a contrast to Satur- day! We got to the top in under three hours and went down the old Denny
back is a good time to relax and reflect.
Greg rides in work clothes with leg bands. He uses an SPD pedal-shoe com- bination, and a Turbo-Cat light system. During the winter the lights can get an hour's use per day. Other than being on the second battery, the light system has worked without fail. He uses the stan- dard Vista rear light, and reflective piping on a Gore-Tex coat.
Greg's first commute bike was stolen, but his next bike has lasted ten years. The new gasless machine is a Klein with Campagnolo Ergo brake lever shifters, the nearest thing yet to an automatic transmission. These shifting systems allow more frequent shifting, improv- ing cadence, speed, climbing, and pres- sure on the joints. He buys his tubes by the case.
Greg has yet to have a parked car door
open on him. I read an article recently in
other specific projects.
Pierce County is getting close to a draft non-motorized plan, and Tacoma is preparing to write one. Puyallup is gearing up a bike or non-motorized citizen's committee and Club members recommended formation of a committee to review Tacoma's plan.
We sure could say a few things to local
jurisdictions about disappearing shoul-
ders, cavernous catch basins, forced
right turns, untripable demand lights,
discontinuous routes, and lighting (a-
mong other things).
I do not expect everyone to attend an-
other monthly bike meeting, but I do
believe everyone has something pretty
important to her or him.
That is what our Government Affairs
Committee is for—to find out what Club
members think, and then make sure
decision makers get the message.
Our approach is to work with them to
Creek Road on this side to the I-90 exit
to Garcia.
All sixteen brave souls survived the
trip. We all have different mileages for
the weekend, and, as Fast Granny put it:
“This isn't your normal boring three day
camping trip.”
which a woman recommended going
for the middle of the door if this hap-
pens, as the corners are more painful.
Who gets the liability?
One more tip from Greg—over the years there have been a few shouting matches with motorists. His new phi- losophy is to avoid these confrontations because of the chance of someone hav- ing a firearm. Greg has had two acci- dents with cars, with no serious injuries. Inone aase his bike required a new fork.
Greg and I met for our interview at
Flakey-Jakes on 6th Avenue. For over 10
years Greg, Janice, and family have
been meeting there around 7:00 p.m. on
Friday nights. Other Club members
often join them, and have been doing so
since 1982—a neat idea, with some great
memories.
get the best result possible for bicyclists and pedestrians. We have been writing letters and attending public hearings, and we will do even more. We will also increase our contact with our elected officials. Most of them already know who we are so the hard part will be to track to issues and keep them informed.
With all the interest and funding for
cycling that we have seen in the last
couple of years, the governments should
welcome our great advice.
So, let us give it to them! Call me at
473-7455 and let me know what you
would like to see happen.
The next committee meeting will be on
Wednesday, October 12, 1994, at 7:00
p-m., at the home of Scott Pierson, 2804
N. 19th Street, Tacoma, WA.
TWBC NEWSLETIER October, 1994 Page 6
The Tacoma Wheelmen's
Bicycle Club
Board Members
PRESIDENT
Kent Wienker -474-9395
VICE-PRESIDENT
Dave Tison -272-4571
SECRETARY
Dena Wessels -857-5658
TREASURER
Hazel Giddings -894-2643
TOURING CAPTAINS
Mat & Connie Reitzug -265-2127
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
William Hoehne -759-4464
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Bob Myrick -473-7455
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS
PAST PRESIDENT
Carla Gramlich -752-4038
Staff
MEMBERSHIP
Phyllis Lay -759-1816
PUBLICITY
L.A.W. REPRESENTATIVE
Sue Given -565-0535
B.E.W. COORDINATOR
Diane Lister «752-8636
SAFETY & EDUCATION
Jan Wieser -833-6346
EQUIPMENT MANAGER
Steve Brown -752-4038
RIDE LINE
Connie Reitzug -265-2127
MAILING
Don Izenman -565-2720
Annual Committees
DAFFODIL CLASSIC
BICYCLE SHOW BOOTH Sylvia Russell -862-3288 Brian Wester «862-3288 S.T.P. COORDINATOR Hank Giddings :894-2643 BANQUET COMMITTEE Bob Myrick -473-7455 ANNUAL PICNIC Peggy Fjetland -841-4458 Joy Roelofsz -847-1843 Send correspondence to: The Tacoma \Wheelmen's Bicycle Club, P.O. Box 112078, ‘acoma, WA 98411.
Send articles, for our Newsletter, to the editor t: 5702 N. 33rd, Apt. 17B, Tacoma, WA 98407. E-mail can be sent to the editor via Compuserve,
User # 71570,446,
Article deadline for the November, 1994 issue is
\October 18, 1994.
Tour de Kent's Corner
by Kent Wienker, TWBC President
New Vice-President:
We have a new Vice-President. Dave
Tison was unanimously approved by
Club members at our September
meeting.
Dave has been with us for two years. He headed the TWBC team for the Courage Classic this year. Dave and Reggie can always be found at our events. Dave rides both road and mountain bikes. Welcome Dave, and thanks for your service.
We still have openings in the following positions: Director of Special Events, Publicity, and, for next year, Daffodil Classic and Peninsula Metric Century chairpersons. Filling these positions soon is important. For example, we need to set the dates for the Daffodil Classic and the Peninsula Metric Century this fall so the rides can appear on ride calendars for 1995.
Peggy's Party:
The annual picnic has come and gone,
like summer. Wapato park turned out to
have a great facility—outdoors but
covered for rain, just in case.
While I did not attend all of the planning meetings at Peggy Fjetland’s home, others attending were Joy Roelofsz, William Hoehne, Carla Gramlich, Steve Brown, and Karen Forbush. Peggy made the banana bread, and we ate it.
New Club members Bob and Linda
Heaton ran the game portion of the
picnic. A few gift certificates were
presented to winners, as well as other
prizes.
A lot of people cycled to the park, so
appetites were ready for the barbecue,
prepared by the Spanaway Alpine
Firefighters.
Peggy would like to thank all who
helped at the picnic, including Karen,
Steve, Carla, Linda, Bob, and husband
Ray.
Thanks, Peggy. Now you can ride into
fall.
Christmas Revisited:
Ican remember my first bike under the
Christmas tree. It meant that Santa
Claus had really listened. I guess I had
been a good boy.
Please help the Club by donating an
unused bike for our Christmas program.
At this time the specific charitable
organization has not been identified, but
that is not a problem.
Last year we gave fourteen
reconditioned bicycles, _ including
helmets, to the Lakewood Kiwanis. We
can use any size bike, but will look for
the smaller frame sizes.
If you can help with this project call
me at 474-9395.
Why | Ride So Far
by Troy Wells
One day someone asked me why I ride
so far—‘“Why don't you use a stationary
bike and watch television?”
I ride for the high, and to feel the wind
upon my face.
I ride to smell the flowers that are in
bloom.
I ride to see the flowers and trees, the
mountain and the pretty scenes.
I ride by the sea shore, to smell the salt
air, and to watch the ships and
boats.
I ride by the shore and look out upon
the water, look at the islands, *
and watch the people.
I ride down a tree lined road in the heat
of the day, feel the cool of the
shade, ride by a clearing and get
a peek-a-boo view of the
mountain.
Iride to feel the blood pulse in my veins,
to feel my heart pound in my
chest as I grind up that huge
hill.
I ride to feel my heart skip a beat as I
reach the bottom of that huge
hill at 40 miles per hour, only to
take a sharp left turn, before I
can slow down.
That, my friends, is why I ride so far.
TWBC Welcomes The Following New
Members For The Month Of September:
Lonna Cain, Mary Gosenberg, Michael
E. Miller, Jim Trout, and Bruce Venable.
TWBC NEWSLETTER October, 1994 Page 7
ProBike ProWalk
Issues And Addenda
by Scott Pierson
The ProBike, ProWalk Conference in
Portland, Oregon ended on Saturday,
September 10, 1994, with an all-day
workshop for advocates and for state
bicycle, pedestrian coordinators. Kent
Wienker, William Hoehne, and I at-
tended the advocacy workshop.
Charlie Gandt, discussion leader from the Bicycle Federation of America, won- dered if people liked the idea of creating a national campaign around pedestrian issues. Most strongly favored the idea, since we are all pedestrians, have a greater empathy with pedestrian issues, and share a common enemy, the car.
Others, however, felt that because the
issues are too ubiquitous and low key,
and
support for staff or a council member's
ideas. There is nothing worse for the
politician than to have to vote on some-
thing that has no demonstrable public
support.
The advocacy group, or special inter-
est group, is actually not needed to
make decisions, but is critical to making
decisions you like. The advocacy group
feeds ideas to the staff and politicians,
who run them by their citizen's group to
get feedback. The job of the advocacy
group is to lobby the council and citi-
zen's group for support of those ideas.
For example, the helmet law in Ta- coma was introduced by Councilman Bob Evans. An informal committee of staff and Club reviewed the ordinance, and the Club and others testified in its favor. Over time, working relationships and credibility are built between mem-
1. The biggest reason people do not volunteer is that nobody asked. Some- body must ask. This applies to big Club events as well as attending public hear- ings or getting riders for a ride. Break your project into simple tasks and ask. Then give a deadline and help with what is needed to complete the project. Check back. Remember, people will support what they help create. Partici- pation is probably one of our greatest strengths. I think our Club gets an “A” on this one and the next.
2. Slide shows are great, effective, and a cheap way to get a point across. If you have an idea for a trail, t-shirt, picnic, or anything else, shoot some slides and show them toa group for feedback. We all love those banquet slides of the year in review.
- One way to raise $5000.00 is to place
Stay tuned to see if and how they
structure a campaign. Comments are
welcome. Call Charlie at 202-463-6622.
The day's discussion was enlightening.
Charlie presented the decision triangle
shown in the center of this page.
Government staff provides the sup- port to the elected council in formulat- ing the programs and figuring out all the details. The citizen's committee, appointed by the council, reviews the council and staff projects and programs and filters out what it does and does not like by making recommendations back to council. The citizen's committee rare- ly initiates programs or ideas unless the advocacy group is missing from the equation. However, the citizen's group is essential in providing true public
The rest of the agenda came from the
attendees. Riding a bicycle may seem
pretty simple, which is one of the rea-
sons we do it. But what seems simple at
first gets more and more complicated
with analysis.
We talked a lot about organizational development, board and staff develop- ment, lobbying, fundraising and the media. We did not even get into riding issues like helmets, lights, equipment, trails, shoulders, rules of the road, car conflicts, facility funding, and numerous other possible issues faced by advocates, coordinators, and citizen committees.
Highlighting the wealth of discussion
were several memorable ideas. The one
about volunteers tells me why our Club
is great.
an an- nearly nounce every- Ideas and Decisions ment in one Typical Government the u- walks, City or County Council «al ‘ wy: oe ae Decision Triangle ‘ a i a Feder- y . hand- . < a e, ation : 2, Xe out for _ would : : a Gy Council appointed Bike to be hard Advocacy Organization oe Citizen's Advisory Committee Work pressed Eg. Bike Club, NowBike, eg. Bicycle Advisory Committee, Week. t 0 Sierra Club, LAB Transportation Committee, PLanning On te cheaply information & lobbying Commi eed on fly er, mobi- Ideas and Influence Review and Support place a lize an helmet e ffec - coupon tive bers of each group for the flow of infor- _ with the names of bike shops (at $250.00 : Br0Up P Ea pale mation, ideas, and influence. each) where redeemable, and paid logos
of large contributors like REI, or other
sporting goods stores. List rides to work
with the Club name.
4. Some traffic planning uses the idea of protecting bicycists and pedestrians as a ruse for keeping them out or away from an area. Traffic engineers often restrict pedestrian crossings or bicycle access because it is unsafe, rather than designing a plan to make it safe. With this approach, fund shortages and con- flicts between car and non-motorized traffic often cause bicycle and pedes- trian access to be severly limited or excluded altogether.
5. A Club in Wales has no membership
fee for individuals, but accepts plenty of
donations to support a large mailing of
its informative newsletter. Each member
TWBC NEWSLETTER October, 1994 Page 8
(Continued from page 8)
is required to contribute time to its pro-
grams (news, rides, special work
groups, advice, bike-mate for inexperi-
enced riders, notices of things affecting
cyclists, etc.).
6. The easiest media for bicyclists to use is the local newspaper. Every sec- tion of the newspaper has potential for cycling related articles: Business—local shop profiles; Lifestyle—health and fitness through cycling, helmet use; Local news—cross state or Club rides; Sports—training routes, national races; Travel and tourism—places to see while
riding a route, or darn good local routes;
Editorial section—current and local
issues; and Advertising—include a bike
parking symbol in an ad.
News people like articles we write, including statistics and comparisons, good photos, graphics, maps, quotes, and local projects. It pays to keep talk- ing about bicycling in different ways. It helps to get to know the editors and writers.
7. To maintain credibility with news-
paper reporters always deliver what
you promise.
8. Invite government decision makers
to join a field trip to a site to discuss
access problems. First hand knowledge
can get their attention.
9. Always carry a tape measure and
use it. “Let us see, was that shoulder
really wide enough for that semi and my
bike?”
After a very long day, we all agreed
that it was very well spent.
a
The following is an updated list of bicycle shops in our area honoring your Club membership with a 10% discount on parts and accessories. You must present your membership card before the sale is rung up. This discount applies only to cash or check sales. No credit cards. Sale items may be excluded.
Bridgeport Cyclery
Parts and Accessories
8819 Bridgeport Way S.W.
Tacoma, WA 98499
206-588-2245
Spoke & Sprocket
7514 27th West
Tacoma, WA 98466
206-564-1422
Rainier Cycle Sports
3816 N. 26th
Tacoma, WA 98407
206-756-2116
Bike Tech
12515 Meridian E.
Puyallup, WA 98373
206-845-BIKE
Bike Tech
5408 S. Tacoma Way
Tacoma, WA 98409
206-472-BIKE
(Formerly Southwell’s Schwinn)
Parkland Bicycle Shop
11802 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98444
206-537-3160
Northwest Mountain Bike
Selected Accessories
6304 6th Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98406
206-565-9050
A-1 Cycles
513 E. Main Avenue
Puyallup, WA
206-848-4142
(Formerly Puyallup Schwinn)
Bear Bike
13812 Canyon Road E.
Puyallup, WA 98373
206-536-1879
South Hill Cyclery
13507 Meridian E.
Puyallup, WA
206-841-3276
Precision Cycles
31817 Gateway Center Blvd. S.
Federal Way, WA
206-839-4632
(Formerly Angle Lake Cyclery &-
Fitness)
Mt. Constance Mountain Shoppe
20% on bike accessories
5500 Olympic Drive
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
206-858-8030
Olympic Sports
Three locations:
6015 Tacoma Mall Blvd.
Tacoma, WA
Lakewood Mall
10015 Gravelly Lake Dr. S.W.
Tacoma, WA
32225 Pacific Hwy. S.
Federal Way, WA
TWBC NEWSLETTER October, 1994 Page 9