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What needs to happen — to change — to bring about our vision of a better cycling community? What are the steps that need to be taken to realize our goals? What should our priorities be?This question has several dimensions. What are the priorities for our community? What are the priorities for our local advocacy groups? And, what are our personal priorities?We all do better when we can score some points on a regular basis, so in each context — community, organization, and individual — we’ll be looking for some regular, easy wins; things that can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time and without the need for major resources. For instance, we might hold a meeting with the editorial board at the paper to share our vision for making Chattanooga bicycle-friendly, or write letters to the mayor or council asking that funds be allocated for a bike project, or conduct a survey of candidates in the next election and get the results published. At the same time, we’ll identify some more challenging and probably longer-term objectives, such as the development of the Bicycle Master Plan, or construction of a new trail or segment of paved shoulder. Keep in mind that most decisions affecting where we live are made by our local government—the town, city, or county—and that the officials we elect to represent us are people that we should give primary attention to influencing. They will be the people involved in making the decisions at the MPO and state levels that we want to have go our way. Let’s Get Heard!How do we get listened to and how do we develop real clout so that when the pie is getting divided up, we get a bigger piece? Remember: the decision-making process is a "political" process; it has little to do with the merits of an idea or proposal but instead depends on what kind of power the various constituencies manifest. We need clout and there are various ways to go about getting it and showing it. One of the great strengths of bicycling is that so many people do it and enjoy it. And with the right kind of pitch, they will show their support for it — not all of them, not all the time, and not always by showing up at a meeting, writing a letter, or writing a check, but with the right kind of planning a strong showing of support can be had for virtually any pro-bike initiative. This provides an opportunity to always present bicycling and bicycle-friendly community proposals as representing the public interest rather than some narrow special interest. We had a big win this month: the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) and the RPA (Regional Planning Agency) have shifted an initial sum of $50,000 toward the development of a Chattanooga Bicycle Master Plan (we have been promised that additional money will be made available next year dependent on which consultant is selected and the actual cost of the plan). We have been working towards improving our city’s bike-ability for many years. This plan will take the first major step toward improving biking throughout our city, since it will encompass the entire region. The role this new plan will play will be one of a "Reference Manual" for our city planners and engineers to follow as they consider and design EVERY new road. Establishing a bikeway here, and Share-the-road signage there, is certainly important and we will continue to develop and pursue these projects, but an all encompassing plan is the basic starting point for an effective bicycling city. This is not a new concept by any means. We are just following suit to what other successful cities goals have done: improve traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, and create a healthier population. Granted, these goals seems lofty for a simple bike plan. However, I deeply believe in this, as do the others that have stuck in there and sacrificed personal time for these causes. The North/Southside Bicycle Corridor is moving along slowly but surely, it in itself has been a stepping stone of advocacy education for us novices. — Joe Thomas What benefits does
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