cycle safe city

i got this in an email from a listserv i am on. i thought i would share it with my blog readers with the hopes that people will feel compelled to sign. there are a number of reason i think DC needs a really amazing director of transportation, but my primary reason is because i want to feel safer when i commute on my bike.

when i move almost all my commuting will be on a bike. now i have the option of walking to work, which i choose regularly. i feel most danger from buses and cabs. it is also clear that there is no enforcement of bike safety. the garbage man who struck and killed a cyclist in dupont last week was not sited for any wrong doing (at least the last that i heard). there seems to be a common belief that because cyclists are small one doesn't have to look for them. i believe a bit of safety and some public awareness campaigns could change things. PLUS if we had more cyclist we would have less congested roads and cleaner air.

we also need better bus system; more regulated cabs; and expansion of metro. but that is really a far second to this bike safety stuff for me. anyway, take a look at what is below and if you feel inclined to sign, please do so. EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIVE IN DC!

As many of you have heard, DDOT Director Emeka Moneme resigned yesterday.
Mayor Fenty's choice for a successor will have a huge impact on the quality
of life in our neighborhoods. Please consider signing on to this open letter
to Mayor Fenty.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/campaigns/ddotfuture/

To: Adrian Fenty, Mayor, District of Columbia
Cc: Dan Tangherlini, City Administrator

Dear Mayor Fenty,

With the departure of DDOT Director Emeka Moneme, the District of Columbia
stands at a crossroads. You have the opportunity to appoint a visionary,
innovative new Director that will bring our transportation network into the
21st century, making our roads safe and enjoyable for pedestrians, drivers,
bicyclists, transit riders, and all other users of all ages. Or, we could
end up stuck with a conventional-thinking traffic bureaucrat who will
singlemindedly speed automobiles without regard for their impact on other
commuters or the quality of life in our city. We urge you to conduct a
national search for a world-class leader for DDOT equal to your other
excellent cabinet appointees.

While it is important to have a Department of Transportation that provides
good service to citizen needs, transportation is not just a customer service
issue. Our transportation policy decisions will determine whether we
preserve and build upon the walkable neighborhoods that make DC such a
desirable and enjoyable place to live and work, or become a traffic-choked,
polluted, parking-lot-filled mess that discourages tourists, visitors, and
potential residents from living and shopping downtown and across the city.
Our economic vitality, not to mention the beauty of our neighborhoods, is at
stake.

You have shown leadership by selecting innovative, visionary cabinet members
before, like Michelle Rhee and Harriet Tregoning. Last year, your
counterpart in New York City likewise selected an innovator, Janette
Sadik-Khan, as Transportation Commissioner. Sadik-Khan has meaningfully
enhanced the quality of life in New York City. A visionary leader for DDOT,
a peer of Sadik-Khan, Rhee, or Tregoning, would bring innumerable benefits
to the District of Columbia.
Sign on here: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/campaigns/ddotfuture/