Show Congress Why Biking Matters: Your Guide to Advocacy Events

This is a critical year for us to build support in Washington for biking. Congress is debating what to prioritize in the next transportation reauthorization bill, which will set five years of funding and policy. At the same time, the current administration is arguing that bicycling isn’t in the federal interest and is removing funding for bike facilities from previously awarded projects.

The best way to build support is to show the value of bicycling to members of Congress in their own district. “Show Congress” can show them how that infrastructure keeps people safe, and introduce them to their constituents that care. “Show Congress” events are easier to host than you might think, and our newly updated toolkit will walk you through the steps of making politics truly local. Plus, this year we’re offering microgrants to aid advocates in hosting these events in critical areas.

A “Show Congress” can be a bike ride, a ribbon cutting, a bike audit, a bike shop visit, or almost anything bike-related. The toolkit and our webinar recording walk you through the basics of how to set up an event and specific considerations for working with elected officials. We have templates for emails, suggestions on how to tailor an event, and tips on how to make the ask to attend.

“One of the lessons I learned from the first Ride for Your Life was that the ride created the relationships. The relationship [with members of Congress and their staffers] was one of the most important results from the event. We initially were focused on asking for ATIIP [Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program] legislation and funding, and what actually came out of the ride and the subsequent relationship… was Sarah’s Law.”

Dan Langenkamp, on how his “Ride for Your Life” event helped create the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Act

This year, with the help of Dan Langenkamp and Sarah’s Basket, the League is offering advocates microgrants of up to $1,000 to support hosting “Show Congress” events. Awards for the microgrants will be prioritized to organizations in key congressional districts who haven’t hosted events for their representatives in the past.

If you have questions about the microgrants or about “Show Congress” events in general, we encourage you to watch the recording of our July 8th webinar, which featured Dan Langenkamp, the League’s Deputy Executive Director Caron Whitaker, and Rachel Schaeffer of Cascade Bicycle Club. View the recording below.

Article from the League of American Bicyclists. By Lauren Jenkins.