[DB!-Announce] Need emails to support the Davis-Woodland Bikeway

[Davis Bicycles Announcements]

The Davis-Woodland bikeway needs our help to become a reality this year.  

After Willie Lopez's death in October, the county, and Davis and Woodland city councils have rightfully increased the priority of the project.  Funding is almost lined up, but not quite--it's one step below SACOG's funding cutoff for this year, so with effort and luck, we're first in line if another project falls through.  

The plan is to put bike lanes on John Jones/Road 99D/Road 29/Road 99 to connect with existing paved shoulders on 99 north of Willow Slough.  That's north along the east frontage road of Highway 113 up to Road 29, then one mile west to Road 99 for the remaining 5 miles to Woodland.  It's a bit of a zigged route, but pretty good nonetheless.  It would be fairly similar to the Davis-Dixon bikeway, though on a somewhat slimmer budget.  

Don Saylor spoke with us at the Farmers Market on Saturday and encouraged us to contact SACOG and local officials to make this project happen.  Here's what we need to do to give the project a final push:  

Email or call 
* Helen Thompson, SACOG Vice Chair  helen.thomson at yolocounty.org http://www.sacog.org/about/board.cfm  http://www.yolocounty.org/org/bos/thomson.htm
* Tom Cosgrove, SACOG Chair tcosgrove at ci.lincoln.ca.us
* Mike McGeever, SACOG executive director mmckeever at sacog.org 
* cc Davis City Manager Bill Emlen so our City Council knows their constituents think this is important bemlen at ci.davis.ca.us

Your message can be as simple as "I support the Davis-Woodland Bikeway" or you can elaborate.  Some comments I've heard are 
- this project is long overdue
- many people would like to commute between Woodland and Davis but it simply isn't safe for ordinary people
- traffic is way up in the last couple years--if it wasn't crucial in the past, it certainly is now
- 10 miles is not a particularly long commute in many parts of the world, lots of people could do it here if it were safer
- bike commuting makes you fit and happy and ____
- commuters are faced with less optimal conditions than recreational cyclists--commuters often ride in the rain, the predawn, after dark, during tomato season, and other times when it's important to have an extra margin of safety
- every bike commuter has to ride for the first time.  If it's a harrowing experience the first time, we'll have fewer bike commuters
- bike lanes were invented in Davis, but they've always ended at the city limits...  
- county roads with no shoulder leaves no safety margin for driver error

Ted Buehler