Update from the President
*BWM website hosts forum for state bike/ped issues
These forums exist primarily to provide an easy, centralized way for cyclists and runners/walkers throughout the state of Mississippi to communicate. We want this to be a place where residents of Mississippi can learn more about how to effectively promote alternative forms of transportation both in terms of commuting and recreation. Stop by and say hello today by clicking here, or by clicking the forum link on the left side of the page. One of the challenges of growing a statewide bike/ped advocacy organization is the inability to communicate with all the good folks around the state who are working to make their communities bike and pedestrian friendly. It is for this reason that the BWM website will soon be hosting an Internet forum designed for Mississippi bike/ped advocates and related groups and clubs around the state. By letting other know what changes are taking place in our communities we can inspire neighboring communities to also provide improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
The forum will have sections set aside for the issues of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations as well as the new Safe Routes to School program but it will also provide areas for Mississippi cycling and running clubs to share their success stories as well as promote events in their area of the state.
Typically Internet forum users sign on with fictitious which makes it hard to know just who the participants are and where they are from. For safety reasons most understandably choose not to post their full real names and hometowns on internet forums. It is my hope that our forum will be an exception in that users will at least post their first names and the town or region of the state from which they are writing.
Anonymity has its place but as we begin to advance the cause of fellow cyclists and pedestrians in real communities around Mississippi, knowing the location and at least the first names of the forum participants should be conducive to a productive dialogue. If you are a member of an established club or advocacy organization, we'd like to know that as well to the degree that you are comfortable. The forum should go on line by April 10th.
*BWM meets Share the Road Tag sale goal
Thanks to the perseverance of cyclist around the state BWM has exceeded our goal of 200 Share the Road tags that had to be pre-sold prior to the tags being produced. Over 230 pre-sold tag applications were delivered to the tax office by the May 15 deadline. $24 of each $31 tag fee goes to BWM to be used to fund a full time Executive Director position so we may better respond to the needs of groups seeking better bike/ped accommodations in local Mississippi communities.
Those who have purchased a tag should get a letter in Late August or early September informing them to trade in their current tag at their local tag office for the new Share the Road tag. After that time STR tags may be purchased at local tag offices but each tag will take a few weeks as they will be printed as they are sold.
James Moore
President,
Bike Walk Mississippi
tracerider@megagate.com