This Sunday marks the launch of our year long advocacy campaign I Bike, I Vote. Our aim is to connect our constituents’ transportation and recreation choice--biking, to action--voting.
When we think about the steps Baltimore must take in order to become the vibrant, bikable, walkable city we know it can be, we know we need leaders who understand and advocate for livable streets.
This year, we plan to elect them.
The challenges Baltimore faces as a city at this juncture are complex. And we do not propose active transportation issues overshadow the very real crises many residents are facing. But we also know that the relationship between transportation and social mobility is stronger than several other factors including: crime, elementary school test scores, or the presence of a two parent household. Since Baltimore City’s hands are tied on issues of public transit, it just makes sense in the short term to invest in areas of transportation we can control--biking and walking. It makes sense to provide as many people as we can better first and last mile connectivity to transit, improve congestion on our streets by providing more comfortable places for people to travel by bike, and creating safe ways for people to access jobs, green space, and recreational trails to improve economic vitality and public health.
And when we meet with candidates, they understand the value of building a better bicycling city, but, they lament--bicyclists don’t vote. We can wish that our local leaders will see the intrinsic value of creating safe, vibrant neighborhoods or we can come together to ensure that this election each candidate is forced to take a stand.
There are achievable, cost-effective solutions to improving the safety of biking and walking in this city. There is public demand. Now is the time to mobilize to action, now is the time to let your candidates know: I Bike, I Vote.
We will kick off our campaign with a rally this Sunday on November 8th at R. House, 301 W. 29th St from 2-4 pm. Over 100 people who care about bikes have already registered to show our local leaders we are committed to showing up on election day. Many candidates will be in attendance to meet you, hear your concerns, and learn about our platform. We hope you can join us!
In the months that follow, our campaign will be educating voters on how to evaluate each candidate's transportation platform. We will be issuing a candidate questionnaire and publishing responses. We will be creating programs that seek to get out the vote and support folks going to the polls on election day.
Candidates in Attendance:
Zeke Cohen-1st
Mark Edelson-1st
Mark Parker-1st
Ryan Dorsey-3rd
Kristerfer Burnett-8th
John Bullock-9th
J.B. Kenney-9th
David Carter-14th
Connor Meek-Mayor
Thank you to our sponsors:
The Clayton Baker Trust
R. House
Baltimore Bicycle Works
T-BLOCKS
Monument City Brewing Company
Side A Photography
Want to be a part of our campaign as a sponsor? Email liz@bikemore.net