Help me get to the National Bike Summit
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor-in-Chief) on January 19th, 2006 at 8:56 am
As I just reported, there’s a contingent from Portland going to the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C..
I’ve been wanting to go the the Summit for years but never really considered it until now. The schedule looks awesome and just think of all the bike people, the ideas, the conversations! Imagine me explaining Chunkathalon, Pedalpalooza, Bridge Pedal, Zoobomb, and Midnight Mystery Rides to some nice folks from Nebraska! And it would be cool to share my perspectives on the creative and diverse Portland bike energy with all those bikey bigwigs.
But I doubt there are many regular guys with blogs that show up to things like this, especially with the travel expenses and the $350 registration fee. The BTA has invited me to tag along with them and share some cheap floor space in their hotel, but there’s still the plane ticket and the $350 to get in. I’m almost committed to going, it’s the lack of funds that gives me some hesitation.
I really don’t have the money to go, but what if just a handful of the 2,662 unique visitors I’ve had in the last three days (and the 1113 of those who visited more than once) pitched in a few bucks via those handy donation buttons in my sidebar? Or grabbed one of the few remaining BikePortland.org T-shirts (now $15 with free shipping)?
I hope to bring you the scoop live from D.C. and pour everything I learn at the Summit right back into this site.
Thanks for reading.
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January 19th, 2006 09:53
If you're not into the PayPal thing and would rather send a check, drop me an email (jonathan@bikeportland.org) for the address. Thanks!
January 19th, 2006 09:53
One tee shirt down - have fun in DC.
January 19th, 2006 14:39
Hey Jon,
Just purchased a shirt, good luck! I am confident you will represent Portland with pride and dignity.
David
January 19th, 2006 20:28
I hope the donation I made will help you make it out there--Portland's bike scene needs you there as our eyes and ears!
January 20th, 2006 05:21
I like Linda Ginenthal's post.... Break a hub ang GodSpeed, Jonathon! Keep us posted as your funding gap gets narrower.
January 21st, 2006 21:38
Love the blog. Got a shirt. Hope you make it to D.C.!
January 23rd, 2006 10:21
I paid over 1400 dollars to Multnomah/Oregon for road, air, and rail subsidization and I paid over 1200 dollars last year to the federal Government for the same.
Do you even work? It's not THAT expensive to get to DC with all the subsidized transit!
Excuse me if I don't fit into the hand out society your post has been submitted to but it sickens me how many people just give away for someone to have a false standard of living.
Save your pennies and pay for yourself to go, all of America already has transit subsidized enough!
January 23rd, 2006 10:29
What's your point Adron? Whatever it is, it seems awefully hostile...
January 23rd, 2006 10:33
I'd like to start a fund for Adron's counseling. Seriously, did you figure out the share of the pie for those tax dollars? Did you also factor in the hidden costs of subsidizing automobiles?
January 23rd, 2006 14:15
I realized a bit late I just shouldn't have even posted here in regards to what I did. I was misdirected from another site to something that was not what I thought it was.
As for the owner of the Blog, may someone give you all the money you need to go to DC. I wish you the best.
...and yes, I've broken down tax loads on all groups of income levels from 5.50 an hour to 100 an hour, and I've also broken down several times in several different perspectives the cost of roadways, railways, monorails, shipping routes, and other systems and their associated cost.
I realize that this Blog is not about those things or the other choices but just Bikes...
my mistake. ...and no, I don't remember which Blog linked me here.
January 27th, 2006 11:37
I will buy you a beer when you get to town!
and
if you need a bike while in town...
let me know
January 27th, 2006 15:50
[...] Thanks to everyone who has donated so far to help pay my way to DC for the National Bike Summit. I’m looking forward to joining my friends at the BTA and spreading the word about how an independent advocate can use the web to build, nurture, and connect bike communities. Jessica at the BTA is already networking on my behalf, trying to set up meetings and introduce me to other advocates. It will be a great experience for me and one that will have a big impact on my ongoing work here on BikePortland.org. [...]