Heard on the Hill: the bike movement has “hit the political mainstream”
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on July 30th, 2008 at 10:17 am

Today’s edition of Roll Call, a newspaper that has covered Capitol Hill for over half a century, makes it official; bikes are now on the radar of our nation’s lawmakers like never before.
In the “Heard on the Hill” column, the paper writes that,
“…after years of dogged dedication to the pro-bicycle cause, it appears the Oregon Democrat [Earl Blumenauer] can finally take a victory lap, because the movement has hit the political mainstream.”
The story comes out on the same day Blumenauer is holding a press event on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to announce that attendees of the upcoming Republican and Democratic national conventions will have access to 1,000 free bikes. Along with the bikes — which will be supplied through a partnership with Humana Inc. and the non-profit group Bikes Belong — Blumenauer and several colleagues (from both sides of the aisle) have issued a “bike-sharing challenge” to convention goers.

(Photo courtesy Earl Blumenauer’s office.)
The challenge? Take 10,000 trips and ride 25,000 miles on the free bikes.
One person involved with the program told Roll Call that, “I think it goes back to whether you’re red or blue, you’re green.”
NOTE: We love your comments and work hard to ensure they are welcoming of all perspectives. Disagreements are encouraged, but only if done with tact and respect. BikePortland is an inclusive company with no tolerance for discrimination or harassment including expressions of racism, sexism, homophobia, or xenophobia. If you see a mean or inappropriate comment, please contact us and we'll take a look at it right away. Also, if you comment frequently, please consider holding your thoughts so that others can step forward. Thank you — Jonathan