*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*TAOBIKE*

*ORGANIZING MEETING FOR PROPOSED GREEN COUNTRY BICYCLING ADVISORY GROUP*

*TULSA, OKLAHOMA*

*1SEP2008

*

The Green Country Bicycling Advisory Group (working title) will have an
organizing meeting on Thursday, September 11th at the Martin East
Regional Library at 7PM.

TAOBIKE has long supported local bicycling advocacy, education, and
planning in the Tulsa region. In order to work effectively with INCOG
and local governments, TAOBIKE is inviting members of the Green Country
area to form a standing Bicycling Advisory Group (hereafter referred to
as the BAG) to provide input from the cycling community on issues
relating to bicycle commuting, bicycle safety, facilities improvement,
project identification, project review, and any other relevant bicycling
issue. The BAG will perform the same function as INCOG's former
Bicycling Advisory Subcommittee while remaining independent of INCOG.

Why do we need a BAG? INCOG's Bicycling Advisory Subcommittee has met
infrequently over the last few years because of personnel changes at the
agency. TAOBIKE seeks representatives from throughout the region to
participate in a more stable group, the Green Country Bicycling Advisory
Group.

The Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) performs regional
transportation planning for member governments, seeing that plans meet
federal standards and that they are consistent and coordinated
throughout the region. INCOG also performs due diligence by seeing that
federal funds allocated to a project are actually used for that project.
The Bicycling Subcommittee assisted with planning the annual Bike to
Work events, as well as providing input on various facility proposals.

Membership in TAOBIKE is entirely voluntary and there are no dues. The
BAG will require something more valuable than your money--your time.
Members may participate by attending public meetings with government
officials, poring over planning documents where the devil is truly in
the details, or writing emails in order to initiate a dialog. We don't
need large numbers to be effective. But we do need inter-connectedness.
Effective advocacy means learning about best practices in bicycling,
both from a public policy viewpoint and a personal one. It means much
more than just knowing how to ride a bike. Members should educate
themselves, their clubs, and the public about the best cycling practices
in order to better serve the cycling public. TAOBIKE exists to help
advocates in this cause and to represent policies in the interest of the
public.

Simply attending this meeting is the first step. It shows an interest in
making Tulsa a better place for all cyclists. The next step is to learn
more about bicycling. Finally, there's the commitment to spending time
on bicycling advocacy. Without committed local advocates, we will not
see positive changes that directly effect local cyclists.


*ABOUT TAOBIKE*

This group was originally Tulsa Bicycling Advisory Group, or T_BAG. All
the members of the first INCOG BAG were invited to join. The group was
regional, however, not specific

to the city of Tulsa. Hence the need for a name change. They've worked
with INCOG and Tulsa Public Works regarding the on-street plan and found
many areas for improvement. TAOBIKE has been the formative hub for each
iteration of INCOG's Bicycling Subcommittee. It is a loosely-organized
group of like-minded volunteers.



*CONTACT INFORMATION*

Edward Wagner

918.407.7434

e.j.wagner.jr@...



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