JERUSALEM FOR BICYCLES
Registered Amuta # 6-613-028-58
"Our aim: to promote bicycling in Jerusalem"
===

Dear Jerusalem bicyclists,

This Hanukkah edition of the Jerusalem for Bicycles
newsletter announces recent events and achievements.
Also, a membership letter (with some notes and
statistics of interest) is attached for you to join or
renew your membership in the Amuta.

Alternate language versions of newsletter and
announcements are not always available when this
e-mail newsletter goes out. Anyone who seeks the
newsletter in Hebrew, needs the membership letter in
English, or has any questions, please contact the
Amuta and we'll be happy to provide.

Remember, the Amuta's phone number is: 02 5401641.

Your Amuta can only help to serve your interests if
you help by paricipating in our activities, such as
the Critical Mass ride (last Friday of every month)
and Hannukah ride (Tuesday 11 Dec 2001).

Finally, I look forward to hearing from you. Your
suggestions are very valuable.

Have a great day. See you on your bicycle.

Yours sincerely,

Leon Gork
Chairman of the Amuta
Jerusalem for Bicycles

Contents:

1. Hanukkah Ride Reminder
2. Grant from the Ford Foundation
3. Meeting with City officials
4. Resignation of one Coordinator (Rakaz)
5. How to help others receive Jerusalem for Bicycles
notices
6. Pavement success near Har Hotzvim
... and regular rides & calendar, and Amuta contact
information

1. Hanukkah Ride Reminder

When:

Tuesday 11 Dec 2001 (2nd day of Hanukkah, Kaf-Vav
Kislev) starting at 10 AM.

Where:

Starting at main entrance of Gan Sacher, approx. 1 1/4
hours each way with a break in the middle for picnic.
About 4 hours total.

To where:

Gan Sacher, Emek HaMatsleva, Zoo at Malcha, Ein Lavan.
Stop for picnic and then return by same route.

Free event, with no need to sign up beforehand. For
kids too (from age 7 and up) and the whole family !

Participation is the exclusive responsibility of each
rider.

For further details call 02 540 1641.

2. Grant from the Ford Foundation

Your Amuta is very pleased to advise you that we have
received a grant of $4000 from the Ford Foundation.
The importance of this grant isn't only its monetary
value but the prestige that the Ford Foundation has
attributed to the Amuta. This prestige is based on the
work that the Amuta has done in the 6 years of its
existence in promoting the interests of cyclists and
encouraging the preservation of a healthy environment.

The Ford Foundation also emphasised the important
contribution your Amuta has made in promoting the
combined use of motorised transport with the bicycle.
This combination is expressed in our suggestion to
them of equiping buses with bicycle carriers, thereby
allowing commutors to use the bus to travel long
distances from their homes to work, usually in the
centre of town, and having the possibility of bringing
their bicycles into town for use during the day in
town. This will mean less use of motorised traffic in
the difficult congested areas of the town while using
the motorised traffic to cover the long distances to
get into town. The success of this plan, however,
depends on Egged agreeing to attach bicycle carriers
to buses and to the Ministry of Transport agreeing to
change the regulations to allow such attachment of
carriers to buses.

Members of the Amuta can help by writing to Egged and
to the Ministry of Transport to help make such
arrangements possible. In the meantime your Amuta will
continue to bring pressure on Egged and the
authorities to make bicycle carriers possible on
buses.

3. Meeting with City officials

Last week your committee and chairman had a very
fruitful discussion with Chico at the city's authority
for sport. We decided on a joint activity between the
Council for Sport, Chico, the Matnasim, the Keren
Kayemet and your Amuta to encourage pupils of the
various schools to participate in riding activities in
the paths of the Keren Kayemet forest around
Jerusalem. You will be hearing more of this project in
the news.

Part of the idea is to provide free or low cost
bicycle rental to school kids for a limited time of a
tour of one of the forests. We would like to hear of
anyone who might sponsor the bicycle hiring. This is
the main cost involved. It costs about IS30 per
bicycle. If we could get a sponsor to pay at least
IS20 per bicycle we will succeed in giving a lot of
kids the opportunity to ride under supervision in a
safe environment. Traffic will not be allowed while
the cycling activity is taking place.

4. Resignation of one Coordinator (Rakaz)

Avital, one of our coordinators, is resigning. We're
very sorry that Avital has other duties and feels she
cannot cope with the demands of the Amuta. We wish her
well in all her endeavors and thank her for the yeoman
work she put into the Amuta. We are very pleased that
Ohad continues his active interest in the Amuta even
though on a limited basis. We look forward to having
his valuable services with us for as long as he can
manage to do so.

5. How to help others receive Jerusalem for Bicycles
notices

Copy and paste this notice in e mails to people who
you think might be interested in Jerusalem bicycle
activities:

===
If you would like to receive notices about the
activities of Jerusalem for bicycles please send a
blank e-mail to: jmbicyclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

===

6. Pavement success near Har Hotzvim

A story that shows that individual efforts can make a
difference. (How much more we can do working
together.) From Jerusalem for Bicycles member Tom
Harris.

"I work at Har Hotzvim and often ride my bike to work,
at least in the warm months. As Sderot Golda Meir is a
highway, and we have yet to achieve a bike path, I
would sometimes move to the sidewalk for my final
approach. Last spring, various maintenance work was
done on the sidewalks for Har Hotzvim, the cable TV
company, and the bus stop. I had hoped that a 40-meter
rocky section of sidewalk would be improved at the
same time. But it was not. Each company improved or
repaired only its own section, leaving the section
between Rehov HaRav BenZion HaAton and Rehov HaArtom
still unpaved. Difficult passage not only for
bicycles, but also for wheelchairs and strollers that
might approach the bus stop.

Starting with the City's 106 hotline, I reached the
City Beautification Deparatment ("Shefa" -- Shipur
Pnai HaIr), which promised to fix the sidewalk. As
telephone promises never seemed to be carried out, one
day, after weekly phone calls for several months, I
decided to drop by in person at City Hall. I locked my
bike outside and went in wearing my bike shorts and
with helmet and pump in hand. I found the head of the
department, who took me around the office to find some
work effort that could include fixing this stretch of
pavement. The supervisor of the city's Har Hotzvim /
Rehov HaArtom junction road works said that he would
have his budget right after Succot and would include
fixing the 40 meters of pavement. Lo and behold, in
the week right after Succot, a bulldozer appeared with
asphalt. We now have a continuously paved sidewalk
leading all the way to Har Hotzvim.

If you see sections of street or sidewalk that are
dangerous to bicyclists, report them to 106. If
progress is slow, and you would like to work together,
contact me, Tom Harris via e-mail at:

jmbicylist@...

===
= = = = =
REGULAR (no fee, free) RIDES CALENDAR:

Critical Mass
The last Friday of every month at 1:00 PM in front of
the HaMashbir in the city center. Demonstration for
cyclists' rights by circling the city center for 45
minutes.
Details: Leon (053) 801-867.

Mountain Biking Sat.
Every Saturday at 7:00 am. We leave from the Binyanei
Ha'Uma (Convention Center) parking lot. This is a fun
and challenging 3-hour ride in the Jerusalem hills. No
prior registration required. Details: Benny van Vlymen
phone: 561-9416 e-mail: belavi@...

WOW:
Women on Wheels (WOW) women only, once a month around
Jerusalem (20 km).
Confirm ahead of time with Laurie: 652-1541.

Road Bikes: Sat.
Every Shabbat at 7:00 am from the Binyanei Ha'Uma
(Convention Center) parking lot. This is a two-hour
light ride on streets and paths around Jerusalem, for
fun and exercise. No prior registration required.
Details: Benny van Vlymen phone: 561-9416 e-mail:
belavi@...

Road Bikes: Fri.
Friday at 7:00am leaving the "Mifletset" sculpture in
Kiryat HaYovel and heading westward; return at about
12:00pm. Covering about 90km.
Details: Mike 02-679-0018

JERUSALEM FOR BICYCLES
Registered Amuta # 6-613-028-58
"Our aim: to promote bicycling in Jerusalem"

website:
http://bike.org.il/jm

Address for membership dues (NIS50 for individuals;
NIS40 for youth, students, retired; NIS100 for
families):
POB 8294, Jerusalem 91082
TEL/FAX:_02-540-1641
e-mail: jmbicyclist@...

Chairman Leon Gork
Tel/fax 02 5810732 e mail
leongork@...,leongork@...

Rakaz: Promotion and Local Authority and Government
contacts:
Ohad Greiner. Tel: 054 501511 e mail:
ohad2@...

Treasurer: Shaul Porrat Tel: 052 531667 e mail:
porrat@...

Committee: Menachem Ben-Or, tel: 643-3816, e-mail:
benor_1@...

Committee: Ro'i Golan Tel: (H) 02 6790533, 053 840870

Committee: Yossi Feibish Tel: (058) 613643


Contacts with Society of Prevention of Nature and
Keren Kayemet.
Roi Golan. Tel: (H) 02 6790533, 053 840870

Bicycle paths and transport regulations. Menahem ben
or
Tel: (H) 02 6433816, 054 433816

Email list (via yahoogroups):
Tom Harris jmbicylist@...

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
jmbicyclist-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

To notify of address changes or request addition to
mailing list on someone else's behalf, email to
jmbicylist@...

To submit news (one week in advance, please), also
email to jmbicylist@...


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