Snapshot of a year

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Elizabeth Kiker, ED of Cascade with Barb Chamberlain, ED of Washington Bikes

Almost a year ago today, I got the call that my father had been attacked on a bike trail in Houston, and his beloved Gunnar had been stolen. Six months ago, he was hit by a car while on a borrowed bike. Today, on a new, custom, made-in-Houston bike, my dad wrote me to gleefully tell me that he passed Olympian Superhero Runner Carl Lewis on the bike trail the other day. He says that he ‘dropped’ Carl Lewis, but I imagine Mr. Lewis probably wasn’t going full out. It’s amazing what has happened since last September.

Last September, Sher Kung was a happy new mom and lawyer making a difference in Seattle. Now, she is no longer with us because of a horrific crash that happened just 10 days before the new Second Avenue protected bike lane opened. Her memorial ride—attended by more than 400 cyclists as well as the mayor and city council—was a week later; the grand opening of the bike lane that probably would have saved her life was that following Monday. The timing is terrible, and yet it happened: we have lost an amazing woman, and we have taken a huge step toward creating a safe route for bicyclists through downtown.

Each of you received our strategic plan, and you know it is a bold and strong plan. The only way we can accomplish all that we laid out is by working together. We must stand up and demand better facilities for people who ride bikes across the region. We must show up in force and applaud when new facilities go in. We must ride, and encourage our friends and families to ride. We must teach people how to ride, and reach across neighborhood and color lines to ensure that everyone is riding.

It’s too much for you to do by yourself, for elected officials to do by themselves, or for Cascade to do alone. To accomplish our vision of Bicycling for All, we must work together. We must stand together, ride together, celebrate together and demand more together. We already are. Thank you for your support.

​As always, I welcome your comments, questions and feedback. You can reach me at elizabeth.kiker@cascade.org.

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