ACT NOW!
Please ask the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to allow bicycle access on I-40 between Needles and Barstow. Bicycle travelers currently do not have legal access to bicycle this 144-mile section of Adventure Cycling’s Bicycle Route 66. Without I-40 access, cyclists will have to end their trip early (at the California border) or risk being ticketed by illegally riding the interstate. The Bicycle Route 66 maps are going to print in early February, and your voice will help put pressure on Caltrans to resolve this urgent issue now.
For more information on the issue:
HOW YOU CAN HELP Please email the following Caltrans decision-makers by February 1st.
You can use and/or personalize the sample email below. The following email links should open the template letter in your email program, but if not you can copy and paste the template below.
• Malcolm Dougherty, Director of Caltrans – malcolm.dougherty@dot.ca.gov
• Basem Muallem, Director of District 8 – basem.muallem@dot.ca.gov
• Catalino Pining III, Deputy District Director – catalino.pining@dot.ca.gov
Allow Bicycle Access on I-40
Dear Directors Dougherty and Muallem and Deputy District Director Pining III, Director Dougherty, you are on the record stating that, “We should be striving for an interconnected, multi-modal transportation system that is consistent with our newly adopted mission statement: Caltrans provides a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability. This transportation system must accommodate all modes of travel: highway users, transit users, pedestrians, and cyclists.”
With this statement in mind, we strongly recommend that Caltrans take the appropriate steps to ensure cyclists have a safe and legal route for Bicycle Route 66.
Since the National Trails Highway is currently closed and sections are in extremely poor condition, I-40 provides the best and only continuous route for Bicycle Route 66 between Needles and Barstow, CA.
Cyclists will come from across the world to ride Bicycle Route 66, bringing their appetites and pocketbooks with them. Studies indicate that bicycle travelers spend between $76 and $114 per day and stay in a region longer than motorized tourists. This can have a significant impact on the rural communities of San Bernardino County over time.
As a supporter/member of Adventure Cycling, I urge Caltrans take the steps necessary to make bicycle access legal on I-40 between Needles and Barstow, CA so I and others like me can travel by bicycle through California.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
– – –
P.S. Thank you for your kind attention to this email Malcolm Dougherty, Basem Muallem and Catalino Pining III. We are hopeful that with your support, we can make Bicycle Route 66 a better route now and in the future.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD Share this page on social media and ask friends who support bicycle tourism along Bicycle Route 66 to act today!
Facebook
(use any of the images on this page to accompany your post)
Post 1:Please act by February 1 to help Adventure Cycling Association complete Bicycle Route 66. Ask Caltrans to remove bicycling restrictions on I-40 and provide a legal way to bicycle between Needles and Barstow, CA. http://www.adventurecycling.org/actnow
Post 2: Support the completion of Adventure Cycling’s Bicycle Route 66 by asking CA Dept of Transportation to allow bicycle access on I-40 between Needles and Barstow, CA. http://www.adventurecycling.org/actnow
Twitter
(use any of the images on this page to accompany your tweet)
Tweet 1: Support Bicycle Route 66 in California! #caltrans #acaBR66 http://www.adventurecycling.org/actnow
Tweet 2: Want to ride Bicycle Route 66? Access denied between Needles & Barstow! Contact #caltrans http://www.adventurecycling.org/actnow #acaBR66
Thanks to our partners for their support California Bicycle Coalition, California Association of Bicycle Organizations California Bicycle Advisory Committee
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING BICYCLE ROUTE 66!
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