Meeting With Your Member of Congress: Meeting Talking Points
Meeting With Your Member of Congress: Meeting Talking Points
Meeting With Your Member of Congress: Meeting Talking Points
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<br />
<strong>Meeting</strong> <strong>With</strong> <strong>Your</strong> <strong>Member</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Congress</strong>: <br />
<strong>Meeting</strong> <strong>Talking</strong> <strong>Points</strong> <br />
<br />
These talking points will help guide your conversation with your Representative. They are divided into an <br />
opening statement, a set <strong>of</strong> arguments and a final ask to the member <strong>of</strong> <strong>Congress</strong>. Please make sure to review <br />
these talking points with everyone attending the meeting. Decide ahead <strong>of</strong> time which points you want to <br />
stress, and which local bicycling and walking projects and stories you will cite to help support your points. <br />
<br />
There are two critical pieces in making this meeting a success: <br />
• Make the Point: Bicycling and walking are essential to your community. The best way to showcase that is <br />
to pick two or three local examples that make that point. While there are several options listed below <br />
please pick the two or three that your group can best illustrate in this meeting. <br />
• Make the Ask: Ask the Representative if s/he will support continuing dedicated federal funding for <br />
bicycling and walking programs. <br />
<br />
<br />
1. OPENING STATEMENT <br />
<br />
Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with us today to talk about bicycling and walking. <br />
[Have everyone in your group briefly introduce themselves.] <br />
<br />
Bicycling and walking are essential to our community. The federal transportation investments that support <br />
these activities boost our economy, help individuals and government agencies save money, and directly <br />
address key societal challenges such as obesity and road congestion. <br />
[If there are issues that you feel will resonate more than obesity or congestion in your community <br />
please feel free to use them.] <br />
<br />
We recognize that every tax dollar has to do the most good. Particularly in these tough economic times, we <br />
can only afford to invest in solutions that solve multiple problems. Bicycling and walking programs do that: <br />
Currently biking and walking make up 12 percent <strong>of</strong> trips and cost just 1.5 percent <strong>of</strong> our federal <br />
transportation dollars. <br />
<br />
We are here to ask for your support for continuing dedicated funding for vital bicycling and walking programs <br />
such as Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. <br />
<br />
<br />
2. BICYCLING AND WALKING ARE TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS‐‐POPULAR, PRACTICAL AND MONEY SAVING <br />
WAYS FOR AMERICANS TO COMPLETE SHORT TRIPS AND HELP THEMSELVES WHILE HELPING OUR NATION. <br />
<br />
[There are several arguments listed here. Please pick two or three that you believe will resonate in your <br />
district and/or connect to a local example you can share. <br />
<br />
For instance if there is a bikeway or trail in your community that cuts down on commuting time you <br />
could use that example for biking and walking being POPULAR OR PRACTICAL. If there is a recent
project that improved safety for biking and walking, or if there is a particularly dangerous intersection <br />
in your community you could bring pictures and discuss that as SAFETY. When you cite a local project, <br />
please mention any federal money that was included to help show the importance <strong>of</strong> these programs.] <br />
<br />
a. COST‐EFFECTIVE: Although 12 percent <strong>of</strong> the trips nationally are accomplished by either bicycling or walking, <br />
the federal investment in bicycling and walking infrastructure and programs is minimal—only about 1.5 <br />
percent <strong>of</strong> federal transportation spending. <br />
<br />
b. BICYCLING AND WALKING BOOST THE ECONOMY OF OUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: <br />
[Only cite this point if you have local information on businesses or a specific project in your district] <br />
<br />
Summarize and describe any that apply: <br />
a. Bicycling businesses <br />
(i) The number <strong>of</strong> bicycle retail stores, jobs, and sales <br />
(ii) Supplier/distributor businesses, jobs and sales (if applicable) <br />
(iii) Bike tourism, events, or other bike businesses (if applicable) <br />
b. A local bicycling and walking infrastructure project or network that is heavily used. Explain how <br />
these facilities, or Transportation Enhancement or Safe Route to School projects, have benefited the <br />
community and the local economy, such as: <br />
(i) businesses that benefit from proximity to the infrastructure; <br />
(ii) jobs building or maintaining it; <br />
(iii) increases in real estate values associated with the quality <strong>of</strong> life and convenience benefits <strong>of</strong> <br />
the infrastructure. <br />
<br />
c. POPULAR: Americans will make more than 4 billion bike trips and 42 billion walk trips this year. More bicycles <br />
will be sold than cars and trucks combined. The U.S. Census reports that bike commuting increased more than <br />
40 percent between 2001 and 2008. <br />
<br />
d. PRACTICAL: Half <strong>of</strong> all trips Americans make are three miles or shorter and one‐quarter are less than a mile. <br />
This is an easy distance to walk or pedal—but only if conditions are safe. <br />
<br />
e. ADDRESSING SAFETY: 14 percent <strong>of</strong> roadway fatalities are bicyclists or pedestrians. Small investments in <br />
improving roadway safety not only make the road safer for bicyclists and pedestrians but also make drivers <br />
feel more comfortable and remove conflicts among road users. <br />
<br />
f. HEALTHY: Health concerns related to obesity and overweight costs our country $270 billion per year in <br />
increased medical costs and loss <strong>of</strong> economic productivity. A simple solution is to build physical activity into <br />
our lives by walking and bicycling more to school, work and shops. <br />
<br />
g. MONEY‐SAVING: People who bike or walk instead <strong>of</strong> driving save money with every two‐wheel trip. Bicycling <br />
and walking save the government money, too. That’s why city and small town mayors are working so hard to <br />
promote active transportation and replace single‐occupancy car trips that increase road congestion and sap <br />
worker productivity due to time stuck in traffic. Biking and walking inflict minimal wear and tear on roads and <br />
bridges, and require only modest, inexpensive parking facilities. Every trip made by biking or walking instead <br />
<strong>of</strong> motor vehicle helps reduce government spending on road and parking infrastructure.
3. FINAL ASK <br />
<br />
[It is critical to make this ask before you leave the <strong>of</strong>fice. As soon as the member <strong>of</strong> <strong>Congress</strong> starts to <br />
end the meeting, please make sure to make this ask before he or she leaves.] <br />
<br />
We are concerned there will be efforts to strip federal funding for biking and walking in <strong>Congress</strong>, either by <br />
eliminating the funding for programs such as Transportation Enhancements or Safe Routes to School, or by <br />
making funding these programs optional for states. <br />
<br />
Will you support continuing dedicated funding for vital bicycling and walking programs such as <br />
Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School? <br />
<br />
[If their answer is vague or non‐committal you can follow up with: <br />
Is there any information I can provide that will help you support continuing dedicated funding <br />
for bicycling and walking?] <br />
<br />
<br />
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