Submitted by: Lynn Guissinger. Lynn is the elected RTD board member, representing Boulder and western Boulder County. She is a small business owner and former attorney. Lynn was married to Leslie Bohm, and their business, Catalyst Communication, worked for years in the bicycle and outdoor industries, promoting advocacy efforts in these industries. Catalyst later partnered with city transportation departments around the country (including Seattle, Cambridge, Denver, Boulder, Tucson, Anchorage, and others) to market and promote their transit, biking, and walking options.
Thanks to Lynn, and feel free to submit your own cycling opinion. You could be featured next!
Ride for Magnus Highlights Importance for Bike Advocacy
The Ride for Magnus on August 11, 2024 was inspiring and heartbreaking. Over 4000 people rode past the ghost bike that marks the spot where up-and-coming cycling star Magnus White was killed by a car last year. That’s why bicycle advocacy – to keep our roads safe for everyone – has been and continues to be so important.
For more about the White family’s efforts, see TheWhiteLine.org.
Bicycle Advocacy is the Theme of the Upcoming Speaker Series
I hope you can join us for the Leslie Bohm Speaker Series at Community Cycles on Monday, August 19, 6 pm. Bike Advocacy is the theme that will be discusses. I will be moderating a panel that includes Boulder’s Transportation & Mobility Director Natalie Stiffler, John Simmerman from Active Towns, and Jordan Trout from PeopleForBikes.
RTD Ballot Initiative
I’ll veer a bit here from bicycling to talk about its alternative transportation help mate, transit. Bikes on buses and trains, a service provided by RTD (including e-bikes), can be an increasing solution to the “final mile” concerns that are a barrier to commuters using both bikes and transit. Even if you’re not a regular RTD user, it makes sense for you as a cyclist to support RTD’s November ballot initiative.
What’s the ballot initiative? RTD has been exempt from the revenue limitations of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) since 1999. That means RTD doesn’t have to refund revenues over a limit that changes year to year (the TABOR “cap”). This exemption will expire in November 2024, so RTD has referred a “debrucing” measure to the November ballot. The ballot measure states in part: “Without imposing any new tax or increasing any tax rate” shall RTD’s authorization to collect, retain and spend revenues from all sources, originally approved by voters in 1999, be continued to permit RTD to retain revenue necessary to provide vital services?
RTD likely won’t exceed the cap every year, but in years with a downturn in sales tax, the amount RTD can keep will ratchet down so that revenues are limited for the years following. In 2022, coming back from the pandemic, RTD would have refunded about $50 million. Because RTD’s main revenue source is sales tax, the administrative effort to refund monies could also be difficult and expensive.
I hope you’ll support RTD in keeping current revenues to put to better use in achieving RTD’s and the region’s and state’s goals, include providing affordable, equitable transportation options and helping achieve the region’s air quality, climate and affordable housing goals. Vote yes on November 5. For more or to sign up to endorse, go to KeepColoradoMoving.com.
Note from Community Cycles: Stay in the know about bike advocacy topics with the Community Cycles Advocacy Committee
Ray’s Soapbox welcomes submissions from Community Cycles members and supporters. Timely cycling-related topics of local interest are given first preference. Our guidelines: Maximum length is 350 words. No name-calling or ad hominem attacks. Keep it positive, please. All submissions are subject to editing. We reserve the right to not publish submissions. Photos or other graphics are encouraged. (soapbox photo credit: Peggy Price)
Submit your idea here. We’ll help you kick your text and photo into shape.