2019 PeopleForBikes Women's Fly-In
Blog Post by Tessa Kegel
My name is Tessa Kegel, Creative Director and part of the family business here at Wheel & Sprocket.
Never did I ever think I would be sipping coffee at the Capitol Hill Club with a member of the United States House of Representatives, or having lunch with a bike-loving Congressman who remembered and revered my father, Chris Kegel.
Growing up in a vibrant family as the youngest of 4— i.e.“the baby,” it is my tendency to let everyone else do the talking. But here I was, on Capitol Hill, about to share with elected officials the mission of my family’s business and how BIKES ARE IMPORTANT—and boy, was it exciting!
I flew in to DC to meet up with a group called PeopleForBikes, who do amazing bike-related advocacy and policy work in America. I joined with a group of 20+ women leaders in the industry as well as PeopleForBikes to talk with elected members about a re-authorization of the FAST act, (Fixing Americas Surface Transportation.)
With only my experience of growing up and working within the bike shop, I set off on a day of lobbying on Capitol Hill with the group and a few asks in mind:
Every six years, Congress must reauthorize transportation funding.
This happens in the FAST Act, which covers long-term funding for maintenance and new projects on highways, railways, bike infrastructure and more.
- We first asked to modernize the Transportation Alternatives Program to give more control to local decision makers to direct TAP funds. TAP is the largest federal funding source to help communities build bike infrastructure for on and off road bike facilities, recreational trail projects, safe routes to schools, and protected bike lanes.
- We also asked for a set a-side for bike and pedestrian infrastructure within the Federal Land Transportation Program which would help prioritize ALL modes of transportation on Federal land—i.e. making our parks more accessible for pedestrians and bikers.
- Finally, we asked for increased funding for safety data. Currently there is a huge lack of safety data for cyclists and pedestrians, where only fatalities are recorded. It’s important to capture all incidents and crashes to help future planning and prioritizing for safety within our infrastructure-- someone should not have to lose their life in order for data to be considered.
After a long day on the Hill speaking to many of our local officials,
my sense was that the asks were relatively well-received. Across the board, all sides seemed to be FOR bikes—many even expressed their special affinity for biking along the way. Of course, while many people may be FOR the sport (or transport)-- the actual funding may bring on more of a debate when it’s time for the bill to pass. We all have our fingers crossed!
For now, though, I am humbled to have been able to share my very personal experience with elected officials on why bikes and transportation funding inclusive of biking, is important to me, my family, and the communities that Wheel & Sprocket serves. I for one, am optimistic.
We at Wheel & Sprocket do not align to bi-partisan ideals-- we’re BIKE-PARTISAN and we also know that showing up plays an enormous role in GETTING STUFF DONE.
A VERY special thank you to PeopleForBikes-- an amazing group of advocates who carry the voices of bicycle riders everywhere to places where IT MATTERS.
My trip to DC was one I’ll never forget-- and how amazing to have shared this experience with fearless WOMEN in the industry! The optimism I have since returning from the trip will help fuel the fire to keep moving forward in making our communities better places for bicycles.
On Display at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery 6/8/2019:
"The New Woman"
"In this work of 1892 entitled The New Woman, Edward Lamson Henry depicts how two women and a farmer react to the sight of a female cyclist. They are bewildered by this odd woman in outlandish clothing, who has just gotten off her bike to take a drink. Riding a bicycle marks this New Woman as especially modern because she has exchanged her traditional role in the home for exercising freely outdoors. "
Edward Lamson Hnetry, Oil on Canvas, 1892