Provo residents have the chance to create a more bike-friendly Provo by voting in the 2011 city council elections. If you are interested in running for election or know a bike-friendly neighbor that would be a good representative, you may file to run between today and July 15th.
There are four city council seats up for election this year, which means that the nature of the 7-person council will be dramatically changed based on who the people choose to elect. A new Provo municipal council could mean a group of representatives that work tirelessly to make our city safe and friendly for families that ride their bikes and walk. Our downtown could thrive with students that cycle to restaurants and don’t even need a parking spot because they choose not to bring a car to college (since it’s so much more convenient and cost-effective to ride). Or, the new group could be unmotivated and uninspired to even consider how bicycle and pedestrian issues affect our city’s economy and quality of life.
The transportation decisions made by this new council may have an almost immediate impact on the city – new bike lanes (or the lack of them), improved trails (or deterioration), improved sidewalks (or unsightly decay), and safer crosswalks (or fading lines). Then, later, their decisions will affect generations of families that bike our roads and walk our sidewalks.
Please consider educating yourself on the issues and becoming involved in the 2011 Provo Municipal Council elections, whether that means volunteering for a candidate, telling them how much your value a bike-friendly Provo, donating to those that you believe will help improve our city, or even running yourself. Keep visiting BikeProvo for more election information; we’ll try to keep you updated as the race gets underway.
photo credit: Iain Farrell
