Successful BikeWalkNC State Legislature Lobby Day Regarding Active Transportation Priorities

Had a fun, fast-paced and successful BikeWalkNC lobby day in our Raleigh state legislature offices early this week.

But what exactly does "successful" mean?

After years of Covid-imposed distance, it means reengaging and reestablishing face-to-to-face personal relationships with North Carolina state representatives, state senators and their support staff, specifically as a constituent in their transportation region of influence in the state. And those relationships are all about finding out first where we're aligned and share common ground on issues, specifically regarding BikeWalkNC, issues and legislation related to active transportation (walk, run, bike and more) access and safety. (As a Hickory resident, I'm a transportation constituent of legislators representing NCDOT divisions 11 and 12 as circled in red below.)

Of course, a huge component of active transportation safety and access is directly tied to interaction with motor vehicle drivers and their access and safety to our roads.  

Now that we've made our introductions or, for some of us, reintroductions, the real work begins: following up, nailing down alignment and finding out what action we can take to help each other get positive rubber on road results. For my part, as a BikeWalkNC board member, that means setting up in-district get togethers with legislators and their staff to determine a focused approach to help each other.

Next post: potent local example of aligned goals and action from our lobbying event this week