+1
2012-01-26 15:27:54
40
Live in Altmire's District? We need you.
We'll let you know why in a minute after we're finished with the blog post.
Sorry to keep you in suspense, but you'll know soon enough. We hope you can help. In the meantime just put a +1 in this thread if you live there.
2012-01-26 15:25:56
+1
This is a map of the district:
cheers, V.
2012-01-26 17:16:56
+1
2012-01-26 18:53:53
I work there. My grandmother lives there, and my MIL. They'd help, but they're not members (yet).
2012-01-26 18:57:28
+1
2012-01-26 19:20:57
+1 (by about 2 blocks)
2012-01-26 19:46:44
+1 (Not me, but I think my parents might...)
2012-01-26 19:57:57
I am confused. I remember voting for altmire. Am
I totally insane? Brad?
2012-01-26 20:32:35
I'm in.
2012-01-26 20:40:47
I think that they reassigned or changed the district layouts.
+1.. Not me. My parents and grandparents live there
2012-01-26 21:39:12
Ok, the moment you've been waiting for.
http://bike-pgh.org/blog/2012/01/26/dont-let-your-representative-cut-biking-and-walking/
Please call his office, use the League's email form, or fax him (do people still fax people?) NO LATER THAN MONDAY, preferably tomorrow. Calling is best. Doesn't matter which office you call. If you know someone at one of his local offices that's best. If not, don't sweat it just call his DC office.
Thanks so much!
Aliquippa Office
2110 McLean Street
Aliquippa, PA 15001
724-378-0928
Toll Free: 1-866-830-6070
724-378-6171 (fax)
Natrona Heights Office
2124 Freeport Road
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
724-226-1304
724-226-1308 (fax)
Washington, D.C. Office
332 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-2565
202-226-2274(fax)
2012-01-26 21:53:09
+1
2012-01-27 02:29:31
I sent this as my message text using the LAW email facility, I'll call the local office tomorrow. Just FWIW.
Congressman Altmire,
I'm a member of your district, I reside at XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX, and I'm a Beaver County bicyclist. Please vote to preserve funding for biking and walking in the American Energy and Infrastructure Act.
In the areas adjacent to our community/ district, the Montour Trail and the Great Allegheny Passage are making significant economic contributions to the local economy. Tourism, hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, bike shops, coffee shops - we're seeing a Bike Turnaround along the Pittsburgh to DC corridor. These revitalized communities have learned that "bikes mean business".
Local community groups are working to extend the trail system from Coraopolis up to Aliquippa, Monaca, Beaver, and then to points north and west. It would be a shame if this bike network extended from DC through Pittsburgh, right up to the very edge of our District and then stopped at the border.
The towns in our district that the new trails will pass through - Aliquippa, West Aliquippa, Monaca, Rochester, Beaver Falls, Beaver, Vanport and Midland - are still-struggling river towns that haven't recovered since steel went bust. In the trail corridors from Cumberland through Rockwood, Confluence, Ohiopyle, Connellsville, and West Newton, the bike trails are helping put the economies of those towns back on track.
Why shouldn't the river bottom towns in our district get the same chance?
I look forward to hearing back from you or your staff about your position on this. When people say "bike trails", it's too easy to trivialize it. When you see the impact of bike trails along the Great Allegheny Passage, you'll understand why we need federal bicycle funding in our District, too.
2012-01-27 03:50:53
great letter, Vannevar!
2012-01-27 13:04:46
Done.
And topping this, in case it slipped anyone's mind.
2012-01-30 08:07:07
Link not currently working, or working VERY slowly.
Keep trying.
2012-01-30 16:14:55
If you haven't contacted Altmire Tuesday is the day to do it. More info to follow.
2012-01-31 04:52:12
Altmire's people: Take Action! http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Action-Alert--Save-Biking---Walking---Help-Shape-Pittsburgh-s-Future.html?soid=1101521622836&aid=n8h2hU3NY1Y
2012-01-31 21:29:50
i emailed altmire hope this bill dosent pass i love riding trails
2012-02-01 02:59:49
Deadline to act is 4pm today. After that the bill will be out of the T&I Committee
2012-02-01 18:04:40
Any report on the disposition?
2012-02-02 03:38:11
Bike Portland has some good coverage.
2012-02-02 04:49:00
Looks like I was a little off on the schedule. There's a little less than an hour left to take action before the mark-up begins. Looks like the focus needs to be on house republicans on the T&I committee at this point, however. Hopefully other advocacy orgs have been as effective as we have getting the word out. By our count we generated up to 350 emails to Altmire based on how many people clicked on the link from our email.
2012-02-02 13:31:02
And the link wasn't working for me, so I went straight through his contact form on his website. Others may have done the same.
2012-02-02 14:34:24
From the great Bike Portland write up:
....Keeping with the theme of consolidation in the existing House bill, the amendment would meld those two programs into one and call it the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Here's how it would work (from the one-pager):.....
NO, NO, NO! the acronym TIP just does not work in this case, as there is another very important federal program/process known as the Transportation Improvement Program.
Really, Petri? You should know better!
2012-02-02 14:42:47
I noticed that. I didn't think they were the same thing (they aren't, are they?) and if they *are* different, that's really going to confuse an already confusing system.
2012-02-02 17:02:02
Well, we won over Altmire, but lost overall 27-29
Disappointing. It's now either get an amendment on the floor or we need to stop this bill from getting passed.
2012-02-02 17:19:55
I should add, Thank you very much, everyone who took action. Altmire heard from hundreds of people and voted with his constituents
2012-02-02 17:20:49
Seeing as how Repugs apparently tacked in drilling in coastal waters (transportation, really?), I'd say focus on killing the stupid thing.
2012-02-02 17:36:52
A bad bill is worse than no bill. We've strung along w/o a transpo bill for ages, we can do it again if we can get enough reason out there to shout down the stupidity.
2012-02-02 17:51:58
If there is any silver lining in the grey cloud that is this defeat, it is that the Petri amendment did not go far enough, and perhaps there is time to remedy that.
There are other elements to this proposed bill that are pedestrian and bicycle unfriendly. They are more policy oriented, and not tied to a specific funding program, but they may do just as much damage in the long run.
BP, I hope you'll continue to monitor this for us....?
2012-02-02 18:15:39
Might not be a bad idea to thank Altmire for voting with us -- & keep the pressure up.
2012-02-02 18:37:17
Maybe it's the engineer in me, but it grates on my nerves that our country is governed by documents that contradict themselves multiple times and contain more off-topic information than even the best BPbbpress thread. In my world, it's considered unprofessional and dangerous.
27 down, 29 to go. Are the lobbyists helping our cause coordinated enough to know the projected split in the overall house? Who do we contact next?
2012-02-02 20:18:49
2012-02-02 20:25:15
...our country is governed by documents that contradict themselves multiple times and contain more off-topic information...
Confusion is a Racket
2012-02-02 20:27:06
+1 Pseudacris Might not be a bad idea to thank Altmire for voting with us -- & keep the pressure up.
2012-02-02 20:33:49
Thanking Altmire would be a nice gesture. Yes, we will be monitoring this every day until the bill hits the house floor which will probably happen in the next two months or so from my understanding. The senate bill is still moving too. I'll post new info soon.
2012-02-02 21:24:32
"Thank you....but it's not enough..." Something like that. 
2012-02-02 21:40:33
Transit gets screwed in the House transpo bill, too. Here's an email I just got. It's mainly aimed at organizations rather than individuals, so heads-up to Scott & Erok & crew. Here's the text of the email from NAPTA (National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates):
NAPTA - Support Transit Infrastructure Investment
We need your help! We are strongly opposed to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee proposal to divert $25 billion in dedicated fuels tax revenues from the Mass Transit Account. This represents nearly 50 percent of the federal investment in public transit authorized by the House surface transportation bill. This drastic change will clearly put public transportation projects at risk.
We call on Congress to continue the long-standing highway and public transit financing partnership in place today so that our country can continue to create American jobs and foster economic growth, as well as rebuild our aging infrastructure and meet the growing demand for improved and expanded transportation. Please contact your representative as soon as possible. Use the letter below, and help NAPTA join T4America and APTA in taking action!
DEADLINE 8pm EST TONIGHT, T4America and APTA will deliver this tonight. -- PLEASE SEND FAR AND WIDE!
NAPTA / 1666 K Street NW / Washington DC 2006 / 202-496-4807
info@napta.net / www.NAPTA.net
2012-02-02 22:07:43