Taking the Message to Washington, DC
A Walk/Ride to the US Capitol --- May-June, 2003
Ending in Washington, DC on June 5th

Background: The East Coast Greenway (ECG) Inauguration will be focused on National Trails Day, 2003. A high-level media/political event on the National Mall is planned for Thursday, June 5th -when Members of Congress are in town- along with state events (Show Congress events) on Saturday, June 7th.

To build up some media coverage and local involvement & enthusiasm, letters and other tokens will be transported by human-powered means to DC from the north and south along the ECG. This bicycle-ride or walk will promote local trail segments with media stops en route to DC for the June 5th event. With the TEA-3 debate in progress, the ECG will be highlighted as a model of how federal transportation funding has benefited communities. It will also help focus the support from communities along the way for such continued funding.

Taking the message to Washington, DC: The theme of this ride/walk is to demonstrate widespread grassroots community support for shared-use paths and community trails with the ECG linking these various 'pearls' together along a long strand that will extend from Key West to Calais with links to Canada.

This past fall we succeeded in getting 77% of the US Senators along the East Coast to sign a letter sent to President Bush in support of completing the ECG. A 'Dear Colleague' Letter for the US House is currently being organized.

There will also be a Governors' support letter to the President as well as a Mayors' letter. The Governors' and Mayors' letters will be individual letters that will be presented (in a media event?) and delivered by the cyclists & walkers going to DC.

Letters will be solicited from various groups along the route; schools (thanking the President for safe routes to school), AARP chapters, Rotarians, towns, trail groups, bike & walking clubs and others in support of past federal transportation funding and extolling the benefits of community trails.

There will also be a banner from each state carried by the cyclists onto which will be affixed, pins, patches, other tokens. These will be displayed on the Mall along with selected letters.

On the route, media opportunities for local politicians and others will be encouraged as the riders & walkers pass through and are presented letters and other tokens for transport to Washington. This human-powered conveyance will commence in May (with a Volkssports walk from the north) and arrive in DC on or before June 5th.

What can you do?

  • Initiate a support letter to the President from a town, a mayor, an AARP chapter, a bike or walking club, a Rotary club or school. Start now, as these letters need to be ready by May 1st. Send the signed letter to your state coordinator who will arrange the 'hand delivery' with a copy to the ECGA office (see address below). A 'model' and example letters can be downloaded on this website, one step back at the main Inaugural Event page. State Coordinators with contact information are also available there.
  • In lieu of a letter, arrange for your town or city to issue a proclamation in support of the ECG and your local trails citing the benefits, popular support and appreciation for federal transportation funding. See if you can get a copy of that proclamation to the ECGA office.
  • Contribute something for the Banners. Banners for each state will be carried to which can be affixed patches, pins, signatures, etc. These state banners will be displayed in Washington. Gather these (small & lightweight) items and send to the state coordinator or present directly to the rider(s).
  • Promote local media coverage - Copy the support letter to your local newspaper, arrange to have the letter or proclamation handed over in person as part of a small ceremony or have the media meet the rider(s) who will be delivering the letters to Washington.
  • Arrange Accommodations - Can you offer a place to stay for one or two persons who will be carrying the letters? This is an unsupported journey and they would appreciate a bed or place to unroll a sleeping bag. The best way to ensure meeting the rider(s) or to have small ceremony is to arrange the accommodation for the rider(s) the night before.
  • Do you want to join in for a ride or walk? Participants are welcome to travel part or all the way to Washington, DC to help Òcarry the mailÓ and participate in the Inauguration on June 5th. The route will be the interim on-road route of the ECG connecting to the competed sections of shared-use path. Due to time constraints, most of the journey will be via bicycle. There may be some short walks, especially in urban areas or by special arrangement. However, this is not a group ride. The core rider(s) will be one or two people so that accommodations can be easily arranged. The mission of the core rider(s) is to carry the messages to Washington. They will be somewhat flexible to accommodate a meeting or ceremony with an official or the media. The core rider(s) will not be able to help others make the journey; rather, they will need your support.

    Schedule & Contact Information: The schedule is subject to change. Contact your state coordinator (see list) or Eric Weis at the East Coast Greenway Alliance (eric@greenway.org, 401-789-1706, 135 Main St., Wakefield, RI 02879). The most current schedule, an up-to-date contact list as well as other resources will be available at the main Inaugural Event page.

    NOTE: BOB Trailers, Inc has donated two Yak Plus bicycle trailers to the East Coast Greenway Alliance for the "TAKING THE MESSAGE TO WASHINGTON" ride. These bike trailers will provide an excellent platform for carrying the accumulated letters to the President in support of the East Coast Greenway, local community trails and the federal funding that have made them possible. As an additional show of support for this event, BOB Trailers is offering incentive, discount pricing on its products to riders and volunteers who help in this Letter Ride. Contact the East Coast Greenway Alliance for more details.