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Letter to Gov. Bentley

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    jcjbam1

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    all4bama

  • acp2621 said...

    I work in the engineering industry and do a lot of state contracts. Two of the projects we are working on include a bicycle lane. I know that a lot of municipalities are looking at this.

    The letter looks really good. Send it on because it definitely helps if he knows what people are thinking. I would send a version to your Mayor as well.

    The Alabama town I live in has a bike lane through part of it. The funny thing is, they put it in the ghetto. No lie. The projects have bike lanes but the rest of the town doesn't.

    Uncle DP

  • Crimsonite86 said...

    I'm just about to send this letter to Governor Bentley, but wanted to see if you guys have any input first:

    Dear Governor Bentley,

    My name is Adam Thompson. I am a 25 year old applications specialist for the software company CPSI based in Mobile, Alabama. I was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and have a strong affinity for the state and southeast in general. I attended the University of Alabama and received my bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Business Administration in the summer of 2010. I am an avid outdoorsman and fortunately Alabama has plenty to offer in that regard.

    I am writing you today, because I see an opportunity for growth in the state of Alabama. As I’m sure you are aware, the state of Alabama is ranked #46 out of 50 in overall health, however, we are ranked #10 out of 50 in public health funding per capita at $116 per person, per www.americashealthrankings.org. We are doing a great job of ensuring Alabamians get the proper treatment when needed, but we can improve in areas that reduce the need for this treatment in the long term. My proposal would benefit the people of Alabama’s health and safety without doing much damage to our pocket books. We need a more bicycle friendly state. Alabama is ranked #47 out of 50 in terms of bicycle friendliness, per bikeleague.org.

    The two areas we can improve on the most is infrastructure and funding as well as evaluation and planning. Currently, the state is spending less than 1.2% of federal funding on bicycle and pedestrian transportation. We need to incorporate bicycle safety into the state Strategic Highway Safety Plan and begin funding bicycle safety projects. Our new bridges and tunnels should create connections for all methods of transportation as opposed to creating barriers. Due to the current state of our roads, bridges, and tunnels, Alabama has one of the highest fatality rates in the country per capita. Bicycle and pedestrian safety should become a major emphasis for all projects, programs, and policies to address this issue. Right now, a little over 1% of Alabamians commute by bike. Sitting at a desk all day and living less than 5 miles from work, I have considered this option many times, however, it is simply too dangerous to do so.

    There are steps we can take today to improve public safety and health tomorrow. Myself, and many others, would greatly appreciate your future consideration in this regard.

    Sincerely,

    Adam Thompson

    I would suggest making the letter readable and kind of making an attempt at sounding like you were awake when you wrote it. I got bored by the end of the first sentence but forged ahead a few more sentences before just completely giving up.

    Having a point would go a long way in correcting that problem. Maybe you do have a point or, at least, feel as though you do. If that's the case, I'd suggest leading with it so the 99.984% of the intended audience who will find themselves asleep as quickly as I did will be shown why you're writing the letter even though they won't bother reading further or ever thinking about it once it is filed away.

    Good luck!

    Uncle DP

  • destinjay said...

    So funny! Who the fvck is this guy? Great poster.

    Destin is extremely bicycle friendly. Especially our major back roads. Highway 98 is a terror, but you still see tons of bicyclists on it every day. Personally, I think they should stick to the back roads to reach their destinations.

    Why would you expect Highway 98 to NOT be a terror for bikes? It is a freaking highway, as indicated by the name "HIGHWAY 98". It isn't now, nor has it ever been, nor should it ever be considered bicycle friendly. My tax dollars shouldn't be wasted on some bike lane. You want to travel Highway 98? Get a damn car. I guess you're going to complain about the bicycle unfriendliness of I-10 next, aren't you?

    Uncle DP

  • My city is building sidewalks everywhere for bikes. We call them the sidewalks to nowhere. In my situation I see them as a terrible waste of money. Thousands of dollars for the one asian lady that walks her Doberman pincher twice a week.

    dc12

  • Bentley is so over his head in that job . Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle will be
    our next Governor in my opinion . He could handle the job .

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    .

    PhilBlake ●

  • dc12 said...

    My city is building sidewalks everywhere for bikes. We call them the sidewalks to nowhere. In my situation I see them as a terrible waste of money. Thousands of dollars for the one asian lady that walks her Doberman pincher twice a week.

    Any time bike lanes show up on the City Council's agenda, I show up to make sure they don't take the idea too seriously. I swear, if they try to install a single bike lane anywhere before repaving my street, I will see to it that they have auditors showing up looking for ANYTHING they may not want the public to know, however unrelated to bike lanes that may be.

    Uncle DP

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    Fear16

  • Let's shoot for bike paths instead of bike lanes. Get the weirdos off our streets completely. It will make it safer for everyone.

    thesot

  • While we're at it, can we include a clause to require the driver's test to be taken at least every five years? Even better, every year? I swear, this state (and this country) are full of sh!tty drivers. How on earth you get to drive for the rest of your life, basically no questions asked, after taking some terribly regulated test at age 16 baffles me. Requiring a defensive driving class wouldn't hurt either. Too many sh!t heads on the road IMO.

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    sf2k4

  • 1. this thread won't end well

    2. You don't really make any suggestions. Anybody can say we need more of this and that, but without knowing the finances, it doesn't matter. Money gets transferred out of the general fund for many reasons. Some of it goes to police departments and fire departments in the form of state grants and other money goes other places. Why would bicycle lanes be better than using it for other things......like paying teachers.?

    3. At least you are trying

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    I guess Shane thinks Yeldon will flip to Bama after he enrolls at Auburn. Brilliant. Sell those subscriptions, BOL.” - TIGER

    roll_tide_55

  • If i rode a bike in or around Birmingham id prob give myself a a week before i get knocked off beaten raped then shot. I feel safer in my car.

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    CrimsonTemplar

  • CrimsonTemplar said...

    If i rode a bike in or around Birmingham id prob give myself a a week before i get knocked off beaten raped then shot. I feel safer in my car.

    Even spider man is afraid to ride his bike outside

    attachment
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    I guess Shane thinks Yeldon will flip to Bama after he enrolls at Auburn. Brilliant. Sell those subscriptions, BOL.” - TIGER

    roll_tide_55

  • Bamafive-O said...

    I see you did not include the misspelling of Gov. Bentley's name, what is his grade with the Gov's misspelled name factored in? TIA

    Politicians deserve no consideration, special or otherwise. Grade stays.

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    Your Post Has Been Edited Courtesy Of Your Friends At grammer5-0h

    grammer50h10689

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    Live and Breathe "The Process"

    MattyC

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    twitter.com/thompsonr54

    drwnemtide

  • Uncle DP said...

    The Alabama town I live in has a bike lane through part of it. The funny thing is, they put it in the ghetto. No lie. The projects have bike lanes but the rest of the town doesn't.

    lol sounds about right.

    In almost every case it will be a city initiative that will get a bike lane added. It might have Federal funding (via a grant) and therefore have the money administered by the state. But the key point is, the city starts the process. Check with your mayor and dig a little bit to see if your town is eligible for a grant.

    Poor bastards getting off the bus in Tuscaloosa will probably feel like those dumped on Omaha Beach - Unknown Vol's fan

    acp2621

  • I understand where you are coming from however instead of forcing others to pay for your passion of riding a bike why not start a foundation. This foundation would raise money to build bike lanes where your foundation believes they are necessary at the foundations expense. The tax payers dollars could be focused on maintaining the roads and paying for those that protect us (police and fire to name a couple). I believe that all forms of government should be limited in scope and should not cater to a small minority with the tax payer funds; this should hold true in prosperous times as well as financially tight times. Special interest groups raise the necessary funds for the projects they want to implement them on their own. They in long run would be more efficient than the government for many reasons (mainly they are passionate about the subject).

    good day.

    threemil ●

  • threemil said...

    I understand where you are coming from however instead of forcing others to pay for your passion of riding a bike why not start a foundation. This foundation would raise money to build bike lanes where your foundation believes they are necessary at the foundations expense. The tax payers dollars could be focused on maintaining the roads and paying for those that protect us (police and fire to name a couple). I believe that all forms of government should be limited in scope and should not cater to a small minority with the tax payer funds; this should hold true in prosperous times as well as financially tight times. Special interest groups raise the necessary funds for the projects they want to implement them on their own. They in long run would be more efficient than the government for many reasons (mainly they are passionate about the subject).

    good day.

    Exactly. I pay into highway and road funds every time I buy gas or renew my tags. All these bike enthusiasts have done is reduce gas tax revenue, thus reducing available highway funds. Now they want the funds they reduced to pay for their hobbies that reduced the funding in the first place? That makes perfect sense.

    Uncle DP

  • Uncle DP said...

    Exactly. I pay into highway and road funds every time I buy gas or renew my tags. All these bike enthusiasts have done is reduce gas tax revenue, thus reducing available highway funds. Now they want the funds they reduced to pay for their hobbies that reduced the funding in the first place? That makes perfect sense.

    The current tax system needs to go. As you mentioned, currently the taxes to build our roads comes from a gasoline tax. Vehicles becoming more fuel efficient should drive prices down as their is less demand. Unfortunately, as fuel efficiency increases, tax revenue decreases (which, causes them to raise the tax percentage re-inflating prices).Also, someone driving a hybrid is contributing the same amount of wear and tear to the roads as someone driving a non-hybrid comparable sized model, but, is paying much less taxes back into the system. We need to go to a mileage model for our tax. Essentially, you pay a taxes on every mile you drive.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by acp2621 on 5/26/2012 at 12:46 PM

    Poor bastards getting off the bus in Tuscaloosa will probably feel like those dumped on Omaha Beach - Unknown Vol's fan

    acp2621

  • acp2621 said...

    The current tax system needs to go. As you mentioned, currently the taxes to build our roads comes from a gasoline tax. Vehicles becoming more fuel efficient should drive prices down as their is less demand. Unfortunately, as fuel efficiency increases, tax revenue decreases (which, causes them to raise the tax percentage re-inflating prices).Also, someone driving a hybrid is contributing the same amount of wear and tear to the roads as someone driving a non-hybrid comparable sized model, but, is paying much less taxes back into the system. We need to go to a mileage model for our tax. Essentially, you pay a taxes on every mile you drive.

    Well...the current tax system needs to go, but not for any of the reasons you just mentioned. It needs to go because government doesn't need to be growing its balls off at the expense of the citizens. Of course, that's just my 100% accurate, educated statement of fact.

    Uncle DP

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    BamaBuck12

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    Uncle DP

  • destinjay said...

    So funny! Who the fvck is this guy? Great poster.

    what does fvck mean?

    faceman237

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