Three of the Region 6 board members of Bike Walk TN in Northeast Tennessee Janine Pleasant, Bennet Cowan, and Dan Reese met on Wednesday, August 25 for lunch to discuss a coalition of bicycle and pedestrian groups that would address safety and educational concerns in the region. After a very vibrant discussion over lunch the group decided to pull together interested and involved local leaders in late September to form the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Group of NE TN. High on the priority list of concerns were advocacy for strict enforcement of current laws, community education directed at confronting inappropriate attitudes toward those who choose to bike, walk or jog, and interventions with local safety officials in charge of sheriff and police departments for better training of personnel. It was felt that by speaking in a concerted voice to local elected officials and staffs the message would be more effective effecting change. A tentative informal gathering of regional leaders is scheduled for the end of September at the home of Dan Reese in Johnson City to formalize the organization and draw up a plan for advocacy. News of the groups activities will be posted on the website of Bike Walk TN in coming weeks.
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