Dear Mrs. Mayor

RE: Tulsa Bicycle Advisory Committee

Would you please create the Tulsa Bicycle Advisory Committee? From the strong showing of concerned bicyclists, as well as others interested in sustainable transportation, speaking out at the recent Complete Our Streets forum, it is obvious bicyclists want to be front and center in the effort to improve Tulsa streets.

At your direction and input, there are more than a few City staffers, familiar with bicycle issues, capable of preparing a brief proposal for organization, scope of responsibilities, and funding sources.

Though engineering measures to comply with the City's legal obligation to safely accommodate bicycles on ALL Tulsa streets will be comparatively minimal, encouragement measures will require the strong and active support from the Office of the Mayor.

Also the City's BAC would dovetail very well with INCOG's current encouragement and education efforts through its multi-modal planner, Patrick Fox, and the Green Traveler project. In the most recent past, bicyclists have worked closely with the City's traffic engineering group to implement the 36th Street bike route project.

A full-time City staffer, providing technical support to the BAC and assigned with the Public Works street geometric design group, will greatly improve the efforts to incorporate bicycle-friendly roadway design features into future design, as well as review new in-fill developments.

The BAC would provide the public forum necessary to vet and filter new ideas presented by the public, as well as filter through the myriad of federal funds available for bicycle-related transportation projects. Though Tulsa would be the first in Oklahoma, the concept is proven and nothing new.

Many cities, including Portland, OR, Austin, TX, Hollywood, FL, and Los Angeles, utilize the expertise and energy of local bicyclists to improve their streets. By federal law, ODoT employs a staffer to address bicycle-issues.

I hope you will take advantage of the bicycle community's willingness to play a strong role in improving Tulsa streets. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
Paul Tay