http://www.theindycog.com/blog/?p=1496If you aren't aware, INDYCOG is a non-profit cycling advocacy group focused primarily on the advancement of cycling infrastructure and safety in Indianapolis.
About six months ago, I began working with Christopher Newgent, Kevin Whited, & Jamison Hutchins to form what would be Indianapolis' first local advocacy group, INDYCOG. Currently, Indiana has only a statewide advocacy group, Bicycle Indiana, which I also suggest you join (
http://www.bicycleindiana.org). While they do a fine job, we (bicyclists) need an organization that focuses primarily on Indianapolis and possibly Central Indiana. Studies have shown there is a positive correlation between the number of riders, a decrease in accident and injuries, and a general feeling of safety, when cyclists have their own infrastructure (e.g. Bicycle lanes, multi-use paths, etc). I bring this statistic up because the cities that have the best results in these studies also have large and well established bicycle advocacy groups. There is a question about cause and effect but I think we can all agree that if there is no one to speak for a particular group, in this case people who ride bicycles, than our public officials don't know what we want.
Currently, INDYCOG operates on a shoestring budget and we have accomplished quite a lot with very little resources. We operate an informative blog that focuses on bicycle advocacy, bicycle events, & bicycle culture. We have also organized and implemented the wildly successful Pedal Indy ride that took cyclists around the city and visited locally owned establishments. We distributed 100 sets of bicycle lights to people without lighting on their bikes while informing them of current bicycle laws. We represent cyclists in the Indianapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee (led by the Department of Public Works), the Multi-modal Task Force (led by the Metropolitan Planning Organization), as well as as various other organizational meetings. We have many other events and programs in the works so please visit our website @ theindycog.com to stay abreast of what's happening in the indianapolis bicycling community.
As mentioned, we would like to do a lot more but that takes two things, money and active members. Membership is a two-fold commitment, it gives INDYCOG the money to leverage the millions of dollars of grant money available to organizations such as ours (most require a match); and, the number of members give the organization the power to make requests from city and state government. Remember, there is power in numbers and if we can grow this organization, we can work to make Indianapolis a pedestrian and bicycle friendly city and in turn a place where people want to live.
This is where you all come in. I'm extending an invitation to you to please consider becoming a member of INDYCOG. Whether you cycle everyday or once a month, race or ride with your kids, we will all benefit with a more bicycle friendly city; if you don't believe me please look at cities like Davis, CA, Portland, OR, and the list goes on. I realize that your time and money is precious and we want to assure you that your membership dollars will be used effectively.
