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For Immediate Release

Conference to Tackle Access Issues for Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Disabled Persons

Awards program recognizes activists' contributions

CONTACT:

Trent Lethco, Local Host Committee
415.946.0713

Kathryn Hughes, Local Host Committee
510.238.6493

Randy Rentschler
510.817.5780

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 13, 2003...Recent reports in the media have highlighted the increasing girth of Americans as well as the decline in numbers of children walking to school. Addressing these issues and other related topics is the first statewide conference devoted to walking and bicycling, which will be held at the Oakland Marriott City Center Hotel, 1001 Broadway, Wednesday, Oct. 15 through Friday, Oct. 17, 2003.

Walk/Bike California 2003 will bring together over 200 advocates, community members and professionals from planning, public safety, public health and other disciplines to discuss ways to encourage walking and bicycling, address the significant mobility issues faced by pedestrians and bicyclists and suggest ways to create more vibrant communities and safer streets. In addition, the conference will highlight how to improve access for the disabled and for seniors, the fastest growing segment of our population.

Panel topics include "Healthy Choices for Healthy Children," "Lessons from Europe," "Women and Wheels" and "New Public Health Strategies to Promote Walking and Bicycling." Featured speakers include state Sen. Tom Torlakson; Charles Gandy, former Texas legislator and expert in community design and bicycle and pedestrian advocacy; and Katie Alvord, author of "Divorce Your Car! Ending the Love Affair With the Automobile."

At noon on Thursday, Oct. 16, Caltrans Director Jeff Morales will present the Caltrans Pedestrian Safety Task Force awards, and that evening at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum, conference organizers will present the Stride and Ride Awards, honoring Bay Area individuals for their outstanding efforts to improve access and conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists and the disabled/seniors.

Alex Zuckermann, one of the founders of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, leader of the Regional Bicycle Advocacy Coalition, and member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Advisory Council, will receive a special award — State Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 39 designating the bicycle-pedestrian path on the proposed new eastbound deck of the Bay Bridge as the Alex Zuckermann Bicycle-Pedestrian Path. First proposed by MTC — the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area and one of the co-sponsors of Walk/Bike California 2003 — the resolution acknowledges Zuckermann’s key role in the final decision to include a bicycle/pedestrian path on the new bridge.

Recipients of the Stride and Ride Awards include:

  • Nate Miley, Alameda County supervisor, for his leadership in support of pedestrian advocacy, safety and action;
  • Robert Raburn, Ph.D., executive director of the nonprofit East Bay Bicycle Coalition, for helping to make the Bay Area a much safer place to bicycle;
  • Sue Hodges, member of the Oakland Mayor’s Commission on Persons With Disabilities, for her efforts to improve accessibility in the city of Oakland and in Alameda County as whole.

For more information and an exact schedule of events and presentations, visit the conference Web site at <www.walkbikecalifornia.net>.

Note to editors: Please check in at the information table in the Jewett Ballroom Foyer, 1st floor, and pick up your press ribbon and press packet.

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