On the calendar: Talk transportation and bike to work

URBANEXUS DC

On Thursday, May 21, Next American City‘s URBANEXUS is coming to DC. At noon, Harriet Tregoning, Director of the DC Office of Planning will lead a conversation about the future of our cities. Then at 7 pm, NAC’s Ben Adler, Matt Yglesias, DCist‘s Sommer Mathis, Reihan Salam and I will discuss activism, blogs and urban policy.

RSVP for either event here. The lecture is free; the panel is free for subscribers, or you can subscribe at a discount rate of $15 for one year and attend the panel.

Discuss the future of transportation

Congress is about to draft the 6-Year Transportation Reauthorization bill that will allocate billions of dollars and set priorities that will significantly affect our region. The Coalition for Smarter Growth is organizing forums in Virginia and Maryland with local leaders to discuss these priorities.

The Virginia forum is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 5th at 6:30 pm in Falls Church, featuring Arlington County Board member Chris Zimmerman, Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists, and Joe Schilling of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. RSVP here.

The Maryland forum is Thursday, May 14th at 6:30 pm in College Park, including Eric Olson of the Prince George’s County Council, Duchy Trachtenberg of the Montgomery County Council, and James Corless of Transportation for America. RSVP here.

Bike To Work Day

Friday, May 15th is Bike to Work Day. WABA and local governments are organizing pit stops with breakfast and entertainment from downtown DC to Bowie and Leesburg, commuter convoys to ride with experienced bicycle commuters, and more.

ACT for bikes and peds at the Medical Center

At this month’s Action Committee for Transit meeting, WABA board member Casey Anderson will talk about bicycle and pedestrian facilities (or the lack thereof) at the expanding National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. Tuesday, May 12th, 7:30 pm at the Silver Spring Center, 8818 Georgia Ave in downtown Silver Spring.

Bike with the Swiss

The Swiss Embassy is hosting an exhibit, reception and panel about making nations more bicycle friendly on Wednesday, May 13th. The forum features Zurich Mayor Elmar Ledergerber, DC Councilmember Tommy Wells, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, and others from the Swiss government, Rails-to-Trails, and the State of Maryland. RSVP here.