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Assembly Hearing Update |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 14 May 2007 00:00 |
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May 14, 2007 events.
1) Assembly Hearing, Tuesday, May 15
2) Safety Improvement Celebration, bike lane grand opening, Saturday, May 19
3) Bike lane update and buttons victory!
Dear Red Rock friends and supporters, There are two important, hopeful things happening this week. Please support wherever you can. - SB 128 Hearing (possible state law to prohibit commercial trucking through Red Rock)
Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 15, Dina Titus' bill is going to be heard in the Assembly transp. committee. As you know, after a long deliberation and a successful email campaign (thanks for all your letters), it was passed through the Senate and now it is up to the Assembly. The hearing will be videoconferenced into Las Vegas, at 1:30 p.m. at the Grant Sawyer Building, in room 4406. You may also check it out live, on-line at http://www.leg.state.nv.us/audio/AudioVideo.cfm, (scroll down to 5-15-07, 1:30 p.m., Assembly Transportation meeting.) I will be there. Anyone else is welcome to come and testify. You may call me for more info. 875-4803 or my cel phone 274-0116.
- Safety Improvement Celebration
Please mark your calendars and come out to the NDOT Safety Improvement Celebration in Red Rock Canyon!
Saturday, May 19
10:00 a.m.
Red Rock Overlook
You may drive or ride to the overlook
An NHP-escorted bike ride will follow
Club rides from Las Vegas and Blue Diamond will precede it (more info will be posted on these soon). The media and various governments will be there, so please come! NDOT will present the safety improvements that have been made and more to come. Additional alternatives that still need our support will also be presented. I know it's a hard time to make it on a Saturday, but we must show the media and government that we want the work to continue (for the Red Rock Canyon experience and for safety and cycling in general) and that we appreciate their efforts on our behalf.
- Bike Lane Update and Buttons Victory!
Thanks to all the cyclists who helped crculate the petitions to put the buttons (little white bumps or RPMS and RRPMS) in the white lines instead of rumble strips. The original plan was to put in rumble strips, but luckily for us, NDOT will now be installing buttons instead, per our petition (approx. 1 button per 20 feet, more on corners, etc.). This is much more condusive to cycling than milled rumble strips! And, since this translates into 4 bumps per second for a car going 60 mph, this should help to increase awareness and decreaes drifting. Another thing that helps is the grippy pavement type. I know it's not the smoothest pavement ever, but it's designed to help cars with traction and to reduce the risk of them losing control. Just think of it as resistance training and life insurance! Also, this is going to be signed with painted symbols on the road and actual signs indicating this is a dedicated bike lane, not just a vehicle recovery lane as it has been in the past. We are trying to get no parking on pavement signs as well.
See you soon! Heather Fisher, Director Nevada Scenic Byways Coalition 702-875-4803 |
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United We Stand |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 07 April 2007 00:00 |
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Finally, I have some good news! The first (and I've been told biggest) hurdle is won. Yesterday, the Senate Bill 128 for Red Rock was passed through committee and is now on it's way to becoming state law. Now it just has to be voted through by both houses, and Red Rock will no longer be a trucking route! Hopefully it goes through without a hitch in the next 2-3 weeks, but I'll keep a close eye on it just in case we need your help again, and then let you know when it is passed for sure. In the meantime, thanks so much for all your work. The last time I wrote, it wasn't looking so good, but you were able to completely turn this thing around with all your emphatic phone calls and letters! Senators Dennis Nolan, Joe Heck, Mark Amodei, Maurice Washington, Maggie Carlton, John Lee, and Joyce Woodhouse all heard our cries and acted accordingly. We sincerely appreciate Dina Titus for introducing the bill and to the senators on committee for standing up for their constituents' wishes. Hopefully the next thing you hear from me will be a big V for victory! Happy Trails,
Heather Fisher, Director
Nevada Scenic Byways Coalition
702-875-4803 Joe Heck
775-684-1457
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Mark Amodei
775-684-1470
smamodei@
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Maurice Washington
775-684-1480
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, Maggie Carlton
775-684-1431
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, John Lee
775-684-1424
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, Joyce Woodhouse
775-684-1481
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Dennis Nolan
775-684-1421
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Your Letters are Still Needed |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 03 April 2007 00:00 |
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Your letters are still needed. It's getting messy. Here's the latest letter to supporters. Dear friends and supporters of Red Rock, We thought we would be done by now, but it's gotten messy... Thank you for sending so many letters last week. It surely has helped and some of the senators are responding to our pleas. But while we thought we would have an answer by now, it turns out that this bill is once again being extended. It is turning into a bigger fight than anticipated, a classic case of paid lobbyist vs. the expressed will of the public. Even though we as the public have been actively vocal on this issue, they have denied our promised chance to testify and met with the trucking lobbyists several times. But Senator Titus is not ready to back down, saying that we should once again, “bombard them with emails and phone calls, right now more than ever!” I know this is not the first call to action, but I also know how important Red Rock is to all of us and I still believe we can do it if we don’t give up. So please don't stop now! (by Thursday, April 5). - Forward the following letter (or write your favorite point-emphasized)
- Call the committee members again
- Double your efforts to Dennis Nolan
New letter to forward
to: Dennis Nolan, Joe Heck, Mark Amodei, Maurice Washington, Maggie Carlton, John Lee, Joyce Woodhouse, cc: Heather Fisher, Dina Titus
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Subject: Save Red Rock! Yes on SB 128
Dear Committee,
Once again we write to urge you to protect Red Rock Canyon for all Nevadans , Nevada visitors, and future generations. This is a safety issue as well as a conservation and economic issue.
This road was not built for commercial traffic. There have been a significant number of accidents on this road involving large trucks, high speeds, and winding curves. It is a small, two lane road built to access Red Rock Canyon , which also serves as the most popular cycling and sightseeing route in the state.
This short, 17 mile, out of the way section of road goes through a National Conservation Area whose mission is, “to conserve, protect, and restore these nationally significant landscapes.” It is also officially designated a Scenic Byway. And it has been classified a Nevada’s LAST CHANCE Scenic Place, as a threatened area “in danger of being permanently lost due to insensitive public policy…"
Our neighboring state Utah has a restriction on all commercial vehicles (even small ones) from going through Zion National Park even though there are no alternative routes anywhere near Zion. Red Rock Canyon has multiple alternative routes nearby with additional ones currently being constructed. Red Rock Canyon is the most beautiful thing southern Nevada has to offer, yet without your protection has become the busiest, most commercially used, and most dangerous conservation area in the country.
We hope you’ll see through the paid lobby and hear the will of the citizens you represent. The truckers have other ways to go. We don't have another Red Rock Canyon. Please preserve the scenic character of our scenic byway for all Nevadans and visitors. We are your constituents and we want to see Red Rock without commercial trucking!
Thank you,
[your name here]
Phone numbers:
You can call the Las Vegas number at (702) 486-2626 and ask for these Senators' offices at no charge, or you can contact their offices directly: Dennis Nolan 775-684-1421, Joe Heck 775-684-1457, Mark Amodei 775-684-1470, Maurice Washington 775-684-1480, Maggie Carlton 775-684-1431, John Lee 775-684-1424, Joyce Woodhouse 775-684-1481. |
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Senate Hearing Update |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 07 March 2007 00:00 |
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Senate Hearing Update: a second Senate Hearing for Red Rock is planned. Thank you for sending so many heartfelt, supportive letters in such short notice! Senator Titus presented a stack of them as evidence at yesterday's hearing. The meeting began with Dina's declaration of Red Rock as a treasure worth protecting and ended with the trucker's union trying to drag it out/dilute it with technicalities. A second hearing was determined necessary and will be rescheduled for later this session. I will keep everyone posted on things we can do to help, as the legislators are getting plenty of attention from the trucker's union on this. |
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