| 09/07/2001 | Cycle South America GrantThe Asociacion Vecinal Pro Saneamiento Ambiental, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Projeto Clínicas da Bicicleta (Bicycle Workshop Project), ViaCiclo, Florianópolis, Brazil have been awarded Cycle South America Grants. Each grant is for $700.
The grant to Asociacion Vecinal Pro Saneamiento Ambiental is to buy materials for their campaign “Una Ciudad Mejor es Posible...Bicisendas Ya!” (A better city is possible...Bike lanes now!) during the La Plata Carfree day festivities. In September 2000, for their first Carfree Day, they printed and distributed 10,000 flyers, 10,000 pamphlets and 5,000 posters.
The aim of Projeto Clínicas da Bicicleta is to provide the participant with information and skills they need to feel more confident, secure and comfortable using their bicycles, whether it is for transport or leisure. They describe their objectives as “creating a vicious circle towards cycling.” The grant is to purchase permanent materials for a series of workshops.
The Cycle South America grants were made possible by Matt and Nicole Denniston.
In the year 2000, the Denniston’s made an extensive bicycle tour around South America. After they returned home they visited over 20 cities throughout the United States and gave slide show presentations of their South America journey. The proceeds from their presentations were donated to IBF to support grassroots advocacy for bicycle transportation in South America.
The types of proposal sought were:
New organizations that need “seed money” to build visibility in their community.
A specific campaign such as advocating for a bicycle infrastructure or forming a bicycle project.
Asociacion Vecinal Pro Saneamiento Ambiental objectives are to create a better city by getting bike lanes on main downtown streets and designating car-free areas in the city. As part of their campaign they are:
Lobbying local government to implement an existing urban bike lane initiatives.
Supporting Carfree Day, which the town council has already voted to support. Part of this program is car-free streets so that people can choose clean transport (walking, roller blades, bikes, skateboard, etc.), and do it safely.
During the last year and a half, the association has gotten people talking about the need for bike lanes, and there have been editorials and many articles in the city newspapers about the need for bike lanes.
ViaCiclo is the association of bicycle users from Florianópolis, capital of Santa Catarina State. ViaCiclo was formed as an outgrowth an Internet discussion group on the creation of a cycling infrastructure law. Some of their current issues are:
Reconstruction of the cycle way linking the island to the continent;
Cycle ways plans for the neighborhoods of Pantanal, Coqueiros and Itacorubi;
Lobbying for the cycling infrastructure law; and
Promoting cycling is all its forms (sport, transportation, leisure and tourism.)www.ibike.org
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