Tag: Noa Banayan

Posted on

Show #601 – May 9. 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Guests: Noa Banayan; Steve Magas

This week we speak with Noa Bayanan.  Noa is the Director of Federal Policy for People for Bikes, and she helps us unpack the America’s Recreation Act of 2022.  This a bi-partisan piece of legislation that was introduced in the Senate in November of last year.

This bill provides for additional recreation opportunities and facilitates greater access to federal public lands

In it, there are two bills that pertain specifically to bicycling – one that helps to open up and connect “long trails” and the second that frees up some time and hassle for tour directors, ride directors, and even race directors who are tasked with the permits required to use state and federal lands.

Here is the information on how to contact your legislator(s) regarding the Recreation Act of 2022.

My second guest is Steve Magas – The Ohio Bike Lawyer.  

While I intended to just sort out the crash statistics for Ohio, hoping to be able to extrapolate them across the country, we actually do a lot more than that, diving into some of the reasons that fatalities – which were very high in the 1970’s began to decline until the early 2000’s – then began an upward trajectory.

In 2021, 21 people were killed on our roadways while riding their bikes.  In 2022, it was even more devastating when the total rose to 28.

Attorney Steve Magas has been tracking the statistics on fatalities as well as noting other pertinent facts in Ohio and Kentucky for many years.  In our conversation, Steve gives us some very important and detailed information about what is and isn’t important when it comes to being involved in a crash in addition to some observations about how and why things are so much worse these days.

Here is the information on the Ohio Bike Federation and the maps mentioned on the show.

Posted on

Show #574 – September 25, 2021

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Guests: Noa Banayan; Carl Gaede

The transportation bill NEEDS to be reauthorized – and soon! Like this coming week!

That fact led me to Noa Banayan – the Director of Federal Affairs for People for Bikes. Noa, who is headquartered in Washington, DC. is the liaison between government and us when it comes to support for and funding of programs that will impact bicycling on so many levels.

Between the Transportation and Reconciliation Bills, there is potentially a HUGE pot of money on the table for us.

We’ve been talking about the refugee situation in Afghanistan for the past several weeks, and we will give you a brief update at the end of the show.
There are other refugee stories though -stories that we occasionally hear about but that somehow seem really far away. The way we address those “stories” is to make donations or send clothing and food. And those things are important.

Carl Gaede and his wife Julie are both psychotherapists. Back in 2008, they learned of the Acholi People who live in Sudan and Northern Uganda. They were under threat and torture from the LRA – the Lord’s Resistance Army – and their story became the passion of the Gaede’s .

In 2008, they literally packed their bags, sold all their belongings, and decided to take their special wellness program to the refugees who were finding themselves mentally and emotionally stressed from the war and torture.
Since then, their non-profit organization, Tutapona*, has helped 10s of thousands of refugees with stress related problems.

Now, Carl and 7 other riders are bringing to light the plight of 80 million displaced people around the globe by riding across the U.S. in 8 days to raise $80,000. Their Ride4Refugees begins on October 2nd.

Posted on

Show #513 – August 1, 2020

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Guests: Roff Smith; Noa Banayan; Sarah Timleck & Madison Giger

 

(Photo Courtesy of Roff Smith – “Ground Mist Sunrise”)

As we continue to see Covid19 taking over our lives – in so many ways – we also are seeing events, companies, and people who want to carry on with some semblance of normality come up with some innovative and imaginative ideas.

Take my first guest this evening. Roff Smith is an award winning photographer and writer who has worked with National Geographic for many, many years. This year, he’s pretty much grounded and so, has come up with a fabulously creative way to use his bicycle to tell his photographic story.

After we speak with Roff, we head to Minnesota where PFB‘s Noa Banayan, the Federal Affair’s Manager is sheltering in place while still attending to her work – mostly out of D.C.

Noa shares some great news – which we can all use these days – about the always in-process transportation bill, a new report from the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and an upgraded commuter reimbursement deal for cyclists.

Finally, I check in with Madison Giger and Sarah Timleck, two of my Sea Otter peeps, to talk about the new platform that the organization has put together for 2020. With the cancellation of so many events, and Sea Otter being the place that is often used to launch new product, the people behind the scenes have been working to put together a smashing new idea – Sea Otter Play; and, we’re going to tell you all about it.