Transportation For America » Want Congress to know what your commute is like? Take ‘em to work with you!

Want Congress to know what your commute is like? Take ‘em to work with you!

July 30, 2009
By Stephen Lee Davis

In just a matter of days, your members of Congress will be turning off the lights in the House and Senate chambers, allowing their DC staffers to stop their 80-hour workweeks, and heading back home to your states and districts. Debates over health care and climate change will still be ringing in their ears as they meet constituents back home before returning in September.

But what about the looming transportation crisis? Will they be spending much time back at home talking about that?

This summer, as you’re stuck in traffic, squeezing into your carpool, feeling the minutes tick away as you wait for the always-late bus, or pedaling your way through dangerous intersections to put in a hard day’s work, too many legislators are unaware of what commuting each day means for their constituents.

That’s why we’re asking our elected officials to give their drivers a week off, leave their first-class tickets at home, and join our Take Your Legislator to Work Challenge!

For the Challenge, T4 America and some of our 350+ local partners will be organizing to ask your member of Congress or other prominent state leaders to leave their cars and first class flights at home for a week and ride the same carpools, trains, buses, subways, or bikes their constituents use everyday to get where they need to go. Maybe once they’ve seen what things are like on the ground and how limited your options are, they’ll be ready to talk about a truly reformed transportation bill when they come back to Washington in September.

The T4 America campaign is also going to be asking some notable leaders and individuals here in DC that aren’t going anywhere for the summer to take part in our Challenge. Check back right here on the blog for latest news on legislators that are participating or what you can do to help persuade them to join up, and hopefully, we can get a few of them to write or tweet about their experiences for us.

Take Your Legislator To Work Challenge