AAA and Their Stance on American Bike Trails

In the one of my blogs from awhile back, I mentioned AAA and their lack of support for trails:
Trails Network Blog: Obesity rate directly related to trail access?

bikers enjoying the Rio Grande trail
between Aspen & Glenwood Springs

Well today, I had to decide whether to renew my membership to AAA. It was a tough decision. On the one hand, I've gotten lots of use out of my membership; since I travel all over the country on bike trips, I often need maps, lodging information, rental car discounts, tour books, etc.

On the other hand, I knew that the president of AAA had made some remarks that were not very supportive of our national trail system and the funding to support those trails.

I decided to call AAA and speak with someone about this issue. And I'm glad I did. I found out that AAA is actually supportive of multi-modal transportation. And Colorado AAA, in particular, is very supportive of bicyclists and trails.

So I decided to renew my membership. I'm not saying this to convince any of you to join AAA, but just to let you know what I found out when I contacted them. If anything, I'm trying to convince you to become an active advocate for our system of trails in the United States. If you hear of someone bashing trails or bemoaning the funding for trails, confront them. But get the facts first. I'm glad I did.

AAA and Their Stance on American Bike Trails