by Laura Pack - When Dennis Strawn rides along the roads of the Kanawha River Valley, he is reminded of his childhood and the independence afforded by his bike.

Scripps Howard Foundation Wire, Washington, D.C. - But the 42-year-old is also reminded that the roads of his youth are no longer the same. As the advocacy coordinator for the Mountain State Wheelers Bicycle Club, Strawn is troubled by roads that make it difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to remain active and safe.

"I've never quit riding," said Strawn, a Charleston native who lives with his wife and two sons on the west side. "But over the years, it just changed. Everything is so car-centric, it makes it less enjoyable for a bicyclist."

Along with two employees from West Virginia Citizens' Conservation Corps, a non-profit headquartered in Beckley, Strawn ventured to the nation's capital last week, as he did last year, to attend the National Bike Summit.

The summit drew about 350 cycling enthusiasts, small business owners and industry representatives from all 50 states to lobby and support the Senate and House transportation reauthorization bills. Strawn and the other West Virginians hope to convince the state's five members of Congress that more biking and walking opportunities are crucial.

Strawn and his wife, Anne, a self-employed graphic designer, take their sons Nicholas, 5, and Salem, 3, when they bike along the Kanawha City Bicycle Path on the club's Wednesday night family ride in the summer. Strawn said that Nicholas, who just learned to ride on his own a week ago, can't wait to show the Wednesday night riders his accomplishment.

A system development coordinator for Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield, Strawn said that biking and walking can help West Virginias overcome sedentary habits. "West Virginia is a high contender for obesity. And it's even happening to our kids in elementary school," he said.

Beth Gardner, of Oak Hill, the corps marketing and public relations director, and Pam Sparks, of Beckley, corps director of trails and environmental projects, joined Strawn at the summit. Corps crews help develop and maintain recreational areas such as parks, hiking trials and environmental centers.

Attending her second summit, Gardner stressed the link between having fun and improving one's health. "We're out there building trails, and we want to get people on those trails," she explained.

The three kicked off five back-to-back Capitol Hill meetings Thursday with Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. Strawn said one of their main interests is the Safe Routes to Schools program, which is meant to make it safe and fun for children to walk and bicycle to school.

Safe Routes to Schools programs can include safety audits of streets and sidewalks near schools, slowing traffic and giving pedestrians priority, "walking school buses" in which a few parents or volunteers escort a group of children to school and programs that educate children about walking and biking safely and challenge them to do so often.

Even though no school in West Virginia has embraced the program, Strawn said it would be feasible, especially in flat areas like Kanawha City. Communities in California, Texas and Massachusetts started programs. The nation's first initiative started with 38 schools in the Bronx area of New York and has expanded to all 1,359 city schools.

The House transportation reauthorization bill, which is being considered by a committee, would fund the program at $250 million a year, to be distributed to states based on the number of primary and secondary schools. The Senate has approved a bill that funds the program at $70 million a year. If two different bills are approved, a conference committee will work out a compromise.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus, told those attending the summit, "We cannot accept an inadequate reauthorization. Don't accept a lower number for the sake of expediency."

Gardner said she worries that schools are focused on satisfying the testing requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, leaving little time for physical education improvements.

"If they want better test scores, a better way then is getting your kids healthy," Gardner said.

Gardner is working on a trail project that would connect three Oak Hill schools by way of a 7-mile trail. The Oak Hill trail would connect Oak Hill Elementary, Collins Middle School and Oak Hill High school. It would enable schools to take field trips without buses and connect students to the New River Gorge National Park, Gardner said.

Since 1991, the federal transportation budget has provided more than $2.5 billion for bicycling and pedestrian projects. This represents less than 1 percent of federal transportation funds, according to information provided by the summit.

In the 20 years before 1991, an average of less than $2 million per year was spent by all 50 states combined on bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Strawn, who is a West Side Neighborhood Association board member, also supports the Kanawha Trestle Trail Project, which would convert the CSX railroad bridge over the Kanawha River in to a trail system through the Florida Street area.

The state has set aside about $5 million this year for non-motor vehicle transportation. The CSX bridge renovations would cost about $2 million, Strawn said.

Strawn said he expects the state to decide about the trail grant by late summer.