Oregon, Washington bicyclists get AAA assistance: For a price
Why AAA decided to pick 2009 to debut bicycle roadside assistance in Oregon and parts of Idaho -- the home turf of green AAA alternative Better World Club -- is tough to divine. Was the Oregon/Idaho chapter seeing a reduction in memberships due to competition? Did the fast-growing population of bicyclists commuting to work, but with cars at home, demand it? Or was it simply an attempt at good PR after the organization lobbied against an Oregon bicycle bill?
In any case, I can't suggest this new service; the prices just don't justify the considerable financial backing you're giving an anti-environment lobby.
Though the organization recently shed its full name embracing the Automobile and now goes officially by its acronym, AAA has a history of being decidedly anti-bike. In fact, its very roots are in the early 1900s, when road systems sprang up for the ubiquitous bicycles and the general population decried automobiles as noisy and dangerous. AAA lobbied for automobile respect; and over the next century campaigned for increased highway funding, lower gasoline taxes, and reduced vehicle regulation. Want more?
