Central Coast advocates for bicycle riding are in Washington this week to lobby for federal money for biking and walking.

Members of the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition are joining 900 people in similar organizations from around the country as part of the National Bike Summit. Executive Director Dan Rivoire and Leslie Bloom, marketing and outreach director, are representing the Central Coast and the coalition.

They are spending half of this week meeting with elected representatives “to ensure future funding for transportation projects that include bicycle and pedestrian facilities,” according to a news release from the organization.

“The National Bike Summit is an unbelievable opportunity for us to learn lessons from our nationwide allies and remind our representatives how important biking and walking is to our region,” Rivoire said in the release.

Continued federal funding for biking and walking is essential for such county projects as the Bob Jones Trail in Avila Beach and the De Anza Trail in Paso Robles, they said.

The coalition does more than just lobby for money, according to the organization. Recently, for example, coalition members helped get the Morro Bay Bike Plan approved and helped facilitate an update to the Arroyo Grande Bike Plan.

Those interested can follow Rivoire and Bloom’s progress on the coalition’s blog at www.slobike   lane.wordpress.com  .

The San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit organization that provides bike education, maintenance, advocacy and other bike-related support for the public through numerous community-based programs, such as the Bicycle Valet at the SLO Farmers Market, Kidical Mass and more.

For more information, visit http://www.slobikelane.org .