This afternoon the League joined up with our coalition partners at America Bikes, Safe Routes to School National Partnership and Transportation for America to personally thank Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his continued support for bicycling and walking. We weren’t alone! Not only did 100 other cyclists in Washington, D.C. take the opportunity to bike over to US DOT headquarters, but over 200 bicycling, active living, smart growth and public health organizations from all 50 states signed on to our thank you letter.
Secretary LaHood took a moment to address the media regarding the DOT’s commitment towards bicycling, but not before turning his back to the media assembled to address the large crowd who had biked over. LaHood’s message was similar to that of his famous tabletop speech that we bicyclists have a full partner in Ray LaHood and the US DOT. He also suggested that we continue to not be shy about our message, that it is being heard.
photo by Chris Eichler, courtesy of America Bikes
Thanks to everyone that joined us on the ride, and thanks to the organizations across the country who signed on to our letter! For those of you looking for ways to further promote Secretary LaHood’s policy statement, consider having your city, MPO or state sign on in support of the statement.
Jeff Peel State and Local Advocacy Coordinator
Peel joined the League in March 2008 as a Program Specialist for the Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Peel has a BA in American Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi.
One or two people noticed the blurb we put in our e-newsletter on Monday about a National Bike Month promotion by Walmart.
When I say one or two people, I mean about 4,500 bike retailers (many of whom have already dropped us a line or two…); and I mean the good folks at Roadbikerider.com who described the article in apocalyptic terms and will likely generate a new wave of angst. It’s nice to know people read the e-news, I guess! (To be fair, roadbikerider ALWAYS reads our e-news and shares stories with their readers, and we love them for it.)
Anyway, the fact is we screwed up. We wanted to highlight our excitement that a retail giant picked up on May being National Bike Month and even built a promotion around it – in fact all we did was forward the promotion. We were equally delighted that AAA marked the launch of the month with a “share the road” news release and story. Walmart and AAA reach a lot of people we usually don’t reach and if they are promoting National BIke Month, we think that’s a good thing. Mark Graff at smartetailing.com submitted the article we SHOULD have used to make this point, and we have put that in the archive edition of the e-news you can read here.
We’ll need to mend a few fences with retailers over this furore; we know there’s a huge sensitivity when it comes to the mass merchant channel and that we likely would have heard from a few retailers even with the right language in the article. The League is and always has been a staunch ally and promoter of IBDs in all that we do. I’ve done a couple of dozen radio and TV interviews this month and always encourage listeners to visit their local bike shop to buy or maintain their bikes. Our education programs all point people to their local bike shop for equipment and repairs – we’ve even developed two specific education curricula with the National Bicycle Dealers Association designed to be taught at bike shops by bike shop staff. I’m a lousy bike mechanic…I need there to be bike shops, and lots of them.
At the same time, if we are going to get more people riding bikes more often and more safely, as a national advocacy group we are going to have meet people where they are at…and a lot of current and potential cyclists shop at Walmart and will never currently set foot in a bike shop. Our job, our responsibility, is to reach those people as well. We just need to do it without simultaneously irritating our core supporters.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
We’ve fielded a number of inquiries about the second round of TIGER grants since the DOT announced round two. Fortunately, last week, the DOT held a panel presentation to provide guidance to help applicants submit competitive applications. The DOT posted a recording of the seminar. They emphasize that while their comments will be helpful, the official notice of funding should be considered the authoritative source. That goes for my notes from the session as well. For background on TIGER grants, see the biking-related results from the first round.
Note that while our readers are mostly bicycling advocates and enthusiasts, a TIGER grant applicant must be a unit of government. Private entities must partner with a government agency. Some bicycling advocacy groups, however, were helpful to agencies filling out applications in the first round, and hopefully that will be the case again.
TIGER is a performance-based competitive grant program. Eligible projects include Complete Streets and other projects that breakdown modal and departmental silos. These grants are extremely competitive. According to the DOT, there were 14,000 applications in the first round, seeking $60 billion. In the end, $1.5 billion was awarded to 51 projects. This round of funding will be much smaller. Further, of the approximate $540 being awarded, at least $140 million will be awarded to rural areas. Making applications as competitive as possible is extremely important. (The first round was funded with ARRA stimulus funds, while the second come from DOT funds. See America Bike’s report on the changes for round two.)
The first piece of advice the DOT officials offered was to make sure that you follow the eligibility requirements spelled out in the federal registry. For example, projects must be a capital investment in surface transportation. Importantly, it must have “independent utility,” meaning that the awarded TIGER funds must complete a project, and cannot just make up one phase of a multi-phase project. Except in rural areas, grants need to be $10 million. Again, see the video and check the federal registry for more details.
The panel also stressed the simply submitting an application for an eligible project, did not make it a competitive application. Competitive applications should strongly fulfill the grant’s five primary criteria. They should help maintain a state of good repair, contribute to economic competitiveness (of the country overall) over the medium to long term, foster livability and increase transportation choice, help environmental sustainability, and improve safety. The DOT is also looking for projects that involve innovative strategies and build partnerships.
As always, clarity is important in the application. Projects descriptions should be easy to read and clearly articulate how the project addresses a transportation challenge and meets the criteria. They provide a suggested outline to help make sure applicants hit all the relevant points. Applicants should also provide clear evidence for their claims, linking to documents for proof.
Again, this round of TIGER grants will be extremely competitive. If the average grant size is the same as in the first round, they will only have enough money to fund 18 projects. For more, I refer you again to therecording of the seminarand federal registry.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
On October 5, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, which required Federal agencies to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, in coordination with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Bicycling and Active Transportation*, just released a new guide to help agencies meet their goals by promoting bicycle commuting. It is called “Implementing a Successful Bicycle and Active Commuting Program in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area.” As a nice touch, it is dated May, 21, 2010 – National Bike to Work Day.
At the National Bike Summit in March, the League’s Bicycle Friendly America Team gave a presentation to government employees on bicycle-friendly workplaces. We are delighted to see that much of the information was incorporated into the guide. The guide is organized around the same “5 Es” used in the Bicycle Friendly America programs. Here is a bulleted list of the recommendations, see the full report for details.
Policies
Agencies should:
Promote the Bicycle Commuter Benefit
Create a plan to promote and support bike commuting by employees and visitors.
Address security issues early in the planning process
Participate in the Inter-Agency Task Force on Bicycling and Active Transportation.
Infrastructure
Agencies should:
Propose on-street facilities to local transportation officials
Provide secure bike parking (long-term and short-term,) in high-visibility areas
Provide sufficient bike parking – e.g. one employee space for every 7,500 square feet of office floor area and one visitor space for every 20,000 square feet
Provide lockers and showers
Encouragement
Agencies should:
Promote commuter challenges
Encourage participation in Bike to Work Day and celebration of Bike to Work Month
Promote bike share programs (e.g. SmartBike DC)
Institute Emergency Ride Home (ERH) programs
Provide safety information
Education
Agencies should develop outreach and education tools, like the following:
A Bicycle Advisory Committee
Bicycle/travel Map
Guide to Bicycling
Bicyclist and Motorist Safety Education Campaign
Safety Workshops
Buddy programs
Help Line
Evaluation
Agencies should consider the following ideas to measure success:
Designate Bike Coordinator
Monitor participation
Reduce paperwork
Set targets
Survey
Sustainability Plan
Self-Assessment
*The Inter-Agency Task Force on Bicycling and Active Transportation is, as the name suggests, a taskforce comprising different government agencies, convened under the auspices of a GSA-funded project, lead by the League, WABA and Alta have. Since December, the group has been working on providing input into the Executive Order.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Traffic Skills 101 course on Bike to Work Day in Los Alamos; photo from Los Alamos Bikes
The folks in Los Alamos, NM, had the right idea. What better way to enjoy National Bike to Work Day than to take aTraffic Skills 101 course?
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Holy Bike to Work Day, Batman…Enthusiasm for daily bicycling continues to grow. Today it expressed itself in hundreds of Bike to Work Day events in communities all over the country. If I missed any good coverage, please leave a link in the comments.
Bike to Work Day, DC; view of the Capitol Building. Photo by Meghan Cahill
Great segment on BTWB in Providence featuring local advocates (Fox Providence)
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
On this Bike to Work Day — the tenth time Houston has celebrated the day — League President Andy Clarke and Education Director Preston Tyree, together with the City of Houston, announced the launch of BikeEd.org, an online Bicycle Education tool. BikeEd.org represents the classroom component of the League’s Traffic Skills 101 course. You take the online bicycle education course; find League-Certified Instructors (LCI) and hands-on classes, and other resources. The City of Houston developed the resource with the League’s materials. It has been used by their city staff and the Houston-to-Austin MS Ride ride marshals and team captains. Today is the national debut. We will be rolling it out over the course of the summer.
On another note, the Houston Chronicle reports on Bike to Work Day with this amusing sub-headline, “Cycling to the job in Houston is getting easier. Now if only it were a little cooler.”
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Do you have great photos from Bike to Work Day you’d like to share? We’d love to see them and post some really good ones. Send ‘em to darren at bikeleague.org.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
In their Innovators series, TIME Magazine calls workability guru, Dan Burden, one of the top six civic leaders:
He knows that slimmer roads are “leaner, safer and more efficient,” and that they take some of the stress off drivers too. “We tend not to like open, scary places, and we try to get through them quicker. Somehow the canopy effect of tree-lined streets slows traffic.” Burden can’t eliminate road rage. But for some drivers, riders and pedestrians across the country, he can create road repose.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
In January, Jim Rogers, a cyclist well known in Nevada County, California was killed in a crash with a motorist who was reportedly on her cell phone at the time. This tragedy has inspired four Nevada County residents, including the wife of Rogers, to launch a grassroots organization and campaign called Bicyclists Against Distracted Driving, BADD. The group is taking advantage of the Tour of California to increase awareness of the dangers of distracted driving by distributing stickers, designed to fit on back of a cell phone, to remind drivers to put the phones away before they drive. They have already given away several thousand stickers. The names on the stickers will change depending on the cyclist being honored, according to Rene McGillicuddy, one of BADD’s founders, who spoke to me earlier this week.
Image from BADD, via theunion.com
BADD’s effort is an excellent example of bicyclists working to promote alert driving. However, they have aspirations beyond their awareness campaign. McGillicuddy testified in front of the California Assembly in favor of greater penalties for drivers found guilty of driving while distracted. California currently bans handheld cell phone use and text messaging while driving, and bans all cell phone use for drivers under 18 and school bus drivers. McGillicuddy has been working with the California Bicycle Coalition to strengthen California Assembly Bill 1951, which would amend the penalties for injury-causing vehicle crashes.
McGillicuddy said that we can expect distracted driving to continue to get worse until we take strong steps to curb it. BADD is working on two critical areas: awareness and legislation. We wish them all the best and look forward to supporting their efforts.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
The League, along with its partners in the America Bikes Coalition, would like to thank Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Lieberman (I-CT) on the introduction of the American Power Act. We are excited that they have included policy necessary to lay the foundation to make significant advances in addressing the impact of transportation on our climate, energy dependence and mobility. Riding bikes means cleaner air, and the more infrastructure available for bicyclists – the more people will ride!
We support the policy reforms included in the bill because they direct states and regions to spend federal transportation dollars received from the climate bill to build sustainable transportation solutions. The three avenues for funding – Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, (see how Tiger Grants fund bicycling ) the Transportation Efficiency grants, and the Highway Trust Fund with a green screen – give state and local governments several options to invest in low- and no-carbon transportation.
Once again, we thank you for your leadership on the American Power Act and the important policy
gains toward sustainable transportation. We urge you to increase the revenue returning to the
transportation sector, and index that investment to the price of carbon. Click here to read more.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
To coincide with Bike to Work Week, the League of American Bicyclists is excited to announce our third annual Bicycle Friendly State (BFS) rankings. “We are delighted to report that states, and statewide bicycle advocates, are using this program to target legislative changes, adopt new policies and even start new advocacy groups in order to improve conditions for cyclists,” said Andy Clarke, League President. “Change at the state level is harder to see than in a community or business, but is no less important – and we are seeing real progress.”
At the top of the list are:
1. Washington
2. Wisconsin
3. Maine
4. Minnesota
5. Oregon
“Being recognized as a leader for three years in a row reflects the strong partnerships that have been forged over the years, as well as the smart investments that have been made at the local, regional and state level,” said Kathleen Davis, Director, WSDOT Highways & Local Programs Division. “In Washington, bicycling plays an important role in our overall transportation system, giving people choices for commuting and recreation.” This marks the third year in a row that Washington has finished first in the ranking, and the second year Alabama has come in last.
The lowest scoring states ranked 46 through 50 are:
46. New Mexico
47. West Virginia
48. Montana
49. North Dakota
50. Alabama
Tennessee is one of the states that greatly improved its ranking – they jumped 19 spots in one year! The state moved to 24th place this year from their 43rd ranking in 2009. “The improvement in Tennessee’s ranking is due in large part to the better collaboration among TDOT, regional and municipal planners, legislators, advocates, and sharing of information across the state,” said Tom Evans, Founder and Secretary/Treasurer of Bike Walk Tennessee.
The League also is announcing the second round of Bicycle Friendly State awards, modeled after the successful Bicycle Friendly Community designation program. Four new states have been awarded the special designation, and two states received an honorable mention – Oregon (Silver), Delaware (Bronze), New Jersey (Bronze), Massachusetts (Honorable Mention), Florida (Honorable Mention) and Maryland (Honorable Mention).
The BFS program links the League’s work with federal level and community advocacy throughout the nation and recognizes states that actively support bicycling. The state rankings were first conducted in 2008 and are conducted annually, with all questions and methodology remaining consistent to track states’ progress. The BFS rankings are based on a 95-item questionnaire that evaluates a state’s commitment to bicycling and covers six key areas: legislation, policies and programs, infrastructure, education and encouragement, evaluation and planning, and enforcement.
To learn more about the League’s Bicycle Friendly State program, view the 2010 BFS Ranking List, and to see breakdown of how each state fared in the six ranking categories, visit bicyclefriendlystate.org.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
Google is taking votes for their upcoming Google image. In the spirit of Bike to Work Week, vote now and put bikes, wind-power, composting and recycling on their homepage! The artist? A nine year-old girl from Rutland, Vermont.
~Alison Dewey
League Bicycle Friendly America Program Specialist
As we pointed out in our report, The Economic Benefits of Bicycle Infrastructure Investments, studies have shown that real estate property values increase with proximity to bicycle paths. People enjoy living close to bike paths and are willing to pay more for an otherwise comparable house to be closer to one. For example homes within a half mile of the Manon Trail in Indianapolis, Indiana, sell for 14 percent more than comparable houses farther away from the trail.
Photos from LA Times
In recognition of National Bike Month, the Los Angeles Times Business Section published an article this weekend that shows that the value of bicycle paths is not lost on those covering real estate. In an article with the helpful headline “On the Market: Homes Near Bike Paths,” they feature six properties for sale located near close to bicycle facilities. A brief description next to each photo mentions which bicycle path or trails is nearby the property. The values range from just over $300,000 to 1.3 million, which I believe in California, qualifies as something for everyone.
Click on the article to imagine yourself in one of the featured homes-near-paths.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Happy bike to work week, everybody. Here are two videos to get you inspired. Neither has much audio to speak of, so I suggest you hum your favorite tune while watching the fabulous sight of thousands of happy cyclists heading to work.
This one is of a typical bicycle rush hour in Utrecht, Netherlands. All very orderly and relaxing-looking.
This one, from Copenhagen, has even more bike commuters, if you can believe it. You’ll notice in the first few seconds, a woman got off her bike to take a phone call. True courtesy.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Bike to Work Week begins this Monday, May 17 and carries through to Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 21. Are you ready to ride and encourage others to do the same? “National Bike Month is the country’s opportunity to ride the momentum of Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s support,” said League President Andy Clarke. “Show the nation that bike commuting can and will positively affect your community.”
If this is your first time riding to work, no problem! We have several tips on our web Site, Google Maps has bicycling directions (even mobile ones), and there are events for you to participate in around the country. You’ll quickly discover that biking to work is fun and a great way to clear your head to and from work – in addition to trimming your waistline, saving money on gas and lessening your carbon footprint. Who knows? You might even get to work faster with biking than you ever did by train or car. Check out NBC’s Today Show’s experiment to see which way is quicker in New York City.
Happy Bike to Work Week!
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
May is National Bike Month; and in that spirit, we encourage you to support and maybe even join a bicycle club in your area! If you’re not involved in a club – or perhaps there isn’t one in your area – we have a great new manual that will help you and your bike-loving friends get underway with the organization and planning process. The manual explains how to start a new club, as well as how to manage your existing club more effectively.
Contents include:
Selecting Officers
Developing By-Laws
Obtaining Federal Identification Number & Non-Profit Status
Liability Issues
Club Meetings
Membership & Retention Strategies
Fundraising
Communications
Organizing Rides & Volunteers
If you’re more interested in starting a bicycle advocacy organization, go here for useful tips on how to get started.
Earlier today we recommended you use Google Maps for bicycling directions during Bike Month, and now it’s even easier! Just this afternoon, Google announced an application for Droid mobile phones for bike directions and more! This is the perfect tool when you are bicycling around town from one location to the next. Simply download or upgraded this app on your mobile phone, and your commuting routes will be a breeze!
With Google Maps 4.2 for Android you can now get biking directions on the go, start Navigation from your Home screen, share places with friends, and more.
Biking directions
Since launching biking directions on desktop Google Maps, we’ve wanted to get you biking directions, lanes, and trails on your phone too. Just in time for National Bike Month, select the bike icon when getting directions to get an optimal bicycling route in the U.S. If you’re in the mood for a more scenic ride, you’ll also see the Bicycling layer on the map which shows dedicated bike-only trails (dark green), roads with bike lanes (light green), or roads that are good for biking but lack a dedicated lane (dashed green). You can always turn on this layer from the Layers menu to pick your own route. Add in the Labs’ Terrain layer, and you can decide to either climb or avoid that big hill on the way home!
Now there is no excuse (if you have a Droid mobile phone) that you can’t bike there because you don’t know the way. I have a Droid and already downloaded the free upgrade for bicycling directions. I can’t wait to get lost on my bike, pull over, and Google map my bike route. Very cool!
Courtesy of Google
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
May is Bike Month, and now is the time to get in shape, be a better employee, help the Earth and have fun commuting to work and/or school and back! If this is your first time biking to work you might be wondering what is the best route to your job. If that’s the case, Google incorporated bicycling directions into Google Maps, to eliminate any apprehension about the easiest route.
This new feature, announced this March at our National Bike Summit, includes: step-by-step bicycling directions; bike trails outlined directly on the map; and a new “Bicycling” layer that indicates bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly roads. The directions feature provides step-by-step, bike-specific routing suggestions – similar to the directions provided by our driving, walking, or public transit modes. Simply enter a start point and destination and select “Bicycling” from the drop-down menu. You will receive a route that is optimized for cycling, taking advantage of bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly streets and avoiding hilly terrain whenever possible. Get your bike directions here!
Additionally, catch up on your bike safety tips if you are a new or returning rider, and look for events in your area. Also, friend us on Facebook and click on our Bike Month event page. Make the commitment and share your stories with other Bike Month commuters. Happy Bike Month!
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
As a rule of thumb, if you read this blog, we love you and want to make you happy. But this post is aimed specifically at bicycling advocates and people working to direct funding to bicycle and pedestrian projects. It’s a little more technical than your average blog post, so bear with me. The federal funding process and this thing called rescissions have vexed advocates for years. We’ve tried to explain the process and advise advocates on how to insure that state DOTs spend eligible funds on bike/ped projects with our new report, Rescissions and Restoration: fighting for priority.
Rescissions are essentially a bookkeeping measure when properly administered. They allow the USDOT to recoup unspent funds from state DOTs. However, some state DOTs have turned them into an opportunity to gut neglected bicycle and pedestrian funding sources in order to preserve favored programs. (Read page five of the full report to see what was rescinded in your state.)
Let’s dive right in. It is important for advocates to understand how much money is available in funding programs like Enhancements and CMAQ so they can help bicycle and pedestrian projects compete. Unfortunately it is complex.
Source: National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse / www.enhancements.org. Click for larger version in the report, page 3.
There are two things that limit the money available in a program: apportionment and obligation authority.
Apportionment is the amount annually allotted to each spending program based on the transportation authorization bill and annual appropriations approved by Congress.
Obligation Authority is a limit on total spending by a state in a given year across all programs. Because Congress doesn’t have enough money to fully fund all apportionments, they limit the total amount that a state can spend. This is the actual maximum that can be spent overall; it is not program specific.
This is where the trouble begins. This means that the balance for many programs keeps growing and states will never have enough obligation authority to spend the balances in all their programs (see Figure 1 above) Ideally the obligation authority should be spread proportionately among programs, but this never happens. States favor some programs over others and the programs that provide greatest opportunity for bicycle and pedestrian projects often get the least priority for obligation authority.
Rescissions simply take away portions of unused program balances. When rescissions are reversed those balances are restored. This is good news but advocates still need to help critical programs compete for obligation authority.
In September 2009, Congress rescinded, or cancelled, $8.7 billion worth of unspent transportation funds from State DOTs. In March 2010, the HIRE Act restored those funds. Bicycling and walking advocates should strongly encourage Departments of Transportation to make bicycling and walking projects a priority and quickly spend the restored funding.
Confusing, right? That’s ok. The important thing to know right now is that some rescissions have been restored. And we need to make sure that DOTs spend the restored funds.
The rescissions unfairly targeted bicycle and pedestrian programs. The funds have been restored to the programs from which they were rescinded. Now DOTs should prioritize these programs and use them to implement bicycle and pedestrian projects.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
I just rode up to Capitol Hill from the office – we are near the White House and usually I am headed for the House side and choose to ride up the service road on the Mall by the Smithsonian buildings. But today I was headed for the Senate side and decided that heading straight up Pennsylvania Avenue was the best bet. Plus, I wanted to see if the promised bike lanes were in fact being implemented in time for Bike to Work Day in a couple of weeks.
Photo: Andy Clarke
They are! The bike lanes are going in – on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Of course, there are some detractors. AAA Mid-Atlantic has come out and said they’ll bring the city to a grinding halt…although a quick look at Pennsylvania Avenue today suggests that tour buses and taxis are doing an excellent job already of bunging up the travel lanes as well as the parking lanes, and that despite the construction zone extending beyond the width of the eventual bike lanes themselves, the street seems to be working just fine.
Indeed, evidence from city after city in this country and the rest of the world suggests that
a) AAA Mid-Atlantic’s favored approach of adding more and more lanes ad infinitum hasn’t worked for 50 years (all it’s done is get even more people stuck in the same traffic jams) and probably isn’t going to start working today all of sudden
b) Putting in better bike infrastructure really does generate more bike traffic and either reduce or slow the increase in car traffic – look at Portland over the last 15 years, New York City in the last two as classic examples
c) When travel lanes or capacity is reduced, traffic goes away. People find other ways or other modes; or they don’t make the trip. Happens every time a bridge goes out, or a major construction project blocks off a major artery – people adapt.
d) And by even AAA Mid-Atlantic’s survey indications, a lot of people will adapt by going by bike. That’s a good thing. That’ll reduce congestion; make more room for delivery vehicles and tourist buses and taxis.
The reaction of AAA Mid-Atlantic is unfortunate, if not utterly predictable. And maybe it’s good that after years of really not having to worry about bikes because we weren’t making much inroad (sic) into their territory…maybe now they are getting a little flustered with such an iconic and visible street as Pennsylvania Avenue having bike lanes. We are starting to succeed and make a difference.
What AAA Mid-Atlantic and others fail to see is that we’re not proposing a zero-sum game. We’re not trying to do away with cars, nor are we anti-car. Cars will have a critical role to play in our transportation system into the forseeable future…but not as the ONLY means of getting around, and not as the ONLY, exclusive user of the public realm to the detriment of almost everything else – clear air, health, climate, safety, energy etc. Great cities and great streets have choice. They enjoy and celebrate diversity. They feature PEOPLE not traffic. They have balance. Altering the balance of traffic on Pennsylvania Ave won’t choke it or bring it to a halt – it will bring it to life. And the nation’s real Main Street (not the ghastly DC Beltway, as AAA Mid-Atlantic would have you believe it is) deserves to be brought to life again.
UPDATE:
A quick update on the Pennsylvania Ave. bike lane story. We didn’t clarify that it was AAA’s mid-Atlantic chapter and spokespeople that came out in opposition to the new bike lanes on Pennsylvania Ave. (corrected above,) and evidently the National Headquarters of AAA is not too happy about taking the rap for their mid-Atlantic chapter…so sorry to the national AAA folks, who just this week issued a great story about sharing the road and are meeting with us in a few days to discuss potential things we can do together.
Another of AAA’s local chapters also came under some scrutiny this week for an article about sharing the road that was generally very good and supportive, with good quotes from AAA and cyclists…but included four bullets of advice that were totally off the mark. AAA is a big, very decentralized group – but with tens of millions of members, it is also very influential, and has a huge impact on cyclists. So, we’re looking forward to the dialog beginning later this month.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Bicycle and pedestrian program managers are common in U.S. cities and, along with other transportation planners and bicycling advocates, are a critical part of creating a bicycle-friendly community. Staff help communities plan for and respond to the needs of cyclists and pedestrians.
Why Communities and States Need Bicycle and Pedestrian Staff, an Advocacy Advance Report released today, analyses 40 of the largest U.S. cities and shows that cities with bicycle and pedestrian staff have higher levels of bicycling than the cities without staff. Cities with larger staff – both in count and per capita – have higher levels of bicycling than cities with smaller staffs.
The Alliance for Bicycling & Walking surveyed the 50 largest U.S. cities to find how many bicycle and pedestrian staff they employed. Of the forty cities that responded, only two do not have any staff dedicated to bicycle and pedestrian issues. More than half of the responding cities have one or two staff spending at least part of their time on them. A quarter of the cities have more than four staff working on bike and pedestrian issues.
What impact do bicycle and pedestrian staff have on bicycling levels? The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey measures the percentage of workers who use the bicycle as their primary mode of transportation to work. Comparing staffing levels to the commuter data shows that larger bicycle and pedestrian staffs are correlated with higher bike commuter levels. The cities without bike staff had the lowest average bike commuter share.
As the size of a city’s staff increases the average bike commuter share also increases. Cities with more than four staff averaged a ten times greater share of bicycle commuters than cities without staff – 2.1 percent compared to 0.2 percent. The cities with more than four staff had more than three times the average bike commuter share of cities with four or fewer – and double that of cities with three to four staff. This shows that cities that make a serious commitment to bicycle planning see a greater return on investment than cities with fewer staff. The same trend exists when using the number of staff per million residents. The ten cities with six or more staff per million people had an average bike commuter share of 2.4 percent, more than four times the average for cities with one or fewer staff members.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Despite the Hatfield & McCoy-esque rivalry that developed during cyclocross races and our annual commuter challenge, the League is quite fond of IMBA staff and their terrific work. Throughout the past few years we’ve worked closer together at our own National Bike Summit, and with their help have integrated more recreational and off-road riding questions into our Bicycle Friendly America program applications. We’ll be joining them May 5-8 at the IMBA World Summit in Augusta, GA. We’ll share success stories about great mountain biking and recreational riding has helped earn Bicycle Friendly Community designation, and hear first hand from local mountain bike advocates who have used our program to improve bicycling opportunities within their communities.
Jeff Peel State and Local Advocacy Coordinator
Peel joined the League in March 2008 as a Program Specialist for the Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Peel has a BA in American Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi.
If you are as stoked as we are, tell people about National Bike Month on your blog or website with these banners and images.
We’re thrilled to see that our friend WashCycle already has a logo on his page.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Bill Edwards — a racer, coach, educator and friend to many cyclists — passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. Bill was instrumental in creating the Cycling Skills Group program that the League provides in partnership with the National MS Society and the American Diabetes Association.
Bill coached some great riders and made many friends in the industry. Racer Chris Carmichael sent the following in tribute to Bill.
When I retired from racing and was making the transition into coaching, Bill Edwards was superb guide. An engineer by training, he was calm, consistent, and quietly confident. I, on the other hand, was young, aggressive, and impatient. I didn’t think a whole lot of coaches in the US at the time; in the early 1990s there were very few coaches, and even fewer who had any kind of racing experience. But Bill was different and his commitment to the athletes he worked with was very impressive. He was a cycling coach before it was popular; he was a man ahead of his time. Where there are more than 1400 licensed USA Cycling Coaches now, back in the early 90s they could all fit in one room, and a small one at that. Into this environment I strutted, fresh from a professional racing career and feeling invincible. I craved action and wanted results fast, but Bill helped me understand the process of developing athletes and how to be more patient while they learned and grew stronger. I’m still aggressive and pretty impatient, but I’m far wiser for having been mentored by Bill.
Perhaps the most important lesson Bill Edwards taught me, and the lesson we should all carry forward, is that coaching athletes is about far more than improving their performance in competition. It’s about developing honorable men and women, guiding young people to value hard work, honesty, and perseverance. As a coach – especially working as a development coach – you have to realize that only a handful of the athletes you work with will ever make a career out of sport, but with every single one you have the opportunity to be a positive force in his or her life. More than the opportunity, you have the responsibility to have a positive impact on their character. Throughout his career, Bill was a steady, consistent mentor to athletes and coaches, including me. He trained some great athletes, but the full impact of his life and career extend far beyond his coaching resume. Bill Edwards played a big role in the development of coaching into a respected profession, and everyone of us who has the privilege of being a professional coach should be grateful for Bill’s work. More than athletes, Bill trained great people, some who are still involved in US Cycling and many who have moved on to be successful in other areas.
I will miss my old friend. I will miss having him as a sounding board, because even though I’ve been a coach for more than 20 years now, you’re never too old or too experienced to benefit from the sage wisdom of a great mentor.
- Chris Carmichael
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