Archive for June, 2010

The Washington Post has a feature today on Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The article highlights LaHood work to limit distracted driving (also see our policy report,) mentions his weekend bikes rides with his wife, and contains this passage about his policy statement on bicycling and walking:

LaHood created heartburn for highway advocates — and caused bicyclists to nearly swoon — when he blogged: “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”

The National Association of Manufacturers fired back that the policy was “dumb . . . irresponsible” and “nonsensical for a modern industrial nation.”

Unfazed by the criticism, including the suggestion from a former GOP colleague in the House that he was on drugs, LaHood climbed onto a table at a convention of cyclists to reiterate his support for treating “walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.”

By ‘convention’ they mean the National Bike Summit. Close enough. See video of the table top speech here.

Secretary LaHood’s table top speech at the National Bike Summit. (Photo by Jeffrey Martin)

I am currently researching ways that bicycling advocacy groups can organize to get strong bicycling language into the Climate Action Plans of states, cities, and universities to reduce Green House Gas emissions (suggestions/expertise welcome). So it was timely that I was just sent a blog post by Steven Miller of Boston’s LivableStreets Alliance on the topic of environmentally friendly transportation planning.

Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) launched an initiative called GreenDOT to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; promote the healthy transportation options of walking, bicycling, and public transit; and support smart growth development. Among other things that package of efforts reaffirms the MassDOT Complete Streets policy.

Stephen wonders, though, how the state’s tight budget will affect GreenDOT ability to realize its ambitious goal of reducing GHG emissions by 2 million tons by 2020. He offers five low-cost steps for MassDOT to consider:

• Analyze all current and pending projects for their contribution to achievement of the three goals; stop or scale back those with a negative impact.
• Revamp membership and procedures of the MPOs so that funding decisions are shaped by the three goals.
• Build-in more public oversight and muscle to keep the government on track.
• Move Beyond the “Highway Design Guide’s” Flexibility To Require Prioritization of Environmental, Walking, Bicycling, and Transit Facilities.
• Refocus on Small, Local Projects and Programs To Continue Progress Despite the Continuing Fiscal Constraints.

Sounds like a good start. For more on these recommendations, read the whole post.

From Alison Dewey’s June 25, Velo-City journal entry:

The conference wrap up was this afternoon, and so I have a few minutes to reflect on the morning events before filling my last few hours in Copenhagen. We heard Jan Gehl, a Danish urban planner and for a few years the head of the Department of Urban Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He started his presentation by reminiscing of his 45th wedding anniversary. For their celebration, he and his wife rode their bikes to dine at a restaurant in downtown Copenhagen, rode through the waterfront area and then returned home – a round trip of nearly 20km. Their combined age is 136 years. He joked about his mother-in-law, who cycled until she was 86 years of age, after that she walked her bike rather than a walker. She said it was much more attractive to walk her bike than any other old-person’s walking contraption. Now that is something! Both stories give you a wonderful glimpse into how ingrained bicycling is in Copenhagen. It is a place where elders and the elderly can cycle safely and comfortably.

Gehl than produced photo upon photo of the many faces, facilities, open spaces, and public transport options in Copenhagen as a case study. He compared it to Melbourne, Australia, which has also been making great strides for bicycling in the past few years and continues to make progress. Sydney, on the other hand, has a new comprehensive transportation plan that is dominated by a bicycle network. It has been adopted but not yet implemented, but change will come quickly to this southern hemisphere city once the plan gets put to use.

As the conference comes to a close, I begin to reflect on the past few days as a whole. Experiencing is believing. Velo-City Global 2010 has been a magnificent arrangement of inspirations, from the speakers, the location, the case studies, to the examples. It has all been recharging, a reaffirmation of our work at the League. If only we could have our city leaders and federal decision makers experience Copenhagen. Truly they would not be able to turn their backs on what great benefits bicycling, walking, and open space has on a community if they could experience it for themselves. But until they are convinced, our work continues. One day we as a nation will reach a 37 percent mode share for bicyclists, as is here in Copenhagen. We will all be able to look back, know that we contributed, and continue to strive for better conditions for bicycles.

Velo-City will be in Seville, Spain next year, and Velo-City Global will follow in 2012 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Hope to see you there!

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

Dewey joined the League in 2008. For four years prior to that, Dewey worked for Massachusetts- based Landry’s Bicycles and served on the board of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. Dewey has a MA in International Relations and Communications from Boston University and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.

Another sunny beautiful day here in Copenhagen, we couldn’t be asking for better weather.  All three days at the Velo-City Global conference have been perfect conditions – sunny, blue sky, light breeze, and in the upper 60’s. We are so far north here that the sun lasts until about 10:30 p.m. and comes up around 4:30am.  So there is plenty of time to see the hustle and bustle of the city before and after the conference.

A highlight of the day was going through one of Copenhagen’s two bike counters. More important to me than another stamp in my passport  was becoming a number in the Denmark bicycling community.  I wanted to pass by one of the bike counters and leave my permanent mark here in Copenhagen.  Although just a number, I feel like I am now an official part of the city. Forever remembered in the nearly 2 million bicyclists counted by Copenhagen to this date.

Executive Director of the Canadian organization 8-80, Gil Penalosa, offered an inspiring presentation today in the morning session. He called on advocates, planners and decision makers to be doers. “We need solutions to the problem, not problems to the solution.”  A passionate man and excellent public speaker, he encouraged the audience to follow the “Ready, aim, fire” mantra rather than “Ready, aim, aim, aim, aim…”   since often times we are caught over-thinking our issues rather than just getting it done.

There was a Meet the Danes, speed-dating-esque session where conference participants heard a short elevator speech from various people of Denmark in an open floor session. I learned from Lotte Ruby that the Danish Cyclist Federation has a program similar to the League’s Bicycle Friendly Business program.  The Danes also recognize the value in encouraging businesses to promote a more bicycle friendly atmosphere for their employees and have seen an explosion of interest in the program. We traded success stories and shared some of the challenges we both faced.

To end the day, all 850 conference attendees participated in a Bike Parade throughout the city. There was a solar powered bike stereo to accompany the crowd blasting Danish pop music as we rode through the city.  Along with the mobile DJ, there were orchestras on (cargo) bikes, bicycle messengers, kids on bikes, pensioners on bikes (retirees), Long Johns (a type of cargo bike), other cargos, unicycles, trailer bikes, and more.  Many of us wore “I BIKE CPH” t-shirts.  We would have blended right in with the rush hour traffic had there not been so many of us.  Instead we brought Copenhagen to a halt – autos, bicyclists, and pedestrians all stopped to wonder what was happening.  The parade was sponsored by the city so a police escort was along for the ride and we were actually legal. It was a sight to see!

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

Dewey joined the League in 2008. For four years prior to that, Dewey worked for Massachusetts- based Landry’s Bicycles and served on the board of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. Dewey has a MA in International Relations and Communications from Boston University and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.

The topic of Complete Streets came up recently in some of the comments, suggesting that it is time we highlight it more. For background, as it says on the National Complete Streets Coalition website, “Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users.”

The hot story in Complete Streets today is in Michigan, and it comes with this gem of photos of an advocate giving testimony.

John Lindenmayer, the associate director of the League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB), wrote an article, cross-posted at the Complete Streets Coalition blog and the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s People Powered Blog, saying they want to move away from “local and statewide car-centric transportation policies focused on accommodating motorists alone and fail[ing] to address the needs of non-motorized roadway users – including pedestrians, bicyclists, older citizens and persons with disabilities.”

On LMB’s own blog, they quote a state legislator making this key point: “It doesn’t cost anything to think differently and to plan differently.”

UPDATE for those interested in the legislative process: according to the Michigan Complete Streets Coalition, the Michigan House Transportation Committee has voted two Complete Streets bills out of committee.

One of the overall themes from yesterday at Velo-City Global was that bicycling is about people. “I don’t give a sh*t about bikes. I care about people on bikes,” was how Mikael Coleville-Anderson, filmmaker, photographer and urban mobility specialist, put it. The idea that we should be planning our cities around its people rather than its cars has somehow escaped us Americans for the past decades. Where did we lose track of this idea? When presented, it sounds so obvious but in reality we have continued to take and take and take space away from people – walking people, conversing people, bike-riding people – and given it to the cars. We have given it away to single occupancy loneliness; we have separated crowds by steel and have stolen the chance for citizens to really experience their community.

Lake Sagaris, president of Ciudad Viva in Santiago, Chile, spoke a similar tone in her presentation. There are so many faces to the world, yet segregating ourselves by an automobile takes the personality out of a community. Bicycling is not only about connecting locations but it is also about connecting people in communities. It is about growing an identity and giving people faces for which to see and respond. Sagaris’s people-packed photos were a reminder that people need people. We need that chance encounter on a sidewalk or on a bike-path where we can stop, talk, and connect.

Cities need to again consider its people when planning how to move them, consider their health, consider the air they are breathing, consider their ability to connect to their neighbors, and consider their quality of life. Bicycles are a solution to all of these issues and more, and it really is about the people. Bikes would be nothing without people to propel them.

Resources

Check out Copenhagenize’s most recent blog about Copenhagen’s bicycle superhighways.

Read SF Streetsblog to see what lessons they are taking home to the States.

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

Dewey joined the League in 2008. For four years prior to that, Dewey worked for Massachusetts- based Landry’s Bicycles and served on the board of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. Dewey has a MA in International Relations and Communications from Boston University and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.

As readers of this blog know well, in March, US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and US Department of Transportation released an outstanding policy statement saying that “walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use.” The statement made quite an impression on bicycling advocates. And now we’re working on seeing that state Departments of Transportation follow through on that vision.

The statement encouraged states, local governments, professional associations, community organizations, public transportation agencies, and other government agencies, to adopt similar policy statements on bicycle and pedestrian accommodation.

In June, America Bikes, Transportation for America, and the Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership, personally thanked the Secretary for his commitment to active modes of transportation. But even more importantly, localities across the country are speaking up in support of the statement. Thanks to the advocacy group BikeWalkLee, the Municipal Planning Organization (MPO) of Lee County Florida passed a resolution endorsing the policy (here’s how they did it). Because of the effort of a city staffer, the Mayor of Tupelo, Mississippi signed a proclamation in support of the policy statement. Tupelo was even recognized on Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood’s blog.

We – the Advocacy Advance Team – would like to see even more local support. If you want to get involved you can work with your local advocacy groups to ask your local transportation agency to release statements like the the US DOTs that confirm that bicycling and walking are agency priorities and ask your local government to speak out in support for the statement. Please let us know (darren at bikeleague dot org) about any additional successes you have.

The Velo-City Global U.S. Delegation got a chance to visit the U.S. Ambassador Laurie S. Fulton. She took a moment to discuss the conference with Denmark’s Bicycle Ambassador Mikael Colville-Andersen (copenhagenize.com) and League president Andy Clarke (right).

Watch her greet the whole group via the Embassy’s YouTube Channel.

Here I am, Velo-City Global – Copenhagen, the city of bikes. Even at the airport, the depot for planes, taxis, and travelers, you get a sense of how in-grained bicycles are in the culture of Denmark. There are ads for various products and services featuring bikes all over the airport; the promotions for the city wouldn’t be accurate without featuring the high density of bicycles. It is wonderful and inspiring.

I arrived to the conference sight by train, bikes are welcome on the train at any time of the day. I, however, did not travel with my bike. Instead I will be using one of the many of bikes offered through the conference. Surprisingly, this is the first bike conference, of this magnitude, I have attended that actually provides bikes for the participants.  My registration packet even included the ticket for my conference bike. “Take your first left, cross two alleys and then turn left again; the warehouse with the bikes will be on your left,” said nice man at registration. Terrific!

The conference is being hosted in the old meat-packing district of Copenhagen, which means we are congregated in an immense open venue with exposed support beams, high ceilings, high windows, tall white-painted walls, surrounded by cobblestone streets (which is much of Copenhagen), and located in a maze of buildings . It all makes you feel so small but at the same time, I know I am part of something very BIG. Some of the meat-packing district is still used for pick-ups and delivery of goods, so finding the correct building that housed the hundreds of conference loaner bikes was a bit of an obstacle course around delivery trucks.

I found it finally and entered another beautifully renovated warehouse. Inside was a sea of bikes, people cruising around on bikes, mechanics by worktables working on bikes, lines of cargo bikes, and a small stand of reflectors and lights to purchase. On the far side was a woman with a laptop, registering and sending each participant on their way. The bikes were, to my standards, clunkers. They were recycled or recovered bikes from the city – which in itself was quite amazing. I couldn’t believe the city had recovered hundreds of working bikes, enough to provide for a conference of 850 participants. There were single speeds, 3-speed cruisers, and multi-speeds. Most all of them had the essential commuting features: a rack, basket, kickstand, chainguard, integrated lock, and bell. I set out to find my ride for the next five days.

I listened to the instructions – choose a bike, test ride to make sure it works, take it to a mechanic if it needs adjustments and then check out with the woman with the laptop. Simple enough. I was drawn to a yellow, up-right 3-speed cruiser, containing all of the commuting essentials, of course. It was quite rusty and even had a few cobwebs still on it but I liked it, and it fit perfect. The only thing I needed from the mechanic was a little WD40 to help free the rusted lock on the back wheel. I was off and free to experience Copenhagen by bike. What a beautiful and inspiring way to start a conference.

I have not seen a car parking garage nor have I seen anyone arriving to the conference by car. Instead, the atmosphere is reminiscent of my college campus, which was mostly closed to cars so that everyone had to arrive to class by foot or by bike. Arriving to the opening session of Velo-City Global you walk through another sea of bikes – rows and rows of bikes to the left and right of you.

Copenhagen and this conference visually remind me what we at the League are working towards, why we are here in Copenhagen, why we are a sponsor of this conference, and what great effects a bicycle can have. Stay tuned for more adventures from the seat of my rusty yellow bike in Copenhagen; there is much more to come!

Other resources:

Check out Copenhagenize – Denmark’s Bicycle Ambassador Mikael Colville-Andersen’s blog. He, too, is covering the conference, and posted a picture of the League’s State and Local Advocacy Coordinator Jeff Peel biking around Copenhagen.

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

Dewey joined the League in 2008. For four years prior to that, Dewey worked for Massachusetts- based Landry’s Bicycles and served on the board of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. Dewey has a MA in International Relations and Communications from Boston University and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.

On a day that the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a joint notice of funding availability to stream the funding process for projects that combine residential and transportation components,  leaders from the District of Columbia, the US Congress and the Secretary of Transportation came to together to mark the official opening of the bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Although it has been a bumpy road to get to this point, the lanes are a fantastic symbol that bicycling is a integral component of our transportation system. This is America’s Main Street — and now bicyclists have been welcomed.

Click here to view the event’s photo gallery.

UPDATE: check out more coverage at BikePortland and the Secretary’s Fast Lane Blog.

UPDATE:  It was a great event — if you missed it, or want to hear more, you can read about it and listen to excerpts at the Examiner.com or listen to David’s July 1 interview with NPR’s On Point.  The Examiner post includes a link to this YouTube video featuring photos of Frank Lenz and audio of David discussing the book.

– Original Post –

Calling all D.C. Metro bicycle enthusiasts! The League and Revolution Cycles are hosting The Lost Cyclist author David Herlihy for a reading and book signing event. Herlihy is one of cycling’s most revered researchers and author of the encyclopedic Bicycle: A History which definitively settled who invented the bicycle. His newest book follows Frank Lenz, a nineteenth-century bicycle adventurer, on his trip around the world – well, it follows him until his mysterious, unsolved disappearance. Look out for more about Herlihy and The Lost Cyclist in Amazon.com’s “June’s Best,” in the New York Times Review of Books, and on NPR.

Herlihy will be around to answer all of your historical bicycling questions, sign your books, and to tell you more about  Lenz and his adventures with a short reading. The League will provide the snacks and drinks (and books for purchase) — you just have to show up! The event is June 30, 2010 at Revolution Cycles in Arlington (2731 Wilson Boulevard). The reception starts at 6:30 p.m., and the reading will start at 7 p.m. Please join us! Revolution Cycles is easily accessible by bike or metro (Clarendon stop on the Orange line).

If you have questions about the event, the League or David Herlihy, e-mail Scott Williams or call 202-822-1333.

The League has arrived in Copenhagen for the Velo-City Global 2010 conference, and they will be documenting the trip via the Bike League Blog and Copenhagenize. We will also be updating our Flickr page with event and Copenhagen photos.

Here we have Mikael Colville Anderson leading a tour for Janette Sadik Khan (NYC), Randy Neufeld (SRAM), Jon Orcutt (NYC), Dani Simons (NYC), Jeff Peel and our own Andy Clarke taking the pictures.

Learning to ride a bicycle as a adult can be an adventure.  It forces you to step out of your comfort zone. When you are a kid everything is new. Learning to ride a bike is just one more new challenge. But as adults  we are to being in control, or at least to being well-practiced at what we do. Because the dynamics of teaching adults to ride can be different from teaching children, some organizations, like the Washington Area Bicycle Association and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, offer adult-only classes. Sometimes League Certified Instructors (LCI) give one-on-one lessons.

Every story of someone learning to ride a bike is different. Here’s one:

A young man in Milwaukee is planning a trip to Mexico to visit a girl over the Fourth of July weekend. She wants them to go on a bike ride together when he gets there. One problem: he doesn’t know how to ride. Duly motivated, the young man finds local instructor, Dave Schlabowske, using our LCI-finder. He emails Dave on Saturday and by noon on Sunday he’s in the middle of his first lesson.  Fortunately, Dave was careful to document the experience and tell the story on his blog. Enjoy.

A most lovely afternoon in Washington, DC…

The Seersucker Social from ReadysetDC on Vimeo.

Since I can’t help but make a policy connection here, wouldn’t it be nice if the Congressional Bike Caucus and the Senators behind the annual Seersucker Thursday would join forces. Think about it, guys.

The most remarkable thing to me about the latest status report on the National Bicycling and Walking Study (www.fastlane.dot.gov) is that it’s the 15-year update. Fifteen years? I remember like it was only yesterday sitting down with Bill Wilkinson and the folks in the office of then-Congressman Martin Sabo to suggest the study, and that was way back in 1990 – then it got funded, consultants were hired, and the report was finally delivered to Congress on National Bike to Work Day 1994. Surely it can’t be that long ago…

The 15-year update is really pretty positive. It captures many of the exciting new trends and initiatives that have helped increase use and improve safety, especially in the last two or three years. The report is rightfully optimistic about where these trends will take us – and with continued leadership of the Department of Transportation and Secretary LaHood, who knows what we can achieve together.

I must say, though, that there is something missing for me. The original study came at a time of similarly high expectations. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act was really kicking into gear and spending was increasing; states had newly-hired, enthusiastic bicycle and pedestrian coordinators;  the USDOT and FHWA themselves had newly appointed bicycle and pedestrian program managers; and after more than a decade of real neglect, bicycling and walking was starting to be taken seriously again at all levels of government. The case studies written as background to the overall report provided an invaluable snapshot of where bicycling and walking issues really were in the early 1990s.

The National Study itself had a very specific 69-point action plan for the Federal Government, as well as lengthy recommended action plans for state and local government. The five-year update reported on progress towards each of those 69 action items – and to be fair many of them had been completed. The 10-year update didn’t do a whole lot more than search and replace the dates and plug in some new crash and census data. So while the 15-year report references the new USDOT policy statement and documents the great success of the Safe Routes to School, Complete Streets and other programs…I’m still wondering where the action plan and leadership is for FHWA and NHTSA to capitalize on all this.

As the National Study came out in 1994 – hey, wasn’t there a World Cup going on then as well…right here in the USA? – Federal Highways and NHTSA embarked on a multi-year, multi-million dollar research program that resulted in crash analysis tools, level of service measures, training courses on the ISTEA planning process, a university-level design course for engineers, a bicycle safety research synthesis…all kinds of good stuff that helped move the ball forward. When TEA-21 was passed, FHWA came right out with detailed guidance on the new law and on what we now call complete streets.

That’s the kind of leadership we need anew at FHWA and NHTSA to really turn Secretary LaHood’s policy and support into concrete action. And in particular we need FHWA and NHTSA to demonstrate that kind of leadership to the State Department’s of Transportation because, if truth be told, a 15-year report on how state DOTs are doing in this realm would not make for such encouraging reading.

So, I am delighted to see that bicycle use and walking are up from 7.9 percent to 11.9 percent of trips and that fatalities involving the two modes are down 12 percent and 22 percent respectively since 1994 – and I am looking for the next milestone to be set; and this time with a deadline! We need to get to a 20 percent mode share by 2020 to really start to see the kinds of health, environmental, energy and traffic benefits we know we can all enjoy from getting more people out of their cars and onto their feet and their bikes.  That’s the target we’re looking for now.

In just a few days I will be departing for Copenhagen to attend Velo-City Global 2010 – what an opportunity! Andy Clarke, Jeff Peel and I will join the 870 participants from 54 countries to participate, learn and share experiences of bicycling in the 21^st century. We will take with us examples of the many different businesses, communities, organizations and people that are making the U.S. a better place to ride. Examples such as New Belgium Brewing Company’s Tour de Fat, which has raised more than $1 million for bicycle advocacy groups since 2000; Seattle Children’s Hospital which gave away 100 bikes outfitted with fenders, a rack, a lock and helmet in six weeks to employees that pledged to ride to work year round, a minimum of four days a week; and the non-profit bike reuse and repair shop Hub of Detroit that is thriving as the city rebuilds from collapse of its auto industry. These are great stories and ones that we share continuously through our Bicycle Friendly America program. They represent small victories happening throughout the U.S. to make communities more bicycle-friendly.

The conference will be a professional highlight of my year, learning first-hand what is happening in the bike capitol of the world and throughout other continents.  I will no doubt be envious of the 36 percent bicycle mode share Copenhagen boasts; however, I won’t be traveling there to focus on what we as cyclists don’t have. Rather, I will be celebrating what we do have – a growing amount of communities adopting a Complete Streets policy, the Bicycle Commuter Benefit for employees, the National Bike Summit, and statewide bike summits happening throughout the country, and the list goes on and on. The world’s bicycle leaders need to know that, while America has a lot to learn, Americans have a lot to offer. After nearly seven years in bike advocacy, I realize we have to appreciate the progress we have made. Our small victories are what will eventually get us to a 36 percent mode-share and beyond.

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

Dewey joined the League in 2008. For four years prior to that, Dewey worked for Massachusetts- based Landry’s Bicycles and served on the board of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. Dewey has a MA in International Relations and Communications from Boston University and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.

With a week until the start of Velo-City Global Conference organizers in Copenhagen released the final announcement of speakers and events. Regular blog readers know we’re quite fond of Copenhagen here. From my vacation last fall, Andy’s trip to the COP 15 Summit, and to Copenhagen’s Bicycle Coordinator Andreas Røhl’s presentation at the 2009 National Bike Summit, we’ve definitely done our share of highlighting the success of one of the world’s greatest bicycling cities. Now, we can’t claim to be the city’s biggest fan – our good friend Mikael at Copenhagenize.com definitely beats us hands down, which is why we’ll be partnering with him for some fun events during the Conference. Stay tuned to both our blog and his next week to follow the action.

The trip isn’t all fun – we’ll be working too. We’ll not only share League programs and our own home-grown cycling success stories, but also learning best practices in innovative designs, education and encouragement programs from colleagues around the globe. Part of my homework for the trip is to read the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Mobility in Europe. This report, part of the FHWA International Technology Scanning Program, looks at six successful European cycling cities, including Copenhagen. It presents programs and best practices that are working across all 5 E’s, some of which are currently being followed here in the US, while others are on their way. It’s a good read.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) has targeted the federal Safe Routes to School program established under the 2005 Federal Surface Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU) as wasteful government spending in his weekly “YouCut program”.

Each week representative Cantor asks people to vote for which of five options they would cut from the federal budget. Republicans then hold a floor vote in the House of Representatives to try to eliminate the program that gets the most votes.

This week, the federal Safe Routes to School program is one of Rep. Cantor’s targets. He argues that SRTS duplicates other bicycling and walking programs, and that bicycling and walking infrastructure is a local government responsibility. We need your help making sure that Members of Congress understand the value of Safe Routes to School and support it.

Safe Routes to School is a critical Federal program because, like education itself and like kids’ health and nutrition needs, the safety and well-being of getting our children to and from school is a national priority and has been dramatically overlooked by state Departments of Transportation for decades. The fact that the SRTS money is massively oversubscribed in every state makes it very clear there’s a need and that it won’t happen without Federal leadership

Are we seeing a preview of more attacks to come on bicycling and walking programs? We might be if Cantor thinks he can get away with it. Please take a few minutes to send a message to your Member of Congress to ask them to vote against any effort to cut Safe Routes to School.

Go here to make your voice heard: http://www.capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=15141271&type=TA

If Cantor is you representative, go here: http://www.capwiz.com/lab/callalert/index.tt?alertid=15140561&type=TA

Despite 11 Bicycle Friendly Communities, including Platinum level Boulder, not all Colorado towns are striving to become bike-friendly. Our member organization Bicycle Colorado alerted us to a bicycle ban in the town of Black Hawk:

Black Hawk’s Board of Aldermen is making it clear that they don’t want bicyclists or bicycle events in town. The Board approved an ordinance banning bicycle riding on almost every street in Black Hawk. This includes the only paved street (Gregory Street-formerly State Highway 279) connecting the Peak to Peak Highway with the Central City Parkway.

Black Hawk police are now issuing a ticket to anyone “caught riding” through town.

This isn’t the first time a bicycling ban has come up in Colorado. We’ll be working with our friends at Bicycle Colorado to challenge this one too, but we need your help! Visit Bicycle Colorado’s to stay abreast of the situation. Colorado residents, cross-state tourists and concerned cyclists can contact Black Hawk leaders at CityClerk@CityofBlackHawk.org or the town council at 303-582-2212. Ask Mayor David D. Spellman and Aldermen Linda Armbright, Paul G. Bennett, Diane Cales, Kathleen Doles, Tom Kerr and  Greg Moates to please restore bicycle access to Gregory Street and all Black Hawk streets. Let them know this ban is closing a major cross-state route to bicyclists preventing residents and tourists from biking.

I was lucky enough to join Andy Clarke, President, and Preston Tyree, Director of Education at the National Bike Rally in Albuquerque.  The riding was great, as was the opportunity to meet with many Bike League members.  The weather was unseasonably hot, climbing up into the triple digits by Sunday, but it didn’t keep people from doing the riding they’d come to do.

Highlights included:

• A Traffic Skills 101 course, followed by a LCI certification seminar, both led by rally organizing committee chair Craig Degenhart of BikeABQ.
• The warm welcome at the opening reception from Albuquerque councilman Isaac Benton and Chuck Malagodi, Bicycle Safety Program Manager for the city.
• The rides, laid out by the New Mexico Touring Society. On Friday, our group rode 40 miles down to Belen, where we were greeted by mayor Rudy Jaramillo before riding back to Albuquerque in our own Rail Runner train car.  The rides all showed off Albuquerque’s great Bicycle Boulevards and lovely off-road trails.  (Thanks to Chris Marsh for providing mechanical assistance on the Belen ride!)
• Being a part of the Albuquerque Century/Tour de Cure on Saturday.  More than a hundred riders rode in the Century ride, with plenty of riders in 65, 50, and 25-mile rides, along with a 10k ride.
• The Saturday night bike expo and banquet, which included a moving tribute to Gail Ryba, League of American Bicyclists’ volunteer of the year 2009 and “mother of New Mexico cycling advocacy,” who lost her struggle with cancer just weeks before the rally.  Lynette Chiang gave the keynote address; we’d seen her documentary Route 66 by Bicycle on Friday evening.
• While I was preparing to fly out on Sunday, a small group rode to the top of Sandia Crest.  Andy Clarke, fresh off his century on Saturday, was one of those who made the summit.

And most of all, meeting League members from around the country.  While most of the attendees came from around New Mexico, there were also representatives from Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Michigan, and even Australia.

Many thanks to Craig, Bike ABQ, The New Mexico Touring Society, the Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico, the American Diabetes Association and Albuquerque Century Tour de Cure, and everyone else involved in putting on this fabulous event.

We don’t always get a lot of national and international media coverage for local bike events, so I have to say it was a pretty amazing sight riding up Pennsylvania Avenue Monday morning and seeing a wall of media people wielding cameras, microphones, even some notepads…apparently in the median and across the bike lanes! The combination of European royal-watchers, sports reporters, and a couple of political hacks each headed for their respective targets (the Crown Prince of Denmark, Caron Butler, and Congressmen Oberstar and Petri respectively) as we rode up to the intersection at Freedom Plaza.

The Associated Press story that followed (and was picked up in a lot of places) included a rather unnecessary jibe about a passing motorist complaining that the event was holding up traffic as people were trying to get to work. That was pretty ironic given that we deliberately started the ride at 9:30am to avoid rush hour, stayed resolutely in the bike lanes (which are still within the temporary orange traffic cones) all the way up Pennsylvania Ave., and didn’t spill over into the travel lanes even when we stopped for the wall of media at 13th Street. In fact, the only people who might have been in the way of traffic were…the media. And we had specifically asked them to gather in Freedom Plaza and not in the middle of the street!

Besides, if you are still trying to get to work and it’s already 9:45am…I think you should be blaming your alarm clock, or the traffic you got stuck in on the Beltway or the illegally parked tour buses and taxis on Penn. Ave., rather than a couple of dozen people in the wide median of a six lane roadway!

Another miserable piece of journalism from the DriveOn blog at USA Today used the ride to regurgitate misinformation about the bike lanes from AAA Mid Atlantic and the always civic-minded D.C. cab driver corps who are irritated that the bike lanes will prevent them from making illegal and dangerous u-turns – or at least make them more difficult. The facts about the bike lanes are that with the proper enforcement of cabs and tour buses who currently illegally park, double-park, pick-up and discharge passengers along Pennsylvania Ave., there is no degradation of service to motorists using the reconfigured street. Of course, that doesn’t make such good copy as an imaginary “war on drivers” that the USA Today writer so enthusiastically perpetuates.

After we left Freedom Plaza, the ride around the Monumental Core of Washington DC was a real treat – the weather was perfect, and taking in the sites by bike was an ideal way to go.

Visit our Flickr page for more photos.

The surface transportation system in the United States is financed in large part by the gasoline tax, though for years the tax has been insufficient to cover the costs of the entire system. Still, the more fuel American drivers consume, the more money goes to the cost of maintaining and expanding our roads, tunnels and bridges, which will cost something in the neighborhood of $500 billion over the next six years. Consuming the same fuel that generates those funds contributes unsustainable levels of Green House Gasses (GHG) into the atmosphere – the transportation sector produces 31 percent of CO2 emissions and is responsible for 70 percent of our country’s oil use — and, as the recent oil spill shows us, can lead to environmental catastrophe. How do you control the carbon that finances the system?

This was the central question at the panel discussion, “Transportation Carbon Fees: Is Kerry-Lieberman the Answer?” hosted by at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Friday.  Moderated by the Endowment’s David Burwell and featuring Vicki Arroyo of the Georgetown Climate Center, the panel was notable because it included friendly but candid contributions from John Horsley, the executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO,) and Deron Lovaas, federal transportation policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC,) who was representing Transportation for America.

Here’s video from the event:

What’s in the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act?

As David Burwell explains in a Q & A on the Carnegie Endowment site, “the critical element of the legislation is that it puts a price on carbon and thus discourages carbon emissions, which cause global warming.”  Two-thirds of all revenues generated by carbon pricing would either be returned to consumers in various ways or help pay down the national debt. Section 1711 of the bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish GHG reduction goals, assess progress every 6 years, and improve transportation planning models. The transportation sector would receive funding split among the Highway Trust Fund, the TIGER grant program, and a new competitive grant program for state and local GHG reduction plans.

Pick your metaphor

AASHTO’s John Horsley said that he could not support the bill in its current form because it essentially taxed the transportation sector too much and returned too little. In an acknowledged (and exquisite) mixed metaphor, Horsley commented that transportation is being treated as the forgotten step-child, while revenue from the sector was considered a cash cow. If, however, all of the funds from the carbon fee in the transportation sector were returned to the sector the bill would have “no better friend” than AASHTO, Horsley said.

AASHTO is concerned that the carbon fee would “suck all the oxygen from the room” for a needed gas tax to make the Highway Trust Fund solvent. To which NRDC’s Lovaas replied, “There is no oxygen in the room.” Suggesting that the only thing less popular than incumbent elected-officials right now is a gas tax, Lovaas said, “we need a new product, because we’re not making a sale” on a gas tax.

In any event, Lovaas argued, every possible approach for addressing environmental and transportation needs ought to be taken seriously: “we don’t need a silver bullet; we need silver buckshot.”

Gulf spill game changer?

A refrain too often relevant in recent years has been not to let a good crisis go to waste.  Though no one was sure of the exact impact of the oil spill on the fate of the American Power Act, there was general agreement that it would highlight the need to address our oil addiction. To illustrate the scale of our current dependence on oil, Lovaas put it this way: every day Americans consume 1,000 times the amount of oil that is being pumped into the gulf.

This morning at around 9:45 a.m. an eclectic group of bicycle advocates rode together down Pennsylvania Avenue, to check out the new bike lanes, and down to the Lincoln memorial and back. The League hosted the ride with the Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik André Henrik Christian, the Ambassador of Denmark Friis Arne Petersen, and special guests including two-time NBA all-star Caron Butler, Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), and Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI). The purpose of the ride was to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Danish Embassy and to get the word out about the importance of getting kids on bikes.

The League announced our partnership with Butler at the media spot. Butler is the founder of the Caron Butler Bike Brigade which has given more than 2,500 bikes to kids who are in need. The League will incorporate kid bike education with Butlers program.

Also, a big thank you to Specialized for providing the bikes!

Check out pictures of the monumental ride.

The League of American Bicyclists is hosting the Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik André Henrik Christian, the Ambassador of Denmark Friis Arne Petersen, and special guests including two-time NBA all-star Caron Butler, Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), and Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI) on a ride through Washington, D.C. on June 7 starting at 9:15 a.m. to coincide with the Crown Prince’s visit and the 50th anniversary of the Embassy of Denmark.

“This monumental ride also provides the opportunity to unite an elite group of leaders who recognize the benefits of bicycling locally, nationally and globally,” said League President Andy Clarke. “The ride starts on the new bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House – a proud addition to Washington, D.C.’s bike infrastructure improvements.”

Washington, D.C. is a League Bicycle Friendly Community, and the event will show the Crown Prince of Denmark, a major advocate of cycling worldwide, the advancements our nation’s capital has made for bicyclists, and to share our riders’ interests for getting bikes and bike education to our kids nationwide. At the press stop Clarke will announce a partnership between the League and Butler, formerly of the Washington Wizards before being traded earlier in the year to the Dallas Mavericks. Butler, who has created numerous initiatives to support underprivileged youth, founded Caron Butler’s Annual Bike Brigade in 2005. The program, which Butler personally funds, has given more than 2,500 bikes to kids in Racine, Wis. and Washington, D.C. The partnership will be a chance to give the Brigade a national
platform, and partner with an organization of cycling advocates who share the same goals, and strive to create a more bicycle-friendly America for children who might otherwise never get to enjoy the single pleasure of a bike ride.

“The Bike Brigade which I created in 2005, is a program that is all about getting kids on bikes, and keeping them active, healthy and most importantly out of trouble,“ said NBA All-Star Caron Butler. “I am excited to be back in D.C., where my family and I still live, to announce this relationship with the League of American Bicyclists. This partnership is all about promoting cycling, and it’s a great chance to work with such an established organization to give the Bike Brigade, a program I am very proud of, a national platform.”

Featured riders and cyclists Chairman Oberstar, representing the 8th Congressional District in Minnesota and Chair of the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Republican Congressman Tom Petri from Wisconsin’s 6th district and co-chair of the Congressional bike caucus, round out a truly “Bikepartisan” group.

“I am pleased to join the Crown Prince on this ride through D.C. to highlight the benefits of bicycling – not only is it good from a physical fitness and exercise perspective, but it is also a great way to see our capital city,” commented Rep. Petri. “I applaud Caron Butler for his dedication in helping kids here in D.C. and my own State of Wisconsin by establishing the Bike Brigade, which will benefit nationally from this new partnership.”

There will be a Media photo opportunity at Freedom Plaza from 9:45a.m. to 10:10a.m. where participants will be available for brief questions. For further event information, e-mail Meghan Cahill, League Director of Communications.

Read full League press release.

Copenhagen is ready, are you?

Copenhagen is getting ready from Velo-City Global 2010 on Vimeo.

The League is a proud sponsor of this year’s Velo-City Global 2010 Conference, and League President Andy Clarke will be serving as the conference MC. It’s not too late to register! We’ll be there learning best practices from bike programs from around the world. We’ll also be sharing success stories from your businesses, communities, states and education programs.

Hat Tip to our friend Mikael at Copenhagenize.

What a way to celebrate the end of National Bike Month? Dozens of cyclists representing all of the national bicycling advocacy organizations biked down the new bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue to the US Department of Transportation headquarters to deliver a thank you to Secretary Ray LaHood for his policy statement on bicycling and walking, which he announced at the National Bike Summit.

Transportation for America put together this great video that pretty well captures the day. The Secretary even posted it on his Fast Lane blog.

For the record, headlines that I resisted for this post include “Beautiful day for our neighbor, LaHood” and “Boys ‘n LaHood,” as well as any reference to a Ray of sunshine.

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