The League of American Bicyclists has been working with bicycling advocates Mark Bixby and local bike coordinator Charley Gandy to get a separated bicycle facility on the new $1 billion Desmond Gerald Replacement Bridge at the Port of Long Beach. League President Andy Clarke wrote a letter of support last month. I promised Mark that I would write a blog post on the bridge campaign this week. Before I had a chance, the US Secretary of Transportation drew national attention to the bridge. On Monday, Secretary LaHood blogged about the project, calling it a “bridge to everywhere.”
The new bridge promises to be an enormously important infrastructure project. Unfortunately, current plans call only for a 10-ft-wide shoulder that could be designated as a class III bikeway (that is, a bike route) in the future. That would be a major disappointment; this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to enhance bicycle connectivity in Long Beach by providing well thought out and designed accommodations. It is critical to get this right from the beginning.
Bridges are critical links in a transportation network. They represent perfect opportunities for DOTs to show that the Secretary’s policy statement on biking and walking – which calls for bicycling and walking accommodations on new, rehabilitated, and limited-access bridges – is meaningful, and not just wishful thinking. In addition to this being a bridge to everywhere, it needs to also be a bridge for everyone – including bicyclists.
The estimated cost of the bicycle accommodation is less than five percent of the total project cost. The port on the Terminal Island employs approximately 6,000 workers, who currently do not have a safe way to ride to work. Including bike and pedestrian accommodations is consistent with California’s Complete Streets law and federal regulations – it is also consistent with Long Beach’s efforts to be a “Green Port.”
But will it include safe facilities for bicyclists? (Photo: www.polb.com)
It’s worth noting at least one other notable, large, California bridge campaign. Advocates in Oakland and San Francisco succeeded in getting bike accommodations on one span of the Bay Bridge. That campaign was in inspiration to the Long Beach advocates. Now the Bay area organizations are working hard to upgrade the other span to finish the job.
Safe and comfortable accommodations on these major California bridges would go a long way in enhancing California bike touring and to connect communities for daily transportation. Stay tuned for our Advocacy Advance report on bikes on bridges campaigns – coming soon.
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
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.
National Public Radio and New York-based newspapers have been busy with bike-related stories recently.
NPR reports that CEO John Fahey organizes lunchtime bikerides with the staff of the National Geographic Society, a Bicycle Friendly Business. Rutger University Professor John Pucher calls bicycling the ‘in’ thing to do.
Do Complete Streets make you happier? ”How to Thrive” author Dan Buettner tells NPR that having sidewalks and “making walking easier” contributes to happiness. That and socializing 7 hours a day.
Busy times in New York City:
Last week the New York Times reported on a plan to bring bike-sharing to New York City…
and despite growing numbers of cyclists, we’re told of a bicycle backlash…
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.
“Just to let you know how good a day this has been I saw and eventually used a new bike lane that must have popped up overnight in Hicksville, NY underneath the Long Island RR. A new tool and a new bike lane, it doesn’t get any better than this!” — League Member and Essential Tools winner Howie Mann.
Howie was one of five winners of the Eleven81 Flat 8 pocket tool in our first Essential Tools giveaway. The other winners were ML Szivos, Melanie Williams, Michael Bowers, and Willard Rahn. The tools are in the mail, folks! Thanks again to Hawley for donating the prizes.
At the end of this week, we’ll be drawing the winners of the second Essential Tools giveway — six folks who will win a set of High Visibility Mud Flaps from Rainy Day Biking.
Enter with your valid League of American Bicyclists’ membership number to double your chances of winning. If you’re not a member, join now, because the League membership card is another essential tool you should have in your saddle bag.
Scott Williams League Director of Membership
Williams joined the League in April 2010. For the four years prior, he worked providing technology consulting and solutions to nonprofit organizations with Community IT Innovators.
Recently there was discussion in the comments about federal spending on infrastructure and on education programs. Kauai Path, Inc., a non-profit in Hawaii, offers a fine example of federal money funding bicycling education. Using funds from a federal “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” Grant from the CDC, Kauai Path Inc. will train 20 to 30 new League Certified Instructors (LCIs) in the state during two weeks in February. The new instructors will train more than 200 school students and 50 adults and implement a new bicycling curriculum in the school system. It will be done in coordination with a Safe Routes to School program on Kauai.
“We on Kauai are focusing our effort in the areas of increasing levels of physical activity and improving nutrition, thus decreasing obesity rates,” says Kauai Path’s executive director, Randall Blake. According to the announcement of the grant, which is being administered through State of Hawaii Department of Health, Kauai pledged to “increase physical activity and improve nutrition through social support, culturally appropriate education,” and “improve active transport and public transportation infrastructure,” among other things.
The CPPW funds will be used to train the LCIs and obtain bikes, helmets and safety vests to be used for bike education curriculum. But bicycling education is just one component of a multipronged approach. Kauai Path Inc. will also publish 40,000 copies of a “Green Map,” which will list bicycling paths, mountain bike and hiking trails, and the island’s county and state parks. It will also show the location of vendors of locally-grown, fresh produce. For those technologically inclined, the map will be also made available for mobile web devices.
There is also a planning component. Kauai Path Inc. is funding two planning projects to expand their bike and pedestrian shared use path network on the island. Members of Kauai Path Inc. are serving on Citizen Advisory Committees to the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s Regional Long Range Land Transportation Plan for the County of Kauai, and on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan.
This multi-dimensional approach, Blake says, “will have both short- and long-term effects on increasing bicycling in Hawaii, which in turn will reap numerous health benefits as our efforts combat the obesity epidemic.”
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
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.
Borrowing the idea from Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and their A Better Block Project, advocates at Livable Memphis temporarily redesigned Broad Street to show what the block could look like if transformed into a walkable, bikable art district destination. With assistance from an Advocacy Advance grant and city support, Livable Memphis temporarily re-made the street with more pedestrian space, bike lanes, traffic calming and temporary pop-up art, coffee and bike shops.
“The temporary redesign of Broad Avenue is a physical representation of how city streets can be designed as safe places for all road users,” says Memphis’ Bikeway/Pedestrian Coordinator, Kyle Wagenschutz, “the ability to experience world-class bicycle facilities and high-quality pedestrian walkways helped over 13,000 people develop a greater sense of clarity about what the vision for Broad Avenue is.”
While such commercial districts already exist in Cooper-Young, Overton Square and near the University of Memphis, Broad Street’s connection to the new Memphis Greenline makes it particular accessible by bike. In a city previously known for it’s disregard for cyclists, advocates and the city’s new (and first!) bicycle coordinator are making great strides.
Efforts like these can show the desire for changes to street design and the impacts they can have. With the high turn-out at this event and and studies showing the cyclists often spend more money shopping than their four-wheeled counterparts, perhaps such street designs are necessary to stay afloat in these uncertain economic times. Let’s hope that one day Broad Street can be transformed permanently.
photo by Brandon Dill of the Commercial Appeal
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.
The Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) program joins the existing Bicycle Friendly Community, Business and State programs as the League’s newest Bicycle Friendly America addition. Officially launched at the Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike conference in September, the BFU program promotes active and sustainable colleges and universities. The college campus is an ideal setting for bicycling and a natural fit for reaching institutional sustainability, health and livability goals. This program will guide schools to becoming more bicycle-friendly and award those with strong bike programs and infrastructure.
We encourage applicants to refer to the BFU resources page for technical assistance as you fill out the application and the Bicycle Friendly University webpage for more information on the program. The first deadline for the program is January 21, 2011 and the second deadline of the year is July 22, 2011. For any further questions or help getting started, contact the League at BFA@bikeleague.org or 202-822-1333.
Carly Sieff League Bicycle Friendly America Program Assistant
Sieff joined the League in April 2010 with a Bachelors in Urban Studies and Science & Society from Brown University.
The week started off wet here in D.C., making bike commuting a bit of a dreary task. That, coupled with a schedule full of strategic planning, means it’s time for a break. This video reminds us that, in addition to being a great and useful mode of transportation, bicycling is also ridiculously fun. Here’s to the thrills that can be had on two wheels!
[Ed. note: File under don't try this at home. Unless you're Danny MacAskill, in which case, well done and thanks for reading.]
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.
Janette Sadik-Khan, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, is the keynote speaker at the National Bike Summit’s opening plenary, Wednesday March 9. Since her appointment in 2007, the New York City has completed more than 250 miles of bike lanes and 20 miles of cycle track; passed innovative bicycle parking legislation and delivered extensive education and safety programs. Bicycle use has doubled since 2006, while fatalities have fallen to their lowest level in decades. Learn more about Sadik-Khan.
The first 100 people to register for the Summit (at any level) will receive a $36 discount and special recognition at the Summit, March 8-10. To take advantage of this offer, register for the Summit – remember to login if you are a League member – and on the payment page type in OBERSTAR in the Promotion Code box and your registration will be automatically reduced by $36!
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.
Watching the Today Show this morning, I was appalled – as were the hosts of the show, as far as one could tell – by the story of the Connecticut driver who is suing the parents of child he killed in a traffic crash. I had to stick around and see what the story was about, and sure enough the kid was on a bike. The story goes something like this: the driver is going 80mph in a 40mph or 45mph area (two-lane road fairly rural road, narrow paved shoulder), overtakes another car and hits and kills the 14-year old cyclist. The driver, with four prior convictions for drunk driving, is sent to jail for ten years for manslaughter and is now suing the parents of the kid for allowing him to ride without a helmet.
Yes, Connecticut has a helmet law (under 16). Yes, the DMV screwed up in letting this guy behind the wheel of a car in the first place. Of course a helmet would have had zero impact at that kind of speed. So the idea that a publicly-funded lawsuit could be brought against the child’s parents seeking $15,000 in damages for the emotional harm done to the driver is truly the stuff of fantasy – or certainly should be. And yet there it is.
Andy Clarke League President
Andy 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. Before joining the League in February 2003, Clarke was on contract to provide technical assistance to the highly regarded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center on site at the Federal Highway Administration. He is on the Board of Directors for America Bikes, and a member of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals.
Multi-tool? Check.
Patch kit? Check.
League membership card?
We want to help you reach your destinations, wherever they may be. With a fully equipped seat pack, your bicycle is ready for any trouble that may come your way. The League membership is an essential part of this seat pack; it is your tool for creating a bicycle friendly America.
The League is helping you gear up and get ready to ride with our new “Essential Tools” giveaway. We’ll have a new tool to give away every two week from now through early 2011.
First up: Multi tools!
Enter before November 19, 2010, and you could be one of 5 lucky winners of the nifty Eleven81 Flat 8 pocket tool!
League members get two chances to win when they enter with their League membership number. If you’re not a member yet, join now, then enter. You get one essential tool for sure — your League membership card — and double your chances of winning another, the Eleven81 Flat 8 pocket tool. And you’ll double your chances of winning each subsequent tool giveaway that you enter.
Here’s the fine print: Must enter before November 19, 2010.Contest open to residents of the United States age 18 and older, whether a League member or not. Add your League membership number to your entry form to double your chances of winning! One entry per individual, please, and limit 1 prize per contest per household.
Thanks to Hawley for the prizes for this first giveaway.
Katie joined the League in April of 2010. For the two years prior, she worked at the Corcoran College of Art + Design as a programs coordinator. Katie has a BA in Religion from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. She enjoys biking to work.
Bicycling is such a positive activity with so many benefits that we really don’t want to do anything to discourage people from riding. Bicycling is safely enjoyed by tens of millions of people riding literally billions of miles in this country every year – deriving benefits and pleasure we can’t even begin to calculate. Yet the activity is not without risk and periodically we have to face that awful reality. Another fatal bike crash in the Tampa area last week brings the total there to seven in just a couple of months – and bringing stark relief to the desperate need for the bike safety program that was initiated after the sixth needless death.
What raises the ire of cyclists even beyond anger and frustration at this annual toll is the disdainful reaction of the criminal justice system – and the drivers it so blithely lets off the hook. Cycling channels are rightly a-buzz right now with the Vail, Colorado case: driver hits cyclist, leaves them for dead, drives through town to get their car fixed, and is charged with two misdemeanor offenses because felony charges would affect his job. Well, guess what, the physician that he hit has had his job pretty badly affected as well.
In addition to the Tampa cases and the one in Vail, we’re following incidents in Maryland (hit and run fatality where the driver drove for miles with the victim’s bike underneath the car) and South Carolina (“distracted” driver hits group of 15 riders) where clearly dangerous behavior that results in death or serious injury is simply not being taken seriously. I could have picked almost any two week period in which to make that statement – and yet it’s really hard to know what to do in response.
In the case in Vail, there’s a petition doing the rounds to get felony charges brought against the driver. In other cases, family members and local advocacy groups are doing what they can to comfort and advise family and friends, and to try and ensure some level of justice is done to prevent these crashes from happening to others. But that clearly isn’t enough.
• We need every state to have a law on the books that makes it possible to charge drivers who hit cyclists – or anyone else, for that matter – with something serious: so now is the time to support your state advocacy group and get that done in the next legislative session.
• We need traffic safety money to be spent on meaningful campaigns to educate motorists, cyclists and law enforcement agencies on safe behavior, and for safety construction funds to be spent on something other than turning lanes, tree-clearing, rumble strips, and signal timing that encourages even greater speed and carelessness.
We will be following these cases closely and trying to help where we can. We are also continuing the steps necessary to establish a meaningful legal defense program to assist in cases like these – and in the less dramatic but more frequent examples of injustice that cyclists face every day. Like the woman who wrote today to complain about getting a $200 ticket for riding into the side of a taxi that turned left across her path…
Really, riding a bike is a GOOD thing – let’s try and keep it that way.
Andy Clarke League President
Andy 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. Before joining the League in February 2003, Clarke was on contract to provide technical assistance to the highly regarded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center on site at the Federal Highway Administration. He is on the Board of Directors for America Bikes, and a member of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals.
In this new video from StreetsFilms, Portland shows us that bicycle boulevards are a low cost, easily implemented way to encouraging bicycling in communities with tight budgets. Many neighborhoods across the country have great networks of low traffic volume and low speed streets. Converting some of these streets into bicycle boulevards means calmer traffic, opportunities to improve stormwater runoff, and encouraging more “eyes on the street” to make neighbors safer and more pleasant. In other words, there are tons of benefits for residents that don’t or won’t bike.
Learn how your community can create their own here.
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.
The League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking & Walking are pleased to announce a new, three-year campaign to double federal funding for bicycling and walking by 2013. The Advocacy Advance initiative is backed by renewed support from SRAM, an innovative maker of bicycle components.
The League and Alliance have been awarded up to $1.2 million from SRAM over the next three years to unite active transportation advocates across the nation and give them tools and resources to secure increased funding from existing federal transportation programs for critical bicycle and pedestrian projects.
“At SRAM we believe that bicycles improve the environment, ease congestion, reduce the cost of transportation and create healthier communities,” says Stan Day, SRAM CEO. “The biggest barrier to increased bicycle use in daily lives is the lack of appropriate infrastructure, and local bicycle advocates are working to break down those barriers across the country. The Advocacy Advance campaign will empower those advocates to dramatically improve conditions for bicyclists.”
The Advocacy Advance partnership was created two years ago, with major funding from SRAM. Under that banner, League and Alliance staff research issues vital to the bicycling community and create reports that give advocates the data and knowledge they need to effectively promote bicycling. The partnership has also awarded more than $500,000 in direct grants, technical assistance and scholarships to build the capacity of local and state bicycle advocacy organizations and jumpstart innovative campaigns.
Building on these successes and stepping up to a new challenge, the Advocacy Advance Team is now strategically targeting federal funding. While bicycling and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in the U.S., those modes receive less than two percent of federal transportation dollars. By 2013, that will change.
“Our initiative to double the federal investment in bicycling and walking projects in three years is both bold and essential to creating more livable communities,” says Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “SRAM’s commitment to Advocacy Advance demonstrates its leadership in the industry, and its faith in the powerful partnership between the League and Alliance to accomplish this goal.”
“We know local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy leaders have both a remarkable passion and the community connections to make real change on the ground,” says Jeffrey Miller, Alliance President/CEO. “The Alliance and the League are committing to work even more closely with those leaders to deliver strategic training, assistance and grants so they can make communities better places to bike and walk.”
More details about Advocacy Advance will be released in coming months.
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.
Bicyclists lost an incredible champion in the U.S. Congress last night. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee lost his seat representing Minnesota’s 8th Congressional district after serving 18 terms in a distinguished career.
I’m not going to lie – I’m depressed.
I’m depressed because the United States Congress lost a decent, honorable public servant who tried so hard to keep alive the bipartisan tradition of the Committee he served for decades. I’m sad because it throws another wrench into the works of passing a badly-needed and long-overdue transportation bill – Oberstar knows the ropes like no one else, and his passion for all things transportation will be sorely missed. I’m sad because he is a proud member of the League and because I’ve had the pleasure of working with him on our issues since the late 1980s when I first arrived on these shores.
And I’m sad because he is a true champion of bicyclists issues in Congress. Over the past 20 years, you can trace many of the gains we’ve made straight back to the desk of Jim Oberstar. Broad eligibility for transportation funds, the Safe Routes to School Program, state bicycle coordinator positions, the requirement to plan for bicyclists at the state and regional level, the non-motorized pilot projects all started with him. So, whichever way you spin it, bicyclists and the bicycling movement have lost a friend in Congress.
Going in to last night, I guess we foresaw a future where he was no longer Chairman of the Committee. Political winds change in Washington all the time and as a bi-partisan, not-for-profit organization we learn to work with all sides of the political spectrum. But a future without Oberstar in Congress, on the Committee, challenging us to keep moving, leading the charge… That’s going to take some adjustment.
Oberstar Partaking in a League Ride With the Crown Prince of Denmark and Caron Butler
We’ll be digesting all the other results and reporting them out on the blog and in our e-news and such. We’re looking over the list of Congressional Bike Caucus members to see who’s back in and who’s out. But I can tell you right now that we are going to miss Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-MN) in Congress. Maybe we’ll get to enjoy his company some more on the road and trail; he’ll be able to break out his League cycling socks more often and put in even more miles on his favorite bikes. I hope so, because if anyone deserves to enjoy the simple pleasure of a bike ride, it’s Jim Oberstar.
Andy 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. Before joining the League in February 2003, Clarke was on contract to provide technical assistance to the highly regarded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center on site at the Federal Highway Administration. He is on the Board of Directors for America Bikes, and a member of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals.
For the second year in a row, federal spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects exceeded $1 billion. According to the Federal Highway Administration’s Financial Management Information System (FMIS), U.S. states “obligated” – that’s FHWA’s way of saying spent – $1.04 billion of federal funds on bicycle and pedestrian projects in fiscal year 2010. As in FY 2009, just more than a third ($337 million) came from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds.
The $1 billion spent on biking and walking projects is a great and welcome step. It is being used to create miles of bicycling facilities, countless bike parking spaces, hundreds of safer routes to schools for children, recreational trails, and other needed projects. However, it is still a drop in the overall transportation-bucket. Bicycling and walking make up 12 percent of all trips and yet receive just two percent of all federal transportation funding. To put the billion dollars in perspective, the amount of federal money spent on bicycle and pedestrian projects, nation-wide, in FY 2010 is equal to the cost of just one bridge in the Port of Long Beach.
Both the ARRA and the non-ARRA obligations declined from the record spending levels of 2009. This is not entirely surprising because more of the recovery money was designed to be spent in FY 2009 than FY 2010, and the GAO reports that the race to spend recovery money may have led states to spend normal funds less quickly. Furthermore, agencies have historically slowed spending on non-motorized projects during extension years due to uncertainty over what future funding will look like. This means that during years when we’re waiting for a new transportation act to be written bicycling advocates need to push harder than ever to remain a priority.
Data source: FHWA FMIS Database. Note: Coding errors are common, greatly undercounting actual spending rates.
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
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.
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At the end of this week, we’ll be drawing the winners of the second Essential Tools giveway — six folks who will win a set of 
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