Archive for December, 2012

It took Congress nearly three contentious years to agree on a new federal transportation bill — but Advocacy Advance didn’t waste a single day.

Immediately after the passage of the new law, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, the League launched Navigating MAP-21 to ensure that advocates and policymakers understand what the new law means for bicyclists — and how to best utilize the programs to continue building a bicycle friendly America.

In short order, the Advocacy Advance team put together a wealth of resources explaining how the new programs work, how much money each state will get and how to best organize at a state and local level to make the best of the new bill. And grassroots advocates stepped up to the plate, mobilizing quickly in dozens of states and beginning the long-term work to maximize funding for biking under MAP-21.

But the team didn’t stop with online resources and technical assistance — they brought the knowledge to the people. More than 500 participants attended the incredibly successful Navigating MAP-21 workshops in eight cities. From Atlanta, Ga., to Anchorage, AK, those workshops had a huge impact, leading to more than $10 million in new funding for bike/ped projects in local communities.

Navigating MAP-21 workshop in Kansas City

Beyond Navigating MAP-21, Advocacy Advance released a number of important reports, too, shedding light on best practices for Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees, how bike advocates can make the most of elections, and more compelling data on how bicycling boosts the economy.

The Advocacy Advance team has plans to do even more in 2013 (if that’s possible!) — with a new staff member, a system to track federal funding, at least 10 workshops and a whole suite of new resources. After all, we’re just getting started Navigating MAP-21.

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

This March, we’ll celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Bicycle Friendly American program. But 2012 marked a key moment in BFA history, too.

For the first decade, the BFC program ranked communities at the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels. But, because of the tremendous progress, innovation and enthusiasm from communities nationwide, we realized it was time to set the bar higher. In September, we launched our effort to help communities become world-class cycling cities, moving beyond platinum to our new Diamond designation.

Portland is one of three cities pursuing Diamond BFC status

But Diamond wasn’t the only shining achievement for the BFC program in 2012. Kicking off Bike to Work Week, we announced the largest round of BFCs in the program’s history, including two new Gold-level BFCs in Durango, Colo., and Missoula, Mont. With the second round of awards in October, major urban centers — including Los Angeles, Miami and Nashville — earned a spot among the bicycle-friendly ranks. And that’s significant: Two-thirds of America’s largest cities are now BFCs.

The Bicycle Friendly Business program also had an impressive year. In April, with the announcement of 67 new BFBs, the program hit a major benchmark: More than 500,000 Americans now work at a Bicycle Friendly Business. And, in October, a handful of the most iconic U.S. companies pushed the number of BFBs to nearly 500, with Hewlett Packard, Apple and Facebook proving they “Like” bikes!

Facebook is now a BFB!

The Bicycle Friendly University program continued to grow in 2012, too, welcoming prestigious institutions like Duke, Yale and Princeton. Taking a page from the classroom, the Bicycle Friendly States program debuted Report Cards and new maps highlighting where states are making the grade — and needing improvement.

So what’s in store for 2013? A partnership with the Alliance for Biking & Walking on the BFS program, a new multi-location BFB application process, and more. Stay tuned!

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

For me, the most inspiring and exciting moment of 2012 was standing at the podium at the National Women’s Bicycling Summit, looking out at a packed room of female leaders from across the country. I barely got the word “Welcome” out of my mouth when a woman in the crowd yelled, “It’s about time!” — and the audience exploded in cheers and applause.

The impetus for the League’s newest program — Women Bike — started with a conversation at the Alliance Leadership Retreat in 2010. But 2012 was the year the idea became a reality.

The first step was the National Women Cycling Forum at the 2012 National Bike Summit. Hosted in partnership with the Alliance and APBP, the two-hour panel drew more than 300 attendees and quickly became the talk of the Summit. Galvanized by the insight of leaders like Elysa Walk (General Manager, Giant Bicycles), Veronica Davis (co-founder of Black Women Bike DC) and Marla Streb (former world champion mountain bike racer), we knew this was a conversation we needed to pursue.

(from left) Marla Streb, Andrea Garland (Alta Planning + Design), Cornelia Neal (Royal Netherlands Embassy) and Elysa Walk

So, less than a week after the Forum, I started planning a full-day event: The National Women’s Bicycling Summit in Long Beach, Calif. Once again, the response exceeded even my high expectations. The six break-out session, ranging from Marketing to Political Engagement to Women in Bicycle Sports, included an incredible and diverse line-up of speakers and more than a few folks flew all the way across the country to attend the one-day event.

Seeing women at the podium, showcasing our expertise, was a powerful signal of our leadership in the movement and the energy and momentum were the perfect catalyst to launch Women Bike as a full-scale program in 2013. Watch a video about the event below.

We’re already gearing up for our next event — Women Mean Business — on March 4 here in Washington, D.C. Learn more and get involved!

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

Amy Schiebel, of Denver, Colo., logged the 10 millionth mile in the National Bike Challenge

Here at the League, we love the holiday season. But for us the most wonderful time of the year is the month of May.

And in 2012, National Bike Month was bigger and better than ever before.

In May, we officially launched the National Bike Challenge — a new, nationwide initiative to inspire and empower millions of Americans to ride their bikes for transportation, recreation and better health. The friendly, online competition far exceeded its 10 million mile goal and transformed the lives of countless Americans.

Like the many innovative advocates who put on thousands of Bike Month events nationwide, the League came up with new ways to celebrate, too.

In line with the 2012 theme of One Ride, Many Reasons, we curated the personal reflections and inspirations of a diverse collection of bicyclists from coast to coast for our daily 31 Days, 31 Reasons blog feature. We also partnered with Sierra Club and the National Council of La Raza to release a new fact sheet on Bike to Work Day that showed U.S. bicyclists save a staggering $4.6 billion by biking instead of driving.

Elizabeth Williams of Cali Bike Tours shared her story in the 31 Days, 31 Reasons series

This year was also a first for two other major events. On Mother’s Day, thousands of women (and men) united for Cyclofemme — a global initiative to empower more women to ride and build the community of female bicyclists. And the inaugural Bike to School Day was a tremendous success, too, with more than 700 events across the nation.

Bike to School Day in Savannah, Ga.

We’re already getting excited for Bike Month 2013. Click here for the dates and our Bike Month Guide!

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

As Andy noted last week, it’s been a banner year for the League and we’re looking forward to having an even greater impact in 2013 with a bigger budget, additional staff and new programs. But before we charge into the new year, we wanted to take a look back at some of the most notable accomplishments of 2012.

First stop? Capitol Hill!

In 2012, we had another record turnout at the National Bike Summit, with more than 800 attendees from 49 states. We heard from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who highlighted the connection between bicycling and job creation, and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who emphasized the critical impact of cyclists on federal legislation. And then we flooded the halls of Congress, urging our electeds to preserve funding for biking and walking in the transportation bill.

Advocates with Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Photo by Chris Eichler)

And our voices made a huge difference. Last summer, when the debate about the next transportation bill came to a boil, there were some members of Congress who wanted to strip funding for biking and walking altogether. But thousands of bicyclists nationwide flooded their members of Congress with e-mails and phone calls in support of the bipartisan Cardin Cochran amendment. And it worked! We not only made a bad bill far better, but proved in no uncertain terms that we’re a powerful constituency that cannot be ignored.

Join us as we continue to build that credibility and impact on Capitol Hill in 2013. Register for the National Bike Summit today!

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

Well, it’s 12/21/12 and, despite the Mayan prediction, we’re all still here. But, proving that winter isn’t the end of the world for bicycling, Anchorage residents got a preview of the apocalypse thanks to a parade of cycling zombies this past weekend.

Photo by Andre Camara

The inaugural Zombie Apocalypse Winter Bike Ride, hosted by the non-profit Green Star, drew more than 60 costumed cyclists for a five-mile ride on road, trails, and even across a frozen lagoon.

“In recent years, an increasing number of people have been riding their bikes in winter, whether in bike races on single-track trails or to commute to work, creating a new snow-sport sub-culture in Anchorage,” Christina Grande, Green Star’s Community Outreach and Communications Coordinator, explained. “Seeing this trend, staff at Green Star thought it would be fun to organize a winter bike ride to celebrate and generate additional enthusiasm for winter bike commuting with an emphasis on safety.”

“The zombies met at a local Anchorage cafe for coffee and treats in the morning,” Grande continued. “Then the group took to the streets and trails decked out in true zombie fashion…blood, detached limbs, ripped clothes (with a puff jacket underneath most costumes). Halfway through the bike ride, the group rode across a frozen lagoon popular with ice skaters, racing around the rink with one very surprised ice skater! The ride wrapped up at a local restaurant and pub where bike valet parking for zombie bike riders was available thanks to Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage (BCA).”

Happy apocalypse to all!

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

Monday was a big day at the League’s world headquarters. Not only did a contingent of staff ride a cart-load of donated essentials to nearby Miriam’s Kitchen, but we also celebrated the holiday season with a few games, libations and seasonal foods.

Heading out with our donated items!

In the midst of the merriment, our board of directors approved an ambitious and exciting budget and work plan for 2013. OK, so technically the board wasn’t literally in the midst of our holiday party and they didn’t get to share in the libations, but they did adopt an exciting budget (8.5% bigger than this year) with additional staff positions and an inspiring commitment to increasing the diversity of our organization and incorporating that commitment throughout all our programs.

We’ve had a good year in 2012 (despite that little transportation bill thing) and we’re looking forward to continuing that growth in 2013.

A big part of the reason for our success this year is the hard work and dedication of Elizabeth Kiker over the past seven years. As Executive Vice President she has spearheaded a thriving major donor program, launched the Every Bicyclist Counts resource, and led the staff in countless ways to “get the job done.” Last week, Elizabeth announced her departure from the League and there’s no doubt we’re going to miss her. Thanks for leaving us in such great shape, Elizabeth, and best of luck to you in the future!

Best wishes to everyone this holiday season, and here’s to a great year for cycling in 2013.

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.

Andy enjoying Boulder B-cycle

Earlier this month League President, Andy Clark, and I traveled to Boulder, Colo., and Davis, Calif. — but I was transported back to my college years in Germany.

Bicycling along the network of paths and bike lanes in these two Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Communities, I was able to comfortably ride for miles and miles without the need to bike on a high-speed road to meet up with city staff at the town hall, grab some food with local bike advocates at a downtown restaurant or attend an evening function at a museum.

In Davis, I got nearly run over by a large group of junior high school students on bikes, trying to pedal to class in time. In Boulder, we witnessed a frolicking group of young men riding around town in the evening with a boom box on the rack and lights in their wheels. These two Platinum BFCs really seem to have it all — the infrastructure, the bike culture and a compact and mixed land use that allow destinations to be quickly reached by bike.

Can it get any better than this? Well, though a good number of people bike in Davis and Boulder, more than half of the residents in cities like Copenhagen in Denmark or Utrecht in the Netherlands have adopted the bicycle as their main form of transportation. To challenge our own top cycling cities to move beyond Platinum and compete with world-class cycling cities, the League developed a new Diamond-designation. Andy and I traveled to Boulder and Davis to kick off their Diamond challenge. (Next month, we’ll pedal that challenge in the third Platinum city: Portland, Ore.

Boulder received us with overcast skies but heart-felt enthusiasm. We checked out two bright red B-cycle bikes for the duration of our stay and got quite a few miles out of them. We met with local government officials and staff, community and advocacy representatives and were treated to a three-hour tour of the city. The Diamond challenge will require the local government and the community to work together to address any remaining obstacles to cycling to encourage an additional 5 percent of commuters to bike to work or school — for Diamond designation, a 15 percent bicycle mode share among the minimum requirements.

Go Boulder Manager Kathleen Bracke is confident the city is ready to step up: “The City of Boulder/GO Boulder is excited to continue our partnership with the League and the Boulder community to advance bicycling as a way of life and look forward to working together to achieve the new Diamond level Bike Friendly Community designation.”

Mayor Matt Appelbaum agreed: “Recognition by the League energizes us to aim even higher. Boulder is looking forward to celebrating as the first Diamond-level Bicycle Friendly community in the future.”

One of the highlights of our visit in Boulder was a tour of the newly constructed 42-acre Valmont Bike Park, which is a one-of-a-kind natural-surface facility that allows residents and visitors of all ages and abilities to practice their mountain biking, BMX and cyclocross-skills. Our B-cycle bikes were unfortunately not made for this type of facility (though some have tried!), otherwise I would have taken a spin on the inviting singletrack course.

Valmont bike park

Davis greeted us with a bike light in our hotel room from Davis Bicycles! and two shiny, black city-owned bicycles. Since I arrived a day early, I got the chance to witness the installation of a new bike corral downtown, which featured a prominently displayed QR code that, when scanned with a smart phone app, takes you to the city’s bicycle website. During our stay we got to meet with Mayor Joe Krovoza, council member Brett Lee and city staff. We also caught up with local bicycle advocates, and representatives from the business community, the University of California at Davis and the Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority. And got a great tour of the city’s bike infrastructure from Davis Bicycles! members and active transportation coordinator David Kemp.

(from right) Nicole and Andy met with Jim Allison, Manager of Planning with Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority, to discuss accommodation of cyclists at the Davis train station and on trains (Photo credit: David Kemp)

Fortunately our rather packed schedule allowed us to stop by a city council meeting to present the City of Davis with a Silver Bicycle Friendly Business award on our way from the Bicycle Advisory Commission meeting to the holiday festivities of the Davis Bike Club. But hands down the highlight of our visit in Davis was to see the Active 4 Me program in action at a local elementary school that tracks children that walk or bike to school through bar code technology. The system also automatically informs parents that their child has arrived safely at school, addressing a real or perceived parental safety concern.

“The League’s trip to Davis truly complemented a new renaissance of pro-bicycle energy in Davis,” Kemp said. “After meeting with our elected officials, the business community, city staff, UC Davis, and bicycle advocacy groups, Andy and Nicole provided our community the positive charge and constructive feedback we needed to advance our city to the next level: Diamond! Pair this with the new, Beyond Platinum – Bicycle Action Plan and we’ll strategically propel our community, over the next five years, to work together to make Davis a world-class Bicycle Friendly Community.”

The next step for Boulder and Davis toward Diamond status will be a public survey to allow the community to chime in on the comfort and convenience of the bicycle network, perceived safety and other issues that influence people’s daily transportation and recreation choices.

“Given the City of Boulder’s ethic of ‘continuous improvement,’ we appreciate the League’s challenge for communities like Boulder to reach beyond Platinum Level to the new Diamond designation,” said Director of Public Works for Transportation Tracy Winfree. “Diamonds aren’t a girl’s best friend; Diamond Designation is.”

Click here to learn more about the Beyond Platinum program.

Nicole Wynands
Program Manager, Bicycle Friendly Community & Bicycle Friendly State

Ms. Wynands joined the League in July 2011 after working for two years at the World Bank. In 2007, she was a member of the team that organized the world bicycling conference Velo-city in Munich as part of an internship with one of the leading bicycle transport planning firms in Germany. She holds a BA in Political Management from the University of Applied Sciences Bremen and a MA in Community Planning from the University of Maryland.

This holiday season, the League wanted to give back to our community here in the nation’s capital. So before our office festivities on Monday, we packed our panniers, messenger bags and baskets full of necessities for Miriam’s Kitchen, a resource for the homeless in Washington, D.C.

On our way to Miriam’s Kitchen

When we got to Miriam’s Kitchen, I went into their office to let them know we were there to drop off our donation.

“Did you drive here?” the receptionist asked.

“Of course, not! We’re the League of American Bicyclists!” I replied.

When she came out, she was shocked to see how much you can transport with some friends and some bicycles!

We rode down into their garage to the storage area, and unloaded all the goodies. Biking back to the office, about 30lbs lighter, I thought: “Biking around town with friends is always fun, but it’s even better when you’re doing it for a good cause!”

Are you helping to spread holiday cheer on your bike? Tell us about it in the comments!

Katie Omberg
Events and Outreach Manager

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.

Help the League this month by simply doing what you love: Riding your bike!

In December, the League is the beneficiary of CLIF Bar’s 2 Mile Challenge, an online initiative to get folks to leave their cars in the driveway and use their bikes, instead.

Every time you log a trip, the League gets $2 toward a possible $10,000 grant. Our goal is 5,000 trips and, thanks to your pedal power, we’re already more than halfway there!

As of last night we had racked up:

• 3,535 trips logged
• 29,580 miles traveled
• 27,213 pounds of carbon dioxide saved
• 2,958 hours spent outdoors
• the equivalent of 2 cars taken off the roads for a full year

Give a gift to the League this season by helping us take advantage of this great opportunity from CLIF Bar. Help us get to the $10,000 finish line; sign up for the Challenge today!

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

You know the rules of the road when you’re out riding. Maybe you even teach bike skills as a League Cycling Instructor. But do you know all the bicycling laws in your state?

Since coming to the League in August, I’ve reviewed more than 2,000 laws related to bicycling. From planning and taxation to funding and traffic, I dusted off and dug in to statutes and administrative codes in each and every state. By researching those primary sources and tapping into great resources compiled by bicycling organizations and agencies, I was able to pull together a comprehensive database of laws. Click here to view bike laws in your state.

So, while we’re all fans of the Bikeyface cartoon, I was particularly excited to see a recent post that does a great job of giving context to traffic laws.

Bicycles are generally vehicles that travel at a lower speed than other traffic and are required to ride as far to the right of the road as practicable. This cartoon illustrates some of the many exceptions to this general requirement:

• 40 states + Washington, D.C. have an exception for a left turn
• 49 states + D.C. have an exception for passing
• 36 states have an exception for avoiding obstacles, hazards or other road conditions (such as the door zone, mythical sea monsters, and slightly less than grand canyons)

Bike lanes can complicate the rules for sharing the road. Bicycles are generally not required to use bike lanes where they are provided and there are usually limitations when they are required. Only eight states require bicyclists to use bike lanes:

• 3 of those states do not allow any exceptions to the rule
• 4 of those states allow exceptions for all of the reasons mentioned above
• 1 state only allows an exception to avoid hazards

Cars generally must not stop in roadways and often are specifically prohibited from parking on the roadway side of parked vehicles or parking in a bicycle lane.

• 49 states + D.C. have a law that prohibits stopping in roadways
• The one state that lacks a statewide law enables local jurisdictions to make such laws

All states have some version of a safe passing law, requiring bicycles to be passed at a safe distance. In 21 states, a minimum distance of three feet is defined to be at least presumptively safe. Just because a state does not define a minimum safe passing distance does not change what is safe and all road users should share the road accordingly.

In addition to the general rule to ride right and the exceptions mentioned in the previous cartoon, in 28 states a bicyclist can use the full lane when the lane is too narrow to accommodate both a car and a bicycle. Regardless of whether a bicyclist is entitled to take the lane a car will still be governed by a safe passing law, preventing passes on narrow lanes as shown above.

These are great cartoons for spreading awareness about the traffic laws that affect bicyclists and drivers of motor vehicles. For better or worse, there is a great variety amongst states in the laws that govern this relationship as both parties attempt to share the road, which can lead to confusion and conflict. Greater awareness of the law by both parties should alleviate some of those issues and creative presentations like Bikeyface are shedding light on what can be a confusing issue.

Ken McLeod
Legal Specialist, Advocacy Advance

Ken joined the League in 2012 after graduating from William & Mary School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in the state of Virginia. During law school he worked for a private law firm in Cambodia and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Prior to that, Ken worked at a law firm in Orange County and a legal services provider in Seattle. He graduated from Pomona College in 2007 with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He began using his bike regularly after college and has been car-free since February 2012.

Whether you bomb down hills on a sleek road bike or cruise to work on a sturdy Dutch commuter, all stripes of cyclists can probably all agree: The bike is simply one of the most brilliant inventions of the past 150 years. And today is the birthday of the man who created the modern cloth from which all bikes are cut.

In 1885, John Kemp Starley invented the “Rover Safety Bicycle,” debuting a revolutionary ride that had two similar-sized wheels. In contrast to the previous high wheeler designs, the Rover was far more stable, spreading quickly from England to the rest of the world. Not only did it kickstart a boom in bicycling, but, even 120 years later, we’re all still riding bikes that are based on the Rover.

“How can you begin to capture and describe the impact of the man who’s inventive genius resulted in a product that is effectively the same today as it was more than a century and a quarter ago,” League president Andy Clarke says. “Sure, some of the materials used to build bikes have changed, but JK Starley could walk into a bike shop today and ride away on a very familiar machine! That’s a pretty remarkable testimonial to the enduring utility and value of the humble — yet utterly revolutionary — ‘safety’ bicycle.”

The Bicycle Association of Great Britain is leading today’s celebrations; click here to read all about Starley and the impact of the Rover.

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

Last week, we met Diane Lees  to hear why the Ohio bike shop owner and radio host attends the National Bike Summit. This week, I spoke with Karen Brooks, editor of Bicycle Times magazine, to get her two cents on why the National Bike Summit is a priceless experience. Why does this bicycle enthusiast and self-described “word-wrangler” attend the Summit? Read on!

Karen enjoying the cherry blossoms at the 2012 National Bike Summit

What brought you to the Summit for the first time?

Traditionally, Maurice Tierney (our publisher) attended the Summit to advocate for local mountain bikers, in the days when Dirt Rag was our only magazine. When we started Bicycle Times, I began to pay more attention to the wider circle of advocacy, and two years ago, we sponsored at a high enough level that we got two entries, so I volunteered myself to go. Primarily, I wanted to find out more about issues at the national level. I did learn a lot, met great people, and got the chance to help lobby our local representatives. Last year, I made it a priority to go based on 2011′s positive experience.

Is there anything you learned or saw at the Summit that really stuck with you?

There have been some really interesting panels, featuring speakers at the top levels of government and advocacy, that gave honest and straightforward advice. It’s also nice to hear from people who are really passionate and who have well-constructed arguments. One speaker that stands out to me still, from the 2011 Summit, was Jim Tymon, the Majority Staff Director of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He explained exactly how federal transportation funding works, the intricacies of the then-current bill, and the various potential scenarios for a new bill. It was very dense but interesting stuff. There are so many intelligent and driven people working in Washington that it’s inspiring and motivating.

It’s also been gratifying to see changes in the reception that my local advocates and I have gotten from certain representatives, from indifferent to welcoming.

What is your favorite part about the Summit?

Hmm… I enjoy the speakers and panels, but the lobbying part feels really vital. Can’t have one without the other, as the preparation really helps. It’s also nice, during meals, to sit at a table where I don’t know anybody and strike up conversations, and hear their different reasons for being there, common issues, etc. It was awesome to be able to ride a bike to and from Washington, D.C. last year, on the Great Allegheny Passage / C&O Canal rail-trail. Aside from being a fun trip, it made a real, positive impression on lobbying day — the fact that we used this resource for transportation (and recreation, too, of course!), and how we saw many thriving small businesses along the way.

Have you been able to use any of the lessons  from the Summit after you left DC?

Most definitely! I feel like I have a much better handle on how to frame arguments for politicians and government staffers, and how to approach them professionally. Also, I feel so much better connected and able to ask for help, or offer it. I’m now more involved in my local advocacy organization, thanks to what I’ve learned, and having the shared experience of lobbying with the local advocacy folks. Summit contacts and knowledge have also helped a lot in finding, researching, and preparing stories for Bicycle Times.

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to the Summit for the first time?

• Attend the webinars before the event for some good advice and a bit of a pep rally.

• Make sure you’re rested and ready for three intense days during the Summit. Keep the partying to a minimum (until after lobbying day).

• Don’t be intimidated — bike folks are friendly — but also be mindful of when it’s best to watch and learn from the more experienced advocates, particularly on lobbying day.

Will you be attending in 2013?

Yes indeed! Looking forward to it. It’s now one of the highlights of my year.

Stay tuned for a new interview each week to see why industry, advocates, and club folk all come to this great conference. The Summit is less than three months away — and now is the time to register at the early bird rate to save $100! Join Karen, save some green and make sure you’re part of the most exciting event of the year: Register today!

Katie Omberg
Events and Outreach Manager

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.

We need your knowledge and expertise to show Congress and the nation that Bicycling Means Business. We’re looking for the very best speakers to present their insight and expertise at the 2013 National Bike Summit — and the deadline for submissions is TOMORROW, December 13.

This year we’re looking for presentations on the following themes:

• Making the economic case for bicycling
• MAP-21 Implementation: Lessons learned
• Making cycling relevant in rural, small town and suburban communities
• Developing an effective strategy for the NEXT transportation bill

We’re also accepting proposals for sessions at the Women Mean Business event, hosted by the League’s new Women Bike program, on March 4 — immediately preceding the start of the Summit.

The Summit has a unique blend of participants from the bicycle advocacy community, the industry, and a wide variety of partners in health, environmental, transportation, and safety organizations. We’re looking for submissions that…

• are relevant to bicycle retailers, elected officials and advocates at the federal, state and local levels
• address equity and diversity in content and speakers
• are creative — thinking outside the box of boring Powerpoints and formulaic panel discussions

If you’re interested in presenting at the 2013 National Bike Summit, please complete this short online application by TOMORROW, December 13.

Questions? Contact Katie@bikeleague.org.

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

She’s interviewed President Barack Obama, directed communications for the federal Transportation Security Administration and been named one of the most powerful women in the state of Georgia. Yolanda Cade oversees AAA‘s national public relations and strategic communications efforts — and, on Day 2, she’ll address the National Bike Summit.

President Barack Obama talking transportation with Yolanda Cade (photo courtesy of AAA)

If we really mean business when it comes to changing the dynamic on our nation’s highways and byways, we need to reach motorists, too. With more than 51 million members, AAA is the leading voice for U.S. drivers and has been working hard to promote positive and educational messages about cycling and cyclists.

In her address on Tuesday, March 5, Cade will provide insight about AAA’s share the road efforts and strategies we can implement together to improve the cycling and driving experience. Stayed tuned for more announcements about Summit speakers in coming weeks and read more about Cade below.

Yolanda Cade
Managing Director, AAA Public Relations

Shaping AAA’s national public relations and strategic communications efforts, Yolanda oversees public relations offices in Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Fla. She is responsible for managing all aspects of communicating public policy and national business line activities to the public and media. This past year Yolanda has served as the Chair of Orlando’s prestigious Leadership Orlando 2012 and currently she is representing AAA as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Central Florida Urban League and as a member of the Board of Trustees for Central Florida Regional Hospital. Prior to joining AAA, Yolanda served as the chief spokesperson and director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) under the Department of Homeland Security. In her role, Yolanda was responsible for managing internal and external communications, and the TSA website. Previous to her federal service, she served as deputy director of public relations for the world’s busiest airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In 2002, she was voted one of Georgia’s 100 most powerful and influential women and in 2007 was featured in Black Enterprise Magazine’s “On the Move” feature for highly visible professionals. Yolanda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast journalism from Florida A&M University and is a native of South Florida.

Learn more about the National Bike Summit and register today!

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

Six weeks after Hurricane Sandy crippled the Northeastern coast, impacting the lives of millions of Americans, some are still recovering from its effects. Amidst the chaos of the storm, many heroes emerged, displaying their resilience and concern for fellow residents in their neighborhoods — and beyond.

And plenty of those heroes were members of the cycling community.

To shed some light on how the storm has affected cycling in the northeast and highlight some relief efforts, I checked in with Jennifer Laurita (pictured) — a League member, LCI and New Jersey resident — on how she’s been coping with Sandy’s aftermath.

While, Sandy interrupted the bustling lives of many in New York City and the surrounding areas, we saw picture after picture of both new and longtime cyclists going about their daily business shortly after the storm, taking advantage of their city’s ample bike lanes and trails. While silver linings are hard to come by in a tragedy as immense as this, the uptick in bicycle ridership was certainly a shining example. “Those of us who cycle already picked up where we left off, and many people I know, especially instructors, reached out to as many people around them as they could to encourage cycling to deal with things like gas shortages,” Laurita said.

A brave cyclist in Brooklyn

Many people were pushed into cycling by the transportation chaos that ensued right after the storm. For many, there were plenty of obstacles in attempting to get to their businesses to assess damage, reaching family members or just getting to work. The storm flooded train stations in the New York and New Jersey area, travel by car was dangerous at best, congestion was impenetrable combined with fuel shortages and rationing further complicating matters. Traveling to Baltimore for an LCI seminar, Laurita wasn’t sure she’d be able to find enough gas to get her back to Jersey residence.

For many, cycling became a saving grace. Bike commuting rose by as much as 130 percent in parts of New York, putting a strain on the city’s 300 miles of protected cycling infrastructure and forcing some to call for more infrastructure to accommodate increased ridership. But, beyond just getting out and riding, cyclists also became local heroes in raising funds for relief efforts and transporting donations.

Brooklyn’s Red Hook community was especially hit hard by the hurricane, leaving many businesses and the offices of Red Hook Crit in need of some serious repair. Instead of just focusing on getting back on their own feet, Red Hook Crit decided to raise funds for the Restore Red Hook Initiative by selling a limited edition Restore Red Hook Jersey produced by Castelli. Cyclists from Bicycle Habitat utilized the disaster relief capabilities of their vehicles to deliver much-needed supplies to the Far Rockaway community. Cyclists gathered donated goods at several local bike shops and community cycling organizations organized Roll Outs and Bike Brigades, loading cyclists with panniers, backpacks and any other suitable carriers they could find to deliver goods to local relief centers. And, as Carolyn wrote about yesterday, Giant Bicycles donated 100 bikes for relief efforts led by Recycle-A-Bicycle and Transportation Alternatives.

Though cycling increased as a means to navigate in a post-Sandy world, biking also posed challenges even for the most dedicated. Many year-round cyclists observed that, with new ridership, there’s been more congestion on major bikeways increasing the travel time for some and frustration for many. There are also numerous safety concerns ranging from inexperienced rider engaging in risky behavior to damaged infrastructure creating obstacles for cyclists. “We still have many trees down and a lot of debris in the roads from people cleaning up, so it makes riding even more challenging having to navigate around piles of yard debris, especially sticks,” Laurita said.

Perhaps even more than clean-up, it’s become clear that bike education has a great role to play in making the streets safer for many choosing to commute to work. “People who’ve taken safe cycling classes already have knowledge of hazard avoidance, flat repair, bike maintenance and emergency cycling maneuvers to deal with unexpected road situations,” Laurita said. “And people who have already taken a League  class have direct access to their instructors, who they’re able to ask for more assistance. I know I need donated venues to host disaster-related cycling classes for communities around the NYC area, so people can learn how to get around and still be productive during disasters like Hurricane Sandy.”

For Laurita, Sandy drove home the fact that the bicycle should be a major part of a basic disaster preparedness plan in the event that essential transportation services are inoperable or inaccessible. She is currently working on a program with Xtracycle to teach people how to use bicycles in time of disaster.

In the meantime, cycling has allowed her to get around town to check on family and to aid others in different relief efforts. “We still need to get supplies into the hands of people who have lost so much,” she said. “I’ve been helping demolition and rebuild damaged and destroyed houses and I know so many people who have lost everything. I would love to be able to help people with bike tools, pumps, bikes, locks, etc. When I tell you people have lost everything, I literally mean everything. Houses are stripped down to the bare studs in the walls.”

Our thoughts are with those who are still rebuilding and we thank all the visionary bike advocates, like Laurita, who are making sure bikes are pedaling all residents toward recovery.

Hamzat Sani
Equity and Outreach Fellow

Hamzat joined the League in September 2012 after working with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Before working in biking, Hamzat worked with Martin Luther King Jr.’s son as a Program Associate at The King Center in Atlanta. A founder of the Red, Bike and Green chapter in Atlanta, Hamzat sees biking as a hub for change on the communal level.

Last week, I had the pleasure of traveling up to New York City to help Recycle-a-Bicycle celebrate it’s 18th birthday. But their incredibly cool event was more than a fundraiser for their nation-leading work to empower diverse youth to become bicycle riders, advocates and mechanics. It was also to support their recovery work in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

And a couple of special guests from Giant Bicycles were there, too: Bevan Harris and Josh Fonner.

Working with both RAB and Transportation Alternatives, Giant recently donated 100 bikes to people in the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy. By helping folks move about their neighborhoods and commute to work by bicycle, the “Ride NYC Forward” partnership is increasing mobility for residents in Rockaway, Red Hook, the Lower East Side, and coastal Staten Island.

“Thanks to the hurricane, it’s clearer than ever that a robust variety of transportation choices — including bicycles — makes New York City stronger and more resilient,” Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives said in the group’s press release. “We’ll be working hard with Recycle-a-Bicycle to get these bikes where they’re needed most.”

“Now more than ever, the bicycle is the way to go,” Pasqualina Azzarello, Executive Director of Recycle-A-Bicycle, said in the release. “We are grateful to partner with Giant USA and Transportation Alternatives to bring these bikes to people who need them most. Such a generous donation will serve to further relief efforts by providing transportation and delivering food and supplies. With the help of a dedicated team of mechanics and tremendous goodwill, we’ll get neighborhoods and businesses growing again.”

And the dedicated team of mechanics went to work just last weekend, assembling the Revel 2 bikes and getting them ready for the road.

On December 1, mechanics and volunteers from RAB assembled…

… 100 bikes for neighborhoods hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Thanks to Giant for their generosity and RAB and TA for their active and innovative role in the hurricane recovery effort! Stay tuned to RAB’s Facebook page for updates as they “Ride NYC Forward!”

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

I’ve just finished my first week at the League and already I’m immersed in planning for the National Bike Summit — which is great, because getting more involved with the Summit is one of main reasons I wanted to come work at the League.

Every new President talks about his or her goals for the first 100 days. For a President, the first 100 days are the time to capitalize on the momentum from the election. The same is true for Congress, the first 100 days is when the dynamics and the tone are set for the next two years.

That’s why the Summit, and your participation in it, is so important. It’s our opportunity to make a first impression on the new Congress and to ensure that new and returning members alike understand the importance and popularity that bicycling plays in the transportation, economy, and health of their communities.

It’s especially important this year. When the new transportation law, MAP-21, passed last year, bicycling and walking funding took a hit. Those who believe that bicycling is not transportation, or that bike facilities are a luxury we can’t afford in this fiscal climate, believe they’ve won that argument. It was hard to not feel exhausted and disappointed last summer — and that’s the last impression many in Washington have of the progressive transportation movement.

But because of the efforts of our champions on Capitol Hill, and the consistent and persistent drumbeat from advocates around the country, the Cardin-Cochran provision gave us a foundation from which to build. And advocates from around the country are taking advantage of the opportunities in MAP-21 to maintain and enhance the ever-increasing popularity of, and investment in, biking in cities and towns across the country.

The Summit is our chance to tell THAT story and insist that Congress be more aware and responsive to the changes happening in cities and towns around the country. A strong showing at the Summit will change the tone for biking in the transportation debate and set us on the right course for the next two years. This may not be the year a bill is written, but it’s the year that the themes of the debate will be set. The Summit is our opportunity to weigh in during these first 100 days and show that biking is back and we mean business.

Register today!

Caron Whitaker
Vice President of Government Relations

Prior to joining the League of American Bicyclists in 2012, Ms. Whitaker served as the Campaign Director for America Bikes where she coordinated and implemented America Bikes federal policy agenda. Before that, she worked for the National Wildlife Federation on smart growth, international policy, and community engagement. In addition, Caron served as a Community Land Use Planner for the State of North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, providing technical assistance to local governments and staffing a stakeholders’ council responsible for revising state planning regulations. She has a Masters in Environmental Management for Duke University, Nicolas School of the Environment and a Bachelors of Arts from Williams College.

We love to hear how our Bicycle Friendly America program is transforming the country one community, business, and university at time. While we often hear these comments during phone conversations or in person, we thought it was about time to get some of them in writing — and share them with you!

We recently polled all BFA partners on what they truly thought of our programs, how the programs have helped them become more bike-friendly, and what we could do to make them stronger.  Here is a sample of what we received…

At the USDA, becoming bike-friendly is a way to “be hip without trying!”

Bicycle Friendly Communities

[The BFC program] built recognition of what we have done, which helps get funding for the very long list of what we still have to do. Having the honor actually made it easier for us to give a frank assessment of where we lag and help build political support for future phases. – Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning and Development, Northampton, MA

It has awakened our city council and other city agencies to support cycling and make appropriate improvements and provide elements that focus on cycling and safety. – Michael Tyler, Chairman, Lewes Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, Lewes, DE

Participation in the BFC program has inspired our city leaders to improve conditions for cyclists and ultimately reach our goal of making it to the Platinum level. The community has seen the benefits through the many improvements made throughout the city. – Jim Konopka, Senior Park Planner, Folsom, CA

Bicycle Friendly Businesses

The BFB program has probably had the biggest impact on our recruiting efforts, as the majority of new hires bike at least occasionally bike to work and some are regular bike commuters.  It is the one thing an organization can do to be hip without trying. – Tim Wojan, Economist, Economic Research Service/USDA

By receiving the initial recognition, we were able to justify installing lockers and increasing our overall support of cycling in our workplace. – Chuck Krivanek, Human Resources Manager, InterContinental Hotels Group

The big plus is that it holds us up as an example of what a small business can do with not a lot of cost — the shower and changing room being the only large cost. We sincerely hope that we are not Dallas’ only BFB for much longer! – Warren Casteel, Manager, Casteel & Associates, Inc.

Bicycle Friendly Universities

Recognition as the first BFU in our state is a point of pride among students, staff, faculty, administrators and alumni. Our admissions staff promote our BFU status when recruiting new students, and our human resources department includes BFU information during new employee orientation. Also, BFU participation has helped secure funding from our Chancellor to implement projects in our campus bicycle master plan. – Suzanne Williams, Associate Director, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

[The BFU award] brought much greater attention to the feasibility of bicycling for students and staff at the university, which has in turn boosted our mode share and made it easier to push for increased improvements for cyclists. It also demonstrated to our President that his administration’s efforts to support bicycling were not only well-received by students and staff, but also provided an opportunity for national recognition for a low investment (with the added bonus of reducing costs, emissions, and improving student health)! – Johann Weber, Graduate Student and Instructor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Thanks to all our partners who contributed!

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

The National Bike Summit is the premier bicycle advocacy event of the year — but don’t take my word for it.

I got in touch with Diane Lees (pictured) to get her take on why she attends the Summit. Diane does a lot for the bicycling movement, from hosting her weekly radio show, OutspokenCyclist, to co-owning Hubbub Custom Bicycles, a store that caters to handcrafting custom bicyclists for all types of riders.

Stay tuned for a new interview each week to see why industry, advocates, and club folk all come to this great conference!

What brought you to the Summit for the first time?

I originally attended the Summit from the retailer’s perspective; I own a bike shop. In 2012, though, I attended as a part of the media, representing my weekly radio show The Outspoken Cyclist. The Summit is one of the ways I support bicycle advocacy. It’s a unique opportunity to  see other attendees, listen to presentations, and meet my legislators face-to-face.

How many years have you been coming to the Summit?

Four

Is there anything you’ve learned or seen at the Summit that’s really stuck with you?

I always learn something at the Summit. And, each time I attend, I take away another piece of the advocacy puzzle to bring back to my customers and listeners. I’m engaged in advocacy year round, and the Summit offers me a chance to find new people to interview on my show, as well as further the conversation.

What’s your favorite part about the Summit?

Last year it was the honor of attending the Bike PAC meeting on behalf of my delegation to present Congressman Steve LaTourette with an award. I’m sorry to see him leave government.  The keynote presentations are always interesting and fun, too. And anyone who hasn’t met Stephanie Vance (The Advocacy Guru) is in for a real treat! [Stephanie does a presentation each year to get the crowd pumped up to go to Capitol Hill.]

What advice would you give to someone considering coming to the Summit for the first time?

Because it’s impossible to attend every session at the Summit, I would suggest that a new attendee take a long and good look at the choices and begin to formulate a direction s/he would like to pursue as a bicycle advocate. Among the many break-out sessions something will grab you. Pay attention to that and add those sessions that help to shape a message you want to bring back home.

Will you be attending in 2013?

YES, I will!

The Summit is less than three months away — and now is the time to register at the early bird rate to save $100! Join Diane, save some green and make sure you’re part of the most exciting even of the year: Register today!

Katie Omberg
Events and Outreach Manager

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.

One of the reasons CLIF Bar created the 2 Mile Challenge was to highlight a particularly interesting trend in American transportation: While 40 percent of trips in the U.S. are two miles or more than 90 percent of those trips are taken by car. For short distances like that, why drive when you can ride?

The aim of the aptly named 2 Mile Challenge is to encourage folks to leave their cars at home and give biking a try.

Here at the League, we all ride for many reasons: to get to work, to shuttle kids to school, to celebrate happy hour at our favorite dive bar. And many of our most frequent — and even favorite — trips are just two miles or less, too.

For me, one of the most important trips of the day is to my yoga studio — which just happens to be 0.7 miles from the office. Thanks to my bike, I can leave my desk at 12:25 p.m. and be on my mat for a lunchtime class at 12:30. I asked my fellow League staffers about their favorite, short trips and they had some great responses…

Andy Clarke: Riding up to Capitol Hill and back — not because of the destination, but the inspirational views and buildings you see along the way. Pedaling along Pennsylvania Avenue gives one of the most stunning views of the Capitol. Riding back along the National Mall, toward the Washington Monument, past the Smithsonian museums, is just awesome, especially on a lovely spring or fall evening. The monumental core of Washington D.C. is an international treasure best seen from the seat of bicycle!

Elizabeth Kiker: The ride to Union Station is a pleasure because I ride on the big, lovely, strong-feeling Capitol Bikeshare bikes, and it’s so much faster than walking, Metro-ing, or cabbing.

Nicole Wynands: My favorite 2 mile trip is to the farmers market at Lake Anne in Reston every Saturday morning during the warm months to pick up fresh produce and flowers.

Katie Omberg: The .9 mile ride from my house to the Red Derby, my favorite dive bar in D.C. Monday is half-price burger night, and riding there saves valuable eating time.

Caron Whitaker: Biking to Eastern Market and surrounding restaurants and shops. There are three bike share stations nearby so its a great way to introduce guests to the neighborhood.

Ken McLeod: The 1.1 mile trip to Target and Giant – thanks to my bike, it’s easy to run errands without a car.

Darren Flusche: My favorite short trip is from my apartment in Capitol Hill to anywhere in Northwest D.C. The trip takes me down East Capitol Street, one of the most beautiful streets in the city, with broad, well-designed bike lanes, bicycle-friendly traffic light signal timing — and a perfect view of the U.S. Capitol the whole way. After, I ride right past the Capitol, I connect to the centerline buffered bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue, which take me all the way to the White House, where I wave to the president and continue on my way to points north and west. For a politics nerd like me, it’s a pretty tough ride to beat.

Alison Dewey: My 1.5 mile ride to and home from the metro saves me $1300 a year in parking costs. It also gets me home a lot quicker than a car!

Hamzat Sani: I look forward to the 1.2 mile ride to my old high school to watch my sister’s basketball games from my parent’s place.

Join us in logging your trips on the 2 Mile Challenge this month and help the League earn a $10,000 grant! Sign up at www.2milechallenge.com.

What’s YOUR favorite short trip on your bike?

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

Federal civilian, postal and military employees who want to make biking better have an easy way to achieve that goal: donate to the League (CFC # 11563) with your Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) donations.

The campaign season is September 1st to December 15th, so hurry and make your pledges to support bicycling today!

“Last year almost one million federal employees pledged over $272 million to participating local, national and international charities,” John Berry, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, said in August. Learn more about the CFC program here. If you are interested in joining the CFC program but have questions, visit their FAQs page.

This is an incredibly generous amount of support from our federal workers. We hope that you consider including the League of American Bicyclists in your giving.

Not a federal employee? Not to worry, you can still donate! Click here to support bicycling!

Katie Omberg
Events and Outreach Manager

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.

Frank Neal (pictured) has biked across the country, pedaled into the California Triple Crown Hall of Fame, and finished the Paris-Brest-Paris. But, despite his many accomplishments as a bicyclist, Frank says he is most proud when giving back to the sport he loves.

A League Cycling Instructor, Frank has presented bicycling safety at bike expos across the country — 12 in this year alone.

While sharing his knowledge with children and adults alike, Frank was approached by an elementary teacher who asked him to talk to the students at her school. This request led Frank to reach out to the League for advice. And we thought other League members might have some insight.

“I am one to get on the floor, sit Indian fashion, and ask the students to gather around,” Frank says. “Does the League have anything that invites the elementary audience to participate? It can be a short rhyme, a five-line song, or anything like this that will be fun, keep them involved, and be a take-away they will remember?”

Like many, the facts that have stuck with me through life were either part of a song or poem – what a great idea for bicycle safety! What ideas or tricks do YOU have for sharing you love of cycling with children? Share in the comments!

Alissa Simcox
League Director of Education

Simcox joined the League in July 2011. For the 5 years prior, she worked with the Congressional Youth Leadership Council and the National Association of Home Builders. She holds a BA in Education and Recreation and Leisure Administration from Florida State University.

A few weeks ago, I finally saw something I’ve been hearing about for a long while. Heading back to the office from a doctor’s appointment, I wasn’t fighting for space on the road. Instead, I was flying down bustling L Street Northwest on the new L Street cycletrack, a protected bike lane that takes up a whole lane of traffic and is protected by bollards, with green paint near intersections.

Yesterday, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) hosted a formal ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Vincent Gray, WABA Executive Director Shane Farthing, and the Downtown DC Business Improvement District‘s Director of Infrastructure & Sustainability, Ellen Jones.

There was quite the crowd for the press conference and ribbon cutting

“We aren’t just paying lip service to alternative modes of transportation — we want to reduce the number of vehicles in the District of Columbia,” Mayor Gray said to the assembled bicyclists and media.

“These [cycletracks] are an economic asset to our city; it will make our city more resilient,” Jones added. “The business community isn’t done making this the most bicycle-friendly downtown in the world.” While D.C. has a lot of work to do before that, the opening of this 1.1-mile cycletrack in the heart of downtown is a great step forward for advocates in D.C.

Sometimes it takes a village: the ribbon is cut by many, including Ellen Jones of DC BID (far left), DC Mayor Vincent Gray (middle, with “WABA” pocket square) and WABA’s Shane Farthing (far right)

After the ribbon cutting, I called Shane Farthing to get some background on the cycletrack, a project seven years in the making. In 2005, the L Street cycletrack made it into the 2005 Bicycle Master Plan for the District, the first significant bicycle plan for the city. This plan intended to create key thoroughfares for bicyclists through downtown D.C., both North-South (with the 15th Street cycletrack) and East-West (with the eastbound L Street cycletrack). “We’re three-quarters of the way done,” Farthing said, reminding me that the westbound M Street cycletrack is still on the horizon.

After years on the agenda, the L Street cycletrack hit a major speed bump last year. In a budget hearing with the District Department of Transportation in June 2011, DDOT Director Terry Bellamy said that funding for the L Street cycletrack was off the administration’s agenda. WABA responded by activating its member base. In a just a few weeks — after thousands of phone calls, e-mails, and a bike ride with Council member Jack Evans (Ward 2)— the cycletrack was back on the agenda.

What can local advocates learn from this great success story, transforming a project from scrapped to striped in 16 months? “The grassroots effort of e-mails and phone calls, coupled with exposure to council members through rides, made it happen,” Farthing says. His advice to local advocates fighting a similar battle? “Get your supportive council members to experience [the road on a bike where the infrastructure is proposed], then get them to talk their less supportive colleagues into riding with you, as well,” he says. “The experience is a new one to them, and it’s a really helpful way to get someone supportive of transportation issues, but not seen as a top bicycling voice, to support cycletracks.”

Detail from http://1.usa.gov/VfwSUS

Hopefully, I’ll see a lot of bicyclists on that lane next time I’m taking it across town. As Mayor Gray so rightly said: “The safer you make cycling, the more people will choose to bike.” Thanks to advocates like WABA, that’s happening every day here in the nation’s capital!

Katie Omberg
Events and Outreach Manager

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.

Full disclosure, I love Boston. I have loved the city ever since I stepped foot into Jamaica Plain in 2001, freshly home from the Peace Corps to attend Boston University in a masters program. I loved the size of the city: small enough to be able to be walkable but big enough to explore and feel urban. I loved the old-city streets, the small neighborhoods, the history, the many unique areas of the city. All of it seemed to fit me perfectly.

It took me about three months after moving to Boston to figure out that the most direct way to BU’s campus from Jamaica Plain was by bike. The T, Boston’s subway system, took me all the way into the city and then out again — a 45-minute commute. On bike it was 20. A beautiful commute around the Emerald Necklace, a name well-earned, put me straight onto campus. I passed by ponds and rivers and saw very few cars or stoplights the entire five miles.

Once I got to BU, however the honeymoon was over. I had to join the traffic congestion. I saw few cyclists on my ride to class. Commonwealth Avenue, which cuts through the heart of campus, was pretty much exclusively dedicated to moving cars and parking cars.

Last week I traveled back to Boston for the National League of Cities Conference and was amazed at the difference. I rode my bike from the newly developed Seaport District all the way to Landry’s Bicycles, my favorite shop and my former workplace. Nearly all the way from the Public Garden to BU’s campus I had a bike lane in which to ride. There was a green bike box near the famous Newbury Street, where I cozied up to multiple other cyclists. The lanes along Commonwealth Avenue also had a frequent safety reminder: “No Excuse, Wear a Helmet.”

I noticed the dozens of Hub Stations throughout the city and saw many people on the bike-share bikes. Cold weather didn’t stop a lot of the early morning commuters. Along the Charles River Path, the number of cyclists I saw far outnumbered the amount I would have seen on a warm weather day in 2001. It was amazing.

Congratulations, Boston. You have come a long way!  I never thought I could love you more, but I do.

Photo credit: City of Boston

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

As Melissa Balmer (pictured) was launching Women on Bikes SoCal she had a quick realization. Despite living in one of the most densely inhabited areas of the U.S. she was smack dab in the middle of a particularly troubling void: In all of Southern California, there were fewer than 30 women who were League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).

Thanks to Balmer’s efforts and a group of diverse female leaders, that number jumped dramatically in just one weekend last month.

Across the nation, the League has more than 3,500 LCIs who deliver bicycle skills education to thousands of people who ride each year. But, as Balmer discovered, there was only a small handful of female LCIs in her area: South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, the South Bay and greater Long Beach. So she raised funds to provide scholarships for a new and diverse group of women, from across the Los Angeles area, to become LCIs.

The first all-female LCI seminar, taught by stand-out trainer Jen Laurita, made history last month.

“Deciding to take on the goal of hosting the very first all-female LCI class was quite an adventure,” Balmer says. “I had absolutely no idea it had never been done before when the idea popped into my head. I’ve learned so much over the past year while pulling it together, raising the funds to make it happen, and drawing in the right scholarship candidates. I couldn’t be more proud of this very dynamic and diverse group who stuck in there to see it through. Jen Laurita, the lead instructor who dealt with hurricane Sandy right before coming out to teach this class, is a treasure. I can’t wait to see what this new group of female LCI’s will help make happen.”

Excited to learn more about these new LCIs, I got in touch with Elizabeth Williams and Maria Sipin to ask them about the training — and their plans to increase biking in their communities.

Why did you want to become an LCI?

Elizabeth: I became an LCI because I love riding and enjoy sharing my bike passion. One of the ways I can continue to do this is through teaching bike education. I started teaching basic bike classes more than a year ago and since then have discovered that there are lots more people needing basic bike education. I want to do something about this, so I’ve started developing a bike program and will use my LCI training to help safely connect people to the benefits of biking.

Maria: I was inspired by the Women on Bikes SoCal movement to increase the number of women riding bikes. I connected with their mission to transform bike culture to be more inclusive and appealing to women. Becoming a League Cycling Instructor is an opportunity to work toward that goal and become a mentor to foster youth leadership in the long run.

How was the training and the trainer? What was the best part?

Elizabeth: The trainer was amazing! She was very engaging and held my attention for the long weekend. Watching the presentations was probably the best part because I got to see a variety of different teaching styles and some I could borrow for my classes.

Maria: The training was robust and demanding. I expected the majority of the training to focus on evaluating the LCI candidates’ ability to ride a bike and perform drills with perfection, but there is an even greater emphasis on how well each person can teach the Traffic Skills material. Presenting an engaging lesson and successfully teaching the material to the group was most challenging, but it was also the best part of the training. Receiving constructive criticism defined my strengths and identified opportunities for improvement. With that, I could adjust my teaching methods.

Do you think the all-female aspect changed the dynamic at all?

Elizabeth: I think having the all-female class did make the environment more comfortable for the class. We had less stress about not knowing as much as guys do about bikes. We had no “macho” anything all weekend and that probably made it easier for the ladies to ask questions and deliver their presentations.

Maria: The all-female training created a very social dynamic. Aside from the “girl talk” (gushing about our pets, partners, milestones, and hygiene advice), we had serious conversations about advocacy challenges and experiences with peers, cycling groups, and law enforcement. The training was better because many of us knew each other from participating in Women on Bikes SoCal activities. Our trainer Jenn Laurita was energetic, knowledgeable, social, and professional throughout the process. I admire her passion for teaching.

How do you intend to use your new certification/skills?

Elizabeth: I’m developing a bike program focused on bridging the biking gap for women & youth in underserved communities. I’ll be teaching classes in these communities, connecting people to bikes, so everyone can reap the benefits of riding.

Maria: My priority is to collaborate with other LCIs and coalitions to increase access to workshops, classes, and organized rides to people in my community. One of the challenges I had was finding a Traffic Skills 101 class closer to home. The classes available at the time were 40 miles away and offered once a month. This is an example of a barrier that could prevent people in my community from participating, and I’d like to help change that.

What would you say to other women who are considering becoming an LCI, but perhaps have some hesitation?

Elizabeth: Anyone who has a real passion to spread bike love, and can commit the time to the training, can become an LCI. You don’t have to be a tough guy to do it. Women make wonderful teachers and in order to encourage more women to bike, we need more women LCI’s to be examples.

Maria: Ask the League questions. Talk to other LCIs and get the inside scoop on expectations and time commitments. Convince a friend to become an LCI too. It’s a bonus to have a support system during this process. Commit to the idea of becoming an LCI especially if you love biking and could see yourself teaching it. You are half way there. The next step is preparing yourself physically and mentally.

Women on Bikes SoCal was able to host this LCI program as a full scholarship with the generous support from Bikeable Communities, the California Bicycle Coalition, the League of American Bicyclists’ Women Bike initiative, Building Healthy Communities Long Beach, Bike Long Beach, private donations, special events, and outreach support from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.

Do you want to become an LCI? Next month, in conjunction with our first-ever Coach Seminar, we’ll be offering LCI training at a significant discount! Sign up for the seminar January 24-25 in Houston, Texas, and become an LCI for just $200. Click here to register! Questions? Email Alissa@BikeLeague.org.

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition (SCBC) has responded to an incident of road rage by focusing attention on bicyclist harassment and working to pass an ordinance to protect harassed bicyclists.

On August 16, bicyclist Toraj Soltani was chased onto a golf course by a motorist with a history of moving violations. The motorist was found thanks, in part, to a harassment reporting system created by the group in 2006 and currently faces criminal charges. As a result, the group launched its “Protect Us All” campaign to preserve and protect Sonoma County as a great place to ride a bike.

Building upon laws passed in Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Sunnyvale, California; as well as Washington D.C., the SCBC drafted an ordinance and is campaigning for its adoption by cities within Sonoma County and by the County. Since beginning the campaign the group has received the endorsement of the editorial staff of the local newspaper; secured $5,000 for a study of the ordinance by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors; and won a public hearing from the Sebastopol City Council in December. In addition, several other cities are looking at the ordinance and may take steps to adopt it, including Windsor and Sonoma, two bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Communities.

The ordinance proposed by SCBC differs significantly from the League’s model vulnerable road user law in that it provides for civil, rather than criminal, action. Sandra Lupien, SCBC’s Outreach Director, says that the ordinance will work because “you don’t even have to file a police report” and will not create additional work for local law enforcement. It supplements other civil laws that might allow a bicyclist to recover for injuries by providing for damages at three times the rate of actual damages, if there’s been a violation based on the behavior listed in the ordinance. This gives an extra incentive for attorneys to represent bicyclists in civil actions.

A bicycle is much cheaper than a car, so collisions tend to result in lower actual damages and attorneys, who usually receive a portion of the damages recovered in a civil suit, are unlikely to represent bicyclists because of the low total of damages from a typical bicycle collision. Bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users, currently lack access to our civil justice system because they are not surrounded by an expensive motor vehicle, laws such as the SCBC’s proposed ordinance address this disparity to access by putting a value on harassing and injuring behavior.

To learn more visit: http://www.bikesonoma.org/protectusall

Ken McLeod
Legal Specialist, Advocacy Advance

Ken joined the League in 2012 after graduating from William & Mary School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in the state of Virginia. During law school he worked for a private law firm in Cambodia and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Prior to that, Ken worked at a law firm in Orange County and a legal services provider in Seattle. He graduated from Pomona College in 2007 with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He began using his bike regularly after college and has been car-free since February 2012.