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Tips to Make the White House a Bicycle Friendly Business #letdenisride
After the Nobel Peace Prize, the League’s Bicycle Friendly Business designation is one of world’s most sought-after commendations.
Clearly, allowing all staff to ride to work if they want to is an important step. Last week, President Barack Obama said his new Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough, “probably isn’t allowed” to continue commuting to work on his bike. With your help, we’ve collected dozens of great reasons to #letdenisride. But with a health-conscious Commander in Chief in the Oval Office, we couldn’t help but dream of the day that President Obama adds a BFB award next to that Nobel Peace prize.
Here are a few more ideas to help the White House join the U.S. Department of State, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency as a League Bicycle Friendly Business.
1) Secure bike parking is great way to encourage riding. BFBs often find that bike racks in prominent locations are a great way to start a conversation about their commitment to bicycling.
2) Convenient shower access is a great way to make bike commuting easier on both commuters and their co-workers.
3) We consider the ways businesses encourage cycling when deciding on BFB awards. We’re always impressed when workplaces print up custom cycling jerseys for their key staff.
4) While biking isn’t always going to be the best choice for a particular trip, the top BFBs make it possible to combine biking with other forms of transport.
5) Even with everything they do to promote cycling throughout the year, Bicycle Friendly Businesses always find a way to step it up on Bike to Work Day.
The first step is easy, Mr. President. Click here to download the BFB scorecard. #letdenisride and build a bike lane to the 21st century!
Thanks to my Photoshop genius colleague Katie Omberg and Primal for their help envisioning a Bicycle Friendly White House.
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.
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January 30th, 2013 at 3:10 pm
These are great. Secret service on bicycles, why not? Also, invite Michelle to the National Bike Summit/Women’s bike summit. she is promoting healthy living. This would fit right in.
January 31st, 2013 at 9:10 am
[...] Tips to Make the White House a Bicycle Friendly Business #letdenisride [...]
February 5th, 2013 at 5:12 am
Great work, but as every BFB knows actually implementing the plan requires a lot of vetting. I am sure the Secret Service would reject the roof rack idea (and maybe the Energy Secretary) because peeling into an underground garage–even if it is to save the life of the President–will make them look like doofuses. A hitch mounted rack would solve this problem, and the best ones are made in the US of A.
February 5th, 2013 at 9:10 am
Great Photoshop work! Car with bike racks looks real.
February 5th, 2013 at 11:53 am
That’s a lot of fun, but the White House could really have an impact if they could upgrade bicycling within the very large DOD. The DOD should be required to upgrade to complete streets at its facilities, to upgrade to improved bike parking standards at all of its buildings, to remove barriers to riding such a bicycle registration (even if a pass is required for the operator, there is no need for it to specify the bicycle and to have an expiration date) and to reduce confusion by aligning on-facility helmet regulations with local laws. I work at a DOD facility and have encountered all four of these issues.
I find it frustrating to see brand new parking installed at a DOD facility that is substandard according to local new-construction specifications.