Put on by OpenPlans, I attended the most recent event last weekend in Washington, D.C., which brought together professionals, advocates and nerds like me who gladly give up their Saturday to delve into wonky discussions about urban transportation. Of course, balancing the wonk was the unconference structure: An interactive and spontaneous forum in which each attendee is empowered to propose and lead a session on a topic of their interest.

Not surprisingly, bicycles featured prominently into the lively and informative discussions.

My day started with a session called “Are we representin’? Bikes, infrastructure, crowd sourcing, equity, digital divide.” The session was led by Georgia Tech students who were involved in creating the CycleAtlanta smartphone app to collect bicycle ride data and apply that data to planning and prioritizing bicycle infrastructure projects. CycleAtlanta is a joint project between the City of Atlanta Department of Planning & Community Development, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).

CycleAtlanta app

There was a lot of discussion about the need for data on actual trips to see where bicyclists ride and how current infrastructure affects route choice. Much of the conversation focused on whether data obtained by a smartphone app would be representative of average cyclists and how equity could be maintained in planning if our data is skewed towards engaged cycling enthusiasts likely to discover and use the app. Many outreach methods were brainstormed and everyone agreed that the data will be valuable, especially as the app’s functionality is expanded.

In the next session I learned about the difficulties that were faced by transit advocates in Atlanta while campaigning for a referendum. Equity issues were again a prominent part of the discussion and I was amazed by the complexities that face advocates as they deal with local and state governments. The strong showing from Atlanta-based groups was great to see, considering the setback of their failed referendum — and is a good sign for the upcoming TransportationCamp South on February 9^th.

After lunch I saw great visualizations of Capital Bikeshare data from MV Jantzen (see below) and innovative hardware from Social Bicycles. Capital Bikeshare is one of the few bikeshare systems that provides data to the public on a regular basis. It was amazing to see the different ways Jantzen worked with the data to make it meaningful and interesting. Seeing the data visually made me appreciate the work to ensure bikes are available throughout the system and where people need them.

 My day ended with a discussion of how we communicate about funding for transportation projects. Much of the discussion centered on historical distrust for transportation funding and a lack of knowledge amongst the general population about how much they pay for transportation — and what they get as a result. Developing better data and transparency were key tools that came up repeatedly in developing better messaging about transportation funding and engaging public ownership of our transportation network.

Overall, I had a great time interacting with members of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Toole Design Group, and other organizations that believe that bicycles are an essential part of our transportation system. The unconference format not only encouraged participation, but made me feel at ease while attending my first transportation conference and it was great to see the energy of so many people directed at important transportation problems. For those that are interested in learning more about TransportationCamp and the things that were discussed visit: http://transportationcamp.org/.

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.

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

For instance, Bentonville earned a Bronze designation. The Northwest Arkansas city may have fewer than 40,000 residents, but I bet the name rings a bell. After all, it’s the home of Walmart’s corporate headquarters. And the international corporation has played a key role in the local cycling scene.

Walmart Bike Share Launch (Photo courtesy of Bike Bentonville)

Perhaps the most impressive example of Walmart’s commitment to bicycling on its own campus AND the wider community is the recent launch of its BikeShare program.

As Barbara O’Connor, Director of Walmart’s Walton Life Fitness Center, explains:

The Walmart BikeShare program launched on May 14, 2012 with 80 bikes placed at eight locations within the Walmart campus. Our BikeShare Program which is at no cost to our associates, is a result of a grassroots effort by 20 associates that came together two years ago to develop a plan to help reduce the carbon foot print within our local community. We worked closely with the city of Bentonville and Bike Bentonville to design routes that would incorporate our superior trail system and allow our associates safe passage throughout the community. The program has been well received by our associates. We had over 200 participants sign up during our first week and now have over 500 registered participants and bikes at 14 locations! Considering our heavy usage we have not had any accidents or theft of our bikes.  Our associates have found that riding a bike not only saves them time as they have front row parking when traveling to meetings or downtown to grab a bite to eat, but that this alternative mode of transportation is good for their health. I’ve had numerous associates tell me that once they started riding the BikeShare bikes, they got hooked on cycling and have taken the next step a bought a bike!

That’s not all. Walmart has worked with the city on initiatives that address education and encouragement — which are two of the other key criteria in becoming a BFC.

“In addition to our BikeShare program,” O’Connor says, “Walmart embraces cycling by promoting the annual Bike to Work Day. In fact, many of our executives participate on this ride. We also have a number of departments that get together on a regular basis for group rides after work either on their road bikes or to take advantage of the trails on their mountain bikes… The Walton Life Fitness Center partnered with the City of Bentonville on a mountain bike camp that teaches basic mountain biking skills to local youth and adults. We also partnered with the Bentonville School District for the first bike train on Bike to School Day, as well supporting the Bentonville High School Bike Business and Entrepreneurship program.”

Mountain bike camp (Photo courtesy of Bike Bentonville)

Of course, the dedication to bicycling in Bentonville goes far beyond Walmart.

“Bentonville really is a great example of a community embracing our Bicycle Friendly America programs — using the BFC and BFB programs in particular as a blueprint for action,” says League President, Andy Clarke. “There are world-class mountain bikes trails within a couple of miles of downtown. In fact, you can rent a bike from a local bike store on the town square, ride right past the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art on a paved trail — itself part of the 40-mile, Razorback Greenway — and within a few minutes be on great singletrack or quiet country roads. Bentonville also hosts one of the biggest single bike rodeos in the country; has an active Safe Routes to School program; is installing signed routes, shared lane arrows and bike parking throughout the community; and is inspiring regional action on bicycling infrastructure. They’ve hosted an LCI seminar, started a local advocacy group, and are working side-by-side with their biggest local employers to create the kind of quality of life that will attract the best talent in the world to Northwest Arkansas!”

Thanks to Walmart for their leadership in promoting bicycling — and congratulations to Bentonville for becoming one of the newest Bronze BFCs.

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.

But what else can we learn about bicycling in our nation’s capital — and what makes people ride?

That’s the question that Virginia Tech Assistant Professor Ralph Buehler and several of his students set out to answer with their recent study: “Trends and Determinants of Cycling in the Washington, DC Region.” (The first part of the study has been published in the journal World Transport Policy and Practice.)

“The Washington region is a bike-commuter region,” Buehler told me. As he wrote in his study: “In 2008, 41 percent of all weekday bike trips in the region were commute- or work-related, compared to only 17 percent in other urbanized areas in the U.S. The high share of utilitarian trip purposes in the region is comparable with bike-friendly cities in Europe, such as Berlin or Amsterdam.”

D.C. has a history of planning for bicycling and has made significant progress, but Buehler warned against complacency. “Having big plans now does not mean that it will be implemented in the future,” he said. “It was interesting to see the ambitious plans from the 1970s that only got partially implemented. This could be a little bit of a warning for cycling advocates.”

“The development of the regional trail network was crucial to provide connection between jurisdictions and from neighborhoods to employment centers,” Buehler continued. “The new trend towards bike lanes is encouraging because it will complement the regional network.”

Buehler and his co-authors identified significant “spatial variability” in bicycling rates – some parts of the regions saw higher rider ship than other parts. So, what role did self-selection or ‘demographic determination’ have in explaining this variability?

“There is definitely some self-selection,” Buehler told me. “But the jurisdictions also built great facilities in neighborhoods in which people want to cycle. Most studies show that even after controlling for self-selection, transport infrastructure and the built environment still influence travel choices. If you offer safe and attractive cycling conditions, people will cycle – even those who have not considered cycling a mode of transport.”

At the same time, self-selection cannot be easily disentangled from travel demand. People who want to bike may demand bicycle infrastructure. The city then builds more bike infrastructure and even more people ride. Some may even move to the neighborhood because they want to use their bicycles — it’s difficult to disentangle the two.

So, what lessons can D.C. learn from this study? “I think D.C. and the other jurisdictions have to integrate their own bicycle network and to connect them across jurisdictional boundaries,” Buehler said. “DC, Arlington, and Alexandria have made great progress, but there are still many gaps.” According to Buehler, we’ll see more cyclists in all regions when conditions improve. The study also identified the important role the building shower, lockers, and bike parking play in encouraging bicycling. Plentiful car parking, on the other hand, is negatively associated with bicycling, meaning that the more parking is available, the fewer cyclists you can expect.

For more from Professor Buehler and his colleague Professor John Pucher of Rutgers, see their “Cycling to Work in 90 Large Cities” report and their new book, City Cycling. The book can be pre-ordered at a discount on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Here’s a short brochure.

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.

Luckily, I had another option.

Within a one-block radius of my apartment in Southwest D.C. there were no fewer than three dozen ready-to-ride bikes just waiting to be unlocked with my little red Capital Bikeshare key. In less than two minutes, I was pedaling my way downtown — no tire maintenance required.

Across the country, bike sharing systems are dramatically growing the ranks of transportation cyclists, making it easy and convenient to pedal short trips or travel that last mile after a multi-modal commute. Already, we’re seeing more cyclists riding Capital Bikeshare here in D.C., and major cities like New York and Los Angeles are getting in the game later this year.

But as these systems proliferate, are they benefiting everyone who wants to ride? Are the stations distributed equitably or centralized in certain neighborhoods? Are the pricing structures and policies accessible to all residents, or do you have to have a credit card and a smartphone to find and pay for a ride?

How are bike share systems addressing these complex challenges? Last week, the Federal Transit Administration and the National Center for Transit Research hosted a webinar on “Social Equity and Bikesharing” to tackle these very questions.

Bikesharing systems are rolling out all over the country, attracting new riders to bicycling as transportation, and providing a convenient way to access other transit services. But a significant challenge for system planners and managers is ensuring that this new and exciting means of transportation can be accessed by a wide cross-section of the community. This webinar provided an overview of exciting and innovative ways that systems are pursuing social equity in bikesharing, and provide summaries and lessons learned from Capital Bikeshare in Arlington, VA, and Hubway in Boston, MA.

Great presentation; view the webinar or download the presenters’ slides here.

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.

Here’s just a tiny taste of what’s been happening in Week 1.

Advocacy organizations from coast to coast are capitalizing on May’s bicycle buzz. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is holding a Bike Month Poster Contest for local middle school students — and the top five young artists will have the privilege of pedaling with the Mayor himself on Bike To Work Day.

On the West Coast, the Cascade Bicycle Club is curating a Bike Month Video Extravaganza, inviting local residents to be the eyes on the street and capture on film areas of Seattle infrastructure that need improvement for those on two wheels.

Also in the Emerald City, King County Transit just announced that, during Bike to Work Week, cyclists will ride free on area buses, encouraging folks who may not be able to pedal the full way to try a multi-modal commute.

In Austin, the women-led Yellow Bike Project is hosting a Bike-In-Book-Swap this weekend for riders to recycle their old reads, pick up new ones, get creative with free bike crafts and participate in other “fun surprises.”

Speaking of art, bike culture will be on exhibit at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History this weekend, too, featuring officials posters from Bike to Work Week over the past 25 years and an array of bike-inspired jewelry, photographs, prints, paintings and sculptures.

Down the road in Santa Barbara, Bike Month kicked off on the cat walk, with local celebrities and residents strutting their stuff in the Velo Vogue Bicycle Fashion Show and “The Bicycle Wears Prada” social ride.

There are some fresh faces and resources on the internet, too. In the Big Apple, advocates at Transportation Alternatives debuted a new website — BikeNYC.org — that compiles events, bike-related deals and rider tips all in one place (curated by great folks like Shelma Jun and Susi Wunsch). And they’re not the only addition to the web this week: Kyle Wagenschutz kicked off a new bike-ped blog in Memphis, too.

City and state leaders took advantage of the national focus to advance their bike share programs. San Antonio started Bike Month with the big announcement of a $200,000 private grant for their new B-cycle system and, in Maryland, Governor Martin O’Malley revealed the recipients of $2.5 million in state funding to study or implement bike sharing.

But it wouldn’t be bike month without the chance to win (as my colleague Katie would say) sweet prizes. Looking for some first-rate bicycle parking? Saris is running a contest that will reward one worthy community with a free bike corral. Dream of traveling to Canada? Performance Bike will give one lucky cyclist the chance to visit Quebec and build a Devinci bike with their own two hands through its 2012 Tour Devinci & Build-a-Bike Giveaway.

Columnists and bloggers across the country are promoting cycling, and over on the Huffington Post, Tim Blumenthal, president of Bikes Belong, is helping “Bike Fever” go viral, highlighting the rapid rise in the number of people who ride and the reasons more folks are saddling up.

Even Fox News is promoting biking. “Leaving your car at home” came in at #2 on its 8 Tips to Better Credit and Better Health this week. “If you live within a short distance of your workplace,” Fox Business experts suggest, “ride a bike or even walk to work instead of driving. Use the money you save on gas and maintenance to pay down any credit card debt.” Great advice!

And, last but not least, your Bike Month Moment of Zen:

How did you spend the first week of National Bike Month? Share the happenings in your community in the comments!

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.

Transportation officials see the Capital Bikeshare facilities first hand at a workshop held in conjunction with the National Bike Summit

Last week, as advocates converged on the Hill following two days at the National Bike Summit, dozens of city transportation officials, transit managers, representatives from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and bike share experts gathered to discuss the present and future of what is set to be this year’s most exciting story: Bike Share.

With Bike Share planners and operators drawn from both existing systems (Washington DC’s Capital Bikeshare, Denver B-cycle, Minneapolis’ NiceRide Minnesota) as well as emerging ones (New York, San Francisco, Portland, Baltimore, Miami), the workshop gave an on-the-ground perspective of the unique challenges, opportunities, and optimism surrounding bike share in 2012.

The first day of the workshop kicked off with statements from Terry Bellamy, the Director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Matt Welbes, the Executive Director of the FTA, on the pivotal role that bikesharing can play as a catalyst to achieve sustainability objectives and public transportation needs. Established systems, including Denver B-cycle, Nice Ride Minnesota, and Capital Bikeshare shared lessons learned from their initial trials and successes in 2010-11.

They were followed by representatives from New York City, San Francisco, and Portland, who previewed new and ambitious developments in this field for 2012.  Dr. Susan Shaheen of UC Berkeley gave a global research perspective on the state of practice, while representatives from FHWA and the Toole Design Group provided some interim findings on exciting research to be released in the coming months on best practice in North American bikesharing.

In the afternoon, the discussion shifted towards roundtables on the many themes central to bikesharing, including business models, system operations, funding, and garnering political and community support.  While these discussions generated as many new questions as answers, a clear consensus emerged of bikeshare’s role in transforming the way people move around our cities.

Inside the Capital Bikeshare facilities

On Friday, the group reconvened at the offices of the American Public Transit Association, where the discussion shifted toward the integration of bikes with transit. Presentations by Ralph Beuhler of Virginia Tech, Fred Silver of CalStart, and representatives from LA Metro, Washington DC Metro, and Denver’s Regional Transportation District broadened the conversation to examine how bicycling and transit may be integrated and coordinated at a larger scale.

The morning ended with an in-depth presentation on the New York City Department of Transportation’s community outreach process for its upcoming 10,000 bike bikeshare system, set to launch in Summer 2012. The day ended with a group ride to the Capital Bikeshare warehouse, where cities from all of the country were given an inside look at a successful, 24-hour bike share operation.

The bike share workshop was sponsored by B-Cycle, Alta Bicycle Share, the Public Bike System Company http://www.bixisystem.com/, and CalStart.

Many organizations worked together to make this historic first meeting possible, including:

• National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
• American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
• Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
• District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
• League of American Bicyclists
• Many members of the bikesharing community who graciously contributed their time and passion to advance the state of practice!

For more information on the event, we encourage you to visit the new NACTO Bike Share page and wiki and the new FTA webpage on bicycles and transit.

David Vega-Barachowitz is the Sustainable Initiatives Program Manager at the National Association of City Transportation Officials and coordinator for NACTO’s Cities for Cycling project. Mr. Vega-Barachowitz joined NACTO in 2011 to develop and disseminate the Urban Bikeway Design Guide, a national design guide which compiles innovative bikeway and street design in the United States. Prior to joining NACTO, he undertook a Henry Evans Travelling fellowship granted by Columbia University to study urban design, with a focus on bicycle and infrastructure planning and design, in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and France. His interest in bicycling as sustainable transportation was inspired by his time studying architecture and urban design in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2008-2009, Mr. Vega-Barachowitz worked at the New York City Transit Authority, where he worked on a State of Good Repair initiative to improve system-wide asset management and systematic rehabilitation for stations. He is a graduate of Columbia University with a degree in Urban Studies with Architecture.

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.

Spontaneous rides like this one provide visitors and casual bicyclists a new way to see the nation’s capital, bring in revenue for the bikeshare system, and introduce new people to urban bicycling. To learn more about these users, whose data are not automatically captured in as much depth as the system’s annual users, CaBi and the transportation departments of Arlington, VA and Washington, DC asked a team of graduate students from Virginia Tech (VT) and Assistant Professor Ralph Buehler to conduct a survey and do research on the habits, characteristics, and opinions of casual bikeshare users.

A DC resident uses a 24-hour Capital Bikeshare pass rides the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes towards the U.S. Capitol Building. (Photo: Darren Flusche)

“Bikesharing is like a big advertisement for bicycling,” says Darren Buck, one of the VT students. “Folks walking by who don’t consider bikes in their daily routines are given an opportunity to ask, ‘Well, why not go for a bike ride?’” The survey found that the overwhelming number of people who decided without any pre-planning to go for a bike ride, a phenomena Buck calls “See-Rent-Ride.” Most respondents learned about CaBi by seeing the stations or bikes in use.

The final report, “Capital Bikeshare Study: A Closer Look at Casual Users and Operations,” included an analysis of other bikeshare systems in the country. “The comparison of CaBi with other systems showed that CaBi is at the cutting edge in many areas,” said Ralph Buehler, Assistant Professor in Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech, despite it being a relatively new system compared to some of the others examined.

Virginia Tech students survey CaBi users about the system. (Photo: Ralph Buehler)

The report also included several suggestions to improve the system, including improving technological approaches to redistributing bicycles, expanding repair facilities as the system grows, and providing maps and increasing the visibility of stations. The students recommended concentrating marketing around “under-served and counter peak” stations. They concluded that the system could grow ridership by concentrating and promoting in times and places where people are not riding now. Currently the heaviest use takes places during rush hour, attracting more weekend tourists gets more rides out of the system without taxing capacity.

The CaBi fleet on its first day. (Photo: Darren Flusche)

CaBi is currently covering all of its operating expenses through annual memberships and short-term passes. Other U.S. systems are also paying for themselves or are well on their way. This is, in part, due to the popularity of bikesharing among tourists and casual users. These users provide the system more income, per rider, than annual members. Therefore, understanding how and why these users use the system will help grow bicycle ridership overall and keep the system self-sufficient. Bikesharing is one of the most sustainable transportation investments out there. That makes it a very good use of tax-payer capital funds. (The initial capital funds for CaBi came from Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement funds. Visit www.AdvocacyAdvance.org for more information on this and other federal funding sources.)

This report demonstrates that bikeshare programs invite more new riders on city streets, raising the age-old chicken and egg problem: which needs to come first, on-street bicycling infrastructure or bikeshare programs? A large share of short term users – 43 percent – reported being unsatisfied with the current bike network in Washington, D.C. As more and more cities launch bikeshare programs, it is important that they also keep up with infrastructure and education. The best-case scenario is that bikeshare programs demonstrate the joys of bicycling to more people and create more political supports for bicycling investments.

For more on the Virginia Tech Studio Class on Bikesharing, visit their blog.

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.

In an effort to spread the word about bicycling’s benefits and popularity, Bike Walk Twin Cities created this infographic as part of Bike Walk Move, a local campaign to encourage more biking and walking in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area.

Click then zoom in to make bigger.

“The infographic says, ‘Hey, look how many people are getting around on bikes,’” says Hilary Reeves, Communications Manager of Bike Walk Twin Cities. “We wanted to gather some local stats and put them in a bit of context. The stats get your attention; validate things.”

The Bike Walk Move campaign spreads the word about new bicycling options in the Twin Cities resulting from the federal Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program administered by Transit for Livable Communities. “We want people to know they can make their way all across the metro, and beyond, on a lot of new routes, including bicycle boulevards,” Reeves says. The Twin Cities, along with Columbia, MO, Marin County, CA, Sheboygan County, WI, received the pilot project funds to increase bicycling and walking as transportation.

The numbers show growth in bicycling and walking, suggesting a wider acceptance, generally, of the bike as a way to get around. The Twin Cities have a higher share of female cyclists than most places and, of course, their famously intrepid winter cyclists show up in the data – one in five cyclists ride throughout the winter. Overall, the data show the cost-effectiveness of bicycling investments. “As Minneapolis Mayor Rybak has noted, you get a lot of bang for the buck with these investments,” Reeves says.

The infographic is one piece of an ongoing effort under the Bike Walk Move moniker to expand audiences for bicycling. The campaign has tabled at farmers markets, partnered with the local Major Taylor Bicycling Club, and put ads on buses featuring local bicyclists and their reasons for choosing to bike or walk, such as “infinity miles to the gallon.” “The effort is really trying to be inclusive,” Reeves says, “To say, you can do this, too.”

More on the graphic from Bike Walk Move.

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.

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, along with US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Congressman Earl Blumenauer, announced the release of the print version of the National Association of City Transportation Official’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide.

In March, Commissioner Sadik-Khan had announced the online release of the guide at the National Bike Summit.

“This is a guide cities should use,” said Secretary LaHood in front of the Union Station Bike Station. He went on to enumerate all of the exciting things that are happening in cities from New York to Chicago to Portland. The Secretary also said today that he won’t serve a second term as Transportation Secretary — certainly bad news for bicyclists.

“The Urban Bikeway Design Guide is a really critical piece for cities across the country who want to encourage bicycling as part of the transportation mix,” League President Andy Clarke said after the event, “And it fills a real void in available information on designing and implementing more innovative roadway designs and designs that work in our cities. The on-line guide is already a valuable resource to aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities – the print version just makes it seem even more real and impressive!”

From left, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and League President Andy Clarke show off their new NACTO design guides.

The NACTO Urban Bikeways Design Guide takes a ride on Capital Bikeshare.

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.