If you want to support the League and love to ride your bike, do we have a deal for you! We are a beneficiary of Climate Ride for the second year running! Last year, riders raised thousands of dollars for our mission to build a bicycle friendly America, and we hope to use that momentum to build our presence in 2012. You can choose to support us on either of the 5-day Climate Rides: choose the wonderful 5-day, fully supported bicycle ride from New York City to Washington DC this May 19-23, 2012 or set your sights on touring the California Coast this September 9-13, 2012. It is an amazing journey and ‘green conference on wheels’ where people who care about sustainability, renewable energy and bike advocacy pedal together to make a difference. Not only that, but the NYC to DC ride happens during National Bike Month! Click here to learn more about Team League!
If you choose to ride, you would provide much-needed financial support for the League, raise awareness of cycling across the country, engage with other riders, and help build a national network of supporters. While anyone who rides a bike hints at the strength of cycling to change the world, Climate Ride puts a bullhorn to our voice.
Are you in Washington, DC? If so, join us for a Meet and Greet on February 2nd, 2012 at 6pm!
Learn more about how you can support the League through Climate Ride. Talk with staff from the League, Climate Ride, and our friends at Green America starting at 6:00 pm at the Green America Offices; just one floor up from ours! Past Climate Riders and Climate Ride staff will provide an introduction to the Climate Ride including tips on fundraising and advice on training. This is an opportunity to have all of your questions answered. Light food (pizza) and drinks (beer) will be provided, so you have no excuse not to come!
Location: Green America Office, 1612 K Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006
Please RSVP for the event by emailing Katie Omberg at katie@bikeleague.org (not mandatory, we just don’t want to run out of pizza)!
Learn more about the 2012 Climate Ride and Team League!
Can’t attend the Meet and Greet? Find out more about Climate Ride by visiting Climate Ride’s site. You can register for $75 (which includes a great jersey, road support, and more), and then you raise at least $2400 to participate in this all-inclusive 5-day bicycle tour. The ride is fully-supported by a team of talented leader-hosts, bike mechanics, medics, and massage therapists. Climate Ride is also one of the ‘greenest’ multi-day charity ride events in the world.
You can join many other people who want to do something to help create a better future for us all. Climate Ride is an exciting way to get involved and experience an amazing adventure, powered by your own energy. I would encourage you to sign up early not only so you have time to fundraise and train, but also because spots fill up!
We hope to see you on the road on Team League! Please visit our team’s page to sign up or make a donation!
~Katie Omberg
League Membership & Events Assistant
Knowing that the Miami Marathon would cause a lot of traffic congestion, Miami Heat Forward LeBron James beat the traffic by getting on his bike and getting in a little workout before the game. “It was good to get out in the open field this morning and get a bike ride in to be prepared for the day’s game,” James told an on-court reporter after the game. When asked if he should do it every day, he said “I think so.”
Clearly, the ride did his legs some good, as he was able to do this:
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.
Thanks to StreetsBlog and Khal Spencer for drawing our attention to this Giant advertisement airing in Australia.
A good reminder that there is room for everybody in cycling. Let’s celebrate and support all of them.
…oh, and Happy New Year!
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
Everyone at the League would like to wish our members, bicycle advocates, Bike League Blog readers and all the cyclists out there a happy holiday and New Year! We have enjoyed working diligently for bicycling and bringing you the latest in bicycling news this year. Andy Clarke, president of the League, would also like to personally thank you and wish you a happy holiday.
Thank you for all your continued support, especially when we needed you the most. We survived repeated attacks on bicycle funding due to all of you responding to our alerts and e-mails. You wrote your state and national politicians, and we have held on to bicycle funding — for now. We even are faced with the possibility of losing our rights to the road on federal lands. We have a lot of work ahead of us but we will be raring to go in 2012. We’re looking forward to the National Bike Summit, National Bike Month, educating new and returning bicyclists nationwide and well, saving cycling again and again.
And if you are searching for that perfect gift for your favorite cyclists this year, make a donation in their name or buy them a League membership — it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Have a wonderful holiday!
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is an infographic worth?
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.
“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.”
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.
It was great to see the turn-out on Friday when representatives from federal agencies, Maryland and the District of Columbia came together to celebrate the opening of a new section of the Anacostia River Trail at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, part of the Obama Administration’s America’s Great Outdoors program.
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley praises the new Anacostia River Trail as DC Mayor Vincent Gray, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Maryland's US Senator Ben Cardin look on.
Officials in attendance included:
Ken Salazar, Secretary of Interior
Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation
John D. Porcari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation
Bob Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, EPA
Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland
Ben Cardin, United States Senator for Maryland
Rushern L. Baker, III, Prince George’s County Executive
Vincent Gray, Mayor of Washington, D.C.
Jon Jarvis, Director, National Park Service
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (green jacket) and Senator Ben Cardin (brown jacket) ride the new trail.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
Last Saturday, we partnered with Bikes Belong for Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play at the White House. Nickelodeon encouraged cities across the globe to host events, and the channel shut off all programming for three hours to prove the point that kids need to go outside and play.
The D.C. event was a big success, with more than 600 kids biking through the bike course on the White House lawn. The participants were shown the proper way to fit a helmet, the parts of the bike and how to make sure they were working properly, how to obey the laws the of the street, and were encouraged to get out and ride more often. The kids all enjoyed the activities and were pumped for the bike zone on the lawn. Some kids were so excited to ride bikes that they wouldn’t listen to their parents when they were told it was time to stop riding — there were a few feet stomping episodes to convince their moms and dads to let them ride more. One little girl was so excited, she brought her own pink and white helmet adorned with glitter, just so she could ride. It was great to see the next generation so excited to ride. Hopefully, they’ll keep that up far into adulthood. To learn how to teach your child to bike, visit the League’s kids bike education info page on bikeleague.org.
Thanks to the the Washington Area Bicycling Association – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Nickelodeon, World Wide Day of Play and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
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.
The League was just added as a beneficiary of Climate Ride — but there are only 20 spots left. Register for Climate Ride to raise money to support the League and take the ride of your life for five days in Northern California!
You’re invited to join us on Climate Ride, an incredible 5-day bicycle ride in Northern California and the best part is that you can help the League of American Bicyclists while you’re doing it! For the first time, we’re recruiting members for our new Team Bike League on this year’s California ride, and you can be part of the fun and raise funds for the League of American Bicyclists at the same time.
Climate Ride is an amazing journey and ‘green conference on wheels’ where people who care about a clean and green future for our nation pedal the stunning California coast together to make a difference. The event is a 5-day, fully-supported bicycle ride from Fortuna to San Francisco under towering redwoods, through the Russian River Wine Country, and along the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route – one of the most scenic coastlines in the world. Climate Ride also features nightly speakers who focus on bicycle advocacy, sustainability, and renewable energy.
Everyone who has participated in Climate Ride raves about the tour as a ‘life-changing’ and ‘eye-opening’ experience. What is even better is that you can enjoy this great event, while at the same time helping to support the League’s mission. Climate Ride has opened up the beneficiary choices so now you can choose to support the League specifically with your fundraising dollars. If you select us as your beneficiary when you register or join our Team Bike League, we will be the sole recipient of the funds you raise, which means our efforts will gain even more traction in the future.
Registration for Climate Ride California 2011 is $75 (which includes a beautiful jersey and more) and then you raise at least $2400 to participate for the all-inclusive event. The ride is fully-supported by a team of talented leader-hosts, bike mechanics, medics, and massage therapists. Climate Ride is also one of the ‘greenest’ multi-day charity ride events in the world. Riders are asked to bring no bottled water (recyclable water bottles will be used, and filtered water will be provided). There is no disposable plate ware or cups, the support vehicles are highly fuel efficient, and every effort is made to recycle and compost materials used on the ride.
When you sign up, you’ll be joining many other people who want to do something to help create a better future for us all. Climate Ride is a great way to get involved and experience an amazing adventure, powered by your own energy. The best bet is to sign up early not only so you have time to fundraise and train, but also because spots fill up!
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.
Cycling and fashion have hit an uptick in America thanks to many fashion designers getting on board with stylish bike commuter pieces and selling them online, including: bags, helmets and jeans — and this is in addition to some pretty sweet rides.
What influenced the recent interest in stateside Cycle Chic commuters? Perhaps it is how many fashion trends form — European inspiration. Men, women and children in many European countries are raised with bicycling. They bike everywhere, and they don’t wear special clothes to do it. They wear their fancy clothes, their going out clothes, their work clothes and their play clothes while bicycling. They save the bike shorts for the professionals.
Petria Lenehan is a Dublin fashion designer schooled in New York, Florence and London. She owns Dublin fashion boutique Dolls — a store for fashion lovers — and at the entrance stands a matte green Dutch bicycle. Petria primarily has that bike because it brings structure to her days. With a dual role as fashion designer and boutique owner, Petria’s life is hectic. Five years on from opening Dolls, she still finds herself sketching dresses in business hours – meaning she will have to do bookkeeping later that night. But now, with help of her bike, a change has come about.
*Petria Lenehan bikes to her studio and boutique.
Petria recently rented a studio, forcing herself to be business woman in her boutique and fashion designer in her studio. It does require Petria to frequently travel between studio and shop, though. She heavily relies on her bike, which has become the beacon of structure. Every day at her boutique, she loads shirts and skirts in her bicycle basket and cycles to her new studio. But Petria also has the bike for its style.
When the Irish Times recently wrote an article about Dolls, it said, ‘you don’t have to arrive (…) by Dutch bike, but if you do you will be among your tribe. This is Dublin 8, darling.’ And so Petria decided to display her handmade Dutch bike alongside dresses, hats, scarves, frocks, jumpers, socks and clogs.
So there you have it. The fashionable want a sensible way to get around town, and the bike is the answer. Plus, they get to show off their smart ensembles and chic bicycles while they cruise.
For those of you who have been waiting for the Back to the Future DeLorean or Hoverboard — or even The Jetson’s flying car — the bike beat them all in the floating personal vehicle race (I’m not including planes or helicopters). And, of course, the bike won! The bicycle was invented before the automobile after all.
To give you some background, many advances were made in internal combustion engine technology during the time the bicycle was being developed but the bike was patented before the car. Karl (von) Drais, from Germany, patented a two-wheeled contraption in 1818. It was known as the running machine. Later in the 1860s, two Frenchman advanced the bicycle by adding cranks to the front wheel. The first practical automobile was built in 1885 by Karl Benz, and he patented the gasoline-fueled car in 1886.
But back to the flying bike! The Hoverbike was invented over the last two and half years by Australian mechanical designer Chris Malloy in his garage. It’s made of carbon fiber and, yes, has a small engine and propellers — but it flies and is a bike! You, too, can pedal around the skies, if you can even pedal this contraption, for a cool $40,000. Though, I recommend you wait till it’s tested a bit more. For now, Malloy tests the Hoverbike while it is tied to the ground.
(photo: device.com)
I’m sharing this invention in the spirit of the “flying car dream” we all had as children and the high school semester we all read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. However, in contrast to my seven-year-old flying car dream and Huxley’s imagination, I’m happy the Hoverbike is the first vehicle that hovers. I’m glad because, really, E.T.‘s flying bike is much cooler than any flying car any day of the week.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
In Secretary LaHood’s latest On the Go video, he talks about helping Chicago’s new mayor create the nation’s largest bikeshare program and the importance of installing bike lanes in cities, but we are thrilled to hear him shift his message to motorists with these words: “I’ve also, more recently, been encouraging those that are behind the wheel of a car to pay attention to cyclists.” We agree – smart cyclists deserve smart motorists.
In other encouraging news, do yourself a favor and watch this video of a kid who just learned how to ride his bike give a pep talk to other kids out there trying to learn. I don’t know about you, but it made me want to go for a ride.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
Today is Bike to Work Day (always the third Friday in Bike Month), and the League celebrated at Washington, D.C.’s event on Freedom Plaza. The event, hosted by WABA, reportedly had more than 8,000 registered for D.C. Metro festivities, while 10,000 in D.C. were expected to ride to work. Freedom Plaza was packed — and packed with a solid representation of the American bike rider. We had people of all ages, backgrounds and clothing styles hanging out, talking about bikes, and having fun.
The speakers at the event were just as impressive as the turnout, and they made all of us bicyclists feel warm and fuzzy. The D.C. politicians get why bikes are important and raved about Capital Bike Share. Even Mayor Vincent Gray was on hand to accept Washington, D.C.’s Bicycle Friendly Community award from League president Andy Clarke — D.C. recently upgraded to a Silver-level BFC. Gray, though, said he wasn’t happy with just Silver and riled the crowd with promises of reaching Gold and one day Platinum.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood couldn’t make it to this year’s Bike to Work Day but he did blog about it on Fast Lane and send FTA Administrator Rogoff and Undersecretary Roy Kienitz to the D.C. event. Rogoff and Kienitz cemented that the Obama administration is behind bicycling. Rogoff said bicycling helps in so many of the Obama Administration’s goals: lowering greenhouse gasses, lowering our dependency on oil, and making better and efficient use of the infrastructure we already have.
If you’re feeling lucky, the League and Seal Line are giving away Seal Ling bags. You can win with the best Bike to Work tweet today, told in 140 characters or less. We’re taking submissions all day that use the #B2WD hashtag. You may get bonus points if you include our names @SealLine and @BikeLeague!
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
Oh, third grade school days. Mine were mostly carefree and were comprised of counting down the minutes to recess, mastering my multiplication tables, remembering how to write the cursive Z (how do you write that again?), and receiving the latest issue of the Weekly Reader. Well, third grade has come full circle for me because now the League and I were were featured in the Weekly Reader‘s April issue and cover story, “Ready to Ride! U.S. cities jump on the bicycle path.”
Source: Weekly Reader Publishing
The April issue will reach approximately 370,000 third graders nationwide this month — just in time for some spring bike riding. The great thing about the article is that it goes beyond the basics of bicycling. It is written to get kids’ critical thinking juices flowing and asks questions like, “Think about it: What are some other ways people commute to school or work?” Additionally, the article covers Bicycle Friendly Cities like San Francisco and Washington, D.C. and backs their data with numbers from the U.S. Census. On top of that, the article talks about what cities are doing to become more bicycle-friendly and gives examples from bike-share systems to bike lanes. The issue even includes a safety “Get in the Gear” diagram and Q&A to remind the kids that safety is always first.
The newsletter also provides supplementary materials for teachers with every issue of the Weekly Reader. It includes additional links and information to complement the kids’ reading. The April teacher’s guide includes questions like, “Why might some U.S. cities want residents to ride bicycles more often, vocab words like ‘commute’, data from the American Communities Survey, international bike data, and the League’s Web site bikeleague.org.
For me, though, I thought the two greatest things in the teacher’s guide were a Design a Bicycle Plan project (what better way to get our youth thinking?) and the critical thinking questions to quiz the students. My favorite question is number six — How might spokesperson Meghan Cahill feel if the number of bicycle commuters in the United States started to decrease? A) proud B) excited C) Nervous
Washington, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare has become increasingly popular among D.C. residents, commuters and tourists — and now even celebrity visitors are joining in on the convenience and fun. Yesterday, April 4, Kevin Spacey took a whirl around D.C. on a Capital Bikeshare bike. He even stopped for the perfunctory photo-op in front of the White House.
Capital Bikeshare, launched September 2010, was a welcomed addition to the city’s transportation system by bike commuters and D.C. residents alike. Capital Bikeshare maintained its usage rates during the winter — ridership increased 67 percent from December 2010 to February 2011 despite some chilly D.C. temps. There were 48,215 total Bikeshare trips in February, almost exactly as many trips were taken in November (48,217). Now that it’s April and warmer, take a ride on D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare. If we can’t encourage you, maybe Kevin Spacey can.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
The bike buzz that New York City, a Bicycle Friendly Community, has created with the Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law and the creation of new bike lanes all around the city has spilled over to the business community. The Empire State Building, one of the world’s and NYC’s most famous buildings, announced today the completion of its dedicated bicycle storage room for its tenants. NYC has been active in sustainable living practices and bicycle-initiatives lately. The new facility supports Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s initiative to encourage more New Yorkers to bike to work — part of the city’s PlaNYC strategy.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
But what if you could use your love of bicycling to guide your choices and possibly lead you to bracketological glory? Well, that’s where the official 2011 Bicycle Friendly America Bracket Guide comes in. Thanks to our new Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) Program, we can tell you which schools are champions of bicycle-friendliness.
The first ever Bicycle Friendly Universities were announced last week at the National Bike Summit. Five of the 20 Bicycle Friendly Universities made it to the tournament, along with four campuses that received an Honorable Mention. To make sure we had representation from each region on the bracket, for tie-breakers, and to make things more interesting, we also consider Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) status and whether the campus is a Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFB).
We put all this data into our computers – we have a room full of statisticians on hand just for this purpose – and arrived at the dead-on, can’t miss, sure thing Bicycle Friendly Final Four.
Before we show you the results, let’s see how BFU’s are distributed across the bracket’s regions. All predictions are based solely on bicycle-friendliness. We’ll leave basketball predictions to ESPN. Note that Bicycle Friendly University status is favored over Business and Community recognition in our predictions.
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.
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.
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.
Caron Butler first hit the bike scene five years ago with his 3D Bike Brigade. Since then, his organization has provided more than 3,000 bikes for underprivileged children. “The Bike Brigade which I created in 2005, is a program that is all about getting kids on bikes, and keeping them active, healthy and most importantly out of trouble,“ said NBA All-Star Butler.
Butler, looking to expand the reach of his program, partnered with the League this year and participated in our June ride down the, then newly installed, bike lanes on D.C.’s Pennsylvania Ave. The League’s mission to create a bicycle-friendly America through advocacy and education clicked with Butler’s dreams of a country where all of our children get to enjoy the freedom and fun of riding a bicycle. The Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik André Henrik Christian, the Ambassador of Denmark Friis Arne Petersen, and Chairmen Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Tom Petri (R-WI) also joined the ride.
Butler on the June 7 ride down Pennsylvania Ave.'s bike lane
The League and Butler’s partnership, along with the royal ride, gave the Brigade a national platform. Now, six months later, Butler has teamed with President Obama’s Million PALA Challenge — Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (reported in USA Today). The PALA will be given to youth who complete 60 minutes of physical activity a day, at least five days a week, for six weeks and log their activity online at PresidentsChallenge.org.
“I am excited to use … (the Bike Brigade) … to promote the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. Together, we will be able to reach even more kids with the powerful message of leading healthy lifestyles and staying fit through cycling and regular activity,” said Butler.
The League is extremely proud of Butler’s initiative and commitment to get more children on bicycles. We look forward to future efforts.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
The week started off wet here in D.C., making bike commuting a bit of a dreary task. That, coupled with a schedule full of strategic planning, means it’s time for a break. This video reminds us that, in addition to being a great and useful mode of transportation, bicycling is also ridiculously fun. Here’s to the thrills that can be had on two wheels!
[Ed. note: File under don't try this at home. Unless you're Danny MacAskill, in which case, well done and thanks for reading.]
Jeff Peel State and Local Advocacy Coordinator
Peel joined the League in March 2008 as a Program Specialist for the Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Peel has a BA in American Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Two memorable events last week had me wondering whether the generally rather unassuming Arlington County, Va. that I ride through every day is catching up fast with Amsterdam. First, riding through the heart of Arlington in rush hour, I found myself behind an elegant young woman, dressed for success, on a real Dutch bike. Not one of the increasingly good versions of Dutch bikes that folks are making over here…but a bona fide, upright, Dutch city bike with fully enclosed chain, serious built-in lights, and a rear-wheel lock. The works. Must be great going downhill to the river…probably a bit harder work getting back home in the evening – but so styling.
A couple of days later, I’m a little deeper into the residential part of Arlington when a vision rides towards me: an adult with child on the rear rack and an even smaller child perched on the front of the bike inside the arms of their Dad. Am I imagining this? Have I been transported to Amsterdam or Amersfoort; did I pass through a time warp or some kind of cycling portal? What’s even more confounding is that I don’t know who these people are…most of the slightly eccentric bikes that I see around town are ridden by people I know well (yes, I’m talking about Arlingtonians Paul DeMaio on his Strida or Charlie Denney on his three-seater with twins out in front).
Capital City Bike Share in Arlington - Photo Courtesy of commuterpageblog.com
Arlington has been desperately seeking some bike culture for years. Now with Revolution’s City Hub generating all kinds of fun activity, bike sharing on the ground in Crystal City, and people riding Dutch bikes around town…Washington D.C. had better get its game on when it comes to street cred in the nation’s capital district.
Andy Clarke League President
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.
If you are a member of the League or signed up for our e-newsletter, you may have already heard from us on this topic, so consider this a reminder. If not, become a member today and sign up for our American Bicyclist Updates.
In recent years, the bicycle industry has stepped up to support our advocacy and education programs like never before. Much of that leadership has come from Bikes Belong, the industry’s advocacy and education organization. We realize that we have a common interest in getting more people on bikes more often and more safely, and we know we need every voice we can muster to have an impact at the Federal, state and local level. That’s why I am writing to you today to ask for your help.
Bikes Belong recently launched a new effort to unite one million voices to improve bicycling in the United States. It simply asks people to sign a pledge in support of biking. The campaign is called Peopleforbikes.org, and the goal is to help make our nation a better place to ride by sending a powerful message to our elected leaders, the media, and the public that bicycling is important and should be promoted.
I have signed the pledge. To date, more than 90,000 people across the country have signed the pledge, including Lance Armstrong, Gary Fisher, and bike-friendly Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
So please take a moment to visit the website and sign the pledge. It is quick and easy. You will help the future of biking and ultimately you will be enhancing the work of the League. All the campaign needs is your name and email address: www.peopleforbikes.org/signpledge
Tim Blumenthal, Bikes Belong’s executive director, wrote me to say “Imagine the power of combining the voices of the League members with those of other bicycling organizations as well as those of individuals who have yet to get involved but already love bicycling. If Peopleforbikes.org can engage one million people to support bicycling that is safer, more convenient, and more appealing for everyone, Washington will listen. This will boost our platform when the next federal transportation bill finally takes center stage. It will also introduce thousands of pro-bike Americans to our organizations and our important work.”
Let’s help push the number of signatures over the 100,000 mark THIS WEEK while the industry is gathered in Las Vegas for their annual trade show! Let’s show them the League is right behind their work just as they have shown their support for us.
Andy Clarke League President
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.
I can’t think of a much better way to spend a gorgeous Monday morning than showing up to an event where several hundred spiffy new red bikes are lined up outside the US Department of Transportation headquarters ready to be ridden. Today was the launch of the Capital Bikeshare program – DC’s long-awaited expanded bike sharing program that will have 1,100 bikes in 100 stations around DC and Arlington. On hand for the launch was outgoing DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, DC delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Arlington County board member Jay Fissette, and the USDOT Assistant Secretary for Transportation Polly Trottenberg – and of course they all had glowing things to say about the project. Which was a good thing because the BIXI public bike folks from Montreal were also there in force. Roger Plamondon, chairman of the board for the Public Bike System Company spoke about the impact of such programs on people in cities around the world.
Then we got to ride! In a cunning plan, the organizers had convoys of riders deliver bikes to the stations around the city. I rode with Group 6 over to the RFK Stadium location, led by Caron Whitaker of America Bikes fame and in the esteemed company of Mr Plamondon and Alain Ayotte, president of the company. We learned about the impact of having 3 million trips on the Montreal system this year (incredible); the feedback they are getting from riders (fantastic); and the interest from cities around the world (phenomenal).
So a big thanks to the District Department of Transportation, Arlington County, Alta Bike Share, and everyone involved in pulling this off. And thanks for a great way to start the week.
The Bixi staff
Here’s a video showing you how to use the system. (Thanks WashCycle.)
Andy Clarke League President
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.
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.
There’s been a lot said and written about the decline of Detroit, Mich after its deindustrialization. Long ago dubbed the Motor City, locals tell us that many streets are void of auto-traffic making them great for bikes. There’s lots of people and organizations trying to turn the city around. Folks like the League of Michigan Bicyclists and Todd Scott at Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance are working to re-energize the city through bicycles and greenways. Now they may have some help from the Mower Gang.
Walking through a maze of shrubbery, trees, tires, paint cans and logs the size of wheelbarrows, it was hard to imagine that people raced bicycles there.
“I cannot believe that this has been abandoned in time,” said Tom Nardone, founder of the Mower Gang. The small group of volunteers was standing on the Dorais Velodrome in northeast Detroit on Friday. The motto on their shirts said it all, “Winning Detroit’s Other Turf War.”
Though the concrete velodrome needs quite a bit more maintenance to be race worthy, the group of volunteer armed with mowers and weedwackers did succeed in making it rideable again.
“It’s really not about getting some 45-year-old guy a better place to ride his bike,” said [Tom] Nardone, reflecting on the Mower Gang’s mission. “It’s more about getting 10-, 12-, 13-year-old kids a better place to spend an afternoon.”
Jeff Peel State and Local Advocacy Coordinator
Peel joined the League in March 2008 as a Program Specialist for the Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Peel has a BA in American Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Technology is amazing and typically makes everything easier – information sharing, photo sharing, video sharing, and now bike sharing! Bike sharing by iphone joins the extensive list of bike-sharing systems already in place. Just in the past couple of years we have seen a boom in cities adopting bike share systems as an additional public transportation option – some of the more popular are Paris; Montreal; Washington, D.C.; Denver; Minneapolis; Chicago; and the list keeps growing. Cities are not the only ones on top of this boom, businesses are implementing systems, and even colleges and universities are getting in the game. Some systems allow people passing by to swipe their credit card and ride off, while others require a little planning ahead but can be just as convenient. Coming this fall to the Big Apple is bike sharing by iphone called Sobi. Soon a user will be able to locate an available bike with the simple touch of a phone. I once thought bike riding was as simple as it could get, but with these innovations in bike share systems I am starting to believe it can be even simpler.
~Alison Dewey
League Bicycle Friendly America Program Specialist
The League is switching to preferential voting for the upcoming Board Elections. To test out our new system, we thought it would be fun to vote for the best cyclist of all time. This will be the same method we will use for the 2011 Board elections and allows each member to have their voice heard clearly — and ensures that our board members have the support of our national audience.
Here’s how it works:
1. A member logs in and votes on www.bikeleague.org, ranking all the cyclists in order of preference.
2. The cyclist with the least number of first votes is eliminated. Votes for that cyclist are redistributed according to the voters’ second choices.
3. Once again, the cyclist with the least number of votes is eliminated, and those votes are then spread among the remaining cyclist by who the voter chose second (or third, if their second choice has already been eliminated).
4. This process continues until there is just one cyclist remaining. Stay tuned to see who the best cyclist is – ever. We will post the results online and in the next issue of American Bicyclist.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
Dorene Paul, the reference assistant for the Sandusky Library in Sandusky, OH, was browsing through the archives one day recently when she came upon some artifacts from the early days of the League, then known as the League of American Wheelmen. She found a program from the League’s 13th Annual Meeting, which includes classic advertisements for bicycles, and a period photograph of a woman posing with her bike. ”I just really enjoy browsing through all the vintage items we have here in our Archives at Sandusky Library,” she said. The 19th century League meeting program caught her eye. The materials are posted on the Library’s blog.
(Photo from Sandusky Library Archives)
The program from 1893 reminds us of the long history of the League’s advocacy efforts, then focused on the Good Roads Movement to pave America’s streets. Today the work continues with the annual National Bike Summit. A lot has changed in Sandusky and the U.S. since 1893. “Probably the main thing I noticed in the file with the program from the League of American Wheelmen,” Paul said, “was that the prices of hotel were very inexpensive, and automobiles had not become popular yet, so…it was a much simpler time.”
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
Two books you may be interested in for the summer.
First, friend of the League, Mia Birk, former Bicycle Coordinator for Portland, Oregon, and now CEO of Alta Planning and Design, has published a book, Joyride: Pedaling towards a healthier planet. The book tells the story of her career trying to integrate bicycling into daily life. Hear it from her:
Second, Lester Brown has included a chapter on bicycling in his new bookPLan B 4.0. Here’s an adapted excerpt:
Few methods of reducing carbon emissions are as effective as substituting a bicycle for a car on short trips. A bicycle is a marvel of engineering efficiency, one where an investment in 22 pounds of metal and rubber boosts the efficiency of individual mobility by a factor of three. On my bike I estimate that I get easily 7 miles per potato. An automobile, which requires at least a ton of material to transport one person, is extraordinarily inefficient by comparison.
The bicycle is not only a flexible means of transportation; it is ideal in restoring a balance between caloric intake and expenditure. Regular exercise of the sort provided by cycling to work reduces cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and arthritis, and it strengthens the immune system.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
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.
As bicyclists and advocates, we spend a fair amount of time with our attention paid to the political world, to promote policies that foster better bicycling conditions. It is less common that the political world turns its attention to bicycling. The Tour de France, this year, has attracted at the notice of at least some politicos. The National Journal’s Hotline On Call shows us the parallels between today’s politics and bicycling. Which cyclist best embodies Nancy Pelosi’s spirit? Which pol has Lance Armstrong’s fierceness?
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
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