(Charles Riou lives in Austin, Texas, where he is the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the Texas Department of Transportation.)

I have enjoyed riding bikes my entire life and have a profound appreciation of cycling from my family history.  My father grew up in France and lived though the German occupation in his late teens and early twenties.  The bicycle was not only his primary means of transportation; it also played an important part in his survival.

The war was a time of scarce resources. “We had bicycles but could not find any tires to buy,” my father explained in his memoir, “so we used old air hoses instead.” But his bike allowed him to evade being sent to forced labor camps. “We rode our bikes,” he wrote, “and if we perceived a light on the road, we hid in brush because only the Germans had cars.”

After the war there were happier bicycling times: “We went camping together, often on our bikes.” He rode to the beach, too, and used a rake with fine teeth and a long handle to gather small clams (pictured above). In fact, my father did not own or learn to drive a car until 1957 at age 33, seven years after moving to Texas.

Like many Americans, I grew up riding bikes to school as a kid but as an adult, saw bicycling as mainly a recreational pursuit. In the early nineties I became more aware of the transportation aspects of bicycling. I credit “Bike to Work Day” for that shift in thinking. I participated in Bike to Work Day with a group of co-workers at TxDOT as early as 1993 and I eventually made the commitment to bike to work daily.

Since then, I have estimated that I have logged well over 50,000 miles commuting in 20 years.  As I like to say: “50,000 miles and unlimited smiles.” It’s an often joyful experience and I can honestly say that my daily bicycle commute is one of the best parts of my day. On my route I often see families walking or riding bikes to school and it gives me great hope for the future.

I began my tenure as the TxDOT State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator in September 2011. It’s been great working with all the great people who are striving to make our transportation system a better place to walk and bike.  One of the highlights has been promoting cycling among our own staff though our wellness program with our partners at BikeTexas.

May is National Bike Month and this year’s theme is One Ride, Many Reasons. To highlight and celebrate the many benefits of bicycling, throughout May we’ll bring you the personal reflections and inspirations of a diverse collections of bicyclists from coast to coast with our daily 31 Days, 31 Reasons blog feature. 

 

One good thing to come out of the federal transportation bill is the incredible impact grassroots advocacy has had on our federal legislators. The National Bike Summit was the culmination of months of hard work, and it paid off big time (notice how the House didn’t even try to eliminate bike programs in their recent extension vote).

State advocates are now holding similar events in capitols across the country (Georgia and Colorado are two recent examples). Each of these events has been tailored to the needs of each state as they keep bicycling on the forefront of legislator’s thoughts.

Bike Delaware recently hosted the Walkable, Bikeable Delaware event focusing on the Governor’s proposal to spend $13 million on bicycle and pedestrian projects in 2013 (here are some of his ideas). Governor Markell has proposed this funding as part of his 2013 budget to make Delaware the “most walkable and bikeable state in the nation.” But Bike Delaware and Gov. Markell are quick to note that democracy requires participation.

After becoming governor in 2009, the Governor found out that he doesn’t automatically get everything that he wants in the budget. The Governor appealed to attendees, if $13 million in state walking and biking funding is important , go speak to your state legislator. It sounds simple, but as James Wilson, executive director of Bike Delaware notes, “it’s very powerful to have the chief executive make the pitch.”

Over 120 attendees, including several cabinet members and state senators and representatives, learned about the state’s efforts to support walking and biking and spoke with constituents. Representative Michael Mulrooney even took to the House floor and urged colleagues to attend. Meetings between legislators and advocates were done informally throughout the day in between sessions.

The main lesson learned for Bike Delaware: these events take plenty of time to plan, but they are definitely worth the effort. “It was very beneficial to have an event focused on advocacy, to give people time to make the case with their elected officials for more funding for walking and biking,” notes Wilson. To all the Delaware readers, there’s still time to give your input before the end of the 2012 legislative session.

Elsewhere in cycling advocacy…

• The West Virginia Department of Transportation is currently preparing a statewide bicycle connectivity plan. This would update the current bike plan last adopted in 1997! WVDOT is hosting a series of meetings across the state in May to gather input from cyclist. For anyone who wants to see cycling improve in West Virginia, now’s the time.
• Georgia Bikes! and the GA Governor’s Office of Highway Safety are providing seed grants for 10 local advocacy groups across the state.  The funding comes from sales of the “share the road” license plates.  A whole host of programs and activities will be funded to get more Georgians riding safely.
• The inaugural Tennessee Bike Summit starts today in Chattanooga. I’ll be speaking on Friday morning at 9am about the Bicycle Friendly States program and the national bike sharing scene. Get ready for a summer full of Tennessee-related blog posts!

(Lisa Rodriguez, 21, is a mechanic, instructor, and ride leader at Recycle-A-Bicycle; and a student at John Jay College.)

I was born in 1990 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. When I was 6 years old, my mother gifted me with a purple Pacific mountain bike. My brother Anthony taught me to ride at the park in front of my building. In the projects, there’s a park in front of every building and I would go there everyday. At first, I was scared to ride a bike, scared I would fall. But after practicing and practicing, I became fearless. My bike gave me freedom; my bike was my friend.

When I was 16, my whole world opened up. I rediscovered my love of biking and pedaled my way beyond the barriers and familiarity of my neighborhood. I found favorite routes through the Village, 14^th Street, Chelsea Piers, and up the West Side bike path. It was me, my bike, and the road. One day, I rode up to 59^th Street, gazed west across the river, and looked at New Jersey. I remember feeling such peace to have brought myself to this quiet place in the middle of my big, loud city.

That summer was the first time I walked into Recycle-A-Bicycle. I’d never seen so many bikes in my whole life. There were all different kinds, too. I was excited to learn how to take them apart and get them running again. It’s been five years since my introduction to R-A-B and in that time, I’ve repaired thousands of bicycles, led bike rides for hundreds of kids, and I teach bike mechanics to teenagers that sometimes remind me of me.

I have learned that every bike has a story. I learn from their dents and the shapes they come in and the tales that their owners tell. Every bicycle has a lot to say. Everyday, these old bicycles teach me something new, as long as I am willing to listen.

May is National Bike Month and this year’s theme is One Ride, Many Reasons. To highlight and celebrate the many benefits of bicycling, throughout May we’ll bring you the personal reflections and inspirations of a diverse collection of bicyclists from coast to coast with our daily 31 Days, 31 Reasons blog feature. 

 

This May, millions of Americans will participate in National Bike Month, showcasing the widespread desire to use bicycles as a healthy, affordable and efficient form of transportation. Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists and supported by the Sierra Club, the month will feature more than 450 events nationwide, highlighting the popularity of bicycling and the need for bike-friendly transportation policies.

But, while Americans want to ride their bikes, Congress is threatening to hit the brakes.

Already, Americans who ride bikes aren’t getting their fair share. Biking and walking account for 12 percent of all trips in the U.S. but receive just 1.6 percent of federal transportation spending. Still, some members of Congress want to eliminate those crucial dollars for biking and walking in the next federal transportation bill.

“It’s time for Congress to recognize the many benefits and rising popularity of cycling and stop shortchanging Americans who choose to travel by bike because it’s good for their health, saves them money and improves their community,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists.

Even the current miniscule federal investment has produced massive results, and benefits. Currently, less than 2 cents of every federal transportation dollar go to biking and walking, but the number of bicycle commuters grew 40 percent between 2000 and 2010. That growth was even more dramatic in Bicycle Friendly Communities that leveraged federal dollars to improve conditions for bicyclists, skyrocketing by 77 percent between 2000 and 2010.

“Bike month is about smart investments in transportation options,” said Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director. “More and more Americans are getting on their bike to get where they are going. They are saving money, getting exercise and making what might be the most radical act in America today-passing on the pump.”

By continuing to shortchange people who ride bikes, Congress is out of touch with the overwhelming majority of the U.S. population.

• Americans are driving less: The average resident drove 6% less in 2011 than 2004.

• The next generation wants to bike more: The number of bike trips for 16- to 34-year olds grew 24% between 2001 and 2009.

• New polling data from America Bikes, to be released next week, shows that the vast majority of Americans support maintaining or increasing federal funding for sidewalks, bike lanes and trails.

National Bike Month events will showcase how Americans continue to embrace cycling and why Congress needs to invest in smart, healthy, safe transportation choices — like bicycling. Find data, events and information about National Bike Month at bikeleague.org/bikemonth.

Thanks to the visionary leadership of Congress members like Jim Oberstar, the last federal transportation bill included an innovative idea: the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP).

In a nutshell, the NTPP provided $25 million per year to four communities — Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin — to construct “a network of nonmotorized transportation infrastructure facilities, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle trails.”

The four-year program was intended to be a demonstration project, gathering data and lessons learned on the best bang for our bucks when it comes to shifting folks’ travel patterns from single-occupancy vehicles to biking and walking.

Well, the results are in — and the news is good.

Last week, the Federal Highway Administration released its “Report to the U.S. Congress on the Outcomes of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program.” Among the key findings:

• An estimated 16 million miles were walked or bicycled that would have otherwise been driven in 2010, and an estimated 32 million driving miles were averted between 2007 and 2010.

• Counts in the four pilots saw an average increase of 49 percent in the number of bicyclists and a 22 percent increase in the number of pedestrians between 2007 and 2010.

• Mode share increases in the pilot communities to bicycling and walking and away from driving from 2007 to 2010 outpaced the national average from 2001 to 2008. For the communities in sum, bicycling mode share increased 36 percent, walking mode share increased 14 percent, and driving mode share decreased 3 percent between 2007 and 2010.

• The additional nonmotorized trips in the pilot communities in 2010 reduced the economic cost of mortality by an estimated $6.9 million.

• While each pilot community experienced increases in bicycling and walking from 2005 to 2009, fatal bicycle and pedestrian crashes held steady or decreased in all of the communities.

• The pilot communities saved an estimated 22 pounds of CO₂ in 2010 per person or a total of 7,701 tons. This is equivalent to saving over 1 gallon of gas per person or nearly 1.7 million gallons from 2007 to 2010.

Click here to read the full report.

 

(Ray Lahood is the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and a former U.S. Congress member from the state of Illinois.)

Growing up in Peoria, Ill., your bike was your ticket — to your friend’s house, to the store, to all kinds of adventure. And if you weren’t old enough to drive or couldn’t afford a car, your bike could get you where you needed to go. It opened up the whole world.

National Bike Month reminds me of that first taste of independence and mobility.

My life is a little busier today, but not too busy for me to take a weekend bike ride with my wife Kathy. In Washington, D.C., we love the C&O Canal towpath, a local treasure. It’s great just being outdoors, but the path itself is lovely. It’s also wonderful to see so many people out and about, sharing this terrific resource.

In Peoria, the Rock Island Trail offers a similar opportunity. This path used to be a railway but was converted through the Rails-to-Trails program. Again, it’s just a great way to get outside and a healthy way to appreciate our community.

Bikes still open up the world. I see it in my grandkids; I see it in Peoria; and I see it in DC. It’s a great feeling; give it a try.

May is National Bike Month and this year’s theme is One Ride, Many Reasons. To highlight and celebrate the many benefits of bicycling, throughout May we’ll bring you the personal reflections and inspirations of a diverse collection of bicyclists from coast to coast with our daily 31 Days, 31 Reasons blog feature.

 

Well, OK, I can’t honestly say I’ve even been in the country for more than 25 National Bike Months, and I’ve certainly gotten excited about Bike Month before… but this year it feels different. This year, it seems like National Bike Month is really coming into its own, and the League’s blog and website are your resource to find, post and promote events all this month.

We kick off in style with a brand new event: the National Bike Challenge. The challenge goes for four months but is tailor-made for Bike Month and starts May 1 (tomorrow!). Sign up for the challenge, take advantage of all the Bike Month events to get you back into riding, and you’ll be amazed at how many miles you’ve covered a month from now.

May 5 sees the national launch of Pedal America – a new 30-minute PBS series on bicycling that you won’t want to miss. Part travelogue, and fully a celebration of bicycling, follow host Ira David Levy (yes, you might have seen him and a preview at the National Bike Summit this year) to Austin, Chicago, Napa Valley and other great destinations to sample the cycling culture.

The second week of the month sees another new feature: Bike to School Day. Brought to you by the same people as host International Walk to School Day in the fall, Bike to School Day on May 9th is the ideal excuse to organize that bike train for your kids, deliver a bike safety class, or engage your elected officials in doing want it take to get more kids riding. The weather is going to be perfect, I promise.

Also new this year, the organizers of CycloFemme on May 13th invite you to “come ride with us: women, children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends. Celebrate the bike and the possibilities it brings.” Tattoos welcome.

The latest round of Bicycle Friendly Community designations will be revealed on May 14th – a record number of more than 70 applicants are waiting with bated breath for the outcome. All we can say right now is that there will be lots of cheers, maybe a few tears, and clear evidence that momentum for creating a more bicycle-friendly America is stronger than ever at the local level.

It’s hard to believe, but May 16th sees the 10th annual Ride of Silence. Sadly there are some 6,000 cyclists who have lost their lives since that first commemorative event in Dallas – a shocking number and a sobering reminder that even as healthy and fun of an activity as cycling isn’t without risk.

The rock upon which Bike Month has always been founded: Bike to Work Day, May 18th. For those who still struggle to figure this one out (California, I’m looking at you) BTWD is always the third Friday of May. Always has been. And while we get that May is already too hot in Arizona and maybe not warm enough in Colorado…the rest of the country will be out in force, showing just how great it is to ride to work. We’ll be part of celebrations in D.C., as usual.

After that excitement, we get back down to earth with the announcement of the latest round of Bicycle Friendly States – we’ve tightened up the survey, listened to tons of feedback on how to make the information more useful to advocates as well as agency participants, and we’re wondering if Washington can stay atop the rankings for another year.

As with last year, more and more non-bike people are getting hold of National Bike Month. AAA will launch resources to their Share the Road website; WalMart has a ton of rodeos going on at their stores across the country; the Sierra Club is helping us push out some great new numbers on the benefits of biking; and even the Operation Lifesaver program is cross-promoting safety tips for bicyclists.

When May winds down, I have one fervent hope: that we can look back on the month and see dozens of stories about Members of Congress participating in Bike Month events. National Bike Month is such a glorious celebration of bicycling – in all its forms – that it would be a shame, especially this year, not to take maximum advantage of all the hard work that goes into the rides, classes, rodeos, ribbon-cuttings, etc. Take that extra step and invite your members of Congress along for the ride. Show them what this cycling thing is all about and show them how much people care about being able to enjoy the simple pleasure of a bike ride.

 

In 2007, Leonard Wright weighed more than 250 pounds and could barely bicycle a quarter-mile before lying in the grass, gasping for air. Now, the 66-year-old Florida resident is slim, fit and every morning he gets up and rides more miles than his age. What’s Wright’s motivation? The Get Up & Ride National Bike Challenge.

The National Bike Challenge is 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 — sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, Bikes Belong, Endomondo and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation — kicks off tomorrow, May 1, and runs until August 31, 2012.

The goal: To unite 50,000 bicyclists to ride 10 million miles in communities across America.

The Challenge is simple, free and open to everyone. Sign up as an individual or as a team, log your miles, share your stories and encourage others to join you. Smartphones users can download the free, GPS-enabled Endomondo mobile app to record travel distance and automatically upload their miles. Riders will compete for prizes and awards on the local and national level, including a Grand Prize trip through California wine country from Trek Travel.

Even before the official start, the Challenge has engaged thousands of participants. During the warm-up period from February to April, more than 12,000 residents from more than 500 cities nationwide registered. Collectively, they logged more than 1 million miles and burned nearly 30 million calories. By encouraging healthy living and active transportation, the Challenge provides an innovative tool to address the nation’s obesity epidemic and save American families money as gas prices skyrocket this summer.

Leonard Wright is certainly leading the way – the retired General Motors worker won the warm-up period with the most miles logged. “I’ve been riding for years, and I was looking for something to get me motivated,” he says. “When I saw the National Bike Challenge, I thought, ‘This is something I can do.’ And anyone can do it. I’m involved with a number of other senior physical fitness groups and I always encourage people to try biking because it’s so easy.”

In addition to encouraging individual riders, the Challenge provides a free and engaging wellness tool for businesses. It’s already proven successful: During the pilot run last year, employees from the Kimberly-Clark Corporation embraced the Challenge and logged more than 182,000 miles. Recognizing the tremendous resource to boost employee health, more than 3,000 companies and nonprofits have already signed up for the 2012 Challenge, including Facebook, Verizon, Mars, Harley Davidson, IBM, Texas Instruments and National Geographic.

“Verizon Wireless is a leader in promoting a healthy culture for our employees,” says Melissa Worley, Health and Wellness Coordinator for Verizon’s Bellevue, Wash., campus. “We offer bike lockers and showers for commuting employees and also advocate bicycle education by hosting safe riding classes on campus. Participating in National Bike Month and the National Bike Challenge is part of that healthy culture and a great forum for creating community, health and friendly competition between our campuses nationwide.”

“The National Geographic Society supports biking both for recreation and as a part of our daily commute, so we’re proud to participate in the National Bike Challenge,” said National Geographic Society CEO John Fahey. ”The Society provides resources and incentives for employees who bike to work, and a number of staff, including me, enjoy a regular lunchtime ride.”

Cathy DeLuca’s research sprung from personal curiosity. A long-time transportation cyclist and bicycle advocate, she was surprised to learn that her local bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee lacked a single female representative. Is my county unique, she wondered, or are women equally underrepresented in other communities in California? Then a graduate student at San Jose State University, she decided to find out.

DeLuca’s report — “An Examination of Women’s Representation and Participation in Bicycle Advisory Committees in California” — started buzzing within advocacy circles earlier this year, putting data behind the suspicion that not nearly enough women are at the table when decisions about bike/ped planning take place.

Last week, Deluca’s study was published by the Mineta Transportation Institute, but, before her study spread to a national audience, she shared some of her insights with advocates at the League and Alliance for Biking & Walking.

What’s your background in bicycling?

On a personal level, I’ve been riding my bike for transportation for about 10 years. On a professional level, I have a master’s degree in urban planning, with a specialization in transportation planning. As a part of this specialization, I’ve focused on bicycling planning through two internships. In my internship at the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, I worked with their bike coordinator to develop a bike route signage system for the county. In my internship with the City of San Jose’s bike/ped coordinator, I researched bicycle parking programs.

What inspired you to take this on as a research topic?

I’m a woman who bicycles, and I live in a community where a lot of women ride bikes. When I learned that our 11-member county-level bicycle advisory committee did not have one female member, I was shocked. I was then interested in knowing whether this lack of women members was common in other cities and counties.

Why is research into women’s cycling issues important?

When we look at bicycling in Germany and the Netherlands, where women bicycle at the same rate as men, we can see that there is no intrinsic reason why women would bicycle less than men. So the disparity in the US is likely a social/cultural phenomenon based on a variety of factors. Without women helping to identify these factors, it is hard to imagine that the conditions to make biking more women-friendly will come about.

What surprised you most as you were compiling your data and conducting interviews?

When interviewing the women committee members, I was surprised that so few had ever thought about the gender composition of their committees, especially the women who were the sole female member.

What were the most-compelling results from your research?

1. Women are underrepresented on bicycle (and pedestrian) advisory committees in California. While they represent one-half of the state’s general population, they only make up 19% of the members on bicycle advisory committees in the state and 27% of the members on bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees.
2. A large percentage of women in the California bicycle community know about these committees, which is a great starting place for recruiting women to become involved.

What are the biggest take-aways, in your opinion, for advocates?

Advocates can have a substantial impact on the gender composition of bike committees. Many local advocacy groups are already helping advertise bike committee openings to their membership. If these groups made a targeted effort to encourage their female members to seek committee membership, I think we’d start to see an increase in the number of women serving on bike committees.

On a more basic level, advocates can do a great deal to help increase the number of women on bicycles. If advocates are aware that fewer women than men bike, and they understand the reasons why (safety concerns, family obligations, etc.), they can develop effective programs and campaigns to target women (family rides, women-only rides, bike skills training for women, bike buddies, etc.).

What are your top recommendations in getting more women involved in these political bodies — and get more women out on bikes in general.

To get more women to participate in the political process surrounding bicycling, I think the most effective action would be for governments/agencies to directly reach out to women when recruiting for open committee positions. Advocates can also help by emphasizing to their membership that bike committees are in need of women members.

In terms of getting more women to ride, I believe the two most important strategies are:

1. Encouragement, support, and bicycle education targeted at women.
2. An increase in the number bike lanes, including buffered lanes. The first is less expensive and therefore much easier to implement, but I believe that the second would have a much larger impact on the numbers of women riding.

Has doing this study inspired you to get more involved with bike/ped issues?

I was already committed to bike/ped issues before I did the study, but the study has helped solidify my interest in getting more women involved in bicycling. Bicycling is so beneficial to our communities, our planet, and our personal health and happiness – that’s something women should have a chance to be a part of!

Have you had a positive response to to your study?

It’s been amazing how interested people have been in my study. For example, I distributed the online survey to 16 bike groups, but their individual members spread it in a way that I never expected. In the end, women from over 150 California cities took my survey!

The response to my results has been really widespread as well. The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals mentioned my study in their recent webinar on Women and Bicycling, and several bicycle advocacy groups and transportation research groups have asked to post the study on their websites. Even more than that, I’ve been thrilled at how interested both male and female bicycle professionals and advocates have been in this topic. That gives me great hope that someday soon we’ll all get to experience the joys of biking, no matter our gender!

Click here to read DeLuca’s full report.

Thanks to Lisa Seyfried, former intern at the Alliance for Biking & Walking, for her help with this blog post!

 

The National Bike Challenge is a great motivational tool for riders returning to cycling. Some of those riders are posting their stories and goals in the home page comment feed, if you want an inspiring read. If you’re already riding regularly, logging your rides makes you eligible for some great prizes, and may inspire you to a few more miles or another trip each week.

But some cyclists I talk to say that cycling is already a major part of their lives, and they don’t need the motivation of the prizes to get them on the road. Why then should they bother to sign up, and take the time to log miles on a regular basis? Here are a few of the answers I give:

The National Bike Challenge is a great opportunity to make a statement about the impact of cycling nationwide. We’ve already logged nearly a million miles in the warm-up period. Our four-month Challenge goal is 10 million miles, which would be an awesome testament to the role of cycling in transportation and recreation, one that cycling advocates can use in advocating for better laws to protect cyclists, or new investments in infrastructure. If cycling is already a major part of your life, your miles will help us get to our goal more quickly, and make our case more forcefully.

We’ll also be tracking miles by state and community. Your miles logged for Springfield will help keep Shelbyville humble. (Here are a few real-life rivalries to watch — Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland, Georgia vs. South Carolina, and Wisconsin vs. all comers.)

Participating in the Challenge will reconnect you with the thrill you felt when you first started riding regularly. You can read the stories on the homepage, or follow other news arising from the challenge as we highlight people who are changing their lives one ride at a time. If you join the Challenge, then bring friends or co-workers on board, you can play a direct role in changing both individual lives and the transportation culture of your community. Think of it as Bike to Work Day extended to four months – enough time for lasting change in commuting habits to take hold.

You can use the Challenge leaderboard to connect with other cyclists at your level. You can see who has a similar number of points in your state or community, and connect through the Endomondo platform. You can then ride together or just trade stories about how you rode to 1500 points, or how you inspired three co-workers to become regular bike commuters.

So even if you don’t need any motivation to get up and ride, please join the Challenge and play a part in this four-month celebration of cycling.

On Tuesday, he Senate released the names of the lawmakers from that chamber who will sit on the conference committee for the transportation authorization bill. The committee, made of up Senators and Representatives from both parties, will have to negotiate the differences between the Senate’s MAP-21 and the modified extension of the current transportation authorization, SAFETEA-LU, passed by the House last Wednesday.

UPDATE: On Wednesday April 25, the House named its conferees.

America Bikes has listed the names of all of the conferees along with a link to more information about their records on bicycle and pedestrian issues:

SENATE

Democrats

Barbara Boxer (California)
Max Baucus (Montana)
Jay Rockefeller (West Virginia)
Dick Durbin (Illinois)
Tim Johnson (South Dakota)
Chuck Schumer (New York)
Bill Nelson (Florida)
Robert Menendez (New Jersey)

Republicans

Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma)
David Vitter (Louisiana)
Richard Shelby (Alabama)
Orrin Hatch (Utah)
Kay Bailey Hutchinson (Texas)
John Hoeven (North Dakota)

There are no big surprises on this list.

HOUSE

Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Republicans

John Mica (FL-7)
Don Young (AK-AL)
John Duncan (TN-2)
Bill Shuster (PA-9)
Shelley Moore Capito (WV-2)
Rick Crawford (AR-1)
Jaime Herrera-Beutler (WA-3)
Larry Bucshon (IN-8)
Richard Hanna (NY-24)
Steve Southerland (FL-2)
James Lankford (OK-5)
Reid Ribble (WI-8)

Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Democrats

Nick Rahall (WV-3)
Peter DeFazio (OR-4)
Jerry Costello (IL-12)
Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL)
Jerry Nadler (NY-8)
Corrine Brown (FL-3)
Eljah Cummings (MD-7)
Leonard Boswell (IA-3)
Tim Bishop (NY-1)

Here are the Representatives from other committees.

Read the rest of this entry »

The League’s Smart Cycling curriculum is a great tool for creating safe, confident cyclists. One of the greatest aspects of the program is the way it can be adapted to meet an educator’s needs. A great example is Programs to Educate All Cyclists (PEAC), a Michigan group helping individuals of all ages with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities reach their cycling goals.

John Waterman and his staff are serious about what they do. “We believe everyone can ride,” Waterman says. “That’s our motto and we take this stuff personally.” Waterman is a League Cycling Instructor, and all of the staff has graduated from Traffic Skills 101. More importantly, everyone has a degree in special education and a passion for working with cyclists with disabilities. PEAC has developed a number of programs to address the variety of goals set by their students.

Rather than approaching cycling education only as a set of skills, PEAC staff focus on a student’s level of independence. “Student goals can last years,” says Waterman. “What cyclists face the first time they pick up a bike or ride in traffic can be overwhelming for our students.” Students are required to demonstrate the necessary skills as they progress towards their goals and become more independent cyclists. Practice venues range from parking lots to trails to urban streets. Transitions between practice venues are done on a tandem bike to slowly introduce the new skill set to students.

The highest praise anyone can offer of PEAC is to share stories from their students and families.

• Shawn has been part of PEAC for about twenty years, coming to the group just as he started learning to ride a bike. What he found was the excitement and joy of riding with his family. This was difficult for Shawn due to a cognitive and visual impairment and the multitude of decision points required while cycling. PEAC worked with him to become independent by making sure he understands the decisions he has to make and knows the area he is riding. Shawn is living independently with two jobs and cycling is how he gets to work and connects to the community.
• Rachel is part of a very active family that loves to ride. Her mom knew including Rachel would be a challenge, and reached out to PEAC. Together they helped outfit “Rachel’s Chariot,” a trailer that holds all of her necessary medical equipment. While she faces a lot of physical challenges, cycling has given her independence and family time her parents never thought would be available.
• Chris learned to ride a two wheel bike at PEAC, but suffered a tragic accident and had to relearn how to walk and bike. Today his bike is his sole method of transportation to work (Chris works for a hardware store and runs his own business). He now volunteers with PEAC and teaches children to ride. Chris’ current goal is to ride a tandem with his girlfriend.

One of the biggest lessons John has learned is that “our students are our best advocates.” PEAC students met with Michigan state senators to discuss complete streets and the value of accessibility and bicycling in their lives. “What our students face is really what complete streets is meant to address,” notes Waterman. The complete streets legislation passed the Senate unanimously and has since become law.

PEAC students and staff have also realized the benefit of a cycling community like Michigan. “Michigan is the most inclusive [cycling] community you’ll meet, from the League of Michigan Bicyclists [LMB] to the local clubs,” praises Waterman. “Everyone is part of PEAC. Local rides are reaching out to us, wanting our input on how to make their ride available to everyone. And the LMB has gone out of its way to ensure students with disabilities are included in its SRTS literature.”

To learn more about PEAC, email John Waterman at jwaterman@bikeprogram.org. Also consider riding in PEAC’s Annual Celebration of Cycling Ride on September 8, 2012 or get up/get down at the Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan. Both events help fund PEAC programs and activities throughout the year.

Elsewhere in cycling advocacy…

• A project installing rumble strips on several key bicycle routes in Vashon Island, Washington is on hold after concerns were raised by cyclists.  Advocates have noted that WSDOT isn’t following it’s own policy to leave at least four feet of clear space for cyclists.  Bike Vashon and the Cascade Bicycle Club are working with WSDOT and King County DOT to stop the rumble strip project if cyclist concerns cannot be addressed.

Do you have news from your advocacy organization? Let me know: matt@bikeleague.org

 

Events are already planned. The buzz is beginning to build. The media is getting interested. But how can you make your 2012 National Bike Month efforts have a lasting impact in your community and beyond? Invite your members of Congress.

With Bike to School Day, Bike to Work Week and the announcement of Bicycle Friendly Communities, there’s no better time to showcase the support for cycling in your community than National Bike Month. And, with the U.S. House of Representatives threatening to eliminate funding for biking and walking in the next federal transportation bill, there’s no better time to make an impression on your members of Congress.

Thanks to YOUR efforts this spring, the U.S. Senate passed a transportation bill that maintains important programs, like Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. But we still face a tough battle in the House. The current extension expires on September 30 and local advocates will play a critical role in making the case that biking and walking projects and programs are popular and cost-effective uses of federal dollars. Bike Month is the perfect opportunity to do just that!

Whatever great events you have planned for Bike Month, please consider inviting your members of Congress. Extending that invitation will allow you to cultivate your relationships with key elected officials; provide positive media exposure for your organization and your members; and clearly show the support for biking and walking in your member’s district.

To help you in that effort, our partners at America Bikes have compiled a helpful toolkit with all the guidance and templates you need. Visit americabikes.org/show_congress for a sample invitation, a script for talking to your member’s scheduler, media tips, messaging advice, a congressional calendar and more. Please reach out to your members of Congress today!

For questions or further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me: (202) 822-1333 or carolyn@bikeleague.org.

 

He may work for the American Automobile Association, but Paul Gaffney likes getting around on two wheels, too. In the latest issue of VIA magazine, the president and CEO of AAA Northern California, Nevada, and Utah dedicates his entire column to cycling promotion and share-the-road safety. 

“While I do work for an auto club, I still ride a bike,” Gaffney writes. “I’m happy to report that I’m not alone. Cycling is on the rise in most parts of the country. People ride for fun, for exercise, and, increasingly, just to get from here to there. According to a Rutgers University study, the number of bike commuters in the United States grew 64 percent over the past two decades.”

Gaffney goes on to applaud the growth in bicycling in major cities, like New York and San Francisco, and encourages folks to get out and ride, whether its pedaling to work or enjoying one of the region’s many bike trails. And, at the very end, he poses a particularly exciting question.

May is National Bike Month, but don’t let the calendar limit when you ride. With the current price of gas, cycling is good for your wallet. It’s also good for your health and good for the environment. It might even put you in a better mood. There’s something liberating about hopping on a bike that brings back a freewheeling sensation of childhood and learning to fly without training wheels…

More cyclists on the road makes me hopeful about a healthy future. We still think of biking as alternative transportation, like taking the bus or riding the train. Wouldn’t it be interesting if bicycling became as mainstream as driving?

Click here to read Gaffney’s entire column.

 

When Sarai Snyder started mountain biking in 1995 she felt like the only woman on the local scene. A few years later, when she managed a local bike shop in Newport, Ky., she noticed the same lack of ladies: The vast majority of store customers and weekly ride participants were male.

“I said to myself, ‘I don’t understand; this has got to change,’” she says.

So Snyder got to work. She took a critical eye to the merchandising and atmosphere of the shop — and how it could be more appealing and inviting to women. She got involved in local advocacy and co-founded Queen City Bike, which represents cyclists across northern Kentucky. And, slowly but surely, she started to see more women. More female customers patronized the shop. The number of women riders on the weekly rides grew from 10 to 70.

Now, Snyder has taken her energy and advocacy to a much larger scale by launching Cyclofemme: a global day of women’s rides on May 13.

But that’s jumping ahead in the story.

More than two years ago, Snyder moved to Boulder and started thinking about ways to mobilize and educate women nationwide. At the 2010 Sea Otter Classic — a massive gathering of the bicycle industry — she started a social media campaign that would blossom into Girl Bike Love, a website geared specifically for women who ride.”The goal of Girl Bike Love is getting more women on bikes, creating a larger community and giving women a place and opportunity to connect,” Snyder says.

As soon as the site launched in late 2010, she was flooded with messages from women thanking her for the new, welcoming resource. “Most of the women reading this stuff are beginners, they’re moms, they’re not athletes,” she says. “They’re coming to Girl Bike Love because they realize the importance of riding bikes for their health, their community, their kids.”

The next logical step: Cultivating that sense of community out on the streets and trails.

To build solidarity and create new connections among women face-to-face, Snyder launched Cyclofemme. The tagline is inspirational — Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Empower the Future — but the event is simple. On May 13, women will come together for more than 80 rides in 10 different countries. And that’s just the events registered thus far.

“My goal with Cyclofemme is to unify the voice of women in cycling and bring women together,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you ride a mountain bike or a road bike, if you commute to work or ride to the store — it’s about starting that conversation that we need to be working together.”

Click here to find a ride in your area — or organize one to put your city on the map.

 

By Lindsay Plante, BFA Communications Intern

Last week, American Family Insurance in Madison, Wisconsin and AstraZeneca in Wilmington, Delaware, were among the 67 new companies added to the ranks of more than 400 Bicycle Friendly Businesses nationwide. While they both earned a Bronze designation, the two companies operate in different areas of the country and deal with different challenges in becoming bike-friendly. But employee feedback proves that biking to work has nationwide appeal.

For employees at both businesses, fitness was the main goal when they started biking to work. An American Family Insurance employee noted that, while commuting to work was a weight-loss strategy, cycling now remains a regular part of an overall healthy lifestyle. AstraZeneca employees pointed out that, with such busy schedules, it’s a great time-saver to both commute and exercise simultaneously. Other motivations for commuting by bicycle included savings on gas and environment responsibility.

Though bicycle commuting does require some investment and commitment (maintaining equipment and being aware of road safety), employees at each business believe that commuting by bicycle is doable in their area. They also feel that if other local businesses promote the benefits of cycling, from fitness to savings, and provide adequate facilities for their cyclists, they too can achieve the League’s bike-friendly designation.

AstraZeneca goes above and beyond to make cycling achievable for their employees by offering flexible hours and on-site shower and locker room facilities, while American Family Insurance also offers bike paths and a supportive environment for any employee bicycling to work.

Click here to read the cycling stories from four employees at Rockwell Collins, which received a Bronze BFB designation last week, too.

 

We’ve talked before about ads that dis on bikes (see the revoked GM ad), but let’s talk for a minute about companies that use biking in their ads to give them a “cool” factor.

At a clothing store I used to work at, I was told “you’re not just selling clothes, you’re selling a lifestyle people aspire to.” Biking has become the new shorthand for urban, healthy, hip, and eco-smart. I’ve had my eye on this factor for a while, but it really came to a head when I was at the gym last week and caught this little gem. Pay special attention starting at 0:51.

Really? I can only hope “American’s Power” is trying to be a little tongue-in-cheek, with a voice-over that describes “America’s most abundant, domestically-produced energy resource” over footage of a cyclist pumping his pedals. I’ve never thought I was fueling my bike with a “domestically-produced energy resource” while riding around town, but I think I’ll start to.

On further inspection of the internet, I found some other great examples of companies using bikes to give their product an edge. Blackberry seems to be trying to cut itself off from its stuffy, Capitol Hill reputation with this ad featuring fixies:

So hip! So fun! So….Blackberry?

I also found this little ditty from Kaiser Permanente. We already knew the insurance company loves bikes; they generously support bicycle advocacy in communities across the country. And, while some of the riders could benefit from taking our Traffic Skills 101 class, this ad perfectly captures how biking can be a fun, effective travel option for folks (and animals!) of all ages.

At the end of the day, it’s great to see companies realizing the power of the bicycle. The more we can normalize biking in American culture the better, and double points for us if part of this normalization is putting cycling in such a cool and healthy light.

Anyone out there have some links they’d like to share in the comments?

 

Yesterday, the House passed a 90-day extension of the current transportation authorization law. Unlike past extensions, this one includes amendments related to “environmental streamlining,” harbor maintenance, and the disposal of coal ash. Environmental groups oppose these changes. The issue that has received the most headlines is the Keystone Pipeline, which was included in the extension. This is a hot button political issue with potential implications on the presidential race.

But the news for cyclists is what didn’t happen.

There had been fear that the Republican leadership would strip out bicycling and walking funds, like Transportation Enhancements. That did not occur. Nor did they gut the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, another important source of bicycling funds. These cuts, proposed in H.R. 7, had become controversial among Republicans as well as Democrats. Bicyclists at the National Bike Summit also sent a strong message to Congress about the importance of these programs.

The passage of the extension now sets up the possibility that the House and Senate will conference in an attempt to reconcile the differences, which are many, between the House’s extension and MAP-21, a two-year bill that was passed by the Senate in March.

“The purpose of this extension is that we can hopefully bring about resolution and conference legislation to complete our transportation bill,” said Rep. John Mica (R-FL), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. To do this, the House would have to send their extension to conference and the Senate would have to take it up and ‘deem it in order.’ And both Chambers would have to appoint conferees. Majority Leader Harry Reid  says that he expects to appoint the Senate’s conferees today. After all of that, the difficult work of resolving the differences between the pieces of legislation would begin.

Secretary LaHood is on record saying he does not believe a law will be passed before the election.

The League and America Bikes are asking Congress to maintain dedicated funding for biking and walking, such as Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, and the Recreational Trails Program.

Click here for a great update from the America Bikes blog (on their new, updated website).

With annual sales of nearly $5 billion and 20,000 employees worldwide, Rockwell Collins is among the top manufacturers of aviation electronics and communication systems globally. But, at their Cedar Rapids, Iowa, headquarters, the Fortune 500 company has its wheels firmly on the ground, making bicycling an appealing and efficient option for its 9,000 local employees.

This week, Rockwell Collins was awarded a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Business designation and we wanted to hear from some of the folks who have capitalized on the company’s improvements and made a commitment to bike to work. Why do they ride? How have they benefited? What company facilities and encouragement have proved most helpful? Read on for the insight of four Rockwell employees — and cyclists.

Why did you start commuting to work by bicycle?

Nikki- Rockwell Collins had a number of employees who biked to work on occasion. In 2008, during the flood and the very high gas prices, a concerted effort was launched to focus on biking initiatives. A few like-minded people gathered, sought and gained executive sponsorship, and promoted biking to work in 2009 — not just to the greater Cedar Rapids Rockwell Collins employees, but also to the enterprise at large.

Richard- I began regular commuting by bicycle during the gasoline price spike in the summer of 2008, primarily over frustration about gas prices, but also out of frustration about continued inaction on climate change.

Mike- Commuting to work by bicycle has been something I’ve done since high school.

Have you experienced any economic benefits from biking to work?

Nikki- I LOVE not having to fill up my car on a weekly basis. But I portray myself as a “fair‐weather” cyclist, and ride 2‐3 days per week, sometimes as many as five days in the summer and less than that in our winter. But, even saving a little, I feel like I’m a poster child that anyone can do it when it works out. Small steps become bigger steps. I did finally take the challenge to bike when it’s cold in the winter, and that was also a doable commute for me, as well.

Sarah- Definitely. It’s a 23-mile round trip to work, which equates to about a gallon of gas. I typically ride in to work, on average, 2 to 3 days each week, all year round, as long as it’s not raining or snowing !

Richard- Absolutely. I’ve averaged more than 1,300 miles commuted by bike each of the past three years. The savings have more than paid back the cost of the commuter bike I purchased at the beginning of 2009.

Did saving money contribute to your decision to commute by bicycle?

Nikki- It did contribute to me riding, but more importantly for me, I liked exercising and the fresh air, and mental freshness I have when commuting by bicycle.

Sarah- A little, but the overriding reason for commuting by bike was to increase my fitness level and have some mental “free time” to think and enjoy the surroundings on the way to work.

Mike- Riding a bicycle saves me about $10/week nowadays. I can usually count on biking more than half the time between March and December, so overall it saves hundreds of dollars per year.

Have you experienced health benefits?

Nikki- Yes, although I can’t quantify it. I know I’m burning more calories when cycling, and I also enjoy the mental health benefits. We do have employees here who have lost weight as a result of cycling.

Sarah- Yes. Fitness and endurance have both benefitted. I also appreciate the effects on alertness and mental focus that early morning exercise provides for the entire day.

Mike- In the 30+ years since college, my weight has only gone up 15 pounds, and my blood pressure remains low. I feel better overall on days that I can bike to work

Richard- Although it wasn’t an original goal of mine, I have experienced health benefits, and this is now a reason for continuing my bike commuting. My employer offers free cholesterol and glucose screenings annually, and after several years of seeing my numbers heading in the wrong direction, I have seen them stabilized well within the norms.

Do you feel that bicycle commuting is an achievable goal for other businesses in the surrounding area?

Nikki- YES! If more people tried it they would see it as doable, especially when they can be mentored by another cyclist. We get alot of questions about routes, so when people know there is a doable route, they are more inclined to ride.

Sarah- Absolutely. We have a number of trails which link to businesses via good roads, which do not suffer from very heavy traffic. It just takes a small amount of time to find a route that works for each individual.

Mike- Yes, for many people biking to work at least once or twice a week is very doable.

Richard- It is very achievable, especially during the summer months.

How would they advise employers to encourage bicycle commuting?

Nikki- Actively support biking initiatives. We have an executive sponsor who has believed in our endeavors, and cycling has increased tremendously. It is also talked about more as well, leading to others becoming interested. Secure parking for bikes and showers are a plus, and some of our locations have that, or some part of that. The more secure parking the better.

Sarah- Employer support should be visible, both at events and in company magazines/newsletters. In particular, facilities should be provided to encourage bicycling to work (e.g. secure parking, showers) and remove any doubts or insecurities employees may have about taking their bike to work.

Mike- Employers should place bike racks in convenient locations (CVS/Pharmacy, Barnes and Noble, others, are you listening?) Employers should consider changes to dress codes and encourage office cultures to be a little less formal on some days. Employers, employees and local government should publicize bike‐safe alternative routes that parallel busy main roads.

Richard- I would advise area employers to reach out to the city’s Bike Advisory Committee to obtain information and support.

Are there any particular features of Rockwell Collins that they feel make commuting by bicycle so doable?

Nikki- There are flexible start times at Rockwell Collins which helps. There are accessible cross streets that make our facility commute worthy, and some of our facilities are near residential areas that also increases the possibility of riding.

Sarah- Flexible start times. Parking (although not covered). Company restaurant open for breakfast. Support and encouragement from the Rockwell Collins bicycling community.

Mike- Rockwell Collins Bike Community activities; wellness initiatives; bike racks placed near building entrances; shower facilities in new buildings.

Richard- Our bicycling group’s steering committee is relentless in organizing activities ‐‐ particularly informational sessions on commuting. The group also partners with other organizations and the city to provide information and encouragement for bike commuting. Our company’s intranet also has a fairly prominent link to the biking group’s web page.

 

Yesterday, we announced 67 new Bicycle Friendly Businesses, and, with this latest round of awards, we passed a couple of notable milestones: There are now more than 400 BFBs nationwide who employ more than 500,000 workers.

So how many BFBs are in your city or state? Lindsay Plante, the League’s Bicycle Friendly America communications intern, put together this helpful map so you could find out.

Zoom in on your community — and show your bike-friendliness by patronizing your local BFBs!

View Bike Friendly Businesses in a larger map

Get your business on the map: Learn more about the Bicycle Friendly Business program.

 

We hate to draw any of the well-deserved spotlight from the 67 new Bicycle Friendly Businesses we announced today, but we just had to take a moment to commend the efforts of the University of South Carolina. Last month, USC was designated a Bronze Bicycle Friendly University — and they sure came up with a brilliant and fun way to celebrate the award.

Yesterday, their campus streets were alive with bicyclists during the “Travel Lightly Parade.” The festive gathering was attended, not only by students, but the university president, Dr. Harris Pastides, as well. Way to go, South Carolina!

Click here to see more photos from The State newspaper.

 

More than 500,000 American employees now work at a Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB), thanks to visionary leadership in the private and public sector. Today the League announced 67 new BFBs, who joined the ranks of the 412 local businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies that are transforming the American workplace.

“These leaders are at the forefront of a movement to make American businesses more competitive, sustainable and attractive to the best and brightest employees,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “An investment in bicycling enhances employee health, increases sustainability and improves the bottom line.”

Bicycle-friendly businesses encourage a more bicycle friendly atmosphere for employees and customers. From Microsoft in Redmond, Wash., to Pepe’s Bistro in Lincoln, Neb., bicycle-friendly businesses are improving the workplace, contributing to the community and improving their overall earnings.

Award winners in this round include:

• Fortune 500 companies like AstraZeneca and Rockwell Collins
• Major cities, like Indianapolis, Ind. and Durham, N.C.
• Government agencies, like the Federal Communications Commission
• Nonprofits, like the Nature Conservancy and Outdoor Chattanooga
• And major retailers like REI locations in Montana, California and Connecticut

American Family Insurance- Madison, Wis. (Bronze): “Our company improved safe bicycle access to our facility by adding signage to divert bicyclists onto paved bike lanes, installed covered bike parking, increased locker facilities and created a ‘bicycle resources’ intranet site that provides bike route maps, a guaranteed ride home program and other tips,” said Rita Garczynski, facilities site manager. “The company’s support for bicycle commuting has encouraged employees to make lifestyle changes that have resulted in improved health and engagement while having a positive impact on the environment by reducing our carbon footprint.”

Massachusetts Department of Transportation- Boston, Mass. (Bronze): “We’re proud to be the first DOT in the nation recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Business,” said MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey. “MassDOT’s core business is transportation and consistent with our ‘Green DOT policy’ we’re committed to promoting bicycling as a healthy and efficient mode of travel.” Among other innovations and improvements, in 2010, MassDOT launched a pilot bike pool, so employees have the option to ride a bike to a meeting or a site.

Carilion Clinic- Roanoke, Va. (Bronze): “As the region’s primary health care provider, Carilion is dedicated to working with our communities to improve the overall health of the people we serve,” said Nancy Howell Agee, Carilion Clinic’s president and CEO. “Bicycling is one way our employees can improve their own health and be role models for the importance of physical activity in a healthy lifestyle.”

Visit bikeleague.org/businesses for a full list of Bicycle Friendly Businesses and to learn more.

As a kid in California, I rode my bike to pass endless hours outside with my friends, getting wind in my hair and mud on my tires. As a college student at the University of Missouri, I rode to get to class and work — and the bluff-top winery off the Katy Trail. As a reporter in Kansas City, I started commuting by bike because it just didn’t make sense to pollute the environment, pay sky-high gas prices, and pull my hair out looking for parking when I had to cover a council meeting downtown.

I’m like many people who bike: Our motivations are many, but our solution is the same. That’s why we came up with this year’s National Bike Month theme: One Ride, Many Reasons.

Posters, fliers and web banners are now available for download: Click here.

National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. Whether you bike to work or school; to save money or time; to preserve your health or the environment; to explore your community or get to your destination, get involved in Bike Month in your city or state — and help get more people in your community out riding too!

• Find an event or organization in your area
• Download the Bike Month Guide for tips on planning your event
• Upload your Bike Month events on our website
• Customize our promotional materials with your event and information and start spreading the word
• And, new this year: Get involved in the inaugural National Bike to School Day

Do you have an inspirational — or unique — story about why you ride? Let me know: carolyn@bikeleague.org.

 

We all know that riding a bike is good for the environment, our health, and our pocketbooks, but here’s one more way it pays to bike – The Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit. With folks filing their returns for Uncle Sam, there’s no day like Tax Day to encourage employers to offer this transportation benefit to employees.

The Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit has been on the books of the Internal Revenue Service for the past three years, but it still goes quite under used. Any employer, if they chose to do so, may provide a reimbursement of up to $20 per month for bike-related expenses incurred by the employee. That’s an extra $20 in your paycheck for tubes and tune-ups and all the already-affordable items that make your commute fun and comfortable. But, since it is Tax Day, remember: This is a benefit offered by your employer, not something you can claim on your personal taxes.

Sure, it’s not quite on par with the $230 subsidy an employer can offer for parking, or even the $120 they can offer for public transit — and the League is working with our congressional partners to increase the amount. But let’s celebrate the fact that bicycling is on the list of qualified transportation fringe benefits covered by the IRS and is ready for employers to use. The more it gets used, the more our lawmakers will know people consider bicycling a transportation option.

Click here for a list of Frequently Asked Questions on the benefit.

And don’t forget: Offering the commuter benefit is just one of the many steps your business can take to become more bicycle-friendly. Stay tuned to the Bike League blog tomorrow for the announcement of a new round of Bicycle Friendly Business awards! Click here to learn all about the program.

 

Alison Dewey
League Program Manager, BFB & BFU

Dewey joined the League in 2008. For four years prior to that, Dewey worked for Massachusetts- based Landry’s Bicycles and served on the board of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. Dewey has a MA in International Relations and Communications from Boston University and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.

It may seem like I’m blogging about Georgia a lot lately, and it’s for good reason. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is one of two Advocacy Advance model grant recipients. ABC’s grant is focused on doubling federal spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs, as well as tripling the mode share to 3 percent. While in town for an Action 2020 workshop, I had the pleasure of meeting Neil Walker, a cycling instructor who wears many hats.

It’s hard to get involved in bicycle education in Atlanta without running into Neil. As a League Cycling Instructor and educator, Neil has made a mission of working with low-income and minority kids and adults in the metro region. “I grew up in a lower income area and was pretty much confined to a few square blocks,” notes Walker. “Once I got a bike, suddenly I was able to go all over the place. That bike got me my first jobs delivering groceries and newspapers.”

Today Neil is working with a number of organizations and neighborhoods:

• Metro Atlanta Cycling Club: Through their One Love event, the club has raised more than $100,000 in the past five years for the Dream Team, East Atlanta Kids Club, and Bicycle Little League. The club is primarily focused on involving African Americans in cycling
• Dream Team Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG): The program starts with teaching Traffic Skills 101 to middle and high school students. The main goal is to get kids on bikes. For the 2012 ride, 20 kids are signed up to participate, with the course set to travel through the mountains of northern Georgia.
• East Atlanta Neighborhoods: Neil’s work is focused mainly on health and nutrition. Among other things, he has led local rides to the farmers market (55 participants on the last trip) to highlight local, healthy food options. Atlanta City Councilmember Aaron Watson (himself a huge bike proponent) liked the program so much he formally adopted it as his Living Smart Initiative.

At the national level, Neil has been working with the National Brotherhood of Cyclists to expand their educational offerings. The goal is to go from the current four LCIs nationally to at least five in each of the 35 local clubs.

There are definitely hurdles for working in low-income and minority neighborhoods. A lack of local bicycle shops and infrastructure makes it hard to establish the necessary culture. Working with the Atlanta Police Athletic League, Neil and others have been bringing bike shops to the neighborhoods. “We showed up at a public housing development with no warning and ended up fixing 22 bikes,” Neil says. “Kids just kept coming up to us.” Neil also works with his old employer REI to do neighborhood bike repair days.

A huge myth is that only poor people ride bicycles. “It really creates a bicycling stigma in the minds of low income people,” says Walker. “Adults are difficult. They may be self conscious on a bike or just not know where to start.” School bicycle clubs are one way to address the issue, as kids are usually eager to ride and share that freedom with their family. Adults also start to come on board once they expand their definition of a cyclist beyond the lycra. “With cut-backs in local bus service, showing someone how to ride to the closest MARTA [Atlanta’s light rail system] station can be huge,” Walker says.

There’s also the challenge that some people just don’t think of bicycling as an option. The Dream Team has expanded throughout Georgia, mainly due to people asking about it as BRAG passes through town. This type of event can be the spark that gets folks thinking “maybe I should be riding a bike.”

If you’d like to learn more about these programs, email Neil at neil@atlantabike.org.

Elsewhere in cycling advocacy…

• Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has signed the state’s three foot safe passing legislation into law. Sponsored by state Sen. Tom Hansen, the law provides a safe passing distance for bicyclists, pedestrians, and electric personal assistance mobility devices. Nebraska becomes the 24th state to adopt a safe passing law. Who’s going to get us to the halfway point?
• Virginia is for bicycle touring, and it’s getting easier thanks to the Virginia Bicycle Federation. VBF worked with Joe Elton, Virginia’s State Parks Director to create designated areas for cyclists to camp even when campgrounds are full. Ride-in touring cyclists will always have a place to stay.
• The Florida legislature recently passed a series of bicycling bills. The bills cover topics from additional exemptions to the state’s mandatory bike lane law (which could stand to be repealed) to allowing cyclists cited for riding without lights at night to avoid fines by installing lights on their bicycles.

Do you have news from your advocacy organization?  Let me know: matt@bikeleague.org

 

It may be the first year for National Bike to School Day, but San Francisco has been celebrating and growing its local event since 2009. Yesterday, more than 2,000 students pedaled to class (in the rain!) for the fourth annual Bike to School Day, with the participation of 40 schools and six District Supervisors.

“More and more families are discovering that bicycling is an easy and enjoyable way to move around San Francisco,” said Leah Shahum, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which co-hosted the event with the San Francisco Safe Routes to School partners. “As our city continues to add more safe and protected family-friendly bikeways like the new one on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, we expect to see even more families discovering the joy of biking together.”

Seeing the tremendous impact of Safe Routes to School programs operating in 15 area schools, district officials have been key partners and champions for Bike to School Day — and biking to school everyday. “We know when kids start the day with exercise, they are more likely to be awake and alert and perform better in school,” said San Francisco School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia. “More kids safely biking and walking to school makes for healthier kids and a healthier school.”

One way the district is encouraging biking is its intent to add four bike racks to all 104 schools. “We’ve put in the infrastructure that makes it easier for parents to leave the bike there during the day instead of having to schlep it back,” Nick Kaestner, director of sustainability for SFUSD, told Streetsblog.

According to SFUSD, a sizable segment of the student body is within easy pedal distance of their classroom: More than 40 percent of elementary students live within one mile of their school. “People love seeing us biking to school — they smile and wave,” said Brook Broughton, who bikes to school with her daughter and son. “It’s a really fun way to start our day. There are so many other parents and kids biking, and that community really helps us feel safer.”

Are you planning an event for National Bike to School Day? Get inspired! Read more from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and check out photos here.

 

So I’m sure that you’ve heard a lot about the National Bike Challenge by now, and if you haven’t, you can watch this video to learn more. We just hit 3,024 riders, who have already ridden more than a quarter-million miles and saved $66,000 in the process.

If you’ve been holding off on registering (The National Bike Challenge doesn’t start until May; why would I join in April?), boy do we have news for you. We will be awarding fancy-shmancy Commuter Kits to one dozen lucky riders who have joined the Challenge during the warm-up period, before May 1 (Oh wow, let me join right now!).

We’ve got your National Bike Summit tote bag, Bikes Belong water bottle, League socks, bike taillight, bell, bumper sticker, and of course, the bike pin.

 

So make sure to join the National Bike Challenge today  and enter yourself to win your own Commuter Kit before the real prize-winning even begins. And if social media is your thing, make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and catch all the action with #bikechallenge12.

Update: When I finished writing this post, we had 3,029 riders. Woot!

By the end of the month, cycling fans can get their day started with a pair of star athletes: Matthew Busche, USA Cycling Professional Road National Champion, and track cyclist Dotsie Bausch!

This morning, Post Foods and USA Cycling announced a new USA Cycling-branded Grape-Nuts cereal box, with 7.5 million units set to hit grocery store shelves by the end of the month. Check it out!

And the good folks at Post and USA Cycling have some good advice: “May is National Bike Month and Grape-Nuts would like to invite you to find an event in your area and get out and ride,” they suggest in their press release. “A healthy lifestyle includes Grape-Nuts that fuels your bike to work or school every day.”

Read the full press release and be sure to upload your Bike Month events!

 

For more than a decade, millions of students have participated in Walk to School Day each October. Now, in partnership with the League, the National Center for Safe Routes to School has taken the successful concept to two wheels, launching National Bike to School Day.

The first-ever event will be held May 9, 2012 and registration is now open. Just like Walk to School Day, Bike to School Day will unite and energize schools, communities and families across the country and capitalize on the momentum of National Bike Month.

• Be a pioneer. Free event registration is available at www.walkbiketoschool.org for individuals and/or organizations planning a 2012 Bike to School Day event in the United States. Registering an event provides organizers access to a variety of brand new downloadable materials, including stickers, certificates, badges and classroom activities.

• Be a resource. Do you have free expertise, time, materials, information, funding or other resources to share? Register as a Resource and help others find you!

• Be a winner. Registered schools and communities will be entered into the Bike to School Day Bike Rack Giveaway. Each Wednesday beginning April 18, two registrants will be selected to win a Saris bike rack for the school of their choice. A total of 10 bike racks will be given away. The sooner an event coordinator registers, the more chances he or she has to win a bike rack for the school or community.

The National Center is also pleased to launch its newly redesigned website – www.walkbiketoschool.org  – to support the celebration of Bike to School Day in May, Walk to School Day in October and walking and biking to school every day.

Check out the updated website for new event planning resources, like Map-a-Route, a GIS-powered tool that allows users to create and share bicycling or walking routes with easy-to-use maps. And stay tuned to www.walkbiketoschool.org/go/whos-biking/2012 to see “Who’s Biking” in 2012!

 

For many of us who travel by bike, our daily commutes have happily become more crowded. When I leave the office in the evening, the cycletrack up 15th Street is full of fellow downtown employees, many of them young professionals. Just last week, a new report from the U.S. PIRG put solid numbers behind what many of us are seeing on the streets: Americans are driving less — especially young adults.

According to Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People Are Driving Less and What It Means for Transportation Policy, the long-standing rise in the number of vehicle miles traveled is starting to move steadily in the opposite direction. In 2011, the average American drove 6 percent fewer miles than 2004, an historic shift in the nation’s travel patterns since World War II.

Even better news: The decline isn’t just a temporary means to escape high gas prices or save on transportation costs while times are tough. The trend is being driven by the next generation, which is choosing alternatives for a variety of reasons.

From 2001 and 2009, the average annual number of vehicle-miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita – a drop of 23 percent. The trend away from steady growth in driving is likely to be long-lasting – even once the economy recovers. Young people are driving less for a host of reasons – higher gas prices, new licensing laws, improvements in technology that support alternative transportation, and changes in Generation Y’s values and preferences – all factors that are likely to have an impact for years to come.

And many members of Gen Y are choosing bicycles over automobiles. The report highlights that, in 2009, 16 to 34-year-olds as a whole took 24 percent more bike trips than they took in 2001, despite the age group actually shrinking in size by 2 percent.

With such a widespread — and lasting — shift in transportation preferences, the PIRG report urges policymakers to pay attention to what American really want as they craft the next federal transportation bill.

America has long created transportation policy under the assumption that driving will continue to increase at a rapid and steady rate. The changing transportation preferences of young people – and Americans overall – throw that assumption into doubt. Policy-makers and the public need to be aware that America’s current transportation policy – dominated by road building – is fundamentally out-of-step with the transportation patterns and expressed preferences of growing numbers of Americans. It is time for policy-makers to consider the implication of changes in driving habits for the nation’s transportation infrastructure decisions and funding practices, and consider a new vision for transportation policy that reflects the needs of 21st century America.

We couldn’t agree more. Download the full report.