Last year, the League celebrated Bike Month with our daily Why I Ride web series. This year, in our “Where the Ride Takes Us” series, we’ll be spotlighting how bicycles are more than means of recreation and transportation, but tools for personal empowerment, social justice and community development. Today’s post comes from Mathew Portell, the founder of Ride for Reading, in Nashville, Tenn.
During my first year of teaching, I asked my students to read for 15 minutes at home each night. One student replied that he didn’t have any books at home to read. It didn’t take me long to realize that student’s problem wasn’t unique. According to the Handbook of Early Literacy Research, the ratio of books per child in low-income neighborhoods is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.
I felt compelled to do something to help my students and others like them — so I combined my passion for cycling and reading. The result: Ride for Reading.
Our mission is to promote literacy and healthy living by donating books via bicycle to children from low-income areas. Since our start in February 2008, RfR has donated more than 110,000 books, delivering them by bicycle to kids at Title I schools.
Every month in Nashville, as many as 40 cyclists gather and ride to the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods with books in tow. The riders arrive to smiles, homemade welcome signs, and cheering children. Once they come to a stop, a RfR representative speaks to the children about the importance of a healthy life and literacy — and describe the various types of bikes ridden by the volunteers (mountain, road, commuter, tandem, etc.).
Then the children raise their right hand and pledge: I promise to read my book twice. I will never ever throw my book away. I will pass it on to a friend, family member, neighbor, classmate or someone else I know. And I promise to be the best student for the rest of the year
In 2011, we brought our mission to Interbike — and, with the help of several industry companies, government agencies, and other organizations, more than 100 volunteers showed up to help transport more than 2,500 books to the students of Peterson Elementary School in Las Vegas. The first year was such a success that RfR completed a second Interbike delivery in 2012 and is planning its third delivery during Interbike 2013!
In order to help more children, we began a national push called Ride for Reading Week in May. During this week, RfR volunteers and partners across the nation host their own book delivery via bicycle. In 2013, there are 20 cities, from Maryland to California, who will be spreading Ride for Reading’s mission to children who come from low-income areas. The organization is ecstatic to be partnering with Colorado Women’s Cycling Project, Stan’s NoTubes, Pivot Cycles, RideKick, Primal Wear, Girl Bike Love / Cyclofemme, Global Bikes, Safe Routes Philly, Devon Balet Photography and many local bike shops across the country. RfR is also honored to have an amazing partnership with Better World Books! which is donating thousands of books to partnering cities around the country.
In 2008, I met professional mountain biker Dejay Birtch. Since then, Dejay has supported RfR in a variety of ways, including raising funds for the organization through his 2011 Tour Divide finish. This partnership led to the launch of Team Ride for Reading in 2013! Dejay will be wearing Ride for Reading’s colors as he races nationally and internationally. The team will not only focus on winning races, but also informing the public of the need for books in the homes of children in low-income areas.
Ride for Reading believes that education is not only found within the four walls of a school building. Within the pages of a book you can go anywhere, see anything, and experience everything. Every child deserves that despite economic status. To donate or learn more about our organization please visit us at www.rideforreading.org.
Carolyn Szczepanski Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
We’re celebrating the first day of National Bike Month with our new Bicycle Friendly States ranking.
For the sixth year in a row, Washington continues to lead the nation, with high performance in all categories. But up-and-coming states — including Delaware, Illinois and Arizona – charged up the ranking in 2013, shaking up the top 10.
“We’re encouraged to see significant progress in top states like Washington, Delaware, Colorado and Oregon,” says League President, Andy Clarke. “But as the scores clearly highlight, there’s much work to be done in critical areas like infrastructure and planning in every state.”
The 2013 Bicycle Friendly State ranking is now even more comprehensive, capturing more information than ever before and delving more deeply into the issues embedded in becoming a more bicycle friendly state.
Delaware took a leap in the 2013 ranking, moving from No. 10 to No. 5 in just one year. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) praised Governor Jack Markell, the state legislature, congressional delegation, advocacy organizations and the people of the First State for prioritizing biking.
“Creating more walkable and bikeable communities boosts air quality by reducing the amount of time cars and trucks idle on our roadways releasing harmful emissions.” Sen. Carper said. “Biking also helps decongest our transportation system, allowing individuals to spend more time working or relaxing with their families instead of wasting time and money sitting in traffic. The benefits of biking are countless, and that’s why I’m proud to support dedicated federal funding for biking and walking infrastructure, as well as the efforts of the League of American Bicyclists and others to promote biking as an invaluable piece of the American transportation system.”
Also making a strong showing in this year’s rank is Colorado — and Gov. John Hickenlooper says he plans to be No. 1 very soon.
“An important part of making Colorado the healthiest state is encouraging people to be more active in their everyday routines,” Hickenlooper said. “We’re proud that our bicycle-friendly policies have skyrocketed Colorado’s rank up 20 places in just five years, and we are committed to being No. 1 in the near future.”
In the Southwest, Arizona moved back into the top 10. Among other strides, the state completed its Bicycle Safety Action plan to improve bicyclist safety on Arizona’s highways.
“The goal is to reduce the number of bicyclist fatalities and injury crashes with motor vehicles,” said Michael Sanders, Arizona Department of Transportation’s bicycle and pedestrian program coordinator. “We ‘crash-typed’ nearly 750 reported crashes that occurred over a five-year period to better define the sequence of actions leading to the collision. For example, we found that over half of all crashes occurred while a motorist was making a right turn. The Plan consists of action items addressing potential changes to policies and education programs, or new tools, such as bicycle road safety audit guidelines, to improve bicyclist safety.”
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
It’s here! National Bike Month starts today — a full 31 days packed with unique and wonderful events and rides that celebrate the many joys and benefits of bicycling in communities nationwide.
Sure, we say it every year, but 2013 promises to be bigger than ever. So here’s our list of 10 things to get your Bike Month rolling — and take full advantage of the BEST month of the year.
Find out what’s going on in your community: Search our national database for events in your area and get in touch with your local advocacy organization, favorite bike shop or bike collective to get plugged in to the happenings in your community.
Mark your calendar and get involved in special national events:
National Bike to School Day is one week from today: Wednesday, May 8. Hundreds of events are already scheduled — learn more here.
Women unite: The second annual Cyclofemme takes place on May 12. Organize a ride in your community or join one of the nearly 200 events already planned — join the movement!
The Ride of Silence, honoring bicyclists who have been injured or killed on our public roadways, marks its 10th anniversary on May 15 — find a ride in your area here.
And, of course, celebrate Bike to Work Week (May 13-17) and Bike to Work Day (May 17)
Connect your event to the national movement: Download our new National Bike Month logo for your materials. Nothing says style like our updated winged wheel!
Use our free posters to promote your events: This year, we have not one, but four Bike Month posters, highlighting the diversity of people who ride. You may recognize some of our models, too. Thanks to New York City bicyclists (and advocates) Helen Ho, Karyn Williams, Ed Hernandez, and Kyle Mosholder for sharing their passion for cycling on the national level. Plus, new this year, we have a poster in Spanish, too!
Get ideas from our updated Bike Month Guide: Need a creative new idea to get folks rolling or guidance on how to make sure your event runs smoothly? Looking for key facts and figures to convince peers and policymakers that bicycling benefits your community or quick links to helpful commuting tips? We’ve got you covered! Click here to download the rebranded and updated Bike Month Guide.
A page from our new Bike Month Guide
Build the buzz on social media: Understanding that social media has become a critical advocacy tool, we created a new resource for 2013: a social media toolkit with plenty of sample Tweets and Facebook posts to help you engage, encourage and get folks talking about bikes in your community this May. We also created an official National Bike Month Facebook timeline cover you can use, as well.
Promote National Bike Month on your Facebook page!
Get in the game with Bike Month Bingo: To inspire you to pedal somewhere new or use your bike in a different way, we created a Bike Month Bingo card. Download the Bingo card and stick it on your fridge or wall — and check the boxes as you ride. Once you’re done, share a picture of you with your completed card on our Twitter feed and you could win a prize!
Join the National Bike Challenge: Now in its second year, the National Bike Challenge continues its mission to inspire and empower millions of Americans to ride their bikes for transportation, recreation and better health. Join the friendly online competition to track your miles, make new friends, compete for prizes — and help us show the power and popularity of bicycling in the U.S. by uniting 50,000 Americans to log 20 million miles from May 1 to September 30.
Tune in to our web series: We got great feedback on our Why I Ride web series last year — so we’re bringing the daily Bike Month blog posts back! This year, in line with our “Where will the ride take you” and the developing efforts of our new Equity Advisory Council, we’ll be spotlighting how bicycles aren’t just about recreation and transportation, but tools for personal empowerment, social justice and community development. Subscribe to the blog — the series starts tomorrow!
Have fun — and tell us all about it: Don’t forget to share pictures and stories with us on our Facebook page or Twitter feed. After all, YOU make Bike Month the best time of the year!
Where will the ride take you? Get involved in National Bike Month and find out!
Carolyn Szczepanski Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
There’s still snow on the ground in Atlantic Mine, Michigan — 17 inches, that is.
But that hasn’t stopped Keren Tischler and Curt Webb (pictured right) from hopping on their bicycles nearly every day for trips to town, work or just for fun.
Tischler and Webb’s persistence has pedaled their tiny community of Atlantic Mine to the top 10 list of the National Bike Challenge’s warm-up period, putting the pressure on cities of all sizes to try and catch up. Get this: They’ve already logged nearly 1,000 miles between the two of them!
Now in its second year, the National Bike Challenge continues its mission to inspire and empower millions of Americans to ride their bikes for transportation, recreation and better health — and it starts tomorrow!
The Challenge is simple, free and open to everyone in the United States. Sign up as an individual or as a team, log your miles, share your stories and encourage others to join you. 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 from sponsors Sierra Nevada and Scott Natural on the local and national level.
Tischler and Webb have contributed a sizable number of pedal strokes toward the 1 million miles logged during the warm-up period — despite Atlantic Mine’s notorious lake-effect snow.
“The National Bike Challenge, as you can see, has been a motivator for us,” Tischler said. “It’s like having a bike buddy to ride with in challenging conditions. Our community is in the early stages of bike friendliness. We want to advance the mission of the League at the local level, so that others in our community can feel safe making the choice to go by bike.”
This year, Tischler and Webb intend to ride more miles than drive, and they’re considering ditching their car entirely.
“And it all started with wanting to ride one day a week for a summer — small steps add up to big things,” Tischler adds. “We love the freedom and the challenge. We get exercise and time to think. We feel fortunate to have the physical ability to transport ourselves — we’ll save driving for when we are physically unable to bike.”
See if you can keep up with Tischler and Webb this summer during the Challenge — register now!
Liz Murphy Communications Manager
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
Bicyclists have been fighting for good roads and the right to use them since before the League of American Bicyclists was founded in 1880. Where to Ride laws strike at the very heart of advocacy: Bicyclists’ right to the road. When safety requires a bicyclist to take the lane, it is important that the law allows a bicyclist to do so.
In this edition of Bike Law University, we take a look at Where to Ride laws and how they have shaped bicyclists safety.
What are they?
Where to Ride laws tell bicycles, or vehicles generally, how they should position themselves on the road. These laws create and manage the expectations of road users regarding the behavior of others while traveling on the road. In most states, the law that applies to bicyclists regarding road position starts with a variation of requiring a position as far to the right as practicable.
When you talk about Where to Ride laws it is necessary to begin by defining the word practicable. In most states a bicyclist is required by law to ride as far to the right as practicable, sometimes referred to as AFRAP. The obvious and necessary question to a bicyclist seeking to comply with the law, motorists judging bicyclist behavior, and law enforcement officials tasked with enforcing the law is – what does practicable mean? So, inevitably a dictionary is consulted and we learn that it means “capable of being put into practice,” which is likely to mean one thing to an experienced road cyclist, one thing to a driver who is annoyed at a “law breaking” cyclist safely taking the lane, and a different thing to every law enforcement officer who by order or inclination enforces the law. What is practicable is often context sensitive based upon road and traffic conditions. The League generally recommends that cyclists ride in the right third of the lane with traffic.
Cyclists and police at times disagree over where on the road cyclists can ride. Cyclists have successfully fought tickets issued under Where to Ride statutes based upon exceptions in the law, including narrowlanes and hazards. Local bicycling advocates and League Certified Instructors can be valuable resources if you are ever prosecuted under a Where to Ride law. If a disagreement occurs, it may be useful to consult bicycle safety education materials and roadway design manuals. In addition, sharrows, where marked, are usually meant to serve as an indication of where to ride and can be used as an insight into official ideas of what is “practicable.”
Ken joined the League in 2012 after graduating from William & Mary School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in the state of Virginia. During law school he worked for a private law firm in Cambodia and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Prior to that, Ken worked at a law firm in Orange County and a legal services provider in Seattle. He graduated from Pomona College in 2007 with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He began using his bike regularly after college and has been car-free since February 2012.
Now in its second year, the National Bike Challenge continues its mission 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 and Kimberly-Clark Corporation – kicks off Wednesday, May 1!
The goal: To unite 50,000 bicyclists to ride 20 million miles in communities across America.
The Challenge is simple, free and open to everyone in the United States. Sign up as an individual or as a team, log your miles, share your stories and encourage others to join you. Download the free, GPS-enabled Endomondo mobile app to record travel distance and automatically upload your miles. Compete with other riders for prizes and awards from sponsors Sierra Nevada and Scott Natural on the local and national level.
In 2012, the Challenge engaged 30,000 individual riders, 9,000 workplaces and 500 communities to ride 12 million miles. We’re already looking at breaking those records in 2013. Even before the official start, the 2013 Challenge has engaged thousands of participants. During the warm-up period, more 10,000 residents from more than 2,000 communities nationwide registered. Collectively, they logged more than 1 million miles and burned more than 37 million calories.
The Challenge isn’t just inspiring individual riders — it’s also spawning competition among communities and businesses, as well. Recognizing the tremendous resource to boost employee health, more than 3,100 companies and nonprofits have already signed up for the 2013 Challenge, including Kimberly Clark Corp., UPS, Target Corp., Facebook, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Microsoft Corp.
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
Under his leadership, Charlotte has invested in light rail, a bikeway network, and a bikesharing system. The city’s Complete Streets approach to building a transportation system that serves all users is a model for the nation. He clearly understands the importance of biking and walking to creating a vibrant and economically successful community where businesses want to locate; where people want to live, raise a family and retire; and where people have a real choice of transportation modes.
Cities are the economic engine of the nation and Mayor Foxx knows firsthand the importance of providing an efficient and equitable transportation system that offers real choices, while also addressing the health and safety of its residents.
We look forward to working with Mayor Foxx in his new role.
Andy Clarke League President
Andy Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director. Before joining the League in February 2003, Clarke was on contract to provide technical assistance to the highly regarded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center on site at the Federal Highway Administration. He is on the Board of Directors for America Bikes, and a member of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals.
This morning, League President Andy Clarke is addressing the Bike Safety Summit in Minneapolis, convened by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the U.S. Department of Transportation. In his remarks, he lauds a new course for transportation in the U.S. — and outlines clear steps to making biking safer nationwide.
(From left) League president, Andy Clarke, prepares to introduce Secretary Ray LaHood at the 2013 National Bike Summit (Photo by Brian Palmer)
On behalf of the entire bicycling movement, let me say a heartfelt thank you to [US Transportation] Secretary [Ray] LaHood for his remarkable and inspiring leadership of the US DOT these past four years — not the least of which has been his hosting of these two regional bike safety summits. The Secretary has set us on a new course for transportation policy in this country: a course that is built on a foundation of smart local decision-making and investment that results in solutions that serve everyone in our communities; a foundation of safety that demands responsibility from all those who use our roads; and a fundamental belief that transportation isn’t an end in itself – it is a tool to improve the lives of people across our nation.
I also want to thank administrators Strickland, Rogoff and Mendez for their leadership of NHTSA, FTA and FHWA respectively – and, as we are in Minnesota, it would also be remiss of me not to acknowledge the huge debt of gratitude we have to three Minnesotan members of Congress who have had a profound and beneficial role in improving conditions for cyclists over the last 25 years – Representatives Vento, Sabo and Oberstar.
Mr. Oberstar complained a few years back that I had lost some credibility and authority by virtue of having lost my native English accent. To redress that, I want to draw this audience’s attention to a document released last week in the UK Parliament called “Get Britain Cycling.” The result of a lengthy parliamentary enquiry into cycling, the document has some critical lessons that are extremely relevant in the US context.
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
This winter, we were inspired by the Chasing Mailboxes blog, which challenged bicyclists to complete at least seven different errands by bike: the Errandonnee! That great idea got us thinking about National Bike Month — and all the different ways we enjoy biking in our daily lives. So we created a Bike Month Bingo card to challenge YOU to pedal somewhere new or use your bike in a different way.
Download the Bingo card and stick it on your fridge or wall — and check the boxes as you ride. Once you’re done, share a picture of you with your completed card on our Twitter feed (@Bikeleague) and you could win a prize!
And don’t forget to check out all the other Bike Month promotional items, from a Facebook timeline cover to your choice of four difefrent Bike Month posters here.
Five days and counting until the best month of the year…!
Carolyn Szczepanski Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
April is National Stress Awareness month, in addition to what I call “Get Ready for National Bike Month Month.”
I don’t know about you, but when I haven’t been riding for a bit — and then get back on my bike — I realize how tense I’ve been. We all have crazy lives, and, as it turns out, bicycling is both a stress-awareness and stress-fighting tool.
“Cycling is one of the most effective treatments for stress and in many cases has been proven to be as effective as medication – if not more so,” he said. “Riding a bike is ideal because it’s so accessible and achievable – and the mountain of scientific evidence pointing towards its stress-busting properties is growing by the day.”
So, I wanted to give a special shout-out and thank you to Bicycle Friendly Communities in Washington, D.C., where I work, and Arlington, Va., where I live. These cities have made my ride to and from work pretty comfortable and relatively hassle-free.
I know I’m preaching to the choir — but it’s a reminder of how bicycling transforms our lives for the better.
So help us spread The Good Life from coast to coast this May. Bring friends and colleagues, start a team for the National Bike Challenge and get involved in National Bike Month!
Bill Nesper League Vice President of Programs
Nesper directs the Bicycle Friendly America Program, which includes the Bicycle Friendly Community, Bicycle Friendly State, Bicycle Friendly University and Bicycle Friendly Business recognition programs. Bill first joined the League as a Membership Assistant in 2002 and moved in 2005 to manage the League education programs and Bicycle Friendly Community Program.
Bike club leaders from across the country joined League staff and the Kaw Valley Bicycle Club (KVBC) on Tuesday night for a dynamic and educational webinar all about what the National Bike Challenge can do for your club and your community.
Shelli Shipps of the KVBC fielded questions from attendees and the League’s Alison Dewey, giving some great insight into her experiences with the Challenge in 2012 — including winning a Specialized Globe bike (pictured) — and what KVBC plans to do in 2013.
“We competed against each other, but we also competed as a town” she said, describing the competition between KVBC and local advocacy group, Topeka Community Cycle Project. “We would have rides, and then hang out afterwards and discuss different things going on in the community as far as bicycling.” Now, the Topeka Community Cycle Project and the KVBC are working together on how to increase biking in their town!
If you missed the webinar, click here for the full recording or watch it below! While the entire recording lasts an hour, there’s a table of contents in the description where you can jump to any section that you find interesting.
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Club involvement, like that of the KVBC, is what makes the Challenge the incredible resource and event that it is. To build on that momentum, in 2013, we ensured that team sizes are unlimited (rather than capped at 10 riders), and have created a selection of promo materials that anyone is encouraged to use.
Join the Challenge today at www.nationalbikechallenge.org!
Katie Omberg Events and Outreach Manager
Katie joined the League in April of 2010. For the two years prior, she worked at the Corcoran College of Art + Design as a programs coordinator. Katie has a BA in Religion from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. She enjoys biking to work.
Veronica Davis, co-founder of Black Women Bike DC, wanted to engage her local elected leaders in National Bike Month. Her goal: Get all female members of the D.C. City Council out on bikes. She didn’t write a formal letter, or send an email to their overloaded inboxes. She simply invited the policymakers to join BWBDC on Bike to Work Day — on Twitter.
Within a few hours, Council members Mary Cheh, Yvette Alexander and Muriel Bowser had all committed to get in the saddle.
Yep, there’s power in that little bird.
Understanding that social media has become a critical advocacy tool, we created a new resource for National Bike Month this year: a social media toolkit with plenty of sample Tweets and Facebook posts to help you engage, encourage and get folks talking about bikes in your community this May. We also created an official National Bike Month Facebook timeline cover you can use, as well.
Click the image to view / download
But a good social media strategy is much more than cutting and pasting 140 characters. At the 2013 National Bike Summit, we brought together a panel of social media experts to share their insight on how to use these new (OK- maybe not so new) tools to compliment and enhance bicycle advocacy efforts. Watch the videos below for ideas and guidance from Barb Chamberlain, Mathilde Piard and Mary Madden.
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But that’s not all! Interest was so high in the topic — and the confines of a single Summit workshop couldn’t possibly capture the full breadth of social media opportunities — that we partnered with the Alliance for Biking & Walking for a full webinar on Social Media as an Advocacy Tool yesterday. Check it out below!
How have you used social media to engage folks in your community? Let us know in the comments. And stay tuned for more ideas during National Bike Month.
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
Exactly one year ago, I blogged about a new, exciting event taking place during National Bike Month. The first annual CycloFemme event sprung from the vision of Sarai Snyder, a former bike shop owner and advocate who turned her passion for women’s cycling into a popular blog: GirlBikeLove.
But she didn’t stop there.
Sarai Snyder (center, white hat)
“Despite the website’s success as an online forum for news and reviews, I often felt we were missing something bigger — a deeper, richer connection for women who ride bikes,” Snyder writes in the latest issue of the League’s magazine (online soon!). “I couldn’t help but feel we needed the camaraderie of shared experiences to bring us all together. That desire for that shared experience evolved into CycloFemme — a single day that would unify our voices and showcase the diverse power of women who ride.”
That single day was Mother’s Day — May 13, 2012 — and the call to action was simple: Organize a women’s ride or event in your community. “It doesn’t matter if you ride a mountain bike or a road bike, if you commute to work or ride to the store,” Snyder says, “it’s about starting that conversation that we need to be working together.” The response was tremendous: Women across the globe planned 164 rides in 14 countries.
The day of CycloFemme 2012 Snyder’s phone was buzzing at the break of dawn, the start of a tidal wave of social media updates and connections. “It started in Australia with seven rides spread across the continent,” she recalls. “Next was Afghanistan, where a woman named Jerusa would ride with friends, later joined by her sister-in-law, riding in Pennsylvania. Soon, ladies in the UK bundled for the chill and threat of rain. For 24 hours, the rides and stories and pictures poured in, across international border, across all time zones — all in the name of CycloFemme, celebrating women in cycling.”
“The beauty of the day was the diversity of riders who joined us. We became a tribe of friends old and new,” she continues. “We rode as casual riders, road racers, coffee sippers, beer drinkers, cake eaters, gritty mountain bikers, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons and professional athletes. We saw beautiful images of women on bikes stream onto social media, with Instagram and twitter feeds populating the CycloFemme site — and immediately felt an amazing camaraderie with strangers. With images of women showing off their CycloFemme tattoos on biceps and calves, we saw women willing to commit, at least for a day, to be part of something bigger.”
And you better believe this year is going to be even bigger than last. When I caught up with Snyder on April 24, 2012, approximately 80 rides had been organized and registered on the site. This year on the same day? Nearly double that many have been organized…
There’s still plenty of time of get involved — and Snyder has mapped out the five steps to planning a ride and provided all the resources you need to bring CycloFemme to your community, including this great poster:
So why does this one day, this one ride, hold so much power? Why is it important that “We Ride Together”?
“For me, watching the movement grow has been both inspirational and empowering,” Snyder says. “I’m continually humbled by the courageous stories of women riding bikes in Afghanistan, Ghana, and Ethiopia. I’m constantly energized by women who are not just riding bikes themselves but actively working to enable others to ride with them. As we approach the second annual celebration of women in cycling, CycloFemme has become more than a ride; it’s a movement, a feeling, a spirit, a tie that binds and reminds, that whenever we ride, we ride together.”
Find a ride in your area or register an event in our community here. And tell us where you’ll be riding in the comments!
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
The 2013 National Bike Summit ended more than a month ago, but local advocates have taken the discussion home — and they’re seeing results.
During Lobby Day, advocates urged their elected officials on Capitol Hill to visit one of their district’s bike projects. These ‘Show Me’ events work to showcase for elected leaders what bicycling means to their home district constituents. We’re excited to see advocates following up on these requests and getting their elected officials on bikes! Earlier this month, advocates in Georgia got their local lawmaker’s staff on a bicycle, and they also helped secure a city resolution declaring the need for better bicycle infrastructure.
And this past weekend, we were delighted to hear that advocates in Indiana hosted Rep. Larry Bucshon (R) at a 10K bike ride and benefit. Darlene Wefel, of the Evansville Bicycle Club, invited Bucshon, who is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to Saturday’s Evansville Rockin’ River City Ride.
Wefel and Bucshon pose at the Rockin’ River City Ride in Evansville, Indiana
There were 605 riders, with routes ranging from a 5K family ride to a 100K ride, and the event raised money for the Junior League of Evansville and the Evansville Morning Rotary Club.
“The morning was very cold for the time of year with temperatures starting in the mid-30,” says Wefel. “Mayor [Lloyd] Winnecke introduced Congressman Larry Bucshon who spoke about health and being active and how important it is to the youth of our city, state, and country — that cycling and walking are great ways to keep active and healthy. He officially started the ride with an air horn. Congressman Bucshon was joined by his wife and their children to ride the family 10K route.”
Rep. Bucshon speaks at the event on Saturday.
Congratulations to Wefel and the other advocates in Indiana for their work on this event and ongoing efforts! In fact, as Bike Month nears, it’s perfect timing for you to encourage your elected officials to events in your communities! Learn more about Bike Month here.
Liz Murphy Communications Manager
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
For folks of a certain age, the mention of Texas Instruments takes us back to high school math, poring over our trusty calculators to get through our algebra assignments. But TI is making a name for itself beyond the classroom — and out in the community.
TI’s headquarters in Dallas, Texas, employs 6,500 people (all of whom probably got As in algebra) and their leadership’s commitment to bicycling as a viable commuting option secured them a Bronze in our latest round of Bicycle Friendly Business awards.
Texas Instruments employees on Bike to Work Day
David Thomas, TI’s Vice President of Worldwide Facilities, is an avid cyclist, and said TI has made investing in bicycling resources — like bike racks, repair stations and onsite showers — is a priority for the company.
“Texas Instruments sees great value in supporting alternative commuting solutions for employees,” Thomas says. “We want to make it easy for our existing bike commuters to get to work safely and to encourage more employees to try biking to work. We continually seek new ways to educate, encourage and engage employees in safe bike commuting.”
TI’s commitment shone through its work to help secure funding and ensure construction of a 35-mile bike trail within its community. TI worked with the local government, donated land to Dallas County and provided seed money to help kick off the $6.5 million Cottonwood Trail extension project. What’s more, the company committed to matching any employee donations to the project, in addition to offering project management support.
But that’s not the only reason TI should be proud of its work:
It maintains a Commute Solutions program, which encourages transportation alternatives like subsidizing carpools and mass transit, in addition to offering bicycling amenities. This program also has an online forum component, which allows its employees to chat about their routes and share tips.
It sees the value of the National Bike Challenge, and it has provided employee incentives for participation. Leadership offered 10 TI cycling jersey for riders who exceeded 2,000 points in the Challenge.
It hosts Bike to Work Days, as part of Bike Month, annually and has seen a steady increase in participation.
Keep up the great work! And check back for future profiles of leading BFBs.
Liz Murphy Communications Manager
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
Cross-posted from Advocacy Advance blog, by Mary Lauran Hall, Alliance for Biking & Walking
Thanks to great grassroots advocacy, Pennsylvania just got a little closer to recognizing walking and biking as truly integral components of the state’s transportation system.
Republican state Sen. John Rafferty, chair of the Senate transportation committee, introduced a bill last week that would create dedicated funding for walking and biking paths in the state. He also plans to propose a Complete Streets policy — a bill stipulating that transportation planners consider people traveling by bike, on foot, and by transit in addition to by car.
The dedicated funding provision will be attached to a larger statewide transportation funding measure and would raise $2.5 billion for transportation in the state annually by drawing on wholesale fuel taxes.
This is Pennsylvania’s first commitment to designate specific transportation dollars for active transportation — and it will have a huge impact on walkability and bikeability in neighborhood streets. Governor Tom Corbett’s Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch acknowledged that the state’s engineers and planners routinely try to incorporate bike and walk infrastructure into construction projects, but often lack funding to do so. With dedicated funding, cities and towns will have clear budget sources for active transportation projects.
As businesses race to retrofit their buildings, streamline waste policies, and purchase more and more recycling bins, some companies have already targeted a free and easy way to be more environmentally conscious: bicycling.
On this Earth Day, the League of American Bicyclists announced 63 new Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFB) from across the country that are leading America toward a greener future.
The BFB program has now expanded to 44 states and Washington, D.C., and these new awardees join a visionary group of more than 500 local businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies across the United States that are transforming the American workplace.
“More and more business leaders are realizing that bicycling is a simple and cost-effective way to move toward a more productive company,” says Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. “Promoting healthy transportation is increasingly attractive to employers and prospective employees – and it’s moving America toward a more sustainable future.”
Bicycle-friendly businesses encourage a more bicycle-friendly atmosphere for employees and customers alike. Through cost-effective investments, BFBs attract, reward and retain staff that are not only healthier and happier, but more productive, driven and passionate about the work they do and the communities they live in.
Award winners in this round include:
Texas Instruments Inc. (Bronze)
Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis. (Moved from Silver to Gold)
The World Bank Group (Moved from Bronze to Silver)
Peace Corps, Seattle and Chicago offices (Bronze)
Texas Instruments, a new Bronze-level BFB, worked with its local government to secure funding and build a 35-mile trail that will enable employees to bike to work safely, in addition to widening transportation options for those living in the community. TI also has employee representation on the City of Dallas Bicycle Advisory Committee as it updates the Dallas Bike Plan.
“Texas Instruments sees great value in supporting alternative commuting solutions for employees. We’ve invested resources to build bike paths that connect to local trails, added bike racks, repair stations and onsite showers, and created social networks that support TI bike commuters,” says David Thomas, Vice President of Worldwide Facilities at TI. “We want to make it easy for our existing bike commuters to get to work safely and to encourage more employees to try biking to work. We continually seek new ways to educate, encourage and engage employees in safe bike commuting.”
To apply or learn more about the free BFB program, visit the League online at bikeleague.org/businesses
(Photo: TI employees bike along the Cottonwood Trail, the path for which the Texas company helped secure funding.)
Liz Murphy Communications Manager
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
It was a full house at this year’s social media session at the National Bike Summit.
Mathilde Piard, Mary Madden and Barb Chamberlain took all of us through a quick rundown on who’s using what; how to maximize your blog and some do’s and don’ts of Facebook and Twitter. Needless to say we had a session packed with content and also an eager audience looking to learn how to take this work back to their advocacy organizations.
Barb Chamberlain and Mathilde Piard talking social media at the Summit (Credit: Brian Palmer)
While we covered a great deal of content in our short time together, we wanted to continue the conversation with a follow-up webinar. So we’ve partnered with the Alliance for Biking & Walking to host another panel of social media experts to review some of the highlights from the Social Media session and answer some of your pressing questions.
Join us this Wednesday, April 24, at 2 p.m. EDT for “Social Media as an Advocacy Tool” — register here.
Mathilde Piard will be back with her expert insight, along with several others, giving the most up-to-date info on how to use Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms as a means to propel your advocacy initiatives and engage your audience. In the meantime, see what we’re up to by following @BikeLeague on Twitter and Facebook.
Till we Tweet again!
Hamzat Sani Equity and Outreach Fellow
Hamzat joined the League in September 2012 after working with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Before working in biking, Hamzat worked with Martin Luther King Jr.’s son as a Program Associate at The King Center in Atlanta. A founder of the Red, Bike and Green chapter in Atlanta, Hamzat sees biking as a hub for change on the communal level.
Harvard joined the ranks of Bicycle Friendly Universities this past week, rising to the ranks of Silver status in its first award. Joining Princeton and Yale as Ivy League BFUs, Harvard certainly has plenty to brag about.
“Harvard is extremely proud to be recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University,” said Lisa Hogarty, vice president for campus services, in a University news release. “While the work of our CommuterChoice team has been exceptional, our initiatives and programs are successful because of the complete support and enthusiasm of Harvard’s biking community. Being named a BFU highlights just how strongly students, faculty, and staff are committed to using alternative forms of transportation.”
Harvard has reason to be proud:
Approximately 17 percent of its campus commuters used bicycle as their primary means of transportation last year.
It’s home to almost 400 bicycle racks, creating about 4,000 spaces for bicycles on campus.
It’s invested more than $600,000 in the Hubwaybike share system, of which Harvard has sponsored 12 stations throughout Cambridge and Boston (oh, and they have two other Bikeshare programs, known as CrimsonBikes and Read & Ride Bikeshare, too).
What’s more, it offers a Departmental Bike Program, which gives all schools and departments at Harvard the option of buying bicycles for campus transit. The program, which involves 20 Harvard departments currently, aims to reduce automobile trips and air pollution and increase the health of those on campus.
“Our students, faculty and staff have created a vibrant bicycling community and, in partnership with Harvard’s Schools, departments and community partners, we’re working to make the University safer and more accommodating for bicyclists,” Harvard University Commuter Choice program coordinator Ben Hammer told me this week. “Harvard’s strong support for bicycling makes the University stronger and helps our community explore alternatives to driving that are healthier and better for the environment.”
Keep up the good work! And keep an eye out for award announcements for our other Bicycle Friendly programs in the coming weeks!
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
If you want to confront the issue of bicycle safety, Florida, unfortunately, is the right place to go.
The Sunshine State has had 534 cyclist fatalities between 2006 and 2010, and since 1998, Hillsborough County has averaged 8 bike-related deaths every year.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced USDOT would host two Bike Safety Summits at our 2013 National Bike Summit in March. He hosted the first of those bike safety summits in Tampa, Fla., last week. The summit connected engineers, safety experts and law enforcement from state and local levels to find ways to improve cycling safety.
But that wasn’t all. The call for better biking came from beyond the traditional fold, too. It was so great to hear Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn — not someone who would identify as an avid cyclist — say the revitalization power of bikes is evident, and active mobility is essential to creating quality of life.
Bicycle Friendly Communities come in all shapes and sizes – there are currently 242 BFCs in 47 states. These cities show that through bicycling, communities can become destinations for people who want to work, live and retire. Having grown up in Florida myself, I never considered riding a bike for transportation until I moved to Washington, D.C. It was exciting to be surrounded by so many bike enthusiasts whose goal for the state is the same as the League’s – get more people on bikes.
While there were many suggestions on how to get more people riding, one thing was common in every discussion – education. Everyone agreed that it’s not just the people who are riding that need it: motorists need education on how to share the road and law enforcement need to know how to implement bike laws. Here at the League, we’re taking a comprehensive approach to get everyone involved.
We help cyclists become confident and safe on the roads through our education program. We’re working with city officials — and law enforcement — to improve conditions for bicyclists and make sure our rights are respected. And, yes, the National Bike Summit plays a role, too. Just a day after Secretary LaHood announced the Bike Safety Summits, AAA presented its new PSA, highlighting the need for all road users to safely share the road.
As for me, it made me even MORE excited about our new library of free education videos that we’ll be debuting during National Bike Month. Stay tuned!
(Photo: LaHood speaks with Buckhorn at the Florida Safety Summit).
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 future of federal transportation policy may be summarized in two words: Performance Measures. Will states be required to set safety goals for people on bikes — or will we get lost in the shuffle?
The transportation bill — Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, MAP-21 — requires states to set performance goals across several categories. The details of these goals will very likely determine transportation priorities well into the future.
Join our next Advocacy Advance webinar on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. EDT for the first our series on Understanding and Shaping Transportation Performance Measures.
This webinar series will explore the implications of the new performance measure requirements in MAP-21. How will performance measures impact bicycling and walking investments? Can they work in favor for active transportation? What should be measured? What can be measured? Join the discussion with national experts on the topic.
First up on Tuesday, we’ll find out the latest on federal performance measure policy from two experts from the U.S. Department of Transportation and our own Caron Whitaker, the League’s Vice President of Government Relation.
Part I: Federal Context and Perspectives
Tuesday, April 23 @ 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EDT -Register here
Presenters:
Rebecca Higgins, Transportation and Environmental Policy Analyst, Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Robert Ritter, Acting Safety Team Leader, Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Caron Whitaker, Vice President of Government Relations, League of American Bicyclists
Part II: Current Data Collection Methods and Exploring What’s Possible
Tuesday, May 14 @ 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EDT – Register here
Presenters:
Charles Denney, Alta Planning + Design
Jean-Francois Rheault, Director, Eco-Counter
Tony Hull, Senior Planner, Toole Design Group
David Patton, Bicycle & Pedestrian Planner, Arlington County Division of Transportation
Advocacy Advance is a partnership of the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking & Walking.
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
When Wayne Byrd came up with the concept for Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) and the League took that idea to the national level, we knew it would be a powerful tool to make biking better for millions of Americans. But we’re happy to admit: We didn’t think we’d get this far this fast.
In our latest issue of American Bicyclist — the 10th Anniversary of the Bicycle Friendly America program — we give you a glimpse at the next generation of the BFA program. From communities to businesses, we’re continuing to raise the bar for leading communities and corporations that want to improve cycling for their residents and employees.
Last year, for instance, we announced our new Diamond BFC designation — an award that challenges and guides our top Platinum communities to become world-class cycling cities. In this Anniversary issue, Bill Nesper, our VP of Programs, shares the full story behind the development of this new award and how we’ll measure success…
“We never thought Platinum would be the end of the road, the pinnacle of bicycle friendliness,” Bill writes. “But the degree of innovation and pace of improvement in the top BFCs blew us away. We knew we needed new ways to support and challenge the Platinum-level communities. And they were eager to step up their game, too. Last year, we had a call with advocates and city staff from Davis, Boulder and Portland. The consensus was clear: ‘We need a higher bar. We need you to push us to become even better — and give us clear metrics to make our communities world-class cycling cities,’ they said.”
So what will it take to be world-class?
“Attaining Diamond is different than any other BFA designation,” Bill explains. “The biggest change: Defined minimum requirements for ridership, safety and bicyclists’ perceptions. Right now, the average Platinum-level BFC has a bicycle mode share of 12 percent. To get to Diamond, you’ve got to hit at least 15 percent. But that’s not all.”
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
In 2012, more than 30,000 Americans joined the National Bike Challenge and rode more 12 million miles between May 1 and August 31. During that time, the Challenge’s online community blossomed into a vibrant help-desk for all sorts of questions on bicycling, with discussion and ideas from expert roadies to people just learning how to ride in the rain.
Well, the Challenge is back in just a few weeks — and this year we’re raising the bar.
Our goal: 50,000 riders logging 20 million miles!
The Challenge is a great opportunity for people who have been cycling for years to increase their riding and also a great place to start for folks just dusting off their bike seats for the first time in years. Not only does the Challenge encourage participants to make every mile count through individual riding. But by forming teams, awesome sportsmanship and friendly rivalries add a few degrees of excitement to your summer!
One of the standout groups from the 2012 Challenge was from Topeka, Kansas. The Kaw Valley Bike Club was just as surprised as anyone that a group of people from a state that doesn’t immediately come to mind as a bike paradise was a top contender, but if you read this interview, you’ll see why they did such a good job. The members of the KVBC team encouraged each other to ride to up their teams’ numbers across their friendly competition.
Want to learn what your club can do to get folks involved in your organization, the Challenge, and riding more? Make sure to join our Club Leadership Webinar on Tuesday, April 23 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. We;ll be joined by the League’s Alison Dewey, Rob Gusky of Kimberly-Clark, as well as Shelli Shipps of the KVBC. Get ready to learn the tricks of the trade from the best!
Katie joined the League in April of 2010. For the two years prior, she worked at the Corcoran College of Art + Design as a programs coordinator. Katie has a BA in Religion from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. She enjoys biking to work.
Often when we use a term, we fail to grasp its full impact or the significance of the context in which it is being used. To get a sense of what I mean, ask a sampling of people what they understand the word “race” to mean, and you’re likely to get answers that span multiple meanings.
While this dexterity in language can be exciting and useful for those of us cashing in on that high-wage-earning English degree, multiple uses in language can act as barriers to mutual understanding — and in many cases progress. So instead of playing one big game of organizational telephone, the Equity Advisory Council is working to create some working definitions in which to frame the complicated conversation around making biking accessible to all.
Recently the group developed some shared definitions around some key terms that kept popping up in our conversations on this topic. We wanted to ensure that, when these terms are used, everyone has a clear sense of their implications, usage and meaning. While these definitions are being utilized by the Council — and likely the League — they are not by any means the only appropriate definitions for these terms. We’d love to get your feedback on how others have used shared language to have difficult conversations in their communities and what other terms might be helpful in moving these conversations forward.
Here’s what we came up with:
Diversity:
The acceptance of members from different types of self identified groups into an organization or unit.
Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive and recognizes everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued. A broad definition includes not only race, ethnicity, and gender — the groups that most often come to mind when the term “diversity” is used — but also age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. It also involves different ideas, perspectives, and values.
Inclusion:
The act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people.
Inclusion integrates the fact of diversity and embeds it into the core mission and institutional functioning of an organization. It is the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity — in communities with which individuals might connect — in ways that increase one’s awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions.
Equity:
The guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of certain groups. The principle of equity acknowledges that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations and that fairness regarding these unbalanced conditions is needed to assist equality in the provision of effective opportunities to all groups.
Equity is the just and fair inclusion into a society in which everyone can participate and prosper. The goals of equity must be to create conditions that allow all to reach their full potential, erasing disparities in race, income, ability, geography, age, gender and sexual orientation.
Are there other terms or definitions that you’ve found essential to having productive discussions about Equity, Diversity or Inclusion in cycling? Share them with us and others and who knows we might be able to develop some other common definitions.
Want to help us define our focus on Women and Equity here at the League? You can do just that by filling out our Women & Equity survey so we can make sure our work around equity shares and advances your work, too.
Photos: Alliance for Biking & Walking Photo Library
Hamzat Sani Equity and Outreach Fellow
Hamzat joined the League in September 2012 after working with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Before working in biking, Hamzat worked with Martin Luther King Jr.’s son as a Program Associate at The King Center in Atlanta. A founder of the Red, Bike and Green chapter in Atlanta, Hamzat sees biking as a hub for change on the communal level.
In this issue of American Bicyclist, we mark a major milestone for the League: the 10th Anniversary of the Bicycle Friendly America program. Since its inception, the initiative has boosted biking in more than 700 communities, businesses and universities.
So who dreamed up the idea for this roadmap to bicycle-friendliness?
Well, the BFA program didn’t get its start here at the League office in D.C. It wasn’t launched in a city known for cycling or by one of our hundreds of advocacy affiliates, either.
Nope, it started in Kansas — Overland Park, Kansas.
As Hamzat Sani, our Equity and Outreach Fellow, writes in this issue:
“For Wayne Byrd (pictured above right, below left), the Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) concept was a combination of his two passions. Byrd had his second date with wife, Anne, on a bike and worked as a public servant and elected official in Overland Park, Kan., for more than 16 years. In 1993, he was inspired by the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City program. “As an avid bicyclist,” he says, “I wondered why there wasn’t a similar program to encourage safer bicycling in urban and suburban areas.” So Byrd set out to create that program — an initiative that would recognize communities that were making strides for bicyclists and create clear criteria for others looking to get on the path to better biking.”
How did it evolve from one member’s dream to a national program with hundreds of designations? Read the full story…
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
Even before the start of the National Women’s Bicycling Forum in March mountain bike legend Jacquie Phelan was all fired up. Sure, she was psyched to participate in our national event, but the Forum wasn’t the only exciting engagement on her travel itinerary. She was also gearing up to be the star of another show: the launch of Women Bike PHL.
In the bustle of the Forum, I only had a few moments to check in with Katie Monroe, the leader of the new women’s campaign from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. But, given Philly’s growth in cycling and the amazing work of the BCGP, I certainly wanted to learn more. So who better for this week’s Women Bike Wednesday…
The BCGP is so great at gathering data — what have you learned about the number and attitudes of women riding in PHL?
With the help of many volunteers, the BCGP holds bike counts each fall at 17 intersections and bridges throughout the city. It’s been a great tool to allow us to see shifts in overall bicycling rates through the years. Between 2005 and 2010, the average number of bikes per hour counted grew 127%, but the percentage of women riders only grew from 26% to 32%. For the past two years, we’ve stagnated at 33%. There are also trends correlated to infrastructure: the gender gap shrinks significantly on streets with bike lanes. Check out our 2011 report, Mode Shift, for more info. (Editor’s note: Take her advice, great report!)
What was the inspiration to start a women’s-specific program / outreach?
The Bicycle Coalition has been thinking about this issue for a while. Personally, I actually came to it from an academic angle. In 2011-2012, I wrote my undergraduate anthropology thesis on the role of gender in the Philadelphia bicycling world. That research process really opened my eyes to the vibrant conversation that was starting to happen, both here in Philly and across the U.S., about the gender gap in bicycle ridership. In my academic work, I was interested in the gendered implications of that conversation: What does the way we talk about women bicyclists (or the lack thereof) reveal about how our society views women? Working at the Bicycle Coalition, I’m excited to be able to work on the more pragmatic side of the issue: What can we do, now, to get more women riding bikes? I think it takes more than just bike lanes (even though I love bike lanes!) to make women feel more welcome in the bicycling community.
What are the main objectives for the program?
Our mission is to make bicycling more fun and feasible for Philadelphia women of all ages and backgrounds. We don’t expect to close the gender gap overnight. This is a complicated process and it’s exciting to see all the different approaches that different cities and organizations are taking. But if we can encourage new riders, start to see that gender gap shrink, and celebrate the amazing lady bicyclists we already have in Philadelphia, Women Bike PHL will be a success! I’m excited to see how it will evolve and expand as we move forward, find new funding sources, and build momentum.
What are the main components of your Women Bike program?
Women Bike PHL is a multi-faceted campaign, with new possibilities popping up every day. We’re offering classes, including Learn-to-Ride and Urban Riding Basics, targeted to women. Sometimes this means that we make an existing class of ours women-only, to create that safe space for folks who want it, and sometimes it means partnering with a women’s group or organization to offer a class. For example, this summer we’ll be teaching a Fix-a-Flat class during Ladyfest Philadelphia, an activism, arts, and music festival centered around women.
Take Your Time Ride — Monroe in the I Bike PHL t-shirt (Credit Blake Larson)
We’re also working with bike shops, arts organizations, and more to offer fun, introductory group rides for women — our first was a “Take Your Time” ride in conjunction with a local woman-owned bike shop. In addition, we want to facilitate a citywide conversation about women and bicycling, so we are holding some events and forums on this issue: we did an presentation with Temple University’s Sustainability Office and Women’s Studies department this week, and are excited to host feminist bicycling activist extraordinaire Elly Blue on her “Dinner and Bikes” tour in May.
Finally, we want to raise the visibility of the many women who are already riding in Philadelphia, so we are set to launch weekly Women Bike PHL profiles on our blog, highlighting a diverse set of Philadelphia women who love to ride! I also see a lot of potential for collaborating with two of the other bicycling nonprofits we have in Philadephia: Gearing Up and Neighborhood Bike Works.
I know Women Bike PHL is taking an all-ages approach; tell us more about what that means and how you’re making it happen.
Take Your Time Ride (Credit Blake Larson)
If we’re going to be serious about expanding ridership to more women, we can’t just look at college students and young professionals without kids. We have to get that little girl on her first balance bike to carry that joy through to her adult life; we have to get that new mom to see a bicycle as a viable way to transport her baby; and we have to get our grandmothers out there on bikes, too. My paternal grandparents rode bikes well into their old age, and really valued it as a low-impact form of exercise. I actually ride my grandmother’s old bike around Philly!
Some of this work is encompassed in what we’re already doing at the BCGP — expanding our bike lane network and regional trail network in particular — but I think we can do more to target the female demographic. Partnerships with girl-serving organizations, the local Kidical Mass group, children’s museums, and retirement communities are all in the works. Bicycles have this huge potential to carry you through your entire life, both for transportation and recreation, and I hate to see so many women missing out on that option.
How are reaching beyond the converted? I know you mentioned some exciting partnerships you’re developing, like the Girl Scouts?
I was a Girl Scout for 10 years, and I think it’s among the most powerful and far-reaching networks in this country for reaching and teaching girls. I’ve created a bicycling skills and safety badge (which does not currently exist in this area) and we are encouraging local troops to earn it. Girl Scouts of Eastern PA is sponsoring a Girls Triathlon/Duathlon in August, so I think this badge will be a great way for the girls to both prepare for that challenge, and also learn about some of the other possibilities for bicycling, besides racing.
How long did it take to develop your program and how did you launch it in your community?
We started with a small advisory committee of interested community members, just to start the conversation. There seemed to be plenty of enthusiasm and interest, so we moved forward in creating some language for the campaign, a logo, a website, etc. Our Facebook group attracted almost 200 members in just a few days, and we received a lot of positive feedback from our members about Women Bike PHL, as well. I’d say we’re still in the process of “launching it in our community” — every day I talk to new women (and men) about ways they can get involved. I think it’s good to stay open to a lot of options at this point for community support and collaboration.
What have you learned thus far and what’s your next step for the program?
The best thing I’ve learned thus far is the value of collaboration, info-sharing, and looking to others for inspiration. I have met so many wonderful people (of all genders) working in the bicycle world, and I am constantly inspired by them. Liz Jose of WE Bike NYC and Nelle Pierson of WABA’s Women & Bicycles program have been particularly supportive, and I hope what we’re doing with Women Bike PHL can inspire and help someone else with their efforts.
My next step, at the moment, is making sure we harness our various Bike Month festivities in May to really get the word out about Women Bike PHL, so we can build the community support and partnerships we need. I’m excited!
Thanks, Katie!
Learn more and connect with Women Bike PHL:
Website: www.womenbikephl.org Facebook: Women Bike PHL group
Twitter: @bcgp #womenbikePHL
Contact: katie@bicyclecoalition.org
Carolyn Szczepanski Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
The latest issue of our American Bicyclist magazine is a transformation on two fronts. At the National Bike Summit this year, we revealed the new face of the League — a fresh look and branding that honors our past and looks to the future — and the March-April edition is the first issue of the redesigned magazine.
But this magazine also showcases a transformation that goes far beyond the pages of American Bicyclist — or even the League itself. A decade ago, we launched a program that in just 10 years, has guided hundreds of communities, businesses and universities to make biking better.
“The results [of the Bicycle Friendly America program] have been impressive,” League president, Andy Clarke, writes in his opening letter. “Since 2000, Bicycle Friendly Communities have seen an 80 percent increase in bicycle traffic — compared to just 32 percent in non-BFCs. We’ve applied the model to businesses, universities and states to tremendous effect, as well. Companies are saving thousands of dollars per person in health-care costs. Colleges and universities are using the program to meet sustainability and mobility goals. And states are developing tourism and economic development strategies around bicycling.”
Now, I know I’m biased, but this may be our best issue yet — showcasing the history and future of the BFA program, great graphics and, of course, the latest (and longest!) list of current BFA awardees. Read it online now, or become a member to make sure you get American Bicyclist delivered to your mailbox.
Carolyn Szczepanski Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
Kit Hodge wrote the book on family cycling — or, at least, the Family Biking Guide from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Martina Fahrner started one of the first bike shops in the country aimed specifically at family transportation options and Megan Odett created the National Family Biking Survey, curating insight and ideas from moms and dads from coast to coast.
And, last week, all three of them joined us for our latest Women Bike webinar on “Getting more Moms and Families on Bikes.” If you missed it, watch the full recording now!
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Didn’t catch all that great information and insight? Click the links below to download the presentations and key resources mentioned during the webinar.
Click here to download the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Family Biking Guide — in English, Spanish or Chinese.
Click here for the presentation from Megan Odett, of Kidical Mass DC, including steps to hosting an ABCs of Family Biking event in your community
Download the results from the National Family Biking Survey:
Click here for the presentation from Martina Fahrner, co-founder of Clever Cycles in Portland
And don’t miss some additional ideas from Cycles for Change in Minneapolis on reaching out to low-income moms and families in our Q&A yesterday.
Carolyn Szczepanski Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
It looks like the age-old rivalries among the Ivy League are taking a new shape: the race for gold in bike-friendliness. Harvard University now joins the likes of Princeton and Yale as Bicycle Friendly Universities (BFU).
Today, the League announced the designation of 14 new Bicycle Friendly Universities, expanding the program to 58 colleges in 30 states across America.
“More and more young people are getting on their bicycles instead of in their cars,” says Andy Clarke, League President. “The League commends universities like Harvard that are embracing that trend by providing better access and improved safety for bicyclists on their campuses.”
At Harvard, a new Silver-level BFU, there are plenty of options to travel by bike at the Cambridge, Mass., campus. With a Departmental Bike Program — which involves 20 departments and offers the purchase of bicycles over reliance on a car or taxi around campus — and two bike share programs, Harvard has cemented its commitment to bicycling as a sustainable, healthy and environmentally conscious transportation choice.
“Our students, faculty and staff have created a vibrant bicycling community and, in partnership with Harvard’s Schools, departments and community partners, we’re working to make the University safer and more accommodating for bicyclists,” said Harvard University Commuter Choice program coordinator Ben Hammer. “Harvard’s strong support of bicycling makes the University stronger and helps our community explore alternatives to driving that are healthier and better for the environment.”
The high marks don’t end with the Ivy League. Also taking home honors this round is the University of California, Berkeley, which received a Silver award for its efforts to make bicycling accessible on campus.
“It’s a great honor to receive this award from the League,” says Greg Haet, Chair of the Campus Bicycle Committee at Berkeley. “The number of students, faculty, and staff coming to the campus by bicycle continues to increase, and we’re working hard to make Cal a better place for our growing cycling community. This award confirms that we’re on the right track, and motivates us to continue making improvements.”
In the Midwest, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was awarded with a Silver, as well. The campus’s new Outdoor Adventure Center is just one of the reasons the Lincoln, Neb., university received the award. It provides bicycle repair opportunities, access to 24-hour end-of-commute shower facilities and bike locker storage. The University is also working on a new master plan, which will include multi-modal transportation priorities and projections for new bike infrastructure.
“The Bicycle Transportation Committee has worked diligently to evaluate, assess and execute a number of initiatives to support the university’s goal of becoming a Bicycle Friendly University,” says Steve Smith, University of Nebraska-Lincoln spokesman. “Bicycling is on the rise at UNL, and is increasingly seen as a healthy, supportable method of getting to, from and around campus. We’re pleased that UNL’s new designation will bring renewed attention to the university’s as well as the City of Lincoln’s progress in this important area.”
(Photos: A student shows off her bicycle at Campus Bike Day in Berkeley at left; Students ride their bicycles on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus at bottom)
Liz Murphy Communications Manager
Ms. Murphy joined the League in January 2013. She previously worked as a reporter covering the Justice Department. Liz has journalism and women's studies degrees from Penn State University. She commutes to work on her bright red bike daily.
Last week, Women Bike hosted its latest webinar on “Getting More Moms and Families on Bikes” — with a great line-up of panelists and an amazing turn-out of engaged participants. Stay tuned to the blog tomorrow for the recording and slides!
One common barrier that came up during the conversation was the up-front expense of family-oriented gear and the challenge of engaging low-income women and families in riding. It’s certainly a big issue that we’ll be digging into more deeply, but I was immediately reminded of the amazing work around this issue being done by Cycles for Change up in Minneapolis.
Following-up on the discussion last week, I checked in with Claire Stoscheck, the Cycles for Change Community Partners Bike Library Director, to provide some insight into their successful efforts to engage women and moms from diverse economic and racial demographics….
Claire Stoscheck, second from R, discussed Cycles for Change efforts at the 2012 National Women’s Bicycling Summit
Cycles for Change is really committed to equity in its programming; how does that extend to your outreach to women and families?
The goal of Cycles for Change is getting access to bikes and bike education to the communities most underrepresented in the bicycle movement and culture. Apart from targeted outreach through community partners to diverse economic and racial communities, we also work to eliminate the gender gap in cycling, as well as empowering women riders by working with community partners who are led by and for women in the Twin Cities. Through our Community Partners Bike Library program, we provide women with free bikes to borrow (fully accessorized for transportation purposes), as well as trailers and tag-a-longs for people with children. We have found that many women — in particular women from the diverse immigrant communities in the Twin Cities — do not know how to ride a bike. We teach extensive Learn to Ride classes to adults in order to open up the world of cycling to more women.
What specific programming do you offer that makes cycling more accessible to low-income and underserved communities? What barriers have you discovered — and overcome — for women with this program?
Training the trainers for Cycles for Change Learn To Ride program
The programs we offer to make biking more accessible include the Community Partners Bike Library, in which we partner with 18 community partners to lend 275 bikes and 30 trailers to low-income community members, following up with bike education classes and leadership development programming. We also offer an Earn-a-Bike program where participants can learn basic bike mechanics and volunteer six hours in order to earn themselves a bike free of charge.
These programs help to overcome one of the major barriers for low-income women: cost. The programs are completely free of charge. In addition, the Bike Library teaches Learn to Ride classes so women who don’t know how to ride can learn, and we offer child trailers to accommodate women with kids. The Bike Library loans bikes that are customized for each individual, so that we find the right fit for women no matter her size or shape and provide her with a comfortable ride.
Finally, through our leadership development we are working with and empowering women leaders in the bike movement from diverse backgrounds who then are inspirations to others in their communities to break cultural norms and ride a bike, despite the taboos.
What has been the response or feedback from participants or the community?
The response to the Bike Library has been tremendously positive. You can read some of the stories and testimonials in the 2012 Bike Library Zine called “Pedaling Forward”– just click here to read some amazing stories about the joys of cycling by participants in the Bike Library!
What advice or tips would you have for other advocacy organizations, bike shops or co-ops who are starting outreach to women generally or moms / families specifically?
Be conscious of access to bikes and trailers, and find a way to provide women with free or very affordable bikes. Be conscious of women with families, and offer trailers and tag-a-longs for the kids. Try partnering with non-profits that work with diverse communities and have bi-cultural and bi-lingual experience who can help bridge language/cultural barriers. Offer child-care and interpretation/translation. Be aware of structural barriers that women face to biking, including poverty and double responsibility (in our patriarchy, women are expected to not only work but also do the bulk of housework and care-taking). Work to change the structures! For more information please contact me at claire@cyclesforchange.org or visit www.cyclesforchange.org
What’s your organization doing to engage moms — from diverse backgrounds? Share in the comments!
Carolyn Szczepanski Communications Director
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
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