Well, we knew September was going to be busy…and sure enough we’re seeing the opening moves in a major attack on funding for bike projects and programs.
This evening, the President talks to the nation about jobs and infrastructure, and he’ll likely repeat his plea for Congress to pass a “clean” extension to the Federal transportation program. The House Republican response includes an explicit demand that funding for bicycling and walking infrastructure be stripped out of the program.
Quick bit of background: the current transportation bill that funds highway, transit and bike/pedestrian improvements across the country basically expires at the end of this month. Congress either has to write a new law (highly unlikely) or agree to continue or extend the existing program for a set period until they write a new long-term law for the next five or six years. And, they can either pass a “clean” extension – not changing anything, just continuing what we’ve had since 2005 – or they might try to change a few things along the way.
Senator Coburn (OK) has said he won’t agree to an extension unless funding for bike projects is stripped out. Representatives Boehner and Cantor have basically said the same thing in the House. Yes, folks, they are willing to hold the entire transportation program hostage – infrastructure spending and millions of real jobs – to get rid of bike projects.
Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved their extension bill. It’s clean. Most likely, Coburn will try to force a vote on the floor of the Senate next week to strip out the popular transportation enhancements program…which funds the lion’s share of bike and pedestrian projects around the country. So, if you’ve ridden on a bike trail or bike lanes, or used a bike rack on the front of a bus in the last few years…the chances are you’ve seen the program in action. And if Coburn, Cantor and Boehner succeed, we’ll see a dramatic drop-off in bicycling safety improvements.
Why would they do this, I hear you ask. After all, bike projects create jobs; bike projects improve safety; more bicyclists means less congestion, cleaner air, less oil consumption, fitter and healthier American’s. It’s baffling. It’s not like the transportation program is going to be cut by the amount they strip out for bike funding…no, the money still gets spent but it will likely buy us another mile or two of freeway instead of thousands of small-scale, labor-intensive bicycling and walking improvements.
Equally, the enhancements program is hardly eating up a massive chunk of the transportation program. Even though Cantor and Boehner like to leave the impression that it’s ten percent of the transportation program…it isn’t. Not even close. It’s ten percent of one of dozens of programs that make up the overall program. In fact, enhancements account for barely one percent of Federal transportation funds.
Another myth you’ll hear – most likely from Coburn’s camp – is that states will still be able to spend their funds on bicycling projects if they choose to do so. While that’s technically true, the reality is that most states will stop spending a dime on bike projects overnight. Utah has already stopped their program in anticipation; they just can’t wait!
We have to stop them. We need to save cycling! Go to our on-line advocacy center right now to contact your members of Congress. Tell them you support continued dedicated funding for bicycling and walking projects, and you support a clean extension to the transportation bill.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
I’m very excited about the panel for Wednesday’s Club Leadership Webinar on Diversifying your Membership and Outreach.
The issue is getting a lot of attention here in Washington, DC, lately — the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) has been active east of the Anacostia River, building bridges, as it were, with the advocacy community in the more affluent areas of the city. The city government under former mayor Andrian Fenty added a lot of bike lanes across Washington, though the lack of community input in some areas caused friction, as detailed in this recent City Paper article. Meanwhile, the explosive growth of the Black Women Bike DC has demonstrated that there are plenty of people outside the stereotypical biker demographics who are looking for a comfortable way into cycling.
In my time as League membership director, I’ve spoken to plenty of other types of people who have started their own clubs because they didn’t feel welcome in existing groups — family cyclists, older riders, and a racing team for riders who have had bariatric surgery.
Why is diversity important? For clubs, it can be as simple as creating a broader base for growth, and a richer mix of people to ride with. For advocacy groups, reaching out to new demographics means bigger, broader coalitions, and connections to social justice groups. And to truly build a Bicycle Friendly America, cycling infrastructure needs to integrate the needs of all current and potential cyclists.
In the next Club Leadership Webinar, Wednesday, September 7, at 8pm Eastern, we’ll give some basic steps to start making your club more inviting and inclusive, as well as looking at LACBC’s City of Lights initiative and WABA’s East of the Anacostia outreach.
Diversifying your Membership and Outreach September 7, 2011, at 8pm Eastern
Learn ways to make your organizational outreach, membership, advocacy and events more welcoming to all. Panelists:
Veronica Davis of Black Women Bike DC will discuss how she came to start her own organization, and how they’re helping grow the number of black women biking in Washington DC.
October 5: Off the Bike – Banquets, Speaker Series, and other social events
November 10: Effective Club Websites
December 6: Club Insurance Review
Panelists to be announced.
Club Leadership Webinars are free for League member clubs.
Scott Williams League Director of Membership
Williams joined the League in April 2010. For the four years prior, he worked providing technology consulting and solutions to nonprofit organizations with Community IT Innovators.
Last week we got a call from the mother of the Tennessee child who was told “not to ride her bike to school”; the story is lighting up the blogosphereas wespeak. We listened, offered some advice, encouraged her to contact her statewide advocacy group, BikeWalk Tennessee, and gave the police department in Elizabethton a call to get their side of the story. What emerges is a frustrating story with no obvious winners and lots of people left feeling aggrieved. The basic principle that it really should be (and probably is in this case) perfectly reasonable for a capable 10-year old to ride her bike to school on local streets is in danger of getting lost.
The student trying to get to school really doesn’t have a lot of options to riding the mile from home to school on the road – her neighborhood has no sidewalks; there aren’t any alternate routes; her mother can’t drive her; the police didn’t really help her with a solution; the school bus isn’t an option. Besides, riding is a good option – it’s quicker and healthier; the streets are pretty quiet; many ten-year olds are quite capable of riding in that environment; and her mom shouldn’t have to drive her (assuming she could)! The fact that she may not have been riding with all the traffic skills of a seasoned commuter cyclist speaks perhaps to the need for decent bike education in school, slightly more patient parents who are driving their kids to school, and – of course – a few more fellow riders and walkers out there with her who can easily access the school on foot and bike.
It’s not too much of a stretch to say that this case highlights the need for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program currently under threat of Congressional budget cuts. The SRTS program has enabled local communities to access badly needed funds to help build sidewalks and trails to schools; to add bike lanes, signs and markings on roads around schools; to deliver critical bicycling and traffic safety education to students; to support bike trains and walking school buses; and even to begin to tackle bigger issues of school siting and access. Clearly these things are not happening without the impetus of the SRTS program and it would be a huge mistake if Congress were to approve a transportation bill without this critical initiative.
If Congress does decide to axe the program, we can anticipate a lot more cases like we are seeing in Tennessee – we can’t afford school buses because of local budget cuts; we aren’t providing education and encouragement programs to teach kids traffic safety skills; we keep putting our schools in the wrong places where people can’t walk and bike easily to them; we don’t provide sidewalks, crosswalks, lanes, trails and other safe facilities to get them to school; and then we wonder why more and more increasingly overweight and irritable kids are being driven to school [by increasingly overweight and irritable parents] adding to the danger for kids who can’t be driven…and the police and school administrators are left to sort out the mess with their own preconceived notions of what’s “safe” and “normal” behavior that doesn’t seem to include hopping on a bike and riding for kids who are generally quite capable of doing so.
To speak up for Safe Routes to School, contact your members of Congress and ask them to support the program by signing on to this bill. You can also sign up to the advocacy center for alerts on the larger transportation bill – we are expecting to see some action on this when Congress returns next week and we are going to need all the help we can get to preserve dedicated funding for bicycling and walking programs.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
This morning at a White House briefing in the Rose Garden, President Obama, flanked by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumpka and officials from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called upon Congress to pass a clean extension of the surface transportation bill immediately upon their return next week. Emphasizing the importance of infrastructure investment on jobs and the economy he called upon Congress to stop the partisan gamesmanship and put the country first.
Given the current efforts in Congress to strip away funding for programs important to the bicycling community such as; Transportation Enhancements; Safe Routes to Schools; and Recreational Trails program, the League wholeheartedly supports the President’s message to Congress. We look forward to working with his Administration and supporters in Congress to see that a clean extension of the current transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) is past. A clean extension means that all current programs in SAFETEA-LU will forgo any cuts or policy changes. Communities across the country will be able to continue to build upon the successes of the past decades to get more people riding more often.
~Walter Finch Director of Advocacy, League of American Bicyclists
Finch joined the League in 2006 and has more than 20 years of experience in the transportation industry. He worked as a government relations associate with G.S. Proctor & Associates, served as the chief of staff for a member of Maryland’s House of Delegates, and worked at the U.S. Department of Transportation as the Special Assistant, Office of the Secretary, Office of Intermodalism.
Health and bicycling advocates are teaming up to fight a battle that will determine whether an Interstate-90 bridge connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin will accommodate cyclists for the next 100 years or be a barrier. Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN), Active Living LaCrescent (ALL) and Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin have worked hard to get Complete Streets policies passed. Now the policies are being put to the test.
The Interstate 90 Dresbach Bridge — connecting LaCrescent, Minnesota and LaCrosse, Wisconsin over the Mississippi River — is being replaced with a bridge that has a 100-year design life. Currently, that design does not include bicycle pedestrian accommodations, even though both states have Complete Streets policies and bike-ped accommodations are included in the LaCrosse area 2035 Transportation Plan.
Local and state advocates have already taken successful action. Working with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), advocates forced the Minnesota Department of Transportation to reexamine bicycle pedestrian accommodation on the bridge. Advocates now have five weeks to convince MnDOT to include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations on the Interstate Bridge and work with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to create a plan that connects the bridge to the three popular Wisconsin trails.
The stakes are certainly high. If transportation officials don’t include bike-ped accommodations now, ” there will be no bicycle pedestrian connections across the Mississippi River at Dresbach for the next 100 years,” says Nick Mason, Education and Technical Assistance Program Manager for BikeMN.
Advocacy Advance is a dynamic partnership of the Alliance and the League of American Bicyclists aimed at dramatically increasing funding for biking and walking projects and programs.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
If yesterday’s East Coast earthquake and the subsequent scramble to get home taught us anything, it may be that there is no better vehicle in emergency situations than the bicycle. As traffic in downtown DC was bumper to bumper at 3:00 in the afternoon, bicyclists navigated fairly smoothly through the jammed streets, smiling and waving to each other.
Capital Bikeshare in high demand after East Coast Earthquake, photo by Camera Slayer, Flickr
League Communications Director Meghan Cahill helped several people rent Capital Bikeshare bikes yesterday afternoon. Later, “two Australian tourists came up to me at a traffic light and said ‘Where’d you get that bike, we have to get out of here,’” Cahill said, “I explained where to find a station and what to do. They ran off saying ‘Cheers, mate!’”
Meanwhile, we keep hearing stories about the grueling experiences so many people had getting home.
In all seriousness, walking and biking are often the best modes in unusual situations, including terror attacks, transit strikes, extreme weather, and yes earthquakes. The ability of large numbers of people to evacuate quickly is one of many reasons that non-motorized accommodations are so important on bridges.
In DC, buildings were evacuated after the earthquake. Here is the view of First Street Northwest. Photo by Douglas Graham for Roll Call.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
The BTA also received a $3,000 Advocacy Advance Rapid Response grant to build on this success and prepare for the next phase of the campaign: to build on this success and prepare for the next phase of the campaign: Secure full funding at the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the City of Portland to build and operate the new $11.5 million bike sharing program.
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.
Construction costs are increasing, according to the Washington State DOT, which tracks costs in several western states. For example, after a steep decline from its peak in 2009, the cost of hot mix asphalt is beginning to tick back up. As state budgets are tightening, it is a good time to invest in transportation projects — like bicycling projects — that rely less on materials and commit a greater share of their totals costs to labor, putting people to work.
In June, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, released their report, Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure: A National Study of Employment Impacts, which showed that for each million dollars spent, bicycling projects create 46 percent more jobs than road-only projects. In addition to the employment benefits, as DOTs face shrinking budgets and rising costs of materials, bicycling projects can provide the biggest bang for the buck.
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.
The majority of the Federal Transit Administration’s grant programs allow money to be spent on the design, construction, and maintenance of walking and biking projects that “enhance or are related to public transportation facilities.” But how do they determine if such a relationship exists? Until now the FTA had used 1,500 feet from the transit stop or station as the rule of thumb.
Today, the FTA announced that “all pedestrian improvements located within one-half mile and all bicycle improvements located within three miles of a public transportation stop or station shall have a de facto physical and functional relationship to public transportation.” Apparently in response to public comments, the agency also stipulated that projects located beyond those distances can be eligible if walkers and cyclists could reasonable be expected to make longer trips.
Photo: Subway and bike, iStock, By Ethan Fink
This policy, which the League enthusiastically welcomes, recognizes that successful transit depends on safe and attractive first-and-last-mile access to stations and stops. Making bicycling and walking safe and attractive makes transit more accessible, practical and appealing. In addition, providing secure bike parking is cheaper than car parking.
When the FTA first proposed the policy in 2009, the League lent its voice in support:
The League of American Bicyclists welcomes the renewed emphasis on livability in the Department of Transportation, especially initiatives to diminish the barriers between the modal administrations within DOT and between USDOT and other Federal agencies. The ability of people to use a combination of walking, bicycling and transit is an essential component in the sustainable growth of cities in the United States.
We also recommended including funding eligibility for bike share programs. Here’s what the FTA had to say in response:
FTA agrees that bicycle sharing systems provide meaningful access to public transportation and help address the problem of the ‘‘first and last mile.’’ Moreover, bicycle sharing programs, like all forms of active transportation, provide numerous benefits, such as reduced carbon emissions and improved public health.
Federal Transit Law limits the use of FTA funds for ‘‘public transportation.’’ Historically, FTA has not included ‘‘bicycle’’ within the definition of ‘‘public transportation.’’ Therefore, while a grantee may use FTA funds to purchase aspects of a bicycle sharing system if those aspects are located near public transportation stops and stations, an FTA grantee may not use FTA funds to purchase bicycles.
We hope that this historical view changes as more and more public bikeshare systems connect travelers to bus, subway, and train systems. London, for example, includes it’s bikeshare program on its transit website.
The policy is good news and we hope that local transit agencies take full advantage of this opportunity to make their transit system more accessible. The following FTA funding programs can be used for capital projects to provide biking and walking access to public transportation facilities:
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.
Back in July, we reported on the US DOT seminar How Lessons on how to compete for a US DOT TIGER Grant. Today, the US DOT’s Chief Economist Jack Wells hosted a webinar to describe what TIGER application reviewers are looking for in the project’s Benefit Cost Analysis section of the application. Here are the slides of the presentation; here’s the webcast. Applicants (agency staff and the advocates helping them) should thoroughly review the notice of funding availability (links to the original version that they requested comments on. No major changes were made.)
The webinar got deeper into the methodology of benefit cost analyses than can fit into a quick blog post. Here are a few points to consider, however:
The economists evaluate the credibility of the benefit cost analysis on a 1 to 4 scale
They are looking for positive net outcomes greater than one, but beyond that they’d rather see quality estimates than exaggerated estimates
It can be difficult to estimate livability benefits, but they really want to see estimated usage — ie estimated numbers of bicycling and walking trips
The notice of funding availability has a table of dollars values to calculate the emission-reduction benefits of mode shift
Much attention was paid to avoid “double counting” of benefits and the inclusion of all costs, see the notice of availability and webinar slides for more
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.
The League was just added as a beneficiary of Climate Ride — but there are only 20 spots left. Register for Climate Ride to raise money to support the League and take the ride of your life for five days in Northern California!
You’re invited to join us on Climate Ride, an incredible 5-day bicycle ride in Northern California and the best part is that you can help the League of American Bicyclists while you’re doing it! For the first time, we’re recruiting members for our new Team Bike League on this year’s California ride, and you can be part of the fun and raise funds for the League of American Bicyclists at the same time.
Climate Ride is an amazing journey and ‘green conference on wheels’ where people who care about a clean and green future for our nation pedal the stunning California coast together to make a difference. The event is a 5-day, fully-supported bicycle ride from Fortuna to San Francisco under towering redwoods, through the Russian River Wine Country, and along the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route – one of the most scenic coastlines in the world. Climate Ride also features nightly speakers who focus on bicycle advocacy, sustainability, and renewable energy.
Everyone who has participated in Climate Ride raves about the tour as a ‘life-changing’ and ‘eye-opening’ experience. What is even better is that you can enjoy this great event, while at the same time helping to support the League’s mission. Climate Ride has opened up the beneficiary choices so now you can choose to support the League specifically with your fundraising dollars. If you select us as your beneficiary when you register or join our Team Bike League, we will be the sole recipient of the funds you raise, which means our efforts will gain even more traction in the future.
Registration for Climate Ride California 2011 is $75 (which includes a beautiful jersey and more) and then you raise at least $2400 to participate for the all-inclusive event. The ride is fully-supported by a team of talented leader-hosts, bike mechanics, medics, and massage therapists. Climate Ride is also one of the ‘greenest’ multi-day charity ride events in the world. Riders are asked to bring no bottled water (recyclable water bottles will be used, and filtered water will be provided). There is no disposable plate ware or cups, the support vehicles are highly fuel efficient, and every effort is made to recycle and compost materials used on the ride.
When you sign up, you’ll be joining many other people who want to do something to help create a better future for us all. Climate Ride is a great way to get involved and experience an amazing adventure, powered by your own energy. The best bet is to sign up early not only so you have time to fundraise and train, but also because spots fill up!
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Cycling and fashion have hit an uptick in America thanks to many fashion designers getting on board with stylish bike commuter pieces and selling them online, including: bags, helmets and jeans — and this is in addition to some pretty sweet rides.
What influenced the recent interest in stateside Cycle Chic commuters? Perhaps it is how many fashion trends form — European inspiration. Men, women and children in many European countries are raised with bicycling. They bike everywhere, and they don’t wear special clothes to do it. They wear their fancy clothes, their going out clothes, their work clothes and their play clothes while bicycling. They save the bike shorts for the professionals.
Petria Lenehan is a Dublin fashion designer schooled in New York, Florence and London. She owns Dublin fashion boutique Dolls — a store for fashion lovers — and at the entrance stands a matte green Dutch bicycle. Petria primarily has that bike because it brings structure to her days. With a dual role as fashion designer and boutique owner, Petria’s life is hectic. Five years on from opening Dolls, she still finds herself sketching dresses in business hours – meaning she will have to do bookkeeping later that night. But now, with help of her bike, a change has come about.
*Petria Lenehan bikes to her studio and boutique.
Petria recently rented a studio, forcing herself to be business woman in her boutique and fashion designer in her studio. It does require Petria to frequently travel between studio and shop, though. She heavily relies on her bike, which has become the beacon of structure. Every day at her boutique, she loads shirts and skirts in her bicycle basket and cycles to her new studio. But Petria also has the bike for its style.
When the Irish Times recently wrote an article about Dolls, it said, ‘you don’t have to arrive (…) by Dutch bike, but if you do you will be among your tribe. This is Dublin 8, darling.’ And so Petria decided to display her handmade Dutch bike alongside dresses, hats, scarves, frocks, jumpers, socks and clogs.
So there you have it. The fashionable want a sensible way to get around town, and the bike is the answer. Plus, they get to show off their smart ensembles and chic bicycles while they cruise.
In line with a goal to double federal funding for biking and walking, Advocacy Advance is awarding $100,000 in direct grants to four advocacy organizations.
Using the grants to tap into federal funding streams and build their political influence, recipients will work to triple bicycle mode share in Atlanta, Ga., dramatically improve infrastructure in Pittsburgh, Pa., empower Latino cyclists in Los Angeles, Calif., and create a new model to win state dollars in Delaware.
Since 2009, Advocacy Advance — a partnership of the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking & Walking — has awarded more than $500,000 in direct grants to 25 state and local advocacy organizations. This year, more than 60 applications with proposals totaling more than $1.3 million were received in the two grant categories: Model Grants and Capacity Building Grants.
Model Grants provide multi-year support for efforts that significantly increase federal investment for biking and walking. Capacity Building Grants catalyze the growth of advocacy organizations that are poised to dramatically increase biking and walking in their communities. Based on the organizations’ successful track records and innovative strategies, 2011 grants will be awarded to Bike Delaware, Bike Pittsburgh, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.
“We are excited to support these grantees, as they help lead the way toward a more equitable and rational use of limited federal transportation funds, especially as the lessons we learn will be applicable to accessing state and local funds,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists.
“Receiving this Model Grant is a testament to the decade of work we’ve poured into building strong relationships with key city, county, regional, and state transportation officials – and winning the cultural battle that bikes belong in the transportation mix,” Scott Bricker, Executive Director of Bike Pittsburgh, said. “Now it’s time to identify and fund specific projects that will keep bike riders safer and result in more people bicycling.”
Advocacy Advance Grants are made possible thanks to generous support from SRAM and Planet Bike.
2011 Model Grants
Bike Pittsburgh
Receiving the largest grant ever awarded through the Advocacy Advance program, Bike Pittsburgh will use $40,000 per year, for three years, to leverage partnerships, identify key bicycle and pedestrian projects and get them funded. Advocates will work closely with the City of Pittsburgh on MOVEPGH – Pittsburgh’s first comprehensive transportation plan – to ensure the plan includes recommendations for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects that are eligible for federal funding. Advocates will also work with county officials to get projects in surrounding municipalities in the queue for federal funding.
Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC) will receive $35,000 per year, for three years, to double federal spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs in the Atlanta region, and triple the bicycle mode share from 1 to 3 percent. To meet these ambitious goals, ABC will hire additional staff and work with the local metropolitan planning organizations, and the Georgia Department of Transportation, to tap into two federal funding streams currently underutilized for bicycle and pedestrian projects – the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program and the Highway Safety Improvement Program.
2011 Capacity Building Grants
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) will receive a $15,000 matching grant to hire a dedicated bilingual education/outreach staff member to empower Spanish-speaking residents who lack access to bike safety and advocacy tools, and build political power for improved bicycling in L.A. by better including populations of color.
Bike Delaware
Bike Delaware advocates recently won $5 million in new dedicated funding for bicycling in Delaware in 2012 – more money than the state has ever allocated in the past. A $10,000 matching grant will help Bike Delaware create a national model to increase state bicycle and pedestrian funding by creating an action plan for state bicyclists, advocating legislation, monitoring and communicating with DelDOT, and tracking progress.
In addition, Advocacy Advance will grant $25,000 in Rapid Response Grants throughout the year to help state and local organizations take advantage of unexpected opportunities to win, increase, or preserve funding for biking and walking.
For more information, contact:
Brighid O’Keane
Advocacy Advance Program Manager
Alliance for Biking & Walking
(202) 621-5442 Brighid@AdvocacyAdvance.org
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
We all know how expensive it can be to fly with your bike. We update the airplane bike fees on our Web site for the National Bike Summit every March, and the rates are inconsistent and pricey. Luckily for those of you who fly Frontier, there is good news!
Frontier has removed the flat fee for checked bicycles and will now include them in the standard baggage allowance, meaning customers traveling on Classic or Classic Plus fares can include their bike as one of their two complimentary checked bags and Economy passengers would pay $20 if the bike is one of their first two checked bags. Bikes will be exempt from any oversize fees, but subject to overweight fees and excess bag fees, if applicable. This is similar to the carrier’s current policy for golf clubs and skis. Frontier recommends to give yourself an extra 30 minutes for check-in if you are checking your bike — a small price to pay for free or exceptionally low bike check-ins!
What is allowed: non-motorized touring or racing bicycles with single seats. Bicycles must have the handlebars fixed sideways and the pedals removed and encased in a protective, durable case or box. Pedals do not need to be removed if wrapped in plastic foam or similar material.
What is not allowed: Items which exceed 99.9 lbs or 109 linear inches will not be accepted. According to Frontier, the definition of linear inches is L+W”H. A standard hard-plastic bike box is around 85 linear inches, so must of us should be compliant with these specifics.
Thanks Frontier for making it easier for bicyclists to travel with bicycles. It is appreciated.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
The following is a white paper written by the League of American Bicyclists and America Bikes, a coalition of national bicycling advocacy groups. Download the PDF of ”Why Eligibility Isn’t Enough.”
Why “Eligibility” Isn’t Enough
The case for dedicated bicycle and pedestrian funding in the federal transportation bill
Representative John Mica (R-FL), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, recently introduced an outline of his proposed transportation bill. The proposal eliminates all dedicated funding for bicycling and walking – programs such as transportation enhancements, recreational trails and safe routes to schools program – and maintains “eligibility” for these activities only if states choose to spend their funds on these kinds of activities and these meet [undetermined] performance measures and are in the national interest.
As supporters of these programs attempt to preserve dedicated funding for bicycling and walking, they may well hear an argument along the lines of “don’t worry, these are still eligible activities, so if States think they are important they will continue”. While it is true that basic eligibility for federal transportation funds is important (it at least removes the argument that “we aren’t allowed to use these funds for bicycling and walking projects”), all the evidence of the past 20 years and beyond suggests that mere eligibility is totally insufficient: most states will simply stop spending any of their Federal transportation funds on anything related to bicycling and walking.
1. It didn’t work before. In 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) created the Transportation Enhancement (TE), Recreational Trails (RTP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality programs (CMAQ), all of which have become major sources of funding for bicycling and walking projects. Before ISTEA, states had the option of spending up to $4.5 million of their highway funds each year on independent bicycling and walking projects (up to a national cap of $45 million), and the funds required NO state matching funds. In the 18 years before 1991, a total of $40 million was spent by all 50 states combined – approximately $2 million a year. Most states spent nothing between 1988 and 1991.
2.States seem to wait for programs to end. The chart below shows how spending on bicycling and walking projects and programs has increased since 1991. Notice the dips in spending when transportation bill expires. While this lack of planning for bike/ped projects may partly be explained by the general level of uncertainty caused by numerous short-term funding fixes (continuing resolutions), there is also a strong possibility that States are hoping these programs will go away in the new bills – and in 1995-96 and 2003-04 there were active efforts underway to eliminate the Transportation Enhancements program.
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.
How many people can say that they turned $3,000 into $2 million? Kevin Hardman and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin can.
How’d they do it? With a little help from Advocacy Advance, the partnership of the League and the Alliance for Biking & Walking that’s aimed at giving advocates, agency staff and public officials the tools and knowledge they need to tap into federal funding for biking and walking projects and programs. The Bicycle Federation used a $3,000 Advocacy Advance Rapid Respond grant to support its campaign to restore dedicated bicycle and pedestrian funds cut from the state budget. They were successful. Instead of zeroing out the bicycle and pedestrian line in the budget, the state will spend $2 million over the next two years on bicycle and pedestrian projects.
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.
According to a new survey and report, platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) in Bloomington, Minn, has improved employee health and has helped the company save an estimated $170,000 in three years through its “Health Reward” program. The program credits employees $110 towards QBP products in addition to their generous commuter reward program, which pays out $45,000 annually. Both programs are keeping QBP employees healthy, happy and productive. According to Jason Gaikowski, QBP Marketing Director, their new report “definitely shows that QBP is healthier – and as a result more productive – than the general population. It also clearly indicates that the commuter population health care claims costs are massively lower than claim costs compared to QBP non-commuters.” If you need prove that it pays to encourage bicycling in the workplace, look no further.
By encouraging QBP employees to commute by bike through 2007-2011, the company found the following:
The company experienced a 4.4% reduction in per member per month health care costs associated with an estimated 3-year savings of $170,000
Approximately 100 commuters incurred an estimated 3-year savings of $600,000
The business benefitted with an annual savings of $301,136 in employee productivity.
More people are commuting by bicycle every year, thanks to Bicycle Friendly Communities and other motivators like high gas prices. To ensure that motorists and bicyclists are sharing the road safely and learning about the Rules of the Road, AAA and the League of American Bicyclists have partnered to promote safe cycling. We hope to make the roads safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Andy Clarke, president of the League, joins Rhonda Markos, AAA traffic safety specialist, on AAA Talk Radio to chat about our partnership, bike safety facts and tips for motorists and cyclists alike, and why bicycling is moving up the ranks as one of the most popular modes of transportation. Listen to Clarke and Markos’ interview below.
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) held a full Senate Transportation Committee hearing today on their proposed transportation re-authorization bill. The committee heard testimony from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, the Laborers’ International Union of North America President Terence O’Sullivan, Donald James of Vulcan Materials, AASHTO Director Susan Martinovich, Oklahoma DOT Secretary Gary Ridley, the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Transportation Policy Director Deron Lovaas, and Greg Cohen of the American Highway Users Alliance.
Panelists were supportive of the idea of a two year bill at current levels, although no additional specifics were shared. Mayor Villaraigosa spoke favorably of the proposed expansion of TIFIA, a federal infrastructure loan program, and the DOT officials praised the streamlining policy changes in the bill. The Senators on the committee spoke of the need for a bill to pass and seemed supportive of this bill and appreciative of the bi-partisan effort that Boxer, Inhofe, and their colleagues put into it. At the end of the session, each panelist promised to work for its passage.
Few new details emerged. Senator Boxer mentioned in passing — during a question to the Mayor about TIFIA — that Safe Routes to School, “bike paths”, and Recreational Trails are in the bill but did not elaborate. The importance of bicycling was also mentioned by Senator Frank Lautenberg and Deron Lovaas, whose written testimony included more extensive mention of bicycle and pedestrian benefits.
We will continue to monitor events as they progress.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
In advance of a hearing on Thursday called “Legislative Issues for Transportation Reauthorization,” the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works has released a three page outline of their transportation reauthorization bill. The outline is light on details — and that’s where the devil is. We hope to learn more on Thursday.
So far, the outline is consistent with what we had heard. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, as the Sentate version of the bill is known, authorized federal transportation spending for two-years “while maintaining current spending levels.” It will consolidate the core funding programs into seven:
The National Highway Performance Program
The Transportation Mobility Program
National Freight Program
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
Highway Safety Improvement Program
The words “bicycle and pedestrian” don’t appear anywhere in the outline – we are hoping that they will make it into the fine print and that dedicated funding will appear in the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program at the very least.
Be prepared to take action in the days ahead.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Does your local transportation agency have a strong project that is multi-modal, non-traditional, and hard to fund through traditional channels? If so, federal TIGER 3 funds might be the right source for it.
Secretary LaHood has announced $527 million in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) funds. This is the third round of these merit-based grants, hence the short-hand, TIGER 3. Today the USDOT held a webinar, “Lessons on How to Compete for a USDOT TIGER Grant,” which featured several of the administration’s top transportation policy officials, including Roy Kientz, Polly Trottenberg, and Beth Osborne.
Bicycle and pedestrian projects have done well in the first two rounds of TIGER grants. Sixty-eight of the 125 successful TIGER grants included bicycle and/or pedestrian components in their project descriptions. Several funded projects were stand-alone bicycle and pedestrian projects, like the Philadelphia Area Bicycle Network and the Indianapolis Bicycle and Pedestrian Network funded in the first round. Several Complete Streets projects were also funded. See here, here, and here for past TIGER projects that include bicycle and pedestrian components.
Highlights today’s panel are below. Most of the advice is fairly general. However, I did have a chance to ask the panel for advice on how to get stand-alone bike/ped projects funded and how to get bicycle and pedestrian components included in larger projects, and for advice on measuring the impact of the project.
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
In a press conference this morning, John Mica (R-FL), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House, announced his proposal for the next surface transportation re-authorization bill. He said the proposal would cost $230 billion over six years — a reduction of 33 percent from the last 6 year bill. (Update:22 page outline now online.) That’s fine — the alarming thing is that the proposal eliminates dedicated funding for bicycling and walking, including Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and the Recreational Trails Program, and discourages states from choosing to spend their dollars on these activities that are “not in the federal interest.”
Meanwhile on the Senate side, James Inhofe (R-OK), the lead Republican negotiator on the transportation bill, declared that one of his TOP THREE priorities for the transportation bill is to eliminate ‘frivolous spending for bike trails.’
The League and the America Bikes Coalition have launched a critical advocacy alert. Please contact your Members of Congress and tell them to reach out to Senators Inhofe, Boxer, and Congressman Mica to urge them to continue funding for Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails.
Whether the next transportation bill is $200 billion or $400 billion is frankly less important than what is done with that kind of investment. Mica’s ‘New Direction’ proposal in fact turns the clock back on decades of hard-fought progress towards a truly multi-modal transportation system that offers American’s real choices. Even with a ‘small’ bill, returning to a 1950′s highways-only mentality flies in the face of fiscal responsibility by guaranteeing more single occupant vehicle travel on ever more congested and dangerous highways that we can’t even afford to maintain, let alone build.
The League calls on Chairman Mica to reinstate dedicated funding for bicycling and walking in his bill. We also ask that the Senate resist the efforts of Senator Inhofe eliminate dedicated funding for bicycling and walking. In addition to being healthy activities, bicycling and walking are valid transportation options, with more than four billion bike trips made annually for trips to work, school, and tourism. Furthermore bicycling and walking projects have the potential to create 46 percent more jobs per million dollars spent than auto-only projects; and bicycling and walking are critical generators of economic activity in communities across this country. Now is the time to be investing in these modes, not cutting them off just as 20 years of investment is starting to bear fruit.
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.
Bike Delaware has scored a major victory. On Friday, the Delaware General Assembly voted to dedicate$5 million in new funding for bicycling in Delaware. That’s “more money than the state has ever allocated before,” according to Bike Delaware’s announcement.
Bike Delaware launched their campaign to increase state funding for walking and bicycling this winter. “We recognized the desperate need for direct and strategic funding for bikeway infrastructure and we thought we had a chance of success,” Executive Director James Wilson said, “And we weren’t afraid to fail.”
Delaware Governor Jack Markell endorses “Walkable, Bikeable Delaware” legislation in June (Photo from Bike Delaware)
Bike Delaware worked with several groups, including Delaware Greenways, the Delaware Bicycle Council and, especially, Nemours Health and Prevention Services, to generate support for the new funding. The turning point came, Wilson said, when Senator Venables, a senior and influential state legislator, agreed to write and champion the legislation. Then Governor Jack Markell, a bicycling supporter who once spoke at the National Bike Summit, provided crucial support for the bill. “In other words, Bob Venables loaded the bases. And Jack Markell hit a grand slam,” Wilson wrote in an email to Bike Delaware members.
We are thrilled to see that Bike Delaware is now undertaking a campaign to ensure that the $5 million is used as a local match to leverage federal funds. Federal funds typically require a 20 percent match, which means the $5 million provided by the state could mean $25 million for bicycling in Delaware. We at the League and Alliance for Biking and Walking – the Advocacy Advance Team – are excited to support Wilson and Bike Delaware to make this happen. This is a prime example of a savvy state group working aggressively to increase bicycling and walking spending and leverage federal investments.
Darren Flusche League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
Yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration informed state Departments of Transportation of another rescission of funds, this time totaling $2.5 billion. A “rescission”, you may recall, is a mechanism by which states return to Washington various unspent amounts of money that they could have spent but haven’t yet done so. The action is taken under the 2011 Full-year Continuing Appropriations Act. This is the FHWA notice, which includes the total amount of funds each state is to send back to Washington. Not the most entertaining piece of prose you’ll ever read, but hidden within the language is another significant threat to the funds that are available to spend on bicycling improvements.
States are given maximum flexibility about the source of the funds that are rescinded – from among a variety of transportation programs. Most critically for bicycling, the transportation enhancements, congestion mitigation, and recreational trails programs are included in the list of programs. Fortunately, the Safe Routes to School program is not included, so those funds are safe.
States have been given a whole week to respond – that’s right, they got the notice yesterday and have to decide what funds to send back by Friday July 8. The memo recommends that “Division Administrators should encourage their State department of transportation officials to reach out to stakeholders in considering how to implement the rescission,” but our experience has been this really doesn’t happen. Or at least, the bicycle community either isn’t considered a stakeholder worth reaching out to or once reached out to, our views are simply ignored.
We say that because Transportation Enhancement and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality funds have consistently been inequitably targeted for rescissions in most states – and this will likely continue unless State DOT’s hear from their customers. In August, 2010 almost $1 billion of CMAQ, TE and Recreational Trails funds were returned to Washington, out of a $2.2 billion rescission. That means that State Departments of Transportation didn’t spend these funds in the first place – even though they could have been using the funds to build better bicycling infrastructure, provide bicyclist education, install bike parking – and now are choosing instead to send the money back to Washington.
Given the complexity of issue, the short turn-around time, and the fact that there’s a Federal holiday of some note on Monday, it’s a challenge to know how to effectively respond and try to influence the outcome of this rescissions process – however, we have set up an action alert here that you can use. Governors often seem to have little influence over their Departments of Transportation and State DOT directors certainly need to know your concerns but will rarely be the person making the actual decision. If you have a statewide advocacy group in your state, they will be a good place to go for any targeted action or inside information on who to contact and how.
Sorry to rain on your July 4th parades…
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Just when you think things are going well and US cities are making great progress towards being more bike-friendly (which they are…), somewhere like Copenhagen comes along and reminds you just how far we have to go! I just read the incredible bi-annual Bicycle Account published by the City of Copenhagen. The 2010 report does actually show a decline in the percentage of trips to work made by bike – down from 37% in 2008 to a paltry 35%, but this drop is attributed to two harsh winters and is made up for by a significant increase of 40,000 in the number of kilometers traveled by bike every day (up to 1.21 million) and a drop in the number of serious crashes to just 92 (3 fatals).
The numbers and the overall Copenhagen story continue to be truly inspirational:
93% of residents think Copenhagen is very good, good or satisfactory to cycle in
68% of residents cycle at least once a week
67% of cyclists feel safe (up from 51%)
And the biggest problems? The cycle tracks aren’t wide enough and there aren’t enough of them…only 346 kms of them. Cyclist and motorist behavior are also major factors in what could be done to make cycling even safer.
Copenhagen City of Cyclists: Bicycle Account 2010
One of the most astounding numbers buried deep in the report is the socio-economic benefit of cycling. The report says “When all these factors are added together the net social gain is DKK 1.22 per cycled kilometer. For purposes of comparison there is a net social loss of DKK 0.69 per kilometer driven by car.” 1.22 Danish crowns is about 25 cents and a kilometer is 6/10 of a mile, so we are talking about a net economic gain to society of 41 cents for every bicycle mile traveled. That’s a good number to have in your back pocket.
Quebec (Photo: Andy Clarke)
Iwas at the Ontario Bike Summit earlier this week and learned more about Velo Quebec’s latest round up of all things bicycling in neighboring Quebec – another impressive set of statistics.
The number of adult cyclists has increased by 500,000 since 2005;
More than half (54%) of Quebecers cycled in 2010, a return to 1995 levels (53%) after decreases in 2000 (49%) and 2005 (47%);
The number of people who cycle at least once a week has increased steadily since the year 2000 (from 1.6 million in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2005 and 2 million in 2010);
84% of children and teens cycle, a 9-point drop in 5 years;
The proportion of utility cycling has doubled: 37% of cyclists were using their bike as a means of transport occasionally or daily, compared with 20% in 2000;
Between 1987 and 2010, the total number of bicycles in Quebec more than doubled and the number of regular cyclists increased by 50%. During the same period, cycling-related fatalities decreased by 58%, serious injuries by 72% and minor injuries by 52%.
La Route Verte (Photo: Andy Clarke)
La Route Verte, the 4,300km provincial cycling network in Quebec is now returning $134 million annually (not including the cost of bikes…that’s just food, lodging and transport) on a total investment to create the network of $180m over 15 years.
Finally, the small principality of Wales is reportedly the first country in the world to require local authorities to provide cycling infrastructure. I used to ride my bike over the Severn Bridge from Bristol into Wales many years ago on practically the only dedicated bike infrastructure in either country, so it’s pretty cool to learn that Wales will soon become a cycling paradise – the place certainly has the scenery to make it happen.
Wales (Photo: road.cc)
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
The third annual Ontario Bike Summit — Moving Ontario Forward – Building Bicycle Friendly Communities — has been taking place the past two days in Ottawa. The theme is right-on too. Ontario’s Share the Road organization has been working to incorporate the Bicycle Friendly Community program into their region, and the summit is a means to get more cities and advocates in Ontario involved. Because the Bicycle Friendly Community program is new to Canada, the summit’s purpose was to teach advocates how to:
Develop a community cycling master plan
Work more effectively with local governments to advance cycling
Use data and research that will help “make the case” for enhanced cycling investments and programs
Learn about the infrastructure, education and awareness and legislative policies in Ontario to encourage cycling
Learn from example what other communities are doing in the areas of law enforcement initiatives – education and awareness – public health ideas, bicycle tourism?
Also in theme with the Summit, several Ontario Bicycle Friendly Communities were announced: Ottawa – Silver; Waterloo – Silver; Ajax – Bronze; Windsor – Bronze.
Find out more by following the live content from Ontario’s Cycle Citizen.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
This week we bid farewell to Tom Huber, who is retiring from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation after more than 20 years with the agency, including a long stint as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. Actually, more than just a long stint: Tom Huber pretty much defines the position of State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator – he is one of the very few coordinators left in that role from the class of 1992, the year the position was mandated in every state for the first time by ISTEA. (Paul Douglas in Texas…are you there, Paul?)
There are a lot of really nice people involved in the bicycling world – Tom is at the top of that pile! For twenty years he’s plugged away at the Department, slowly changing hearts and minds in favor of better bicycling policies and projects through a critical blend of doggedness, reasonableness, optimism and creativity. He’s been able to work well with advocates, the local bike industry, engineers, planners, on-and off-road riders all with the same constructive, open and accessible manner – always with a little disarming humor thrown in there.
Tom Huber at the Wisconsin Bike Summit, by Darryl Jordan Photography
Tom has also been an immense help to the emerging bike/pedestrian profession through his service to the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals – Wisconsin hosted the first APBP Professional Development Seminar; Madison has also been home to the Pro Walk Pro Bike Conference, the League’s bike education conference and much more. The state’s own bike/ped conferences have always been good value. Tom has served on numerous critical Transportation Research Board project review teams; he is a mainstay for Federal Highway and NHTSA project advisory groups; he was instrumental in helping us get the Bicycle Friendly State program in good shape. There’s a good reason he’s tapped for all this: he is always thoughtful, not at all dogmatic, totally reliable, and just a pleasant guy to work with.
Tom Huber in his neighborhood on one of his three-speed bikes
But, he’s not without faults. Honestly, by now he should have been running the Wisconsin Department of Transportation – and the agency and state would have been better off for him doing that. And, getting phone calls from Tom has always been a little irritating. He’ll call up and talk about an issue or problem he’s grappling with, then he’ll tell you the solution that he’s already figured out (while you are racking your brains on the other end of the phone line thinking “what am I going to suggest here”) and leave you with nothing helpful to recommend or say in response.
In a quiet, undemonstrative career as Wisconsin’s bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, Tom has had a profoundly beneficial influence on the bicycling movement and profession and it’s going to be hard to think of Wisconsin without thinking of Tom Huber. Don’t worry, though, he hasn’t died. In fact, he’s going to get a new lease of life working with the fabulous team at Toole Design starting at the end of the Summer. I hope you are going to take some time for yourself and your family, Tom, because your extended family is eagerly awaiting your return to work as a consultant.
Andy Clarke League President
Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.
Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects create more jobs per dollar spent than other road construction projects, according to America Bikes‘ press release and the new study, Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure: A National Study of Employment Impacts, conducted and released this month by the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The report builds on an earlier PERI case study of Baltimore, Md. and is the first national study to compare job creation of bicycling and walking infrastructure with other roadway construction projects. Using actual bid price and cost data, the study compares 58 projects in 11 cities and finds that bike projects create 46 percent more jobs than road projects without bike or pedestrian components.
On average, the “road-only” projects evaluated created 7.8 jobs per million, while the “bicycling-only” projects provided 11.4 jobs per million. For example, a roadway-focused project with no bicycle or pedestrian components in Santa Cruz, Calif. generated 4.94 jobs per $1 million spent. In contrast, a bicycle-focused project in Baltimore, Md. produced 14.35 jobs per million. The PERI reviewers attribute the difference to the simple fact that bicycle and pedestrian projects are often more labor intensive.
“It’s no secret that investing in transportation infrastructure creates jobs and helps the economy,” said Caron Whitaker, campaign director at America Bikes. “This study proves bicycle and pedestrian projects are no exception — in fact, they are especially efficient in creating jobs.”
The study arrives as Congress is writing a six-year Surface Transportation bill, and struggling to continue robust reinvestment in infrastructure while moderating federal spending. Funding for bicycling and walking is part of that debate.
“This report adds to a wealth of studies demonstrating the many economic benefits of investing in bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs,” said Andy Clarke, League president.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
The League of American Bicyclists is hiring a state and local advocacy coordinator to join the SRAM-funded Advocacy Advance team (a joint project with the Alliance for Biking & Walking).
The responsibilities include:
Train transportation agency and advocacy staff on accessing federal transportation dollars for bicycle and pedestrian projects
– cultivate and disseminate knowledge of federal funding process
– develop and refine curriculum and content for “Action 2020 Workshops” for agency and advocacy staff
– organize and facilitate “Action 2020 Workshops”
– provide on-going technical assistance to agency and advocacy staff on federal funding process
Support state and local advocacy
– build and maintain relationships with state and local agency and advocacy staff
– advise state and local advocates on existing and best-practice bicycling legislation and policies
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.
For those of you who have been waiting for the Back to the Future DeLorean or Hoverboard — or even The Jetson’s flying car — the bike beat them all in the floating personal vehicle race (I’m not including planes or helicopters). And, of course, the bike won! The bicycle was invented before the automobile after all.
To give you some background, many advances were made in internal combustion engine technology during the time the bicycle was being developed but the bike was patented before the car. Karl (von) Drais, from Germany, patented a two-wheeled contraption in 1818. It was known as the running machine. Later in the 1860s, two Frenchman advanced the bicycle by adding cranks to the front wheel. The first practical automobile was built in 1885 by Karl Benz, and he patented the gasoline-fueled car in 1886.
But back to the flying bike! The Hoverbike was invented over the last two and half years by Australian mechanical designer Chris Malloy in his garage. It’s made of carbon fiber and, yes, has a small engine and propellers — but it flies and is a bike! You, too, can pedal around the skies, if you can even pedal this contraption, for a cool $40,000. Though, I recommend you wait till it’s tested a bit more. For now, Malloy tests the Hoverbike while it is tied to the ground.
(photo: device.com)
I’m sharing this invention in the spirit of the “flying car dream” we all had as children and the high school semester we all read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. However, in contrast to my seven-year-old flying car dream and Huxley’s imagination, I’m happy the Hoverbike is the first vehicle that hovers. I’m glad because, really, E.T.‘s flying bike is much cooler than any flying car any day of the week.
Meghan Cahill League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
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