New research has sparked a debate about the merits of lobbying for dedicated funding for bicycling and walking in the current political climate (see Bikeleague, BikePortland).
One thing everyone can agree on, however, is that bicycling and walking projects are broadly eligible for the majority of federal funding programs in the new federal transportation law, MAP-21. These large and often flexible programs represent a huge opportunity for bike/ped projects to compete with others for a larger share of transportation funding.
Advocates in Delaware and Washington State, for example, have already had great success tapping into some of these larger funding programs for their states’ bicycling investments. They have done this by understanding two things:
How the programs work, and
The political dynamics. Through the Advocacy Advance Program, a partnership between the League and the Alliance for Biking & Walking, we urge advocates to learn the Who, What, Where, When, and How of the funding process and political landscape.
To demystify a fairly complex process, we’ve created a series of flow charts to illustrate the technical process from planning to construction — and the advocacy steps advocates can take to influence the process. Click on the links below to learn about the program, and check the back for more detailed recommendations.
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.
With 750 attendees from all 50 states and three Canadian provinces, the 2013 National Bike Summit was certainly a success. The National Women’s Bicycling Forum also saw a huge turnout, with 350 people traveling to D.C. to hear from speakers like Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
We trudged through the snowy weather to show Congress that “Bicycling Means Business,” explored the many ways bikes boost the economy, got inspired by women leaders from across the country, discussed issues of equity in the bicycle movement and so much more. From all accounts, you enjoyed yourselves and are headed home with an even stronger tool kit to advocate for bicycling in your communities.
If you missed the Summit or simply can’t wait to relive it, you can check out our sampling of photographs below. Thanks again to all who came to Washington, D.C., — we’ll see you back in the nation’s capital for the Summit in 2014!
All photographs by Brian Palmer. Want to see more? Check out our Flickr page 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.
There was no denying that Miss Katie Knox was a card-carrying member of the League of American Wheelmen, but her attendance at the annual meeting in 1895 lit a fire that sparked newspaper headlines from coast to coast. Only 21 years old at the time, the bi-racial seamstress and cycling enthusiast dared to challenge the new “color bar” instituted by the League just one year earlier.
Even before the controversy at the 1895 meeting, Knox had made a name for herself in her hometown of Boston. In 1893, the Riverside Cycling Club became the first black cycling group and, according to historian Lorenz Finison, Knox was among a “small coterie of black women cyclists in the early part of Boston’s [bicycling] craze.” In 1893, the Indianapolis Freemen, a black newspaper of the time, reported on Knox and Viola Wheaton performing “graceful” cycling at a meet-up in Martha’s Vineyard. That same year, Knox was listed in the rolls of the Bulletin — the League’s newsletter of the time — as a member of the growing ranks of the Wheelmen.
But controversy was brewing…
In 1894, despite strong opposition from many local affiliates, including numerous cycling clubs in Boston, the League passed a color bar. Spearheaded by Colonel W.W. Watts from Louisville, Ky., it was resolved at the annual meeting in 1894 that “none but white persons can become members of the League.” Since Knox was already a card carrying member — one of just a few hundred women at the time — it set the stage for an possible showdown at the 1895 meeting.
But Knox wasn’t one to shy away from the spotlight. In fact, in the run-up to the League’s annual meeting, she pushed the boundaries of women’s dress, winning a July 4th costume contest at the Waltham Cycle Park — clad in a gray knickerbocker suit. “Knickerbockers referred to what had been typical men’s and boy’s baggy trousers,” Finison writes in his upcoming book. “That Kittie won with such a uniform was quite astounding, and a testament to her seamstress skills, given the animus in some quarters against women of the time wearing anything but skirts – and long skirts at that.”
Knox must have been prepared for some animus from members when she joined thousands of cyclists in Asbury Park to participate in the League Meet. What happened when she arrived isn’t entirely clear. Some newspapers described Knox being refused entry — and either withdrawing quietly or walking out defiantly — while other reports denied her exclusion. As Finison describes it:
[Knox] was entering a socially segregated space – the Asbury Park hotel district, and given recent history, she must have known the controversy her appearance might create. However, she had the support of her Boston cycling companions, and her entrance was featured in many of the national and local newspapers, which seemed to regard her as a full member of the Boston cycling contingent, despite the existence of the color bar.
The New York Times reported: “With the Boston delegation is also Miss Kittie Knox, a pretty young colored girl, who rides in the Riverside Cycle Club, Boston’s only colored cycle club.” The Times got quickly to the heart of the conflict: “This afternoon Miss Knox did a few fancy cuts in front of the clubhouse and was requested to desist. It is thought that this episode will result in temporarily opening the color line question. Some of the Asbury Park wheelmen officials, it is said, will protest against permitting Miss Knox to remain a member of the league… [and] the local ‘kickers’ say they will have a reckoning with the League Secretary, Abbot Bassett, upon his arrival.”
Far-off newspapers such as the San Francisco Call described the uproar: “When Miss Knox, whose appearance and dress had been objects of admiration all day, walked into the committee-room at the local clubhouse and presented her League card for a credential badge the gentleman in charge refused to recognize the card, and the young woman withdrew very quietly. Ninety-nine out of every hundred members interviewed express the heartiest sympathy for her and condemnation of the hasty action of the badge committee.”
The Boston Herald denied her ouster from the Meet when Asbury Park officials resisted her entrance to the clubhouse and “refused to grant her the privileges offered to every dollar-per-year member of the league.” “… a good angel appeared in the person of Mr. Robinson of the Press Cycling Club, who secured for her the desired badge.” The Morning Express of Buffalo concurred: “Miss Katie Knox, negress, the young woman rider from Boston, who had been a member of the L.A.W. for the past six years, denies the sensational reports that were sent out last evening regarding her… Miss Knox says that she has no complaints to make concerning her reception from the local wheelmen, and is greatly annoyed by the publicity given to the alleged unpleasantness.”
Either way, Knox was a true pioneer, sparking a public debate of the color bar and exerting her right to be recognized and admitted as a member of the League. Several weeks later, her presence pushed the League to confront the issue in its Bulletin. “Can a negro be a member of the L.A.W.” a member asked, “as it appears Miss Knox of Boston is?” In response, the League explained: “Miss Katie J. Knox joined the League, April 1, 1893. The word ‘white’ was put into the constitution, Feb. 20, 1894. Such laws are not and cannot be retroactive.”
The color bar would remain a little-known relic of League history, until it was publicly repudiated in 1999. Tragically, Knox died just a few years later in 1900, but, as Finison writes in his upcoming book: “The issues of race and gender were thrust into the national spotlight, and while Kittie had hardly been received with open arms, she had achieved, with her courage and stylish outfits, an unprecedented level of celebrity.”
Stay tuned for more women’s bike history next week!
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.
This is no longer you father’s or you grandfather’s League of American Bicyclists, president Andy Clarke said this week at the 2013 National Bike Summit.
Three new board members and representatives of the new Equity Advisory Council were on hand, and staff members took questions from League members. The staff, board, League members and others discussed the League’s new branding efforts, the quality of speakers and workshops at the Summit and the excitement around the equity work ahead.
(Board member David Madson introduces himself, as new board member, Tania Lo (blue jacket) looks on. Photo by Brian Palmer)
The new board members include:
Jay Ferm, Director of Advocacy at Planet Bike. Jay is an active bicycle advocate at the local and national levels, having served on the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin Board of Directors and as co-chair of the Mayor of Madison’s Platinum Bicycle Planning Committee from 2006 to 2008. He is an active year round bicycle commuter.
Tania Lo, Co-owner/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Momentum Mag. Momentum Mag is an independent media company that celebrates the growing transportation cycling movement in North America with an emphasis on women and families. Tania is also the producer of award winning feature documentary Long Road North — from Patagonia to the Arctic, the story of discovery, personal endurance, cultural identities and family trials and tribulations from behind the handlebars. She is a dedicated bicycle commuter in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Nicole Preston, Managing Director at Tour de Cure. Tour de Cure is a fundraising campaign with 90 cycling events nationwide that has grown from 26,000 riders to more than 62,000. Through Tour de Cure, Nicole promotes cycling to new audiences as a means to improve health and reduce the incidence of diabetes. Nicole rides regularly, in various modes: at low speed with family on the paths around the Washington, D.C. area, at moderate speeds in various cycling events around the country and in high-speed pace lines on timed segments.
Members of the Equity Advisory Council also gave a glimpse into their work to advance cycling — and inclusion — in Long Beach, Richmond, Seattle, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York City, Atlanta and Miami — and their excitement to be working with the League at the national level. The council, along with Women Bike, is part of a broader goal: To change the face of bicycling by fostering true equity in the movement. Stay tuned for much more about that effort in coming weeks…
(Equity Advisory Council member Neil Walker speaks to the crowd. Photo by Brian Palmer)
The Equity Advisory Council members’ full bios can be found here.
Here’s to the important work ahead!
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’s little known that bike racing for women flourished even before 1900. In the late 1880’s, a group of great athletic women including Louise Armaindo, Jessie Oaks, and Helen Baldwin raced their high-wheel Ordinary bikes in impromptu six-day races across the country.
When the so-called pneumatic ‘safety’ bicycle arrived around 1890, it was the vehicle that would get hundreds of thousands of women out riding. With two similarly sized wheels sporting inflatable pneumatic tires, it was definitely a smoother, more comfortable ride — and its low-slung frame allowed women in skirts to more easily mount and unmount than the practically impossible high-wheeled Ordinary.
By 1895 a new crop of athletic young women were defying disapproval from parents and paternal types to race diamond-frame, safety-style bikes — and one woman quickly rode her way to victory and newspaper fame: Tillie Anderson.
Anderson was a Swedish immigrant who arrived in Chicago in 1889 as a teenager. A seamstress, Anderson caught bike fever and saved for a bicycle. Soon she wasn’t just riding but also racing. Her beau Philip Sjöberg realized Tillie was a stronger rider than he was and shelved his racing aspirations to coach and train her.
Tillie seemed to win nearly every race she entered – taking first place in 123 of 130 races. In the 1890’s, these races were generally six-day events, with the women racers riding two hours per day on a banked velodrome track of eight laps to a mile. The format favored riders like Tillie with track-tested endurance. Yet Tillie’s secret seemed to also be, as one newspaper commented, the ability “to ride and think at the same time.” She liked to keep the lead but always looked shrewdly for the best moment to spurt ahead of her fellow riders to the finish line.
Six-day races were popular, even raucous events, and Anderson was a modest yet assertive champion of the form. Long before Tillie’s legs gave out her racing days came to an end – in 1902 women were barred from racing after another racer, Dottie Farnsworth, was killed in a non-racing circus cycling event.
Anderson lost her husband Sjöberg that same year, 1902, to tuberculosis. She became a masseuse and lived a quiet life. Decades after Tillie’s death, Alice Olson Roepke brought her great-aunt Anderson’s achievements to light, and Tillie was inducted into the Biycle Hall of Fame in 2000.
Find more tales of early bike heroines in bike blogger April Streeter’s handbook for city cyclists titled Women at Wheels.
The federal government is closed, but bike advocates are still trudging through the wind, rain and sleet to meet with members of Congress. While some offices are shuttered in the face of a potential blizzard, we still mean business about bringing the Bike Summit message — and the ever-popular bike pins — to Capitol Hill.
Here are just a few pictures of advocates making the ask — urging policymakers to support a national goal to reduce bicyclist fatalities, confirm Sally Jewell as the new Secretary of the Interior and visit a bicycle project back home.
The folks from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition had a great conversation with Senator Tom Harkin (right).
Senator Mike Enzi (right) shares an anecdote about his son riding his green Trek bicycle with advocates from Wyoming.
Senator John Barrasso (left) chats with Tim Young (right), executive director of Wyoming Pathways.
Jamie Merniek (left) from the Alabama Bicycle Coalition explains the need for better bike safety to staff from Senator Jeff Sessions’ office.
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 League is currently hosting the 2013 National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. — showing Congress that Bicycling Means Business.
Maybe you’re here in D.C. with us, defying the snowy weather. Maybe you weren’t able to make it — but you still want to be involved. Either way, make sure Congress hears bicyclists’ voices loud and clear today. (Image credit: Brian Palmer)
If you’re here at the Summit, we appreciate the time and energy you’re putting into Lobby Day today. For those of you at home, we want to make sure you’re in on the fun.
Tweet your representatives and let them know that, just because you can’t be in Washington, doesn’t mean you don’t care about bicycling.Find your elected officials’ Twitter handle at www.tweetcongress.org, and tell them to sign the letter for a performance measure for bicycle safety.Here are the official “ask” tweets you can use:
.[@RepresentativeX] Pls sign the letter to set bike safety goals #nbs13
.[@SenatorX] Pls support the confirmation of Sally Jewell for Sec of Interior #nbs13
(Don’t forget the period at the start, if you want the public to see. Without it, only your member will see the message.)
It may feel like one tweet to you, but it makes a big difference. Thank you for your help in advancing bike safety!
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 all started with a short hashtag: #blackwomenbikeDC
From there, Veronica Davis helped form an organization to bring together black women in Washington, D.C., interested in cycling. That spurred a Facebook page, and then a Washington Post article. Now @BWBDC has more than 750 members and is at the center of a movement to empower black women to get on bicycles.
Veronica Davis gave an inspiring talk yesterday in one of four rapid-fire sessions yesterday at the 2013 National Bike Summit. Watch each of the their presentations below:
Creating an Advocacy Organization: Veronica O. Davis, P.E., co-founder, Black Women Bike DC
Marketing to the Culture Class: Active Healthy, Affluent and Aware Consumers: Howard Chang, President, and CEO, Top Drawer Creative
Driving Fast and Riding Slow: The Real Risks of Not Bicycling: Tom Bowden, Chair, BikeVirginia
A Quick Taste — The Boom in Bike Tourism and Business Districts: April Economides, President, Green Octopus Consulting; and Jim Sayer, President, Adventure Cycling Association
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.
In 1895, Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky, a 23-year-old Jewish immigrant and mother of three, was visiting Stockton, California while on a cycling journey around the world — the result of an alleged bet among men that no woman could accomplish such a feat. Annie’s challenge was to circle the globe by bicycle in 15 months, earning $5,000 en route.
This was not only a test of a woman’s physical endurance and mental fortitude, but also of her ability to fend for herself in a man’s world. When Annie set out from the steps of the Boston Statehouse on a 42-pound Columbia bicycle she pedaled to prove the men wrong and to score a victory for the “new woman.”
“You want to know what I think about the bicycle for the physical development of women?” she mused rhetorically to a reporter for the Stockton Evening Mail that day in 1895. “I know from experience that there is nothing better than a wheel to build a woman up. The fact that women will wear corsets when riding is the reason so many suffer from the exercise. Tell the women to discard their corsets. If women will exercise properly on a wheel, they will have nicely rounded figures, bright eyes, and healthy cheeks, and will feel well the year ‘round.”
When she began her ride, Annie was neither a cyclist nor a feminist, but she gradually became an outspoken supporter of both causes. The (often) positive attention she garnered throughout her journey demonstrated that femininity and physical strength were not mutually exclusive. To the readers of the Stockton Evening Mail, she not only advocated for cycling and the benefits it could deliver to women, but for something more — the liberation of women from their corsets, both literally and figuratively.
Annie’s journey was more than one of miles: She left in full skirts as a 19th Century housewife and returned in bloomers as a celebrated (and controversial) heroine of a new era. At the time, The New York World called her trip “the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman” and said it marked the birth of “the new woman” — independent, dynamic, and free.
There’s no way to measure the impact of Annie’s ride on her Victorian peers — of how many women she inspired to take to their wheels, to pursue their dreams and create their own destinies.
But Annie continues to inspire women today. A Washington, DC-based documentary film director, I’ve made it my mission to bring Annie’s story to life for film audiences — and, after seven years in production, The New Woman: Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky will premiere at the DC Independent Film Festival tonight! If you’re a DC local or here for the Summit, click here for tickets!
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 Federal Government has announced that it will be closed today, Wednesday, March 6. We checked with the Capitol switchboard, and Congressional offices will be open. We suggest calling the offices you will be visiting to confirm your appointments.
League staff will be available at Lobby Day headquarters - Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol Street, N.E., Washington, DC, 20003
Congressional Reception is still on for tonight. The Green Lanes congressional briefing at 3:30 p.m. is still on. The Capitol Visitors Center is also open today.
The Alternative Session will continue, though some speakers have cancelled.
No news yet on the Summit Ride tomorrow.
As of right now the Capital Bikeshare operations center tour will take place at 12 p.m. on Thursday as scheduled. However, if the Congressional Bike Ride is called off, we will not be leading a ride to the operations center. Those that are still interested can head straight there. The operations center is located at 1714 2nd Street SW, about a 5 minute bike ride or 10 minute walk from the Waterfront station on Metro’s green line. There is a Capital Bikeshare station located just outside the Metro exit across 4th Street.
Anyone who is interested in the tour should call Capital Bikeshare’s customer service number, 1-877-430-BIKE, in advance to confirm the tour is still on.
We’ve received some information on congressional offices that are CLOSED today. We’ll keep a running list of closures, and please keep us updated as you can on Twitter, Facebook or in the comments below.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
Rep. Charles Rangel (NY-13)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA)
Rep. Robert Brady (PA-1)
Rep. Bill Shuster (PA-9)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Rep. John Sarbanes (MD-3)
Rep. Donna Edwards (MD-4)
Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD-5)
Rep. Jose Serrano (NY-15)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)
Rep. James Moran (VA-8)
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Rep. Justin Amash (MI-3)
Rep. Sandy Levin (MI-9)
Rep. John Dingell (MI-12)
Sen. Mike Johanns (NE)
Rep. Adrian Smith (NE-4)
Rep. Lee Terry (NE-2)
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1)
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.
A Democratic U.S. Senator from the Northeast and a Republican Mayor from the Midwest — at the National Bike Summit this morning we saw the success of local control from both sides of the political spectrum.
This time last year, at the 2012 Summit, we were still on uncertain ground with the federal transportation bill, MAP-21.”We were up against a tremendous battle,” Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) (pictured) recounted this morning. “The rhetoric coming out of Capitol Hill when we started MAP-21 was ‘not one dime but for roads’ — and there would be no set asides or opportunity at all.”
But Cardin stepped up with a game-changing amendment — and advocates had his back in a big way. “At the end of the day, we were successful with the Cardin-Cochran provision because of the people in this room,” he said. “You’re smart. You figured out a strategy to win. Rather than just make a point, we won. The strategy is local control.”
And local leaders are stepping up, too. Sharing the stage this morning was Greg Ballard, the Republican mayor of Indianapolis, Ind. Sure, Ballard likes to bike, but that’s not the political point. “I tell people very candidly, it’s all about talent attraction — it’s not because the Mayor likes bikes,” he said.
“We’re all in competition for young talent and young families,” he explained. “And young people, milenials, are looking for bike lanes. They’re looking for trails. They’re looking for that connectivity — and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Ballard’s vision to recruit the best talent includes a connected network of 200 miles bike lanes and trails that link the city’s cultural amenities and green spaces. It includes converting an underutilized market into a state-of-the-art YMCA facility for bike commuter to shower and change and the launch of a new bikeshare system later this year.
“There’s a lot of pent-up demand,” he said, “we just need to put in the infrastructure.”
And, well, stellar shower facilities don’t hurt, either. For the YMCA, Ballard joked: “I told them to go into the locker room of the Indianapolis Colts — that’s what I want. And that’s what I got.”
That kind of commitment at the local level is exactly the kind of control that will continue our work to build a bicycle-friendly America. Cardin, for one, is excited about the prospect: “Mayor Ballard, you’ll spend the money a lot smarter than the people in your capitol will to help your community.”
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.
Bike helmet or car keys? For a growing number of Americans, it’s not one or the other. As the popularity of biking rises nationwide, more and more people are motorists and bicyclists. Today at the 2013 National Bike Summit that common cause was highlighted with a keynote address from the nation’s largest advocate for safe and efficient mobility for all of those who use the transportation system: AAA.
“At first glance, it may seem surprising that AAA would be a leading voice at the National Bike Summit, one of the biggest bicycle advocacy events of the year,” says League President, Andy Clarke. “But AAA has become an important partner in our work to raise awareness about the benefits of biking, improve the safety of cyclists, and promote and protect the rights and responsibilities of all road users.”
Yolanda Cade, Managing Director for Public Relations for AAA, debuted a new Share the Road Public Service Announcement (PSA) that highlights the dual identity of many road users: driver and cyclist.
“As the voice of over 53 million members in the U.S. and Canada, AAA welcomes the opportunity to work with the League to reinforce the safety messages that both cyclists and motorists need to take to heart — we have a shared responsibility, beyond just sharing the road,” said Cade. “We all have the same basic need: a safe ride home.”
“We share in the enthusiasm from our Canadian partners at CAA and the Share the Road Cycling Coalition and we’re pleased to bring their PSA stateside, sharing it with our members and the public,” Cade continued. “It reminds us that by showing common courtesy and respect on the road, we can ensure the safety of all road users.”
To view the new PSA, created in partnership with the Share the Road Cycling Coalition and CAA, visit www.ShareTheRoad.AAA.com .
Stay tuned for more from the Summit…
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.
While we often head to Capitol Hill thinking bicycling is a tough sell, turns out, most members of Congress already get it. And, thanks to new data gathered by Douglas Meyer, a consultant at Bernuth & Williamson in Washington, D.C., we now know what messages work and which ones miss the mark.
This morning at the 2013 National Bike Summit, Meyer (pictured at left with the League’s Caron Whitaker) presented results from 30 interviews with both Republican and Democratic staff in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
“These are some small but not unimportant bumps in the road,” Meyer said. ”But with a little bit of bicycle handling, advocates can get over and past them.”
There were a number of compelling findings in Meyer’s research, but the most important take-away: Biking is not a fringe movement. Advocates no longer need to pitch the legitimacy of bicycling as a mode of transportation. “You’ve been asking for a seat at the table — it’s time to sit down,” Meyer said on Tuesday.
In fact, staffers told Meyer that lawmakers’ image of bicycling has shifted from a middle-aged man wearing Lycra, to a working woman using a bikeshare program to commute to work. Adding to that credibility was the visible and vocal support of outgoing Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, who consistently positioned bicycling as an important mode of transportation. The good news: Everyone understands that biking is a key piece of the mobility puzzle.
But Meyer’s research also revealed challenges — and opportunities. Other top findings included:
Bicycle advocates as “sore winners:” The interviews revealed that federal lawmakers generally believe bicycle advocates don’t get just how successful we were in the passage of the new transportation law, MAP-21. While opponents aimed to eliminate all funding and eligibility for bicycling, Congressional allies and grassroots mobilization kept biking in the bill. By spreading the message that MAP-21 was a loss for bicycling, has painted us as “sore winners” to many on Capitol Hill.
Dedicated funding is not the end all, be all: While many in bicycle advocacy have pushed hard for dedicated funding streams in MAP-21 and other federal legislation, many on Capitol Hill don’t take well to the idea. They say the funding trend is away from the federal level, and has moved toward local and state decision makers.
The future is a multi-modal transportation system; embrace it and use it: Rather than pitching Congress on the “bicycling movement,” staffers felt advocates would be more successful if be frame biking as a key cog in a larger multi-modal transportation system.
Asking for a “fair share for safety” doesn’t resonate: To lawmakers, asking strictly for funding sounds like a money grab. Asking for safer streets through performance measures — or a national goal — is far more compelling. After all, bicyclists are a “cheap date,” and provide tremendous return on little investment.
Click here for Meyer’s full presentation. And stay tuned for more from the Summit…
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.
Secretary Ray LaHood is a tough act to follow… unless, of course, you’re Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City’s Transportation Commissioner and visionary behind the transformation of the Big Apple into a leading city for cycling in the U.S.
Kicking off the Bicycling Means Business theme at the 2013 National Bike Summit last night, Sadik-Khan highlighted some new and exciting data out of NYC that shows the economic boost of biking in tangible terms.
The NYC DOT dug into the data, analyzing the sales tax receipts of businesses on streets with bike lanes vs. streets without facilities. “The findings were really astonishing — and an incredibly important quiver in our advocacy moving forward,” she said. “On 8th and 9th avenues, the nation’s first protected bike lanes, since 2007, we’ve seen a 50 percent increase in sales tax revenues — 16 times the borough-wide numbers… And we’ve seen this all over the city. It’s not surprising that more and more businesses are finding that bike access provides easier access for customers and improves the retail setting of the street.”
That’s not the only good news. Bruce Katz, director of the Metropolitcan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, called bike advocates the vanguards of the future. “In 1983, half of young Americans had a driver’s license; today it’s 29 percent,” he said. “When people live within a mile of work, nearly 40% walked or biked in 2009 — up from 25% in 1995…. These are profound shifts in a very very short period of time and I think we’re at the beginning of something even more dramatic. Over time, the big trends and forces are with this movement… This movement fundamentally represents the future of our country.”
And it’s not just in the big cities, Katz emphasized.”We’re seeing the urbanization of the suburbs — urban style density in these places,” he said during the plenary discussion. “The bulk of the country lives in suburbs and that’s why I brought up Research Triangle [in my remarks]. When Research Triangle decides it’s going to urbanize, it sends an enormous signal to all of suburban America that this is what it’s going to take to compete for talented workers… We’re talking about metropolitan America, not just urban America… It’s going to require dramatic change in the American landscape, but it’s already happening, and the people in this room are doing the political work necessary to remake streets and places.”
But, to accelerate that progress, we need more people speaking up, added Trek President John Burke. “Bike shops are seeing more people who want to ride bikes in the cities, but they want safe places to ride,” he said. “How do we link that love of cycling and the desire for safe places to ride…If we really want to change America, we need a lot more people who are coming into the bike shops and want to ride for transportation or to go out to dinner to also ask their local leaders for those facilities. Then we’ll see change very quickly… If we win in the cities, we’ll win in the suburbs.”
Stay tuned for more from the Summit…
Photos by Brian Palmer
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 2013 National Women’s Bicycling Forum was a resounding success — and social media made sure folks around the country were able to see and hear some highlights from the program. Through Tweets and Instagrams, we’ve compiled the day’s events. Click the image for the full story!
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 bittersweet opening to the 2013 National Bike Summit last night. Greeted with (multiple) standing ovation(s), outgoing Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, fired up the crowd for his fifth — and final — time of his tenure at the U.S. DOT.
Since he was appointed in 2009, LaHood has been a true believer in the power of biking and has raised the credibility of bicycles as transportation at the federal level. “Ray LaHood is the first and only transportation Secretary that keeps talking about bikes — even after we’ve left the room,” said League President Andy Clarke.
In fact, the Secretary’s has become such a household name in the bike community that “the President recently told me that he ran into someone who said something about Ray LaHood,” the Secretary recounted. “The president said, ‘You must be a cyclist’ — and he was.”
The bicycle-friendly Secretary isn’t done yet. In 2011, there was an 11 percent increase in bicyclist fatalities, LaHood noted. “We need to do better,” he said. And he’s starting DOT down the path toward active collaboration with bike advocates to do just that.
“DOT is going to address bicycle safety head on — and we’re going to pull from all of our resources to solve our safety challenges,” LaHood said. “Our policy experts, our researchers at NHTSA, and our engineers in the Federal Highway Administration will all work together on this. Most importantly, we want to make sure we have the cycling community behind us. As part of our ongoing safety efforts, DOT will partner with the cycling community to hold two bike safety summits in April… DOT will also work to create a standard guide for how we build modern streets, bridges and highways that keep everyone safe — including cyclists.”
But the Secretary also commended the progress of the bike movement and the vital role of advocates. “We’ll never forgot what you’ve done; what you’ve done in your communities, your vision… What a ride these four-and-a-half years with all of you. You’ve made a great difference; you really have.”
Right back at you, Mr. Secretary.
Stay tuned for more from the Summit…
Photo by Brian Palmer
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.
Three decades ago, Georgena Terry broke open many of the discussions we had today at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum with a simple but revolutionary act: building bicycles specifically for women.
The industry trailblazer joined us at the Forum today as the opening keynote speaker, captivating the audience with her no-holds-barred opinions and charming humor.
Below, watch her opening address to the crowd here in Washington, D.C., and an engaging (and sometimes hilarious) sit-down discussion with fellow female bike builder, Natalie Ramsland, Founder of Sweetpea Bicycles.
And stay tuned tomorrow for more videos and recaps from the Women’s Forum!
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.
She’s a household name, though maybe not quite in the way she expected.
Amelia Bloomer’s last name has taken on a meaning all its own. A contemporary of Susan B. Anthony and a women’s rights leader in her own right, Bloomer made headlines by wearing her full-length pants that gathered at the ankles. These contentious pants would later be commonly referred to ‘bloomers.’
While Bloomer didn’t create the garment, she popularized it — and stirred up a major debate on women’s rights during the mid-to -late 19th century. Many viewed bloomers as unbecoming of women during that time period, and Bloomer made women’s dress reform a keystone of her advocacy, writing about the pants in her newspaper The Lily, which focused on a number of women’s issues.
So what’s it got to do with bikes?
The controversy around the “unseemly” attire intersected with the first American bicycle boom. As bikes spiked in popularity in the late 19th century, bloomers made it all that much easier for a women to hop on the saddle. The placement of the gears and pedals at the time made it difficult for a women to ride in a long dress or skirt. Bloomers changed the game.
So when you strap that velcro around your pant leg tomorrow, give thanks to Amelia and her push for dress reform. Interested in learning more about Bloomer? Click here.
Follow the League blog every day this month for profiles of the extraordinary women who have helped advance bicycling in the United States.
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.
Across the country, a bicycling renaissance is afoot. Bike commuting is on the rise, new audiences are being drawn to two wheels and entire cities are being transformed by active transportation.
Yeah, it’s an exciting time to be a bike advocate.
As a leader of the national movement, the League is stepping up its game to meet that momentum. We’re giving ourselves a tune up— and looking to the future. This morning, we launched our new logo and branding at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum here in Washington, D.C.
Our new look may seem a bit familiar: It draws on our unique history and depth of knowledge, using elements of the original winged wheel logo of the League of American Wheelmen. But, with a modern edge and forward motion, it also showcases our commitment to propel the new, diverse and growing ranks of bicyclists in the United States, recognizing and representing the current and future face of the cycling movement.
The evolution of our new branding has been six months in the making — and we were so lucky to work with Language Department in New York City to bring it all together. Both incredible designers and active bicyclists, Language Department did a deep dive into the League’s heritage, our position in the bicycle advocacy landscape and the attributes that make us unique. Not only did they freshen and sophisticate our look, but helped us really hone in on who we are — and who we want to be as an organization.
Our work and our core mission — promoting cycling and looking out for everyone that rides a bike — remains the same. Our commitment to you is stronger than ever. But, with the addition of exciting new programs like Women Bike and our broader equity initiative, we are committed to opening the doors to everyone who rides — or wants to ride — in the Bicycle Friendly America we’re working so hard to create.
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.
Washington, D.C. — March 1, 2013 — Last summer, Congress passed a transportation bill that slashed dedicated funding for bicycling projects and programs. But next week, hundreds of bike advocates, industry leaders and cycling enthusiasts will gather for the 2013 National Bike Summit to tell Congress that Bicycling Means Business.
Hosted by the League — March 4-6, 2013 – the National Bike Summit will showcase how bicycles are propelling healthy, cost-effective solutions for community vitality and economic development nationwide. Highlighting the powerful, bipartisan and growing support for bicycling at all levels, the Summit will feature top transportation and government leaders including:
U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood
New York City Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan
Yolanda Cade, Managing Director of Public Relations for AAA
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard
This year, the Summit comes at a key moment – as Congress contemplates steep budget cuts, bicycle ridership and fatalities are on the rise, and the new transportation law, MAP-21, is being implemented.
“The new transportation law requires the U.S. Department of Transportation set performance measures — or specific targets — for roadway safety,” says League President, Andy Clarke. “To address the rising number of bicyclists and pedestrian fatalities that now account for almost 16% of all traffic fatalities — up from 12% just a few years ago — we’re asking that DOT set a national goal that ensures every state work to improve the safety of people who walk and bike.
The number of bicyclist and pedestrian deaths has risen for the past two years, while overall traffic deaths has dropped dramatically.
“The good news is that bicycling and walking are on the rise nationwide — but the bad news is fatalities are also rising,” says Caron Whitaker, the League’s Vice President of Government Relations. “Against that backdrop, we need a specific national goal to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities — and hundreds of Americans will bring that message to Capitol Hill at the National Bike Summit.”
Onsite registration will be available for participants and media is invited to attend. To interview participants from your city or state, please contact Carolyn Szczepanski, League Communications Director, at (202) 355-3048 or carolyn@bikeleague.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.
It may be the most famous quote about the role of bicycling in women’s history. In 1896, Susan B. Anthony — one of the most important leaders in the women’s suffrage movement — shared her perspective on bicycling with intrepid reporter, Nellie Bly.
“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling,” she said. “I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel… the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”
Anthony wasn’t alone. Her friend and fellow suffragette, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wrote an entire article for the American Wheelman praising the bicycle for encouraging the building of “good roads” and increasing people’s mobility. Most importantly, though: “The bicycle will inspire women with more courage, self-respect and self-reliance,” she wrote, “and make the next generation more vigorous of mind and body; for feeble mothers do not produce great statesmen, scientists and scholars.”
There’s certainly no denying the important role of bicycles in advancing women’s freedom, mobility and position in society. In fact, at the 2012 National Women’s Bicycling Forum, our opening keynote came from Sue Macy, author of “Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom.” Since then, though, we started thinking about the other side of the coin: How have women influenced the history of the bike movement?
During March, we’ll be featuring profiles and stories about the many women who have advanced bicycling in the United States. Some will be familiar names — like Susan B. Anthony — but we also aim to uncover and celebrate some of the lesser-known women who have made biking better for all Americans.
Coming up next week, we’ll tell you about Tillie Andersen, Kittie Knox, Annie Londonderry — and more. Stay tuned!
And don’t forget: The second annual National Women’s Bicycling Forum is just three days away. Online registration is closed, but you can sign up on site Monday morning!
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.
An employee at the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and a certified League Cycling Instructor (LCI), Edgar Gil Rico led a commuting seminar at his office in Spanish. The one-hour workshop covered the benefits of bike commuting, what to do before you ride, how to choose a bike, how to choose a route, riding visibility, and more.
Rico didn’t stop there, though. He went beyond the walls of Hispanic Health and has hosted a number of Spanish-language bike education classes in his community, most recently with Bike Arlington and the Shirlington Employment and Education Center.
We hear a lot of inspiring news through our Bicycle Friendly Business partners and Rico’s efforts truly illustrate business’ impact on the community. Hispanic Health, located in Washington, D.C., applied to our BFB program in Fall 2011.
As all applicants do, they received feedback on what they could do to make their workplace and community even better for bicycling. The business didn’t waste any time in implementing the suggestions.
First, they requested information from the D.C. Department of Transportation and invited a representative from GoDCGo to talk about Capital Bikeshare. As a result, Hispanic Health now encourages employees to ride by subsidizing Capital Bikeshare memberships for its employees – 12 of their 22 employes take advantage of the benefit. In addition, they purchased helmets for all and provided a short educational workshop on city cycling.
Next, Hispanic Health invited Megan Van de Mark, then Washington Area Bicyclist Association‘s Bike Parking Program Coordinator, to assess their office for bike rack installation. A location was identified near the entrance of the building and Hispanic Health got their business neighbor’s approval. WABA provided the rack and installation free of charge!
National Alliance for Hispanic Health will soon be reapplying to the BFB program and we tip our helmets to the incredible progress they’ve made already in becoming an even better Bicycle Friendly Business.
Are you interested in applying for Bicycle Friendly Business designation? Click here for more details on the program.
Alison Dewey League Program Manager, BFB & BFU
Dewey joined the League in 2008. For four years prior to that, Dewey worked for Massachusetts- based Landry’s Bicycles and served on the board of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. Dewey has a MA in International Relations and Communications from Boston University and is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal.
It’s that time of year again. Here at the League, we’re working overtime to make sure next week is one of the most memorable moment for bicycle advocacy in 2013.
We hope your plane tickets are booked and hotel lodgings secured, because we’re just days away from the 2013 National Bike Summit — and online registration ends at 5 p.m. today. (On-site registration will be available, but the price will increase!)
As the new kid here at the League, I’m not quite sure what to expect. So I asked my colleague’s what it is they love about the Summit…
Andy Clarke (pictured): Remarkable moments like Ray LaHood’s tabletop speech and Enrique Penalosa’s call to action in 2004 are obvious highlights, but what I love about the Summit is the impact it has on advocacy the 362 days of year people are NOT in Washington D.C. The Youth Bike Summit; countless state and local bike summits; more effective meetings with city, county, and state elected officials everywhere; and delivery of a powerful, consistent national message about the value of investing in better conditions for bicycling… that’s a pretty impressive outcome of the National Bike Summit that’s hard to quantify yet really inspiring to witness.
Alison Dewey: I first attended the Summit in 2006 as a participant from Boston. I remember feeling so empowered while visiting the halls of Congress and voicing my support for bicycling. It was an experience I will always keep with me and is a constant reminder that my voice needs to be one of many to improve the nation for bicycling.
Darren Flusche: I love the National Bike Summit because it is a chance to see all of the talented and energetic state and local advocates we work with during the year and get to know new ones.
Bill Nesper: Shortly after moving to Washington I attended my first National Bike Summit. What excited and surprised me then continues to do so today – the access we have to our congressional representatives and how vital personal stories are to affecting change.
Katie Omberg: I always love seeing how pumped up the first-time attendees are at the Congressional Reception, after they’ve been up on the Hill. Most everyone I talked to was riding a high of being able to do something they were unable to do only two days before. As an adult, you don’t have too many opportunities to learn something totally new, but this is one of them!
Scott Williams: I love the lobby day, and seeing the halls of the Congressional office buildings filled with bike advocates wearing their brightly colored bike pins. Even more awesome is the Congressional Reception, when all those bike advocates are feeling empowered and effective from talking about cycling with their elected officials. No other conference I have ever attended has that energy.
Nicole Wynands: I love the Summit because it is so nice to meet so many advocates and civil servants in person that we have worked with over the years.
What do you love about the National Bike Summit?Share your experiences and memories in the comments!
And don’t forget to register TODAY for the biggest bicycle advocacy event of the year!
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.
The face of bicycling is changing in cities across the country, and nowhere is that more evident than in the nation’s capital. Since 2004, Washington, D.C., has seen a 175 percent increase in cycling and a 300 percent increase in its bike lane network. Despite these incredible gains, the number of women on bikes has remained steady at 23 percent.
With a $15,000 grant, the League is advancing the new “Women & Bicycles” program from the Washington Area Bicyclist Association — an innovative effort that will further elevate the D.C. region as a national leader in bicycling and encourage more women to ride.
Supporting promising pilot projects is a key aspect of the League’s new Women Bike initiative, the first national advocacy campaign aimed at engaging, empowering, and elevating women in all aspects of the bicycle movement. One of our primary goals is to seed, support, and spread new campaigns and ideas that are getting more women on bikes. WABA has been at the forefront of women’s outreach for years and we’re excited to partner with them on a project that could be a model for communities nationwide.
The launch party from 8 to 11:30 p.m. at Busboys and Poets (1025 5th St. NW). Featured speakers will include Nelle Pierson, WABA’s outreach coordinator, and Elly Blue — Women Bike Advisory Board member, founder of Taking the Lane Media and author of Everyday Bicycling.
WABA’s program is the result of several years of discussion and feedback, which concluded that a strong community is essential to getting more women on bikes. Women & Bicycles is encouragement-based: 10 Roll Models will be identified, then asked to tap into their personal networks to loop in women who might be hesitant to ride a bike for transportation. A series of small social gatherings hosted by Roll Models and practical-skill workshops and group rides run by WABA will engage Women & Bicycles participants and provide them with all the resources they’ll need to bike confidently in the D.C. area.
“Generally speaking, women admit to being more intimidated by the perceived risk of bicycling, maintaining appearances, and the responsibilities that come with being a primary caretaker in the household,” Pierson says. “What we’ve found is that we all just need a little encouragement, and a place to go to ask questions. So we’re going to provide a gentle nudge, and create spaces to tackle these perceived barriers together at meetups, workshops, and group rides. And we’re going to have a lot of fun in the process.”
On the heels of WABA’s launch party, the League will bring together hundreds of leaders from across the country at the second annual National Women’s Bicycling Forum. On March 4 at the Renaissance Washington (999 9th St. NW), more than 25 diverse female leaders from bike advocacy, industry, policy and racing will present at the all-day forum. Keynote speakers will include Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and industry trailblazer Georgena Terry.
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 day the news broke, it was all the buzz in the League office: After a brief absence, Nicole Freedman was back in the saddle in Boston.
A former Olympic cyclist, Freedman stepped up to a challenge as the first director of Boston Bikes, when the mayor launched the program in 2007. Back then, Boston was widely recognized as one of the worst cities for cycling. Freedman played a huge role in changing that.
She oversaw the launch of the Hubway bikeshare system, brought the first professional race to town, and guided the city to a Silver Bicycle Friendly Community status. Next week, she’ll join us at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum.
Freedman will share the stage with another big city cycling leader: New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Our closing keynote will not only include remarks from the Commissioner, but also a short conversation between the two cycling visionaries.
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 best advocates are always looking at the big picture, thinking beyond the most immediate hurdle and around the curve at what’s waiting ahead. So while the new federal transportation law was a stumbling block, we’re already warming up and getting in shape for the next battle on Capitol Hill.
To do that, we need your help.
At the National Bike Summit — just six days from now! — we’ll begin the visioning process for the next transportation bill. We’re bringing in leaders in equity, transit, Safe Routes to School and other key areas to facilitate small group discussions that will invite your ideas and insight in building a new platform for the bike movement.
The six topics will be:
Tweaking the Transportation Alternatives program
Building Equity into the Bicycling Agenda
What Next for Safe Routes to School?
Teaming up with Transit
Recreational Trails and the Off-Road Agenda
Towards Zero Deaths: A Real Strategy for Safety
Like we promised: This Summit will be more engaging, more interactive, more participatory than any in the past. Join us next week and make your voice heard!
Online registration for the Summit ends at 5 p.m. EST tomorrow! Sign up today!
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.
This year at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum, we wanted to shake things up a bit — step outside the box of the typical conference. Yes, we’ve pulled together an impressive line-up of speakers who will share best practices and provide though-provoking content. But we also put a premium on, well, having a good time.
So, to get folks moving in the middle of the day, we asked six diverse leaders to light up the room with a big idea, inspiring story or key lesson-learned that’s catapulted them to success. And believe me: It’s going to get interesting…
Clockwise from left: Taliah Lempert, Elizabeth Williams, Susan Otcenas, Karen Overton, Leah Shahum, Jennifer Toole
If you like TED talks, you’ll love our Bike/Ignite sessions, including:
It’s All About the Ginga — Karen Overton, founder, Recycle-a-Bicycle
Self-propelled Painting: The Art of Bicycling — Taliah Lempert, bicycle paintings
How to Succeed in Business by Busting your Butt — Jennifer Toole, president, Toole Design Group
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.
With more than 40 years of experience in the field, including more than two decades as an executive at Schwinn, Townley understands the business of bikes. Now a senior partner at the Gluskin Townley Group, which conducts the national American Bicyclist Survey, he also has insight on the other side of the coin — what makes consumers tick.
And his key take-away from the 2012 survey? Women are the new majority… so stop pink-washing!
This year at the National Bike Summit and the Women’s Bicycling Forum, we’re highlighting how Bicycling Means Business — creating jobs, boosting economic development and making our communities stronger. To get you geared up, we’ll explore the “Economic Impact of Women Bicyclists” on our next Women Bike webinar with Jay Townley and Elliot Gluskin on Wednesday, February 27th, at 2 p.m. Eastern.
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.
Perhaps even more than the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument, attendees at the National Bike Summit have been drawn to a new tourist attraction in town: Capital Bikeshare.
We know many of you will be itching to hop on one of the beautiful red bikes, and our friends at CaBi are making it easy for you to ride — and get a peak behind the scenes.
During the 2013 National Bike Summit, March 4-6, Capital Bikeshare will have additional corrals at its regular station at H and 8th Streets (just two blocks from the Summit hotel). That means you can pick up a CaBi at any location in the city and ride it to the Summit — without having to worry about the bike docks being full. Capitol Bikeshare will have valets there ready to take your bike and point you in the right direction.
These additional corrals will be available:
Monday (March 4): 7 – 9:30 a.m. and 4 – 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday (March 5): 6 – 9:30 a.m.
Curious about what it takes to run a bike share program? Alta Bicycle Share will host a tour of its Capital Bikeshare operations center following the National Bike Summit Ride on Thursday, March 7. Meet up with Alta Bike Share’s Eric Gilliand and Charlie Denney at Garfield Circle at 11 a.m. for a ride over to the warehouse and a noon tour. Or meet at 1714 2nd Street SW, just a 10-minute walk, or five-minute bike ride from the Waterfront Metro Station on the green line. For more information, e-mail ericgilliland@altabicycleshare.com.
Haven’t registered for the Summit yet? Sign up today — online registration ends Wednesday, February 27!
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.
When she started biking to work in Seattle, Ann DeOtte Kaufman knew she needed gear to stay dry— but there was no way she was going to pay top dollar for attire that didn’t fit her style.
After a trip to Europe (and getting caught in the rain more than once), the design professional got busy fashioning her own solution to less-than-glamorous high-tech cycling gear, developing a fashionable rain cape that was as sexy as she felt riding her vintage bike.
That one product led Ann to launch Iva Jean, a fashion company that inspires women “to get on a bike and ride with the style, personality and confidence they bring to every other aspect of their lives, whether they are commuting to work or cruising around town.”
You gave up your car in 2007 — what inspired you to start biking?
My interest in biking really came about as a result of a perfect storm. I had moved to Seattle from Michigan a couple years before and was working at a design firm in the city. Many of my co-workers commuted by bike and a lot of their work focused on sustainable urban design and bike infrastructure. My work offered bus passes, showers and bike parking as an incentive not to drive — and it got me thinking. Along the same vein, I decided to move closer to the city, the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. This meant that rent would almost double and there would be limited parking. My car sat parked for over a month while I bussed and walked everywhere – proving that the extra $500 per month cost of having a car wasn’t worth it. At the same time, blogs like Copenhagen Cycle Chic and European cities were making bikes sexy again and reminding the world how smart and beautiful a city on bikes can be. I was determined to become a lady on two wheels.
You have a wealth of professional experience in the design industry; how did that come to intersect with cycling?
There are many aspects of my professional experience that intersect with cycling — from an appreciation and understanding of design to knowing the importance of our actions on the way cities develop and grow.
It was a trip to Europe that ultimately led to the creation of Iva Jean; what did you see there that inspired you?
Everything. Many of the cities had such incredible pedestrian and bike infrastructure, thoughtfully designed. It really seemed to facilitate an active and energetic public space. It was also the people. Their approach to biking was no different than their approach to life. People were dressed so beautifully and their effortless style was (and still is) something that really caught my attention.
What’s been the biggest challenge in starting Iva Jean?
There hasn’t been a single biggest challenge since starting Iva Jean. At certain times I’d say that production and sourcing are the most difficult — it takes a lot of time and consists of constant juggling and multi-tasking. Other times I’d say it’s spreading the word and developing a meaningful relationship with your customers. People are overloaded with products and inspiration; it can be difficult to break through and find the women who will really connect with what we are doing.
Living in Seattle, it makes sense that a rain cape was your first offering. What’s been the guiding principle as you’ve grown your line?
We are inspired by the intersection of people, nature and the built environment. Iva Jean is blessed to be headquartered in and influenced by the Pacific Northwest — a place where this intersection is easily observed in our day-to-day lives. Our garments are, and will continue to be, designed to participate in that realm. Our team knows that every woman has a unique perspective and our designs strive to serve as the foundation for a street-to-bike wardrobe. The designs focus on flexibility and durability, as well as timeless and sophisticated aesthetics.
What’s been the biggest surprise or success launching Iva Jean thus far?
The biggest surprise since I started Iva Jean was definitely winning the DailyCandy Start Small, Go Big. When I got the call letting me know that I was one of three finalists, I was absolutely stunned, and winning was by far one of our biggest successes.
What are you most excited about in attending the National Women’s Bicycling Forum?
I am thrilled to meet the people that I’ve chatted with online or met briefly in the past, as well as to meet new friends. I can only imagine that the forum will bring together a diverse group of women who are very interested in bicycling and bring fresh perspectives — from retail and design to advocacy and social equity.
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.
Blog
Kicking off the Bicycling Means Business theme at the 
It may be the most famous quote about the role of bicycling in women’s history. In 1896, 
The face of bicycling is changing in cities across the country, and nowhere is that more evident than in the nation’s capital. Since 2004, Washington, D.C., has seen a 175 percent increase in cycling and a 300 percent increase in its bike lane network. Despite these incredible gains, the number of women on bikes has remained steady at 23 percent.
The best advocates are always looking at the big picture, thinking beyond the most immediate hurdle and around the curve at what’s waiting ahead. So while the new federal transportation law was a stumbling block, we’re already warming up and getting in shape for the next battle on Capitol Hill.
Perhaps even more than the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument, attendees at the 
It was a trip to Europe that ultimately led to the creation of Iva Jean; what did you see there that inspired you?
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