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.
“What now?” has become a common refrain since the passage of MAP-21, the new federal transportation bill, last summer.
The bill slashed dedicated funding for bicycling and walking programs, and put far more power in the hands of state and local officials in doling out federal dollars. At the 2013 National Bike Summit, we’ll bring together top transportation reformers who will share their ideas on how bicycle advocate can tap into available pots of money, and move “Beyond MAP-21.”
In this workshop, panelists will delve into local, state and national opportunities for reform. They’ll also provide new messages to help engage elected officials who may have taken a pass on MAP-21.
The panel, moderated by Dani Simons, Principal of Sustainable Streets Marketing, will include:
Mark Gorton, founder of Open Plans and publisher of Streetsblog. Gorton has been a major figure in the battle to transform New York into a more bike-friendly city. Last year, he caused a major stir with a keynote speech at the Pro Walk Pro Bike Conference, calling on lawmakers and planners to shift their priorities when it comes to transportation. (His speech appears in the video above).
Charles Marohn, Executive Director, Strong Towns. Marohn, an engineer by training, published “Thoughts on Building Strong Towns” last year, offering a new perspective on how to build sustainable cities and towns.
Ya-Ting Liu, Government Affairs Director, Transportation Alternatives. Transportation Alternatives is a leading advocacy organization in New York City, working to build and maintain safe spaces to walk and bike.
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.
Whether it’s serving on the board of a local advocacy organization or sitting on the city’s bicycle advisory committee, women often face an extra hurdle to participation: Who will take care of the kids while I’m gone?
Research backs up what we already know — women tend to shoulder the brunt of the household responsibilities and, when it comes to evening meetings or an all-day conference, childcare is a common constraint.
If you’d like to take advantage of this offering, please register and let us know by tomorrow (Friday, February 22), so we can plan appropriately.
Questions? Contact me at carolyn@bikeleague.org.
(Photo by Leslie Bloom)
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.
Bringing businesses aboard the bike advocacy boat can be an unsteady maneuver.
But joining forces with these powerful champions does more than provide a wind at your back — engaging businesses in bike advocacy is critical to building connected cycling networks in any community.
Understanding the importance of cultivating these allegiances, the League will get you sailing in the right direction with a workshop on “Bringing Businesses on Board” at the 2013 National Bike Summit.
We’ll have three very unique voices discussing the best strategies to get businesses on board with your local bike mission.
Kimberly-Clark’s Cycling Ambassador Rob Gusky will share what’s worked to get the bicycling program spinning at his Fortune 500 Company and new techniques to make a bike campaign irresistible from one of the most successful corporations in the world.
BikePGH’s Lou Fineberg will discuss social enterprise bike advocacy and how the organization is engaging more urban businesses while increasing bike parking, car-free Fridays, and their employer-recognition program.
Zahra Alabanza (pictured) from Red, Bike and Green will share insight from a model campaign in Atlanta to secure dedicated bike lanes in one of the oldest African-American neighborhoods in the country — by building support with local businesses.
Don’t miss this important workshop — Register for the Summit today!
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.
For example, the 650 cyclists killed on our nation’s roads every year hasn’t been enough to make bicyclists’ safety a priority for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — it’s only about 2% of all traffic fatalities, after all.
Similarly, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and State Departments of Transportation have done little to alter the fact that less 0.5% of highway safety funds is being spent to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian crashes — despite the fact that people who bike and walk account for almost 16% of all traffic deaths.
So why now, and why ask for a “performance measure”?
Here’s why:
MAP-21, the new federal transportation law, requires USDOT to establish safety performance measures for states to meet – but, once again, no performance measure related to the safety of people who bike and walk is currently being considered.
The number of bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities has risen for the past two years (2010 and 2011) while overall traffic deaths have gone down quite dramatically — that means the percentage of fatalities that are bike/ped has risen from 12% to nearly 16%.
MAP-21 almost doubled the amount of funding available for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), a program run by state Departments of Transportation. Unfortunately, that program has woefully small investments in bike/ped safety projects: Only seven states have spent any of these funds on bike/ped projects, and combined they’ve spent less than 0.5% of the funds annually.
These HSIP funds specifically can be used to fix more than just high crash locations (which are naturally dominated by cars); they also can be used to reduce crash potential and to address systemic design issues that cause common crash types.
So to recap… The good news is that bicycling and walking are on the rise nationwide. The bad news is that bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities are also rising. Fortunately, more funds are available to fix traffic safety. But, unfortunately, there is no sign of any increase in spending on bike/ped safety. Absent any real target, focus, incentive, leadership, or guidance from the top, states are unlikely to change that unforgivable oversight.
We think it’s essential to hold states accountable to meaningful performance measures that are flexible and focused on outcomes. We know that four states (FL, CA, TX and NY) routinely account for more than 40% of all bicyclist fatalities every year, while several states have none. A good performance measure can be flexible enough to ensure responsibility for bringing down the overall number is appropriately distributed.
Andy Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director. Before joining the League in February 2003, Clarke was on contract to provide technical assistance to the highly regarded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center on site at the Federal Highway Administration. He is on the Board of Directors for America Bikes, and a member of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals.
With just the smallest spark, a great idea can ignite change across the country.
Here in Washington, D.C., Veronica Davis turned a bold Twitter hashtag into a vibrant new advocacy organization, hundreds of women strong. With just a blog post, Tom Bowden got countless Republicans nodding their heads with his compelling conservative arguments for cycling. With the success of the Bicycle Friendly Business District in Long Beach, Calif., April Economides helped to spur and accelerate the growth of BFBDs in other U.S. — and Canadian — cities.
On Tuesday, after our keynote from AAA’s Yolanda Cade, we’ll invite key change agents to the stage to share, in rapid-fire presentations, their big ideas. From advancing equity to making the economic case for bicycling, these talks will inspire us as we head to Capitol Hill and inform your work back home.
Marketing to the Culture Class: Active Healthy, Affluent and Aware Consumers: Howard Chang, President and CEO, Top Drawer Creative, Toronto
Driving Fast and Riding Slow: The Real Risks of Not Bicycling: Tom Bowden, Chair, BikeVirginia
Creating an Advocacy Organization: Veronica O. Davis, P.E., co-founder, Black Women Bike DC
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.
Last year, Susan Meyers went for a tandem bike ride with her husband — blindfolded.
For Meyers (pictured right), cycling without sight was both an experiment and an experience. A contributor for the Boston Globe’s “On Biking” column, Meyers writes to spark debate. So her column on that blindfolded tandem ride, equal parts hilarious and harrowing, wasn’t just a fun read. Her prose had a purpose: Her brother, Andy, had gone blind and given up biking. A call to action and gratitude, she concluded her column with a challenge.
“Sighted bikers… grab a friend, rent a tandem, and tie on a blindfold of your own,” she wrote. “Notice the smells, the sounds, all of the sensations of biking. Then find someone who is blind or low-vision, take them out riding, and see what else you can learn. I promise you, it will be an eye-opener.”
Meyers and her fellow columnist and husband Jonathan Simmons will speak about these personal stories — and the serious effect they have in promoting bicycling — at the 2013 National Bike Summit. Their workshop, “Tell Your Bicycling Story: How to Write Persuasive Stories – and Why!”, will help participants pinpoint their personal stories that can affect change and spark conversation about why biking matters.
The Summit will also feature tips on cranking out provocative content on social media. In “Social Media as an Advocacy Tool,” panelists will breakdown the “do’s and don’ts” on Facebook, Twitter, and more — and highlight how these platforms can be used to promote biking. Even 140 characters alone can have impact, spreading a simple message wide and far with just the click of a button.
Panelists include Barb Chamberlain, of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington; Mary Madden, of Internet and American Life Project at the Pew Research Center; and Mathilde Piard, of Cox Media Group.
Be sure to catch these workshops at the National Bike Summit in March, and learn the ways the pen truly is mightier. Register for the Summit 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.
The highlight of my trip to Interbike this year didn’t happen on the trade show floor. Several flights below the sales pitches and shiny new bikes, at the OIWC awards reception, Pat Cunnane, president of Advanced Sports International, shared a call to action to bring more women into the bike industry.
We knew we needed to continue that discussion at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum. From the bikes we ride to the advertising messages we see, the industry plays a major role in encouraging more women to ride and we’re bringing together a diverse panel of leaders from Giant, Gazelle, REI and ASI to delve into three specific areas: product, marketing and workforce diversity.
Stephanie Genuardi (pictured), marketing communications manager at ASI, is a perfect example of the company’s commitment to workplace diversity. Schooled as a journalist, Genuardi came to ASI with no background in biking — but she’s quickly become a passionate bicyclist and incredible ambassador for the brand. Read more about Genuardi below and register for the Women’s Forum today!
Who or what inspired you to start riding?
Beyond beach cruising and riding to meet up with friends in the neighborhood when I was a kid, I had never ridden before joining ASI. But once I commit to something, I fully immerse myself in it. When I took on the job of blogging about our pro tour team in particular and, in turn, became rather obsessed with the sport, I knew I had to get out and try it for myself. And at ASI, I’m surrounded by people who love riding and would love nothing more than to get more people on bikes. They were encouraging, patient, and willing to help/teach.
What’s your riding style / bike background? Do you commute? Ride on the weekends? Participate in cause rides or races?
I’m a weekend rider. I can never seem to find time during the week, and I live 30+ miles away from the office – which makes commuting pretty challenging. I’m pretty new to road riding but am slowly building up my mileage. I also am a self-admitted fair-weather rider. I went to school in Miami. I love the heat and hate the cold!
It looks like you have a background in newspapers and magazines? What brought you from Miami to Philly?
Home base is Philadelphia. I went to an all-girls, Catholic high school in the Philly suburbs and was yearning for diversity, which led me to the University of Miami. I majored in print journalism and English literature, with a minor in political science. I loved my time there. After graduating, I worked for several months at The Miami Herald as a breaking new reporter and really enjoyed my work. Unfortunately, there are so few opportunities in print journalism right now. As soon as I left, the newspaper laid off nearly 100 employees.
How did you get into the bike world professionally?
After leaving The Miami Herald, I struggled to find a job in journalism. I had a contact at ASI, and they were looking for writing help with an upcoming project. I was hired as an intern, fell in love with the company and cycling, and was offered the opportunity to stay on. Three years later, I’m the Marketing Communications Manager.
Was it a challenge to come into the industry without that retail background (which, too often, seems to be a preconceived criteria for success)?
In many ways, it was definitely a challenge. I knew nothing about bikes before joining ASI. It was a whole new vocabulary to learn and way of thinking. But I like a challenge. And I hate being behind the curve. So I asked a ton of questions and just immersed myself in it. This past year at Interbike, as I was walking editors through the line and explaining our High Compaction carbon molding process and the shortened chainstays on our revamped Tahoe 29 rear triangle, I was pretty proud of how far I’ve come. I still have a long way to go but making big strides. I think my journalism background prepared me for it. When I was writing a feature story, I had to become an expert in the topic I was writing about – no matter how foreign it was to me. I also think there are basic, inherently valuable skills that both me and some of my non-industry coworkers bring to the table that others within the industry might not: new perspectives, context, critical thinking for example.
I’ve heard Pat Cunnane [president of ASI] speak about ASI’s true and unique commitment to addressing gender equity — how has that played out for you in your work?
ASI has provided me with every opportunity to excel. They’ve trusted me and encouraged me to pursue everything I’ve wanted. Despite being outside of industry, they’ve placed total confidence in my ability to get things done. They provide the platform for their employees – particularly their female employees – to succeed, regardless of gender and background.
What are you most excited about in your work for ASI — especially as it pertains to getting more women engaged in the industry or riding bikes?
I manage our brands’ social media presence, particularly for Fuji. Since I took over the Fuji Facebook page a year and a half ago, we’ve grown by nearly 20,000 fans. I recently received a message from a fan saying how much he loves our Facebook page because it represents everything as a company we are passionate about and doesn’t just tell the stories of our sponsored athletes but also those of regular people. It’s the stories of our customers and consumers that I enjoy telling most and that I believe inspire growth – ultimately getting more people on bikes.
Examples of some of my favorite recent content: A photo of our Nigerian distributor visiting Fuji headquarters explaining his mission of growing the sport of cycling in his country, where it is largely undeveloped; a photo of man with his new Fuji mountain bike setting a goal of a 100-pound weight loss, with fans chiming in with their own stories, sharing advice, and wishing him luck; a photo of a dad an daughter out on their first-ever ride together.
What’s the best thing about working for a bike company?
Working in a laid-back environment filled with great people who are passionate about what they do and marketing/selling a product that offers a healthy, happy lifestyle.
What’s the best piece of advice another woman ever gave you about riding?
Hmmm. I really can’t think of anything for this question. I’ve actually received the most advice from ASI President Pat Cunnane, who has taught me pretty much everything I know about riding thus far – teaching me how to shift, how to ride in a group, how to ride in a city.
Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.
We know bicycling is a simple to solution to many complex problems. One of the most pressing and politically prominent problems over the past few years has been the struggling economy, as states and cities compete to attract employers, workers, young people, and visitors, while tightening their budgets.
Bicycling has an important role in making communities attractive places to visit, live, and work. And we can prove it — with numbers. And we will at the National Bike Summit.
More than ever transportation decision makers and elected officials are open to the argument that balanced multi-modal transportation systems, that include safe and attractive bicycling and walking, have positive benefits for communities. But the message needs to be delivered without hyperbole and with real world examples close to home.
That’s what the National Bike Summit is all about: bringing bicyclists from all of the country to Washington, D.C., to tell stories from their own communities about the power – in this case, the economic power – of bicycling; and to do it armed with latest, local, regional, and national research and data.
Whether it’s in meeting on the Hill or closer to home, the best thing you can do is tell your personal story. Whether it’s about your own shopping habits by bike, a new bicycle business district, or your family’s household transportation savings to buy more locally produced goods, those stories build the credibility of the economic argument and show real-world impacts for the policymaker’s constituents.
But since we also live in a policy climate in which everything needs to be quantified, we need to marshal supporting data. At the Summit we will be hosting a panel, Bicycling Means Business: Getting the Facts Straight, to lay out the latest research on the economic impacts of active transportation, bicycling events, bicycle tourism, and the full range of societal benefits of bicycling.
The panel will be the very first public presentation of new research from:
Charles Brown, Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, presenting “Economic Impacts of Active Transportation on New Jersey’s Economy”
Kristin Dahl, Travel Oregon, presenting “The Power of the Pedal: Economic Impact study of Bike Tourism”
Jerry Norquist, National Bicycle Tour Directors Association, presenting “The Economics of Bicycle Events”
Ken Colburn, Symbiotic Strategies LLC, presenting “Analyzing and Quantifying the Multiple Benefits of Bicycling” (with Christopher James)
The results of this new work are on such super-secret lockdown that I can’t even preview them here. But in the meantime you can read all about the economic impacts of bicycling in our Advocacy Advance report. To help attendees with their Hill meetings, each presenter will identify a key talking point or two from their research that attendees will be able to use in the Congressional meetings and at home.
From Travel Orgeon’s Kristin Dahl, here’s an example of how to relate a personal story to a broad economic benefits argument:
This panel alone is probably worth the trip to the Summit, but even if you can’t make it, you can learn more about the Summit and how it will improve implementation of the new transportation bill, MAP-21, by joining our Advocacy Advance National Bike Summit webinar tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern. Caron Whitaker and I will talk about:
The current political landscape
Framing the message
The Summit theme, the “ask”, and MAP-21
The outstanding lineup of speakers
The League’s Women Bike and Equity Advisory Council
And what you can do in your home district, even if you can’t make the Summit
We hope to have you on the webinar tomorrow and/or at the Summit in March. Let’s build a bicycle-friendly America!
Darren Flusche League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
I couldn’t help but smile as Jason Roberts described the scene.
The founder of Team Better Block was working on a project in San Antonio, Tex., and there was an antique shop owner who was vehemently opposed to the prospect of a bike lane on the six-lane arterial. Roberts knew theoretical talk about the benefits of bike would do nothing to tip the scales.
Instead, he went the business owner, chalk in hand.
He grabbed some orange cones, stood out in front of the antique shop and showed the skeptical owner — in real time — how he could keep his car parking and have bike infrastructure, too.
That’s how Team Better Block rolls — showing as much as telling how streets can be redesigned to benefit bikes AND businesses.
San Antonio is just one of the many communities that has invited Roberts and Team to literally transform economically depressed corridors into vibrant urban centers. In just a few days, the Team works with community members to identify tools and tactics to, as Roberts says, “stitch communities back together” by addressing the massive gulfs created by streets designed solely for cars. Then, they put those ideas on display, using chalk, cardboard, cones and all manners of creative tools to re-imagine the streets in real time and tangible terms. Finally, they invite the community to see, experience and celebrate the potential of their shared streets.
More often than not, seeing the transformation in action — and the impact on local business — turns even the staunchest opponents of bike infrastructure into the most vocal supporters.
Of course, we’re not the only ones in D.C. who have taken note of the Team’s impressive accomplishments. Last year, Roberts was honored by the White House as a Transportation Innovator and Champion of Change. Read more about his work — in his own words — here, and register for the National Bike Summit today!
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.
Natalie Ramsland is part of a still-small tribe: women who build bicycles… for women.
Ramsland moved to Portland after college because of bikes. She wanted to ride her bike as her main form of transportation. For years, she worked as a bike messenger. Even after she went to graduate school in architecture, her desire to create circled back to cycling.
“I love design,” she says, “but I love bikes more.”
So following in the footsteps of women like Georgena Terry, Ramsland became a framebuilder. Her company, Sweetpea Bicycles, crafts beautiful rides — with names like Farmers Market and Little Black Dress — that are geared specifically for women.
In just a few weeks, Ramsland and Terry — who have never met in person — will share the stage at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum for a dynamic conversation about the history and trajectory of their important work.
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.
Adonia Lugo’s resume is a veritable list of the most ground-breaking campaigns to bridge bicycling and social justice. As a co-founder of the City of Lights initiative (now Multicultural Communities for Mobility), CicLAvia, Bicicultures and the Seattle Bike Justice Project, Lugo is a leading voice and on-the-ground innovator in building a more inclusive movement.
I grew up in a town where the Latino families on my side of the railroad tracks were seen as a menace by white residents on the other side, who pulled nearly all the white children out of the local school. When I joined students from the other local elementary school in junior high, a girl informed me that I had attended “the Mexican school.” It wasn’t until years later that it occurred to me that her parents may have been using a term left over from the era of segregated schools in Orange County. When I was a child, I used to watch white recreational cyclists ride past my family’s apartment, using our neighborhood as a connector between regional bike paths. When I got involved in the bike movement in Los Angeles in September 2008, I started hearing advocates talk about being “second-class citizens” on car-dominated streets. I was struck by the irony of hearing white men and women use that term. I wondered how many of them were the products of our society’s informal segregation, where Americans arrange themselves in suburban enclaves according to race and income.
… The burden is on the bike movement to show how our goals are not different from the goals of social justice movements. We want all people to benefit from bicycling. Good for the body, good for the city, good for the planet. But it’s hard to show this when we get dismissed as a selfish group of gentrifiers. We need to work together to confront the inequality that our cities are reproducing by using bike infrastructure as a means to raise property values and push out the poor. Too many American children grow up in isolation from other ways of life, and it is not hard to see how this might affect our ability to understand each other as adults.
… We need a human infrastructure to connect our divided communities. We need bike advocates to go to neighborhood groups and come to a consensus about livability, not as outsiders imposing on longstanding communities from outside, but as engaged leaders in the shift we must make to a cleaner future. Inspired by the work of Dr. King and all the people who have heeded his call, we can bring just conditions of social equality to our country, our streets, and our planet. But we have to work together…
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’s all the buzz for bicyclists here in the capital region: The state of Maryland could be the first to pass a law mandating helmet use for all bicyclists regardless of age.
Currently, no state has such a requirement, though a good number have a similar statute to Maryland’s: mandating helmet use for bicyclists under the age of 16.
With all the discussion about helmet laws, I figured it was a good time to tackle this thorny issue in my ongoing Bike Law University series…
What are helmet laws?
Helmet laws require any person on a bicycle wear a helmet. All current helmet laws are directed at persons under the age of 18. No state requires mandatory helmet use by all bicyclists. In many states, helmet laws can be enforced against the person on the bicycle or against a parent of that person. Some states with a mandatory helmet use law limit whether compliance with the law can be considered in civil lawsuits in order to prevent their laws from limiting the recovery of bicyclists who are injured. There are many other variations on the enforcement and effect of mandatory helmet use laws, as discussed through the laws of our spotlight states.
Why should you care?
The use of helmets is perhaps the most common recommendation for safer bicycling. The League has encouraged bicyclists to wear helmets for more than 25 years, and our affiliated clubs and advocacy groups typically require their use on organized rides. However, the League does not support mandatory helmet laws because of the many potential unintended consequences.
The experience of countries with greater bicycle use than the United States tells us that safer bicycling comes from many policy decisions — especially safer infrastructure — and does not require mandatory helmet use laws. Mandatory helmet use laws may hurt bicyclist safety overall by discouraging bicycling, by promoting the idea that it is an unsafe activity or by raising a barrier to transportation choice — despite being the safest choice for an individual cyclist. We all want safer bicycling and policies that encourage more people to ride, provide appropriate facilities, and educate all road users about safely sharing the road. These are likely to be more effective in the long term.
Who has them?
Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have laws that require persons under the age of 18 to wear a helmet. Within that, however, the age threshold varies widely. Of states that require helmet use, most (12) only require helmets for persons less than 16 years of age. Of the 15 states that require helmet use, the District of Columbia and Virginia — which does not require helmet use — maintain a law that limits the consideration of failure to wear a helmet in a lawsuit. This protects the ability of a bicyclist who chose not to wear a helmet to recover damages if they are injured in a crash. The need for and effect of such a law may be more or less necessary depending upon how liability or fault is determined in a state.
(Click on the image to view the full chart showing the breakdown of helmet laws across the country.)
Where did they come from?
The first state to pass a mandatory helmet law was California in 1986. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has had mandatory helmet performance requirements for helmet manufacturers since 1999. As of the last revision to the Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) in 2000, there is no UVC section equivalent to a helmet law.
Spotlight States – New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
Ken joined the League in 2012 after graduating from William & Mary School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in the state of Virginia. During law school he worked for a private law firm in Cambodia and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Prior to that, Ken worked at a law firm in Orange County and a legal services provider in Seattle. He graduated from Pomona College in 2007 with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He began using his bike regularly after college and has been car-free since February 2012.
The League is committed to a bold goal: The diversity of people on bikes will mirror the diversity of America by 2020.
We’ve started the wheels turning toward a more inclusive movement by bringing on a new Equity Fellow and convening an Equity Advisory Council. Now we want to ensure that our biggest event of the year — the National Bike Summit — is as diverse and accessible as possible.
And we need your help.
We’ve set up a campaign on Razoo to help raise funds for our new Cycling Opportunity Grants. These grants will help ensure the participation of bicyclists whose voices are often missing from the national conversation. All funding raised in the Razoo campaign will be awarded as scholarships to COG applications, covering the registration costs for folks’ who would otherwise be unable to attend.
The Cycling Opportunity Grant will benefit people like Mario Giampieri, a co-founder of the Biking Public Project, a delivery cyclist, and a native Spanish speaker. Mario works to expand local cycling advocacy discussions by reaching out to underrepresented bicyclists around New York City including women, people of color, and delivery cyclists.
But don’t stop there — help us spread the word. Here are some ways you can help us get to our $5,000 goal.
Send this e-mail:
“I’m helping the League of American Bicyclists in its effort to make cycling more equitable for all and I thought you might want to help as well. The Cycling Opportunity Grant Fund will provide registration scholarships for the National Bike Summit and support the League’s effort to address equity in cycling. Based on available funding, applicants will be awarded scholarships to cover registration to the Summit in DC. The National Bike Summit is only weeks away so we need you to help us spread the word about this campaign and contribute to make this possible. Donate, share and repeat here: http://bit.ly/11ME4eB”
“Support diverse voices at the National Bike Summit. Donate to the Cycling Opportunity Grant Fund and support a movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for ALL communities. http://bit.ly/11ME4eB#CyclingEquity
We only have a small window to make this possible so we are relying on you to spread the word. Let’s see what we can make happen together.
Hamzat joined the League in September 2012 after working with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Before working in biking, Hamzat worked with Martin Luther King Jr.’s son as a Program Associate at The King Center in Atlanta. A founder of the Red, Bike and Green chapter in Atlanta, Hamzat sees biking as a hub for change on the communal level.
When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced his retirement last month, we quickly went from gratitude for his work promoting biking and walking, to wondering who President Obama will tap as his replacement.
Here in Washington the rumor mill is swirling with names and questions:
Will it be the National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Debbie Hersman? She’s already been meeting with Senate Commerce Committee members. (The Commerce Committee holds nomination hearings for the position of Transportation Secretary)
What about Mayor Villaraigosa of Los Angeles? He seemed like a favorite until he announced he wanted to complete is full term as Mayor — which runs until June 30th. Would President Obama wait that long to nominate a cabinet member?
What about former Governors Christine Gregoire of Washington, or Jennifer Granholm of Michigan? Their names are being tossed around for many different cabinet positions.
Speculating on cabinet nominations is a common pastime in Washington, but not necessarily a productive one. As the selection of the next Transportation Secretary gets closer, the America Bikes coalition sent a letter to the President weighing in on the characteristics and qualities we most hope to see in the next Secretary of Transportation.
… We sincerely hope [LaHood's] tenure — and his legacy — is just the start of a new era of transportation policy that embraces all modes of transportation equally and ensures that transportation is more than just an end in itself. We hope your next appointment to this critical position: continues the extraordinary collaboration between DOT, EPA, and HUD, and even extends this multi-disciplinary approach to include health and energy agencies; builds on the remarkable success of the TIGER program in getting more funds directly into the hands of local government entities, where smarter, more equitable and inclusive community development projects emerge, and responds to the clear need for real transportation choices and options to be available to all in our communities…
Caron Whitaker Vice President of Government Relations
Prior to joining the League of American Bicyclists in 2012, Ms. Whitaker served as the Campaign Director for America Bikes where she coordinated and implemented America Bikes federal policy agenda. Before that, she worked for the National Wildlife Federation on smart growth, international policy, and community engagement. In addition, Caron served as a Community Land Use Planner for the State of North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, providing technical assistance to local governments and staffing a stakeholders’ council responsible for revising state planning regulations. She has a Masters in Environmental Management for Duke University, Nicolas School of the Environment and a Bachelors of Arts from Williams College.
It’s been one week since the League hosted the first coach training in Houston and there’s a buzz of camaraderie is alive and strong. Six coach candidates came to Texas to spend four days learning, teaching and breathing bike education.
There are some 3,700 LCIs that administer bicycle education around the country. That’s where the coaches come in: They are the small but growing number of bike instruction experts who lead LCI seminars.
This diverse group of coach candidates traveled from five states and three coasts (Texas counts, right?), bringing with them a variety of biking backgrounds and experience as educators and group ride leaders. Jennifer Laurita, Jim Nicholson, and Preston Tyree were the backbones of the training: They designed the content for webinars, role played through countless emails, and served as mentors to candidates.
“Our coaches adroitly handled numerous situations thrown at them, ranging from pre-seminar fictional LCI candidates with extremely varying abilities to real candidates interspersed among the ‘ringers,’” Jim said in an email to me after the training. ”They had strong support from a group of three coach-mentors for both the pre-seminar activities and the LCI weekend seminar itself.”
In the midst of 12-hour days on just a few hours of sleep, the candidates still found the time to give high-fives, share words of encouragement, ask for feedback, and successfully certify a group of new LCIs. While the candidates still have another seminar to assist, I’m excited to welcome these individuals to the elite group of League coaches. Their fresh perspective and passion for bike education will only boost our current program.
Are you interested in becoming a coach? We’ll be scheduling another training later this year, so stay tuned!
Alissa Simcox League Director of Education
Simcox joined the League in July 2011. For the 5 years prior, she worked with the Congressional Youth Leadership Council and the National Association of Home Builders. She holds a BA in Education and Recreation and Leisure Administration from Florida State University.
Debra Zusin and Mariana Chambers were already best friends, but their love of biking turned them into business partners, as well.
A lawyer and a fashionista, Zusin and Chambers started GiveLoveCycle to get more women riding by providing a product that supports their cycling lifestyle. Last year, the duo launched their line of unique bags — stylish CarryAlls that comfortably fit, not just your day-to-day items, but your bike helmet, as well.
We’re delighted that GiveLoveCycle will be one of the exhibitors in the Pop-up Shop at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum, but I couldn’t wait until March 4 to learn more about the inspiration and entrepreneurship behind the GLC brand. Read more from Zusin below — and meet her in person next month!
I know that bike share got you riding for transportation — what about it appealed to you? What would you tell other women who are interested in incorporate more biking into their lives?
I remember receiving the red glossy Capital Bikeshare pamphlet in the mail in the summer of 2010. I loved riding my bike recreationally and on trails but never considered biking as my daily transportation. Bike share answered the question of not wanting to worry about my bike everywhere I went. The idea of a one-way ride was so appealing that I became one of the first people to sign up! I still have my original black FOB card and carry it around like a badge of honor.
Once I realized I actually can have all my stuff with me for the day on my bike (helmet, gym clothes, lunch, purse), the next step was to plan my route. I used the bike map on Google and mapmyride.com to make sure I knew where all the designated bike lanes are in DC. Since I started riding in 2010, so much has changed to improve the biking infrastructure in DC, it is remarkable. There are also a lot of women’s cycling seminars being offered in different cities so women can build the confidence they need to start riding. With the right accessory and the realization that it is the best, easiest, healthiest way to get around, there is no stopping us women on bikes!
How long have you and Marianna known each other? Is this your first business venture?
Mariana and I met our freshman year of Rutgers University and were roommates for the rest of college. Yes, this is our first business venture together.
Where did the name GiveLoveCycle come from?
GiveLoveCycle came from the idea that we both feel we get back so much from biking and that we give back to our cities and the earth by biking.
What were some of the challenges in getting this off the ground?
Funding the company presented a challenge and it’s the reason why we decided to use a crowd funding platform. Kickstarter was an amazing experience for us, both for funding and exposure. Another challenge we face is introducing a women-oriented cycling product in a predominately male industry. Daily women cyclists are a growing market and it’s our mission to open bike stores up to this idea.
Your bags are vegan! What other considerations did you take into account when you were conceiving your products?
We really wanted to present a product to the market that is both beautiful and truly functional. Our bags are easy to bike with every day, fitting your daily essentials like your helmet, iPad/E-reader or laptop, as well as being waterproof, easy to clean and hands free (the small attaches to your bike and the large converts to a backpack). We’ve added safety features, like reflective piping, and various internal compartments, like an easy find clip for your keys and a separate, aerated shoe compartment on the large. We have received a positive response from commuters to moms, who especially love the easy-to-clean, waterproof inside and out.
What’s been the most exciting part of the process in launching GiveLoveCycle?
The most exciting part of GLC is anytime we hear a woman cyclist say she’s now able to commute to work because she can easily take everything with her using her GLC bag.
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.
They’ve helped to end unfair traffic citations for bicyclists in Washington, D.C. They’ve helped boost a campaign for dedicated biking and walking funding in Pennsylvania. And they’ve helped push for a better pedestrian bridge over a major highway in Marin, Calif.
They may provide small bursts of funding, but Rapid Response Grants are having a big impact across the country.
A key aspect of the Advocacy Advance program, these grants are aimed at helping state and local organizations take advantage of unexpected opportunities to win, increase, or preserve funding for biking and walking. There’s no deadline for applications and awards are made on a quick turnaround, allowing nimble and timely campaigns that strike while the issue is hot.
Most recently, these grants have boosted both rural and urban campaigns, from Philadelphia, Pa., to Cheyenne, Wy. Check out these in-depth stories of Rapid Response success from Mary Lauran Hall of the Alliance for Biking & Walking, our partner in the Advocacy Advance effort:
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 event, held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., was packed with impressive panelists and speakers like Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP; Heather McGhee, Vice President of Policy and Outreach at Demos; and Jacob Hacker, a professor of political science at Yale University. They discussed how equity plays a vital part in building a healthier and sustainable economy.
I was joined by League colleague Darren Flusche, our Policy Director, and two words stuck out to us as we listened at the event: sustained growth.
Darren and I were busy scribbling notes as we made the connections to words like ‘equitable economy,’ ‘diverse constituencies’ and ‘principled conflicts.’
Here is some of what we heard and asked courtesy of Twitter and my really bad handwriting:
We have to illustrate just how economically beneficial bikes have become and continue to be to local economies. In case you haven’t noticed, Bicycling Mean Business, especially in many hard-hit communities recovering from difficult economic times. They are taking advantage of bicycle tourism and increased foot and bike traffic to foster growth.
We have to make sure we have a “no-drop” mentality or we risk losing our movement. Think of the communities not currently served by safe cycling as new markets. If you don’t identify and work with new markets, no industry in the world will be able to sustain growth. Our cycling movement has to ensure that we don’t drop communities already stifled by a lack of viable transportation options.
These themes also bring us to our ongoing campaign on Razoo to help raise money to fund registration costs to the 2013 National Bike Summit for youth, activists and advocates from communities that we don’t usually see at the bike advocacy table.
You could say we were inspired by the old saying “Either you’re at the table or you’re on the menu.” Click HERE to find out more and to donate.
Hamzat Sani Equity and Outreach Fellow
Hamzat joined the League in September 2012 after working with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Before working in biking, Hamzat worked with Martin Luther King Jr.’s son as a Program Associate at The King Center in Atlanta. A founder of the Red, Bike and Green chapter in Atlanta, Hamzat sees biking as a hub for change on the communal level.
Our friend Elly Blue, a member of the Women Bike Advisory Board, shared her daydream on Twitter on Wednesday: “If you had $100 million to put into growing the bicycle movement, how would you deploy it?”
Not surprisingly, Blue, who runs Taking the Lane, got scores of responses. We chimed in too, sending her message out to our followers to see what ideas people could cook up. They ranged from creating a Super PAC to building more cycle tracks to hiring Justin Beiber as a spokesman.
Her question comes at a good time: We’re preparing for the 2013 National Bike Summit here in Washington, D.C. We’ll be chipping away at that very question and plenty more on March 4-6 as hundreds of advocates, government staffers and enthusiasts take part in the wide array of workshops and briefings. After all, “Bicycling Means Business” and the Summit will give you a voice in these conversations.
Check out what people had to say in response to Blue, and be sure to keep thinking about these questions and others as you prepare for the Summit in March. (Click on the image for the full slate of selected responses.)
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.
From designer rain capes to handmade steel bikes, creative entrepreneurs are paving the way — even rolling out the red carpet — to get more women riding.
With a theme of Women Mean Business, we wanted to showcase as many of these female leaders as we could at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum. We put out a call for applications and were absolutely inspired by the diverse array of vendors who responded and delighted to announce the lineup for our Women Bike Pop-up Shop.
Reflective vest from Iva Jean
Not only will you walk away from the Forum with best practices, new contacts and a wealth of inspiration to empower women in your community. With the fashionable and functional items for sale, you’ll probably need a little extra room in your suitcase, too.
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.
Well, it’s “gold” as far as we are concerned over here at the League.
The Washington, D.C.-based bike commuter and blogger late last year dug up his great-grandfather’s League of American Wheelmen membership certificate, which was issued in 1895. McEntee found the century-old document, which bears the League’s former namesake, stashed away in his parent’s home amid family trees, funeral holy cards and cemetery plot deeds.
“Clearly, it was of some importance if my grandfather kept it for all of those years prior to leaving it to my own parents,” McEntee told us. “…I had no idea that my family biking history extended back to before the 20th century!”
McEntee (pictured) says he knows very little about his great-grandfather, John J. McEntee. When he received his League of American Wheelmen certification, he was living in Seaside, N.Y., in Queens. McEntee said his great-grandfather passed away when his grandfather was young, so his family isn’t sure what profession he held or how he became involved with the League. A guess? Perhaps “he was just swept up in its popularity at the time,” McEntee said.
And he’s right about the popularity of bicycling: By the turn of the century, the League had more than 100,000 members across the country. Some members at the time included the Wright brothers, John D. Rockefeller and Diamond Jim Brady. (Read more about the League’s history here.)
Ironically enough, McEntee said, biking has never been a major part of the family history.
“I learned to bike as a kid, but it was almost incidental amongst my childhood activities,” he said. “I grew up in a suburban bedroom community in Connecticut and spent more time being driven to soccer practice than riding around the neighborhood until I took up biking as an adult as a healthy, easy and cheap way to get to work.”
McEntee has been riding his bike to work for the last five years, including a stint in Denver, Colo., and he’s been bike commuting year-round for the past three.
“Prior to starting bike commuting, I hadn’t really ridden a bike since childhood,” he said.
His blog, Tales from the Sharrows, details the adventures of daily bicycle commuting. His Twitter feed, which boasts more than 1,000 followers and first tipped us off to the vintage League certificate, hits on issues related to biking in the nation’s capital.
McEntee has since framed his great-granfather’s certificate, an homage to his bicycling heritage.
“In many ways, I find it somehow fitting that the rediscovery of the certificate parallels my own redisovery of bicycling,” he said.
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.
You might be wondering: Do I qualify to become a Bicycle Friendly America local reviewer? How is my feedback integrated into the award and feedback process? How do I choose the most accurate award level recommendation?
We’ve got you covered!
Bicyclists and advocates, like you, play an important role in the Bicycle Friendly America program. It would be nearly impossible for program staff to visit each community, university or business that has applied for an award, so we rely on YOU for critical local perspective.
Already, more than 350 anonymous local bicycle experts and cyclists of all skill levels are reviewing BFA program applications. Their knowledgeable feedback not only influences the final award decision, but their detailed recommendations of needed improvements are also included in the final report provided to each applicant. Those reports are often used to inform future policy and funding decisions.
Interested in learning more?
The League is hosting a free webinar for potential and current local reviewers to discuss best practices, share tips and answer questions. Panelists will include:
Bill Nesper, Vice President, Programs
Nicole Wynands, Program Manager, Bicycle Friendly Community
A recording of the webinar will be available on the League blog and on the local reviewer sign up page shortly after.
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.
As you’re making your plans to attend the National Women’s Bicycling Forum, plan your travel to arrive on Sunday so you can join us for a ride and party celebrating local efforts to get more women biking.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. on we’ll stretch our legs and meet new friends with a laid-back social ride led by Black Women Bike. Then, at 8:30 p.m., we’ll help launch the WABA Women & Bicycles campaign in style with a party at Busboys and Poets, featuring special guest Elly Blue and plenty of time for networking.
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
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?
Whether it’s serving on the board of a local advocacy organization or sitting on the city’s bicycle advisory committee, women often face an extra hurdle to participation: Who will take care of the kids while I’m gone?
Bringing businesses aboard the bike advocacy boat can be an unsteady maneuver.
Yesterday, we asked League members and supporters to 
The highlight of my trip to Interbike this year didn’t happen on the trade show floor. Several flights below the sales pitches and shiny new bikes, at the OIWC awards reception, Pat Cunnane, president of Advanced Sports International, shared a call to action to 
I couldn’t help but smile as Jason Roberts described the scene.
Adonia Lugo’s resume is a veritable list of the most ground-breaking campaigns to bridge bicycling and social justice. As a co-founder of the City of Lights initiative (now 
It’s all the buzz for bicyclists here in the capital region: The state of Maryland could be the first to pass a law 
When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood 
How long have you and Marianna known each other? Is this your first business venture?
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