The League was beyond excited that Streetfilms attended the 10th annual National Bike Summit and documented from an advocates viewpoint what it is like to participate in an event that seems larger than us all – the bicycle movement. Watch “Voices from the National Bike Summit” below, get inspired, and we’ll see you next year at the 11th annual National Bike Summit.
The 10th National Bike Summit ended last Thursday, March 11th, with a momentous Congressional Reception, inspiring bike advocates from around the country – and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood – to bring the American bicycle movement to the next level! The 2010 Bike Summit was a paramount event for countless reasons but there are 10 clear highlights.
Drum roll please…
10. Rewards for A Decade of Service – The Summit really wouldn’t be what it is today without the ongoing support of three people we recognized for their decade of commitment to the event: Congressmen Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have spoken at all ten Summits, offering words of wisdom and inspiration; always challenging us to aim higher. Their staff provide invaluable logistical help and strategic guidance as we navigate the halls of power. The third award was to Bikes Belong, the title sponsor of all ten – a serious financial commitment which they exceed every year by also drumming up attendees. Thank You!
Just before the Summit kicked off, at the League’s annual meeting, we also recognized more than a decade of service by outgoing Chair of the League Board, Amanda Eichstaedt. She received the Paul Dudley White award for her contribution to bicycling over the years, including service on the League board and as Chair of the board for the past three years.
9. The League’s six asks for the Congressional Lobby Day (starting on page 14 of the agenda) were well received by our nation’s Senators and Congressmen. H.R. 4722, the Active Community Transportation of Act of 2010, had nine additional bill co-sponsors as a result of our meetings on Capitol Hill.
8. Bike/Ped Eligibility for Transit Funds Increased – Speaking at the opening plenary of the Summit, Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff confirmed that the eligibility of FTA funds for bicycling and walking projects has been extended. Following a Federal Register notice last year, FTA has agreed that bicycling projects that increase access and service to transit facilities are eligible for FTA funding provided they are within a three-mile radius of a transit station (one mile for walking). Eligibility doesn’t guarantee any more funding for bike/transit projects, but certainly removes a major hurdle that has prevented it in the past.
3. Google announced at the Opening Plenary Session at the National Bike Summit an addition to their suite of online directions - Google Maps biking directions! “This new tool will open people’s eyes to the possibility and practicality of hopping on a bike and riding,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists.
2. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood energized and thanked the crowd at the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit on March 11, 2010 declaring, “You have a full partner in Ray LaHood.” Today, March 15, LaHood issued his new Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations. LaHood then made the most substantial statement the DOT has ever made about bicycling and announced, a ” sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”
And finally, the number one reason the 10th Annual Bike Summit Rocked…
1. You! More than 725 bicycle advocates, educators, enthusiasts, and industry leaders attended the 10th Annual National Bike Summit and had more than 425 scheduled meetings on Capitol Hill! That is approximately 600 more Bike Summit attendees than we had 10 years ago!
To recap, the National Bike Summit was a great success, and the League is confident in the progress we will make in the year to come in conjunction with the Bike Summit! The League thanks all of our sponsors, advocates, supporters and industry leaders who turned out in record numbers to support the cause we all know will make America a healthier, better place to live – bicycling.
The League of American Bicyclists was more than thrilled to have Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood join us at the Congressional Bike Reception on the third day of the National Bike Summit on March 11, 2010. We were even more excited with his support of bicycling as a vital part of America’s transportation system. LaHood blogged, “Bicycles are a critical part of a cleaner, greener future in American transportation, so keep those wheels spinning.” Below is a clip of LaHood’s blog Fast Lane, recapping his Bike Summit experience. Read LaHood’s whole post here.
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of addressing the National Bike Summit. I was invited to speak as a member of the Obama administration, but I have been a supporter of bicycling for many years and was a member of the Congressional Bike Caucus when I was in Congress.
Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) graciously pedaled a League of American Bicyclists’ pedicab, sponsored by Planet Bike, on March 11th for the National Bike Summit Lobby Day. He took attendees and anyone else who needed a lift around the Capitol area for the afternoon. Checkout footage, courtesy of Politco magazine, below. Thank you Rep. Petri! We hope you had a great day riding bikes!
The Advocacy Advance Team, a partnership between the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking, has released a new report, Distracted Driving: a Bicycling Advocate’s Resource. It describes the current research into the dangers of distracted driving, says which states have texting and cellphone bans and makes recommendation for good legislation. This information is summarized in a two-pageDistracted Driving fact sheet. The full Distracted Driving report also provides advice on making the case for laws, shows evidence that the laws are needed and enforceable, and tells stories of successful campaigns.
National Bike Summit attendees can see Wednesday’s 11:15 am panel session “Traffic Justice – Don’t Be Driven to Distracted Driving,” featuring speakers from NHTSA, AAA, the New York State Police, and Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance. (I will be moderating — if you are a regular reader, come say hello.) See the Summit program.
The back of a bus suggests that drivers send a text message to Jetta dealership. It also throws in its own (smaller) safety messages.
Dapper dandies and elegance over exertion, indeed. Kansas City’s first-ever Tweed Ride will take place on April 3, 2010. In the spirit of “The Golden Age of Bicycles” the Groody Bros. Bicycle Restoration Project is organizing this inaugural Kansas City event. We worked a bit with Bill Poindexter to support the event and now we’re excited to see it take over Kansas City for the day!
Riders will be dressed in their finest turn of the century era wools, tweeds, silks and argyles. Riders will also have the opportunity to be judged and awarded prizes based on appearance, authenticity, originality, and creativity.
Tweed rides have been organized around the world and in cities across the nation since the early 1900’s. Check out Washington DC’s inaugural Tweed Ride on November 15, 2009.
Salary: Negotiable, dependent on qualifications and experience
Date: February 16, 2010
Reports to: Executive Director
The League of American Bicyclists is hiring a membership manager. This is a hands-on job in a small organization that requires great attention to detail, a strong emphasis on customer service; and a love of bicycling. The job includes: prospect-to-member research, new and renewal member engagement, managing membership categories, implementation of campaigns and other various responsibilities that work to support the goals and objectives of League’s membership. We are at the beginning of an exciting (and long-awaited!) database transition, and this person would work closely with the transition team. The manager supervises a membership assistant. We are seeking a person with 2-5 years experience in membership, a college degree and the creativity to build an effective and engaged membership for the future. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. We offer competitive benefits, a fun working environment, and the opportunity to work for a cause in which you believe. Apply to Elizabeth Kiker at elizabeth@bikeleague.org or fax your resume to 202-822-1334.
$30 million would establish a federal transit safety oversight program
$ 1 billion a year for high speed rail funding
Commits to develop long term solutions to financing and performance
Administration seeks to integrate economic analysis and performance measurement in transportation planning to ensure tax dollars better targeted and spent.
Needs a program that “increases options, promotes s sustainable environment, and makes our economy more productive.”
States funding transportation with gas tax is unsustainable. Does not suggest alternative.
View the Department of Transportation Funding Highlights here.
The 2010 National Bike Summit kicks off in Washington, DC on March 9-11, 2010. So why should YOU be there?
We can think of a few good reasons: Do you care about having transportation choices? Do you want more bike lanes in your neighborhood? Are you a parent who wishes your kid could ride to school? Do you want to get out of your car and have a viable alternative for your commute? Or do you dream of a more livable community?
If these didn’t get you, consider that the Summit is an opportunity for advocates, industry suppliers and dealers, transportation planners, government officials, and bicycling enthusiasts to come together and make our voices heard on Capitol Hill. In the ten years that we’ve been advocating for cycling on Capitol Hill, bicycling has come a long way. The number of people riding is growing in almost every community in the US, and the time to talk to your representatives in Congress about what you’d like to see happen in your community is now. Come celebrate ten years of progress and register for the Summit now.
Don’t miss our Early Bird Deadline – Thursday,February 4, 2010 – to receive $100 off your registration!
Ever want to know how your city and state stack up compared to others in levels of bicycling and walking? Or which state has the lowest rate of bicycle and pedestrian fatalities? Or how your state’s laws treat bicyclists compared to others? If so, you don’t want to miss Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2010 Benchmarking Reportfrom the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking (formerly Thunderhead Alliance). There’s a ton of useful information here for state and local advocates, researchers, and numbers-oriented cyclists. It is an ambitious project – gathering existing data on bicycling and walking – and adding original survey data. It is also a beautiful product. The PDF download is free, but get your hands on a hardcopy if you can.
The Benchmarking report provides information on programs and statistics for the 50 states, as such it is good companion to the League’s state ranking – see the Bicycle Friendly State Rankings by category. It also includes some graphs that illustrate some key correlations.
Let’s start with the obvious. The share of bicycling and walking to work in a state is strongly correlated with the share of the adult population that gets at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. The percent of people that walk and bike to work is still small compared to the populations that meet these minimums, so rather than concluding causation, it appears that the factors that impact bicycling levels – policies, infrastructure, land use, culture – also impact overall physical activity. The commuters who are walking and biking to work probably help the physical activity numbers as well.
Speaking of land use, on average, cities with higher densities have higher levels of bicycling and walking. New Orleans is a notable outlier on the right side of the graph with a high bike/walk mode share and (currently) low density. You could spend a day thinking about the individual cases, but the overall pattern holds up well statistically (r=0.67).
Now it is excuse-busting time. Notice that when I listed the factors that influence bicycling and walking levels above, I didn’t mention weather. That’s because weather doesn’t appear to matter as much as people would often like to believe. You may already know that the hardy folks in Canada bicycle more than those of in the county immediately to their south. The Benchmarking researchers compared bicycling levels to average summer and winter temperatures and didn’t find any statistically significant results. Alaska, for example, posts a significantly higher bicycling mode share than states like Arkansas, North Carolina, Delaware, and Missouri. Cold states such as Minnesota, Idaho, Montana and Maine also manage relatively high mode shares.
Finally, the report includes another safety in numbers-style graph. Often you see these graphs for one city with an increasing bicycling rate and decreasing crash rate over time, or they will compare European cities. This graph presents a cross-sectional look at the fifty U.S. states and fatalities per 10,000 cyclists. Again, you can see that, on average, states with higher rates of cycling have lower fatality rates.
These are just a few examples of the topics covered in the report. I’ve been thinking of the proper analogy to describe the benchmarking report. The Farmer’s Almanac comes to mind. But a book of baseball statistics may be a better analogy. If you were to start a bike-friendly fantasy league, like the baseball and football fantasy leagues out there, this would be your go-to resource. Consider it, you and your friends draft cities that you think will most improve on their bike-to-work mode share in the next year. Is Portland, Ore. going to continue its growth? Is Nashville, Tenn. set to have a breakout year? The Benchmarking report offers a complete look at the state of bicycling in each of the United States and could hold that statistical nugget that will lead your fantasy bicycle-friendly community team to victory. But I digress…Be one of the hundreds who have downloaded the full Benchmarking Report.
Thank you to Kristen Steele of the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking for the Jpegs.
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