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.

Washington DC's Tweed ride

~Lisa Reitz
League Membership and Events

Title: Membership Director

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.

~Meghan Cahill
League Director of Communications

• Transportation gets slight increase in spending
• $527 million for livability partnership (with HUD giving $150 million and EPA contributing $10 million)
  • for capacity building and transportation projects
  • “local quality of life is a universal challenge”
• $4 Billion dollar infrastructure bank (New York Times Energy and Environment)
• $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 full USDOT Budget can be viewed at www.dot.gov/budget/2010/2011budgethighlights.pdf.

Visit the Federal Budget Fact Sheet and the Federal Budget Department of Transportation Fact Sheet for further information.

~Meghan Cahill
League Director of Communications

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!

~Lisa Reitz
League Membership and Events

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.

~Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)
The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds infrastructure projects aimed at reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries. Bicycle and pedestrian projects are eligible for funding, but HSIP has been largely overlooked for these projects. In 2008, 18 states spent less than half of their HSIP funds so there is lots of money that can be utilized! Read the report for a complete table of HSIP spending, bike/ped project examples, and tips for accessing HSIP funds.

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Plan (CMAQ)
CMAQ funds transportation projects that improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion in areas that do not meet air quality standards. In 2009, 24 states did not spend their CMAQ funds on bicycle and pedestrian projects. However, states that funded bike/ped spent an average of 12 percent of their CMAQ funds on them. Read the whole CMAQ report. If you have stories of successful efforts to reform the CMAQ funding criteria in a state or MPO to make it more bike and pedestrian friendly, please email Darren Flusche at darren (at) bikeleague.org.

Also from the Advocacy Advance Team:

Economic Impacts of Bicycling Investments

http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/reports/report_economics.php

American Community Survey Bicycle Commuter Trends

http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/reports/acs_commuter_trends.php

~Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Additionally, the American Community Survey (ACS) recently released their 2008 report, which includes community bicycle mode share percentages from 2000 to 2008. We crunched the numbers and found that BFCs had higher levels of bicycle commuting than cities not participating in the program. The average BFC bicycle commuter share is 1.5 percent, 2.5 times the national average. St. Louis, MO, for example, is one of the 70 largest cities surveyed in the ACS and a new bronze level BFC. The community nearly doubled their number of bicycle commuters from 2000 to 2008. The city has completed several noteworthy projects within the past year, including 53 new miles of on-street additions to the bikeway system, a $10 million investment, and an expansion of bicycling education offerings for children and adults. This shows that like cities across the country, making smart investments in building a welcoming community for biking that will inevitably lead to more, healthier and sustainable transportation options and increased recreational opportunities.

We’ve seen the BFC program revolutionize the way states and communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress and work toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. The application process to become a BFC is rigorous (though staff is on hand to assist!); currently only 124 of the 318 total applicants have a BFC four-year designation. The renewal process and four levels of the award – platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve.

Interested in learning more about how your community stacks up? Take a minute and rate it with our new quick scorecard, or get in touch with Bicycle Friendly Community program staff at info@bicyclefriendlycommmunity.org or 202.822.1333.

2009 Fall Bicycle Friendly Community Winners
(Bronze award unless otherwise noted)
Breckenridge, CO (Silver)
Anchorage, AK
Baton Rouge, LA
Calistoga, CA
Grand Rapids, MI
Greensboro, NC
Greenville, SC
Indianapolis & Marion County, IN
Iowa City, IA
North Little Rock, AR
Riverside, CA
Sioux Falls, SD
Sonoma, CA
St. Louis, MO
Tallahassee, FL
Boca Raton, FL (Renewal)
Chandler, AZ (Renewal)
Eugene, OR (Renewal, Gold)

2009 Honorable Mentions
Annapolis, MD; Baltimore, MD; Cedar Rapids, IA; Charleston, SC; Cumberland, MD; Emerald Isle, NC
Gresham, OR; Hamilton County, OH; Jacksonville, FL; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; Norman, OK
Palm Desert, CA; Portland, ME; Rockville, MD; Sumter County, SC; Warrenville, IL

~Jeff Peel
League BFA Program Specialist

CMAQ funded 80 percent of the $1.35 million McDonald’s Cycle Center in Chicago’s Millennium Park.

When it comes to finding federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects, many people have heard about the Transportation Enhancements program, by far the largest, which provided 64 percent of the federal funding to bike and pedestrian projects between 1992 and 2008. However, a number of other federal funding programs for which bicycle and pedestrian projects are eligible are not as well known. As part of the Advocacy Advance partnership with the Alliance for Bicycle and Walking, the League has prepared a series of reports to inform advocates of these programs and provide guidance on getting bicycle and pedestrian projects funded.

The first report in this series is on the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program. CMAQ funds bicycle and pedestrian projects that replace car trips with biking and walking trips. The federal government covers 80 percent of most projects, with a 20 percent local contribution. For states that have areas (usually cities) that have not met air quality standards, CMAQ funds must be spend in those areas.

Advocates should know about CMAQ because bicycle and pedestrian projects are explicitly eligible and commonly funded. Thirteen percent of projects and 5 percent of total funding from CMAQ goes to bicycle and pedestrian projects. CMAQ funds have been used on a wide variety of capital projects including bicycle paths and lanes, racks and lockers, and for marketing materials and operating costs for bicycle sharing projects. The report includes about 20 examples of CMAQ-funded bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Read the whole CMAQ report.

~Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Press release from America Bikes:

Washington, DC (10/22/2009) –

Federal spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects totaled nearly $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2009, according to an estimate released this week by the FHWA. This unprecedented investment—more than double that of FY 2008—comes at a time when bicycle commuting is growing swiftly nationwide. New U.S. Census Bureau figures peg this growth at 43 percent since 2000, and 14 percent since 2007.

America Bikes, a coalition of eight national non-profit organizations, has analyzed this new data and issued comments, as the group intensifies its efforts to make sure the next federal transportation bill properly supports bicycling facilities and programs.

America Bikes notes that bicycle and pedestrian project funding grew in part because of new money provided by the ARRA, which contributed $405 million to job-rich, green infrastructure projects such as building and improving sidewalks, curb ramps, bike lanes and multi-use trails. Independent of this stimulus funding, more than $780 million was invested in bike/ped efforts—an increase of 45 percent on FY 2008.

“State and local agencies are increasingly realizing that investing in improved conditions for bicycling and walking is good for their local economies, the environment, and for the overall quality of life,” said Andy Clarke, America Bikes board member and President of the League of American Bicyclists. “Broad-based support for bicycling has never been stronger—from the Administration, Congress, community and business leaders, health-care professionals, and individual citizens.”

Good News, But…

While America Bikes welcomes the increasing federal investment and growing participation in bicycling and walking, the Coalition cites ongoing concerns:

1. Last fall, America Bikes identified nearly $3.8 billion in cost-effective “shovel-ready” bike-ped projects nationwide, but less than 20 percent of them have since been funded.

2. While 71 percent of Americans say they want to bike more, some state Departments of Transportation aren’t getting the message and aren’t spending available bike project money. The proof: State DOTs this year returned to the federal government more than TWICE the required sum of Transportation Enhancement fund rescissions. (Transportation Enhancements rank as the single largest category of federal funding for bike and pedestrian improvements.)

3. America Bikes continues to be concerned about the lack of federal investment in making bicycling and walking safer. While cyclists and pedestrians account for 13 percent of annual U.S. traffic fatalities, less than one half of one percent of federal Highway Safety Improvement Program funding is spent on bicycle and pedestrian projects.

4. During fiscal year 2009, about two percent of federal transportation funds were spent on bicycling and walking—a figure that continues to fall far short of the 10 percent of U.S. trips that are currently made on foot or by bike. America Bikes believes that additional investments in bicycling and walking will make these activities safer, more convenient, and more popular, and will help our nation reduce obesity, road congestion, air pollution and dependence on imported fuel.

Randy Neufeld, President of America Bikes, said, “The increased federal spending this year is a great first step, but it’s still a fraction of the investment that is appropriate given the increase in use and utility of bicycling. Most Americans support increased spending on bicycle lanes and paths.”

America Bikes is a coalition of leaders from the bicycling community advocating for positive outcomes for bicycling in the federal transportation bill. America Bikes Coalition members include: Adventure Cycling Association, Alliance for Biking and Walking, Bikes Belong, International Mountain Bicycling Association, League of American Bicyclists, National Center for Bicycling and Walking and the Rails to Trails Conservancy.

Contact:

Caron Whitaker, America Bikes
202-215-3908
caron@americabikes.org

~Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

You can follow the proceedings on the Secretary’s bog Welcome to the Fast Lane and here for video. UPDATE: StreetsBlog DC reports that President Obama has signed an executive order prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving a government vehicle — or from texting on a government-provided device while driving any vehicle.

Chanda Causer of the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking asked Alliance Leaders what solutions they’d like to see advanced at the summit.

Dave Snyder, a San Francisco bike/ped advocate, recommends requiring the installation of a black box vehicle data recorder that would be accessible by law enforcement in the event of a crash and would help crash investigators know whether or not the driver applied the brakes at a reasonable time, was talking on the phone, listening to the radio, using their turn signal, etc. It wouldn’t require enforcement but it would be effective, as it would place responsibility appropriately.

Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives in New York City offers a complete analysis in the Executive Order report, which recommends 20 measures covering enforcement, adjudication, transparency, investigation and prosecution all aimed at changing driver behavior to improve safety.

Dan Persky of the Active Transportation Alliance in Chicago says their top priority on distracted driving is to stop use of electronic devices by transit operators. Illinois State Rep John D’Amico will be speaking at today’s Distracted Driving Summit, pushing this idea. They are also pushing the need for social marketing like Click It or Ticket for distracted driving. They call the campaign Drive with Care.

Kevin Cronin reports that ClevelandBikes was a part of a coalition that successfully advocated for a no text and drive law, which is not yet in force. The sponsor, Cleveland, Ohio Councilman Zachary Reed is also attending the Summit, representing the League of Cities. ClevlandBikes would go further, including hand-held and hands-free phoning as compounding the risk for cyclists, who are already vulnerable road users.

~Darren Flusche, League Policy Analyst