According to the US Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (ACS), released today, 0.55% of American workers use a bicycle as the primary means of getting to work. This is up 14 percent since 2007, 36 percent from the first ACS in 2005, and 43 percent since the 2000 Census. See the League of American Bicyclists’ analysis of the numbers for the 70 largest US cities and the 50 states. You can look up this information for hundreds of communities and all of the states using the American Fact Finder.

Percent of Americans who bike to work
2000 Census: 0.38%
2005: 0.40%
2006: 0.45%
2007: 0.48%
2008: 0.55%

Percent Change
2000 to 2008: 43.40%
2005 to 2008: 35.80%
2007 to 2008: 14.30%

NOTES: The ACS numbers are estimated by the Census bureau based on samples taken year-round. The numbers in the tables above are rounded, if you calculate the percentages based on the rounded numbers, you’ll get different values than are presented in the second table.

~Darren Flusche, League Policy Analyst

I’ve spent a lot of time in Portland, visited Boulder, ridden the cycle-tracks of NYC, regularly use the bike sharing system here in D.C. and I am anxiously awaiting the opening of our new BikeStation - I’ve seen a lot of what is considered forward-thinking, best practice infrastructure and programs in the U.S. that we tout in our Bicycle Friendly Community program.

photo: Jeff Peel

And then I went to Copenhagen.

I had heard the Head of Copenhagen Cycle Program Andreas Rohl at our National Bike Summit talking about the high levels of bicycling in Copenhagen and the widely held view that everyday cycling is perfectly normal, not a political statement or a daring act. Like everyone else, I thought, “Wow, that’s cool. That’s what we need to be shooting for.” But it was truly an eye-opening experience to see in person how bike-friendly a place can be. A place where bicycling is as normal of an activity in daily life as using a vacuum cleaner. As a bicycle culture consultant and leader of the Slow Bike/Cycle Chic movement, Mikael Colville-Anderson puts it, “We all have one. We all know how to use them. But we don’t have a fetish about them or think about them every day.” And that is exactly what I experienced. From ages 8 to 80 – everyone rode. Drivers respected cyclists’ space, as they are likely cyclists themselves! No special outfits, gear or fancy equipment was needed – though wasn’t shunned when used. After a few days I settled in and stopped thinking about it. In Copenhagen bicycling is the most convenient, quickest way to get around, nothing more.

In addition to mocking my inability to convert miles to kilometers and Fahrenheit to Celsius, Mikael was gracious enough to share his thoughts on world bicycling culture, normalizing the use of the bicycle, how far Copenhagen has come (they haven’t always been so bike-friendly) and even how far they need to go to grow beyond the 36% of the population who commute by bike. For those of you who live in the D.C. Metro area you can hear his thoughts September 30th along with League President Andy Clarke at Forum: Cycle Chic–Bike Culture and Policies in Denmark.

photo: Jeff Peel

I do think we have some wonderful examples here at home, and communities throughout the U.S. are moving in the right direction. The growth in League recognized Bicycle Friendly Communities is evidence. Learning from cities like Copenhagen helps us see what is possible, and how far we still have to go to reach our goal.

~Jeff Peel, Program Specialist, Bicycle Friendly Communities

Senator Coburn’s (R-OK) efforts to attack transportation enhancements failed. Yesterday he introduced two amendments to the FY10 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill that would strike funding for transportation enhancements: S. Amendment 2370 which prohibited funding for transportation enhancements if the Highway Trust Fund does not contain amounts sufficient to cover unfunded highway authorizations and S. Amendment 2371 which would not allow states to spend their 10 percent of their surface transportation funding on transportation enhancements.

The League and several bike/ped advocacy organizations asked members to call their senators in opposition of these amendments – and your help worked! S. Amendment 2370 was withdrawn, and S. Amendment 2371 lost 39-59!!! You can see how your Senators voted here.

Thank you for all of the phone calls and emails to your senators!

Transportation Enhancements are the largest federal source of bicycle and pedestrian funding and they are under attack.

We need your help – TODAY!

Senator Coburn (R-OK) is offering two amendments to the FY10 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill that will strike funding for transportation enhancements.  The two amendments are S. Amendment 2370 and S. Amendment 2371. Find out what transportation enhancement projects are in your state here.

The Transportation Enhancement program has provided between one half and three-quarters of all Federal funding invested in bicycling and walking improvements in the last 20 years. More than $250 million is at stake in fiscal year 2010 – if Coburn’s amendment is successful it will affect hundreds of trail projects, sidewalks, bicyclist education programs, bike rack on bus programs, and roadway improvements for bicyclists.

S. Amendment 2370 prohibits funding for transportation enhancements if the Highway Trust Fund does not contain amounts sufficient to cover unfunded highway authorizations.

S. Amendment 2371 allows states to opt out of the 10 percent set aside rule that require states to spend at least 10 percent of their surface transportation funding on transportation enhancements.

We expect the amendments to be offered and voted on during Senate floor debate tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16.

Please call your Senator immediately and urge them to vote NO on S. Amendment 2370 and S. Amendment 2371 to the FY10 transportation appropriations bill.

The New York Times reports on the trend of fashion companies marketing bicycles and bike gear. Bikes are showing up on runways and in high-end shop window displays. Designers are incorporating bikes and bike style into their looks. According to the article, “purists worry that their beloved rides are becoming showy status symbols.” One bicycling journalist was quoted as saying, “If you unleash a herd of teetering, wobbly fashionistas into city streets without any real knowledge of how to ride a bike in traffic, accidents can (and likely will) happen.”

If there are enough of these high-end cyclists wobbling around city streets for the average cyclists to notice, then the retailers truly have been doing their job well. Just like any other new cyclists, these high-fashion riders will take a few laps around the block before they’re totally comfortable. In the meantime, the League’s bike education courses are available to everyone.

But given the trepidation many still feel about riding on city streets, it says a lot about people’s perceptions about bicycling safety that this conversation about flooding the streets with fashionistas is even taking place. The article credits New York City’s installation of 120 miles of bike lanes with making the city’s riders feel more comfortable. As the Times article puts it, “’LVMH [the company that owns Louis Vuitton, Fendi and DKNY]wouldn’t make a $9,000 bike if you couldn’t actually ride down Eighth Avenue in your Zegna suit or Chanel dress and make it to work in one piece,’ Philippe von Borries, a founder of Refinery29, the fashion Web site, wrote by e-mail.”

The more cyclists, the better. Building an inclusive movement means sharing the spotlight, and the road, with all types of riders. If someone wants to turn what we love to do into a status symbol, they should feel free.

~Darren Flusche, League Policy Analyst

If you thought getting Federal funding for your bike project or program was difficult…wait til you see how complicated it is to give Washington back money that hasn’t been spent! Yes, the Federal government has issued another call for rescissions – the mechanism by which unspent or unobligated transportation funds are sent back to Washington to help fund future rounds of transportation expenditures. This time, the Feds are asking for $8.7 billion, and at first blush it looks as if State Departments of Transportation have relatively little flexibility as to which funds they have to send back to Washington. The memo is an incredible testament to the ways in which a relatively simple concept can be made convoluted and impenetrable, so it was a huge relief to see that there’s a handy table in the memo from the Federal Highway Administration to the states that says how much money they should be sending back from each particular program.

However, as we were discussing the details and implications of the rescission with our colleagues at America Bikes and the Alliance for Biking and Walking, we eventually found the catch and the reason why we needed the Alliance to get the word out to their member groups ASAP. It turns out that the amounts shown in the table are shown irrespective of whether or not those funds have already been spent on a particular program. If a state has indeed obligated or spent all its funds in one program area, it has to make up the amount that needs to be rescinded from other programs where they still have a balance of unspent funds. Lo and behold, even after years of exhorting states to spend their transportation enhancement and congestion mitigation funds up to the maximum allowed, many have dragged their feet and it those funds – the funds most likely to ever be used for bike projects – that are now potentially going to make up the shortfall in funds that have to be sent back to the US Treasury!

Check the League’s advocacy page, and stay in touch through the America Bikes and Alliance websites. This is an issue that won’t go away, and isn’t going to get any simpler as time goes by.

~Andy Clarke, League President

Coming on the heels of the national Safe Routes to Schools Conference, the Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership is collecting letters to Congress from supporters expressing in personal terms why it is important for children to be able to walk and bicycle to school. They will bundle the letters and send them to Congress.

To show your support for Safe Routes to Schools, follow the instructions below and go to the National Partnership’s Dear Congress Campaign page for more information.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today, on NPR’s Morning Addition, Ari Shapiro’s bike was among the first to roll into the new bike shelter located at Union Station.  Not only will the shelter provide a safe facility for commuters to store their bikes, it will serve as a very visible symbol of the changing approach to transportation planning in Washington, D.C.  For commuters arriving at Union Station via MARC, VRE or AMTRAK, the final leg of their commute is usually on the Metro or bus.  Soon commuters will be able to purchase a yearly $100 membership or pay a daily fee of $1 to keep their bicycle in a safe, reliable bike shelter, adding some much needed connectivity to D.C.’s transportation system. (photo credit: The City Fix)

On a personal note, the opening of the bike station will greatly improve my daily venture into D.C. as I am a regular commuter on the MARC train and have found the lack of bike transportation options for commuters arriving in Union Station to be quite frustrating. Because commuters are not permitted to bring their bikes on the train, leaving your bike locked at the bike racks out front is the only other option.  However, this is hardly a viable option, as is evidenced by the teams of wheeless and seatless bikes that stand embarrassed and dejected.  The opening of the Union Station bike shelter provides a safe place for commuters to store their bikes, thus diversifying commuting options, relieving stress on the Metro and ultimately creating a healthier place to live and work.

Also, today’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an article on a bike parking ordinance that was approved by the planning commission last night.

~Anna Kelso, League Policy Analyst

Google is asking for suggestions to improve their Maps feature. One of the things you can suggest with the click of  a button  is “bike trail information and biking directions.” It is very easy.

Go to http://maps.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=suggestions.cs, scroll down to Route Information and click “Suggest it” next to “Add bike trail information and biking directions.”

Oregon, California, and Colorado often come to mind when people dream of bicycling through scenic vistas or experiencing the best mountain biking in the world, but Delaware is a state that rarely comes up. While their tourism board isn’t out selling themselves as a cycling hotbed, the state government is quietly making Delaware a great place to ride.

Having hosted the first annual Delaware Bike Summit and passed statewide Complete Streets legislation this year, the League has taken notice. Not only did Delaware jump to 9th in our annual state rankings, but the state earned an Honorable Mention in our Bicycle Friendly State awards. With all that is going on there, the League staff has acknowledged their accomplishments. However, we were still surprised to see this:

On Wednesday, Kusner’s typically uneventful ride took a VIP turn as she was joined by Gov. Jack Markell; Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del.; and about a dozen AstraZeneca and state workers. The politicians and colleagues turned out to encourage more Delawareans to give bicycle commuting a try.

Credit: The News Journal/FRED COMEGYS

We have to admit, the dog days of August seem an unusual time to encourage folks to get out their air-conditioned cars and try bike commuting for the first time, but we are excited by Governor Markell’s enthusiasm! The DelawareOnline.com article went on to add:

“Getting more people on two wheels would be a good way to eat away at some of our biggest problems, according to Markell, an avid cyclist. “It’s part of a bigger solution to two issues,” he said. “One is transportation — traffic, reducing congestion, reducing pollution. But it’s also part of the solution in terms of becoming a more fit society.”

Kudos to Governor Markell and the progress his state has been making. The League will continue to work with advocates, cyclists, Delaware DOT and legislators through our Bicycle Friendly State program to make Delaware a more bike-friendly place.