Thanks to the Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA), over 2,000 bike riders were allowed to enjoy the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and all its crowded festivities while they knew their bikes were being watched in one of WABA's free Bike Valet parking lots. WABA provided two convenient bike valet stations in downtown D.C. that were manned by its staff and volunteers.

Those who braved the cold and biked to the Inauguration came from all over, not just downtown D.C. Many used the area's many bike trails and came from all over Virginia and Maryland. Cyclists who used the Bike Valet enjoyed the freedom of having their bikes secured for free but mostly were relieved to not have to endure the jam-packed Metrorail system. People took 973,285 Metro trips as of 7 p.m., and preliminary figures indicate that 1.1 million trips were taken by Metro's close.

Click here to see WABA's photos of the Bike Valet stations.

 

A new program designed to allow National Park Service (NPS) employees to use bicycles instead of government vehicles was launched on January 6, 2009. The program offers NPS staff an alternative to driving and will help reduce auto emissions. Approximately 300 employees will be able to take advantage of the new, one-year demonstration program. Participating staff will need to complete a training module focused on safe bicycling before using the bikes. Three NPS locations will participate in the bike share - National Capital Region headquarters (1100 Ohio Drive, SW), National Mall & Memorial Parks' headquarters (900 Ohio Drive, SW) and National Capital Parks-East headquarters (1900 Anacostia Drive, SE). Click here to read more.

Denver, Colorado Mayor John Hickenlooper announced on January 14, 2009 plans for a citywide bike sharing program - Denver B-Cycle - that will make 500 bikes available to the public at 30 to 40 stations throughout the city beginning this summer. Denver will be one of the first cities nationwide to launch a comprehensive, bike sharing program, which will be funded initially with a $1 million donation from the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee.
Click here to read more.

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is working with legislators to craft eight updates to the Iowa Code to better protect bicyclists. The Coalition is calling on Iowa's cyclists to join them at their state capitol on January 22, 2009. Click here to register. For information and directions, please call Janelle at 319-330-0916.

If you can't make it,  you can still help. Email, call or write your State Legislators asking them to support the Bicyclists' Bill of Rights legislation. You can copy and paste the below eight code changes into your email. You can find out the names and addresses for your legislators here.

1 . Five Foot Passing Law
2. Safe Following Distance
3. Bikes Use Full Lane when the lane is too narrow to share.
4. Stop Honking Requirement
5. Right Hand Signal
6. Cross Walk Protection
7. End Mandatory Sidepath Laws
8. Parked Car Door Zone Protection

The Massachusetts Bicyclist Safety Bill is law after 8 years and 4 legislative sessions. MassBike played a central role throughout the history of the bill, from drafting the language, to lobbying for its passage, to the successful 2006 effort that ended in a veto, and now to a law. Among the many changes the new law makes, it adds police training on bicycle law and dangerous behavior by bicyclists and motorists. Click here to read full text of the law.

Tour d'Afrique is currently  hosting its first ever "Tales from the Saddle" essay contest. They have invited the cycling community to contribute their best cycling stories - inspiring, sad, happy, adventurous, etc. - and then will open it up to the community to review the submissions and vote for the most interesting ones. The author of the winning story will get a free trip with Tour d'Afrique as a prize. Additionally, the winning essay will be published in an issue of American Bicyclist and publicized on tourdafrique.com and in their promotional materials.

Click here to learn more about the contest.

Jet Blue has announced that they have officially changed their bicycle policy. If bicycles and their containers are less than 62 dimensional inches and under 50 lbs., the bike fee will not be assessed.

Click here to read Jet Blue's bike policy. Click here to thank Jet Blue.

A recent Consumer Reports survey reveals risky behavior and the chances Americans take. For example, 58 percent of American cyclists never wear a bicycle helmet and 27 percent of Americans never wear sunscreen. The results are revealing because these behaviors can cause real harm, according to safety experts at Consumer Reports and elsewhere. 92 percent of bicyclists killed in 2007 reportedly weren't wearing a helmet, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which notes that helmet use has been estimated to reduce risk of head injury by 85 percent.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1 million new cases of basal and squamous cell cancers were expected to be diagnosed in 2008. The poll revealed one good piece of news: 87 percent of drivers never read or sent text messages while behind the wheel.

The Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) industry is organizing a global trade association to develop technical standards for LEVS and promote use of LEVs worldwide. All component suppliers, manufacturers, assemblers, wholesalers, retailers and interested individuals are invited to join. The group's first organizational meeting will be held in Shanghai the day before the China Cycle Show opens its doors on May 3, 2009. Those unable to attend will be able to vote on-line to approve all sections of the 2009-2010 organizational plans.For more information or to join, visit levassociation.com or contact Sid Kurpochack, Executive Director.

The League Mission: To promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America.