National News
League Unveils Updated Commuter Curriculum
League Unveils New Commuter Curriculum Looking for the perfect resource for the new or returning bicycle commuter? We have updated our essential commuter curriculum so that our 1,200 League Cycling Instructors have a current way to teach the three-hour course on commuting to work by bicycle. Sign up for a class in your area today!
Take a College Pledge: No Car!
Excerpted from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal
To save parking spots and go green, Ripon College, a 1,000-student school in Ripon, Wis. offered incoming freshmen a brand-new Trek 820 mountain bike, a Trek Vapor helmet and a Master Lock U-Lock -- all to keep -- if they pledged to leave their cars at home. The Ripon bike giveaway, called the Velorution Project, has been wildly popular. Some 60 percent of freshmen who have mailed deposits to the school signed up for bikes, which they picked up last Tuesday. Read more here.
America Bikes Hires Campaign Director
America Bikes, a coalition of national cycling and trail advocacy non-profits of which the League is a part, has hired Caron Whitaker as Campaign Director. America Bikes works to secure improved funding and policy in support of bicycling in the federal transportation reauthorization bill, which is up for renewal in October 2009. Whitaker will coordinate the efforts of America Bikes over the next several years, as the federal transportation legislation takes form. America Bikes was influential in shaping the current bill, known as SAFETEA-LU, helping to secure $4.5 billion for cycling and walking programs and to launch the Safe Routes to School initiative.
Bicycles Used by Many at Conventions
Bikes Belong and Humana have created a wildly successful bike sharing program … at the national political conventions. More than 1,000 bikes were available last week in Denver and will be available this week in St. Paul and Minneapolis. The program is called Freewheelin, and it is the nation’s largest bike-sharing program. The Washington Post listed Freewheelin among “five things to love about Denver.” To learn more and to get daily updates, visit www.bikesbelong.org.
Results of National Survey Released
The National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior has been released! This survey is the source of the statistic that 57 million American adults ride bikes, and it has a wealth of other information on cyclist attitudes and behavior – the only caveat is that the survey was done back in 2002. This report presents findings from the National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and administered by The Gallup Organization. The goals of the survey were to ascertain the scope and magnitude of bicycle and pedestrian activity and the public’s behavior and attitudes regarding bicycling and walking. To see the results, click here and then click on the last link under Pedestrians and Bicycles.
League Promotes Bicycling to Federal Workplaces
The League is the recipient of a grant from the U.S. General Services Administration to help promote higher levels of bicycle commuting among Federal employees. As part of a team lead by Alta Planning + Design and including the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, the League responded to a call for proposals on Envisioning the Future Federal Workplace: our proposal is to encourage and promote higher levels of bicycling to federal workplaces through engineering, education, and promotion activities. Stay tuned for more information.
Become a League Board Member
Nominations are open for three regional director spots on the League’s National Board. The election process will unfold this fall for Region 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT), Region 4 (MI, IL, IN, OH), and Region 6 (AK, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA). If you are interested in serving on the League Board of Directors, or if you know someone who would be a good representative for cyclists in your region, the Nominating Committee is now soliciting recommendations for candidates for the 2009 board elections. Click here to learn more.
State Update
California Senate Passes Complete Streets Bill
On August 27, the California Senate passed a Complete Streets bill by a vote of 24-14. The bill now goes to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office.
Jobs in the World of Bicycling
East Coast Greenway Alliance Hiring
The East Coast Greenway Alliance is hiring a part-time (20 hours per week) Communications Coordinator to join its Wakefield, R.I. staff. This position carries primary responsibility at the national level for external and internal communications, media relations, promotion, and marketing activities of the Alliance. A primary responsibility will be managing our website. This position may expand to fulltime, depending on funding availability. For more info, go to: www.greenway.org.
Chattanooga Hiring Transportation Planners
Chattanooga has two vacancies for Planner 2, Transportation. The positions will develop long-range transportation plans for specialized, multi-faceted projects with an emphasis on multimodal transportation planning; ensuring compliance with applicable guidelines and accepted planning principles, manages complex engineering and transportation studies; researches, designs and develops programs and resolutions and assists with development of the Long-Range Transportation Plan. To apply, click here.
