As the League has reported in the past, cycling is good for the economy and bicycling creates more jobs than road-only projects. Now, England can claim the same. Acording to the BBC, a report by the London School of Economics has found that cycling generates £3 billion pounds a year for the United Kingdom's economy. "The report says £51 million was raised for UK manufacturers from the 3.7 million cycles sold in 2010 - a rise of 28 percent on the number of cycles sold in 2009." Read more.

Worldwide Car-free day is September 22, and cities across the globe are organizing events and pledges to encourage their citizens to get out of their cars and consider other modes of transportation. Bicycle Friendly Communities are getting in on the global action. Washington, D.C. has a pledge with prizes (daily bike commuters are encouraged to register too) and events. Corvallis, Ore. is participating too. Too find out about the worldwide day, visit worldcarfree.net.

The Governor of New York Andrew M. Cuomo signed a Complete Streets Bill into law on August 19. "I am calling this one a win, or at least a step in the right direction," writes Chris Belsole on the Albany Bicycle Coalition blog. "Although this legislation does not force anyone to do much of anything it does make it so that project managers have to at least consider the option when thinking about new projects."

The country is dipping into bike summit season. If your state or region has an upcoming bike summit, e-mail Meghan Cahill.

Oklahoma Bike Summit - Oklahoma, ranked 43rd in our Bicycle Friendly States ranking, is hosting its first bike summit November 4th and 5th in Oklahoma City. An added bonus, the summit's Bicycle Facility Design Workship with John LaPlante has been approved for eight hours of CM (CE) credit by the American Planning Association. Register today.

New England Bike-Walk Summit - Providence, R.I. is the host of the 2011 New England Bike Summit. Register now.

Bike Walk Connecticut Summit - The Bike Walk Connecticut Summit will be held on November 12th in New Haven. E-mail methibodeau@bikewalkct.org for more information.

Georgia Bike Summit - The 2011 Georgia Bike Summit will be held in Athens, Ga. on October 8, 2011.Additional Summit-related events will be held on October 7th and 9th. Register here.

Creating a Bicycle Friendly LA County Summit - Join elected officials and staff from the 88 cities in LA County for this event on September 30th in Long Beach. Find out more and register here.

Washington, D.C. Regional Summit - The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) is hosting a regional Call to Action Summit on November 3, 2011 in Arlington, Va. The one day summit will conclude with a plan for the the next five years of advocacy for the region. First, attend a local stakeholders meeting. Second, register for the D.C. Regional Summit.

APBP Professional Development Seminar - This year's seminar will be held in Charlotte, N.C. on October 24-27. More information on workshops and registration can be found here.

With My Own Two Wheels, a feature length documentary by Hubub Films, weaves together the lives of individuals from Zambia, Ghana, India, Guatemala, and the United States into a single story about how the bicycle can change the world - one pedal stroke at a time. Hubub Films and World Bicycle Relief are launching the With My Own Two Wheels School Tour to bring the bicycle into the classroom and to motivate students to take their own "next pedalstrokes." If you would like more info, e-mail Jacob Seigel-Boettner.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hosting a webinar about funding and maintaining fleets of bicycles for use in the classroom on September 14. If you are looking to attain a bicycle fleet or need tips on how to better organize and upkeep your existing fleet, register now.

Attention mobile advocates! If you follow our advocacy alerts online, you can now get updated on your mobile phone. Visit capwiz.com/lab on a smart phone, and you will see the mobile version of the League's Advocacy Center. When we send an e-mail alert to our advocates with a link to our Advocacy Center, you will be able to see the mobile version of that alert too. Also, don't forget to share our alerts on your favorite social networking sites -- notice the icons at the top right.

If you are an experienced and knowledgeable cyclist with a desire to make cycling safe and accessible for others, you are on the right track. The League seeks to certify those of its members (yes, membership in the League is required) who would like to become League Cycling Instructors (LCIs) and are self-starters, passionate about cycling and are recognized within their communities as riders with experience and know how. Completion of a Traffic Skills 101 course is a prerequisite for attending a seminar. The LCI training seminar is normally one evening and two full days. The registration fee is $200 and includes the League Guide to Safe and Enjoyable Cycling book, Enjoy the Ride DVD and Smart Cycling instructor materials. Registrants are invited for the following seminars, please click here to register.

Fall seminars
Twin Cities, MN - 9/28/2011
Albany, NY - 9/30/2011
New Brunswick, NJ - 10/7/2011
Beaverton, OR - 10/14/2011
Kansas City, MO - 10/21/2011
Bethlehem, PA - 10/21/2011 2011
Washington, DC - 11/11/2011
Houston, TX - 11/13/2011
Des Moines, IA - 12/31/2011

If you are a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) and are looking to sign more students up for your classes, there are new promotional flyers available for download on the LCI Corner (log-in and look under resources). The flyers are high-resolution pdf files. Once you print them, they have plenty of space for you to fill in your contact info and information. If you have any questions, e-mail Alissa Simcox.

Attention club leaders and volunteers, it's time to diversify your membership and encourage more to join your club and events. Our upcoming Club Leadership webinar Diversifying your Membership on September 7 at 8pm Eastern will teach ways to make your organization and events more welcoming to all. Speakers include: Ellen Jaffe of the New York Cycle Club, a representative of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, and other soon to be announced panelists. Register now!

We came across a fun way for you -- our members -- to support the League in our fight to save bicycling and its funding. Clif Bar is holding a contest for bicyclists to win grants to designate to their favorite bicycling charity. The winner will donate a $5,000 grant, and two runner-ups will donate a $2,500 grant.

To enter you submit:
1) A picture of your bike
2) Your best story of a memorable biking experience (250 words or less, please)
3) The name and contact info of your favorite bike nonprofit -- the League of American Bicyclists! Contact person will be Elizabeth Kiker at Elizabeth@bikeleague.org.

Enter here by September 5.  

Transport for NOLA, the first alternative transportation education and advocacy group of its kind in Louisiana, is hiring an Executive Director. Apply today.

The Director for the City of Tucson Transportation Department Jim Glock is retiring after 25 years of service (he rode his bike to work every day). The city has begun looking for his replacement. Apply now.

The City of Minneapolis, Minn. is looking to hire a Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. Find out more and apply today.

The City of Boulder is hiring an engineering project manager to be part of the Transportation Capital Improvements team. This position manages the construction of capital projects, most projects are  multimodal. Apply today.

Thanks to our League members for their constant support. You give us the opportunity to publish important communications, like this issue of  American Bicyclist Update If you're not a League member, please consider joining.

The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of America's 57 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org.