MAy 20, 2013

Greetings! 

What a spectacular Bike to Work Day we had in the D.C. area on Friday. Near perfect weather, record-breaking numbers, and even a record number (10,500) of week-day trips made on Capital Bikeshare bikes. Of course, every day should be Bike To-and-From-Everything Day -- and based on the reports below we're inching ever closer to that day!   

 

Sincerely,  

 


Andy Clarke
League President
 
 league news 
New platinum city in latest round of bicycle friendly Communities!

Fort Collins, Colo., moved from Gold to Platinum in this round of Bicycle Friendly Communities, joining the ranks of Portland, Ore.;  Boulder, Colo.; and Davis, Calif., as the country's very best for bicycling. With this impressive round of 17 new BFCs, there are now 259 BFCs in 47 states. The BFC program is helping transform the way communities evaluate quality of life by assessing investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and municipal policies. Read more and see the new list here.

thousands celebrate bike to work day
National Bike to Work Day is one of our favorite times of the year --League staff was stationed at several pit stops in and around Washington, D.C., on Friday to say hello to bicyclists on their way to work. Look through our Bike to Work Day gallery, and read more here.
more than 1,300 bike to school events nationwide
National Bike Month got off to a great start with Bike to School Day on May 8. More than 1,300 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia took part in the event. We pulled together some of our favorite reader photos from the day -- view them here!
nurses association touts national bike challenge

National Bike Challenge For the past 13 of 14 years, nurses have been ranked as the  #1 most trusted professional in the country; so it means a lot when the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses trust the National Bike Challenge as a way to get more people out riding! What's more, we're almost at 30,000 riders -- if you haven't already, register today and begin logging your miles! Read more about the latest in the National Bike Challenge here.

 
 advocacy
video: what are the best ways to attract women to bicycling?
With so much energy around biking in the Big Apple - and the imminent and exciting launch of the NYC Bike Share systemVelojoy.com hosted a dynamic panel at the annual  Bike New York Expo this month addressing ways to involve women. Moderated by Susi Wunsch, the founder of Velojoy and member of the Women Bike Advisory Board, the session crystallized some of the key hurdles and opportunities to get more women riding. Watch here.
changing the world, one bicycle at a time
This Bike Month, we're looking at how bicycles are a tool for personal empowerment, social justice and community development. Since we launched our "Where the Ride Takes Us" blog series, we've heard from 83-year-old inspirations like Mary Brown, and Neil Walker, who has helped connect kids to healthy food through cycling. Be sure to catch up on all of our posts here, and follow the blog for future posts on efforts such as these every day this month! (Photo courtesy of Neil Walker.)
webinar: understanding transportation performance measures
How will performance measures impact bicycling and walking investments? Can they work in favor of active transportation? We answer those questions in our latest Advocacy Advance webinar, "Understanding and Shaping Transportation Performance Measures, Part II." If you missed it, you can view it here, and read through the slides here. Keep up to date on upcoming Advocacy Advance webinars here
survey: using social media as an advocacy tool
Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Totally confused? We've got you covered. The League and Alliance for Biking & Walking are looking to hold a series of webinars on social media to help biking and walking advocates more effectively use digital communications tools for advocacy -- and we'd love to hear your opinion. If you're interested in attending (or being a panelist on) webinars on social media and biking/walking advocacy, please take this brief survey as we begin to gauge interest and pinpoint topics.  Thank you for your feedback!
upcoming local and state bike summits

To ensure you have a voice in policy-making at all levels, don't miss a state or local bike summit in your area:   

Are you attending or organizing a bike summit in your city or state? Email [email protected] so we can include your event in upcoming E-news! 

 
 resources
rapid growth in bike commuting in past 10 years

As we celebrated Bike to Work Day, we also dug into some information on the rate of growth of bike commuting across the country. The past decade has seen dramatic growth in biking, with the total number of trips more than doubling from 1.7 billion in 2001 to 4 billion in 2009, according to the National Household Travel Survey. But where has bike commuting grown the most? In Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) that have made smart, strategic investments to make biking better. Read more here.

infographic: the dna of a bicycle friendly community

The beauty of the Bicycle Friendly Communities program is the fact that it's not one-size-fits-all. But we often get the question: "What makes a community bicycle friendly?" With this new infographic, we've distilled some of the key benchmarks and metrics in an interesting and engaging way. Read more.

webinar recording: economic benefits of bike/ped projects
Building pedestrian and bicycle facilities don't just add new transportation or recreation options to a community, they bring economic value. Darren Flusche, our Policy Director, presented last week in this this webinar, hosted by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. Interested? View it here.
 
 partner news
U.S. Bicycle System expands to 5,616 miles
Adventure Cycling Association and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) announced last week the approval of U.S. Bicycle Route 45 in Minnesota, U.S. Bicycle Route 76 in Missouri, and realignments for U.S. Bicycle Route 76 in Kentucky. With these new approvals, the U.S. Bicycle Route System now encompasses 5,616 miles of official U.S. Bike Routes in 10 states: Alaska, Kentucky, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Virginia. Read more here.
study: Change in Cycle Track Policy Needed to Boost Ridership, Public Health

Bicycle engineering guidelines often used by state regulators to design bicycle facilities need to be overhauled to reflect current cyclists' preferences and safety data, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. They say that U.S. guidelines should be expanded to offer cyclists more riding options and call for endorsing cycle tracks -- physically separated, bicycle-exclusive paths adjacent to sidewalks -- to encourage more people of all ages to ride bicycles. Read more from this study, which appears in the American Journal of Public Health, here.

research: How to Increase Bicycling for Daily Travel

In a new report, Active Living Research took a look at how to increase the number of people bicycling in the United States. Identifying a comprehensive package of infrastructure, programs, and policies is likely to have the greatest impact in boosting ridership. Read the report here.

national walking summit call for proposals
The 2013 National Walking Summit Program Committee has opened a call for proposals for individuals and groups to actively participate in the Summit, which will be held Oct. 1-3 in Washington, D.C. Read more here.
 


Share this American Bicyclist Update with your cycling friends and fellow bike commuters. The generous support from the League's members make publications like this possible. Join the League today.

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.
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