September 9, 2013
Greetings! 

If you're anything like me, you're always looking for your next great bike ride. The League's annual Ride Guide is the place to look -- and we need your help to make sure we've got everything covered, from the outstanding multi-day rides offered by Bicycle Tour Network members, to classic club invitationals and century rides, all the way through the new breed of open streets, tweed rides, women-specific, and one-day bike extravaganzas. 
 
Sincerely,  

 


Andy Clarke
League President
 
 league news 
APBP and FHWA Have A Surprise for You

The ability of local agencies to implement innovative bikeway designs is getting an unexpected -- and hugely welcome -- boost tomorrow at the annual meeting of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. APBP is hosting a special workshop with the Federal Highway Administration to explain the implications of an FHWA Guidance Memorandum on bikeway design that endorses the NACTO Bikeway Design Manual. This effectively gives local designers permission to use the signs, signals, markings and roadway layouts that are already transforming city streets in places like Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. Read the memorandum in full here.

submit your rides for the annual ride guide!

We're compiling information for our most popular magazine of the year -- The Ride Guide -- and we need your input! The Ride Guide provides League members with a comprehensive list of rides and tours coming up in the next year. 

 

If you're a League member club or advocacy organization: We want to include your top ride for 2014 in our national list. Please log into our member portal and enter ONE ride by September 20.  

 

If you're an individual League member: Tell us about your favorite ride! Submit 100 words describing the most memorable ride of your life and we'll include them in the issue! Tell us your ride story by using this quick and easy form by September 20.

 

Remember, the deadline to submit your rides is September 20!  

jobs: join our Bicycle Friendly America team
The League has two job openings in our Bicycle Friendly America program. The Bicycle Friendly Community Specialist will provide direct, hands-on assessments and assistance to 100 communities nationwide annually. The other job opening is for a Bicycle Friendly America Program Specialist; the primary contact for communities, business, universities and states looking to be great places for bicycling. Interested? Click here for more detailsApplications are due by September 16.
Deadline: League Board applications due THIs week
Are you passionate about bicycling -- and the League's work to make biking better through advocacy, education and promotion? We have several openings for qualified bicyclists (and League members) who are interested in serving on our Board of Directors. Applications for the 2014 election are due Sept. 15, 2013. Interested? Read more about the qualifications and requirements here.
voice your opinion at league club listening session
League COO Jakob Wolf-Barnett and Membership Director Scott Williams will listen to your input about how the League can better serve bike clubs in this webinar. We want your input! Tune in and voice your opinion this Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT. 
find an Upcoming lci seminar in your community
Are an experienced and knowledgeable bicyclist with a desire to make bicycling safe and accessible for others? The League seeks to certify  members who are self-starters, passionate about bicycling and are recognized within their communities as riders with experience and know-how. We have a slate of new LCI seminars coming up. Register today! 
  •  9/20-22 Portland, ME -- Deadline to register: 9/10
  • 10/4-6 Seattle, WA -- Deadline: 9/11
  • 10/11-13 New Brunswick, NJ -- Deadline: 9/11
  • 10/11-13 El Paso, TX -- Deadline: 9/11
  • 10/18-20 Tucson, AZ -- Deadline: 9/18
  • 10/18- 20 Harrisonburg, VA -- Deadline: 9/18
  • 10/18- 20 Sullivan, MO -- Deadline: 9/18
  • 10/ 25-27 Norman, OK -- Deadline: 9/25
  •  11/15-17 Houston, TX -- Deadline: 10/15
Learn more here, and please email   if you have any questions.
come see us at interbike!
 Members of the League staff will be on hand at the annual Interbike conference in Las Vegas, NV, next week. We'll be set up on Advocacy Row, passing out information on the upcoming National Bike Summit and making the case that Women Mean Business. Stop by to say hello!
 
 advocacy
BIKE/PED PROJECTS WIN BIG IN LATEST TIGER GRANTs
The moment many transportation watchers have been waiting for arrived last week as the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the recipients of $474 million in the fifth round of federal TIGER grants
"As Congress starts to think about the 2014 transportation bill, the overwhelming success of the TIGER program surely points the way forward," Andy Clarke, League President, said after USDOT's announcement.
Read more here.
  (
Photo: Darla Letourneau of BikeWalkLee speaks after the TIGER announcement.)
US DOt's draft strategic plan falls short for Bicyclists 
The U.S. Department of Transportation released a draft strategic plan for public comment on Aug. 27, giving the public a mere two weeks to offer comment. That's a scandalously brief period for public comment, but this profoundly important document needs our input. This strategic plan guides the annual work plans of each of the modal administrations in USDOT. In turn, these generate the metrics, milestones and performance measures by which 57,000 employees are ultimately graded each year.
Click here to learn more about commenting on the document, and
webinar: federal policy update
Congress is back in session after their August break, and this webinar will cover what's happening in Washington that effects biking and walking. Tune in to hear from Caron Whitaker, Vice President of Government Relations for the League of American Bicyclists, and find out what's new, and what you can do to promote biking and walking in federal policy.
NAtional bike challenge profile: Steven Krauza

Steven Krauza has been an avid cyclist for years, but this summer he rode for 24 hours straight -- riding more than 300 miles to raise money for charity. The Erie, Pa., rider also has a larger goal: make his county the healthiest in Pennsylvania by 2025. Lucky for all of us, he's brought that same passion to the National Bike Challenge, helping us toward our goals of uniting bicyclists across the country to ride 20 million miles by the ed of this month! Read more about Steven's big goals and join the Challenge today!

guest post: reflections on equitable transportation 

Last month, on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, wrote a blog post on transportation and opportunity, in light of this special commemoration. In this post, Adonia Lugo, a member of the League's Equity Advisory Council, off of this discussion, looking at how "streets are social spaces where we challenge or reinforce race and class divides." Read more here.

 
 resources
comfort + convenience = more women biking
Our new report -- "Women on a Roll" --  highlights five key themes to engaging more women in bicycling. Two of the critical keys to increasing female ridership are creating comfortable riding environments and making cycling a convenient means of mobility. In our latest webinar, Jennifer Dill, of Portland State University, and Susan Handy,of the University of California-Davis, presented their research on how these two elements are foundational to getting more women on bikes. Watch the video and review the researchers' slides here.
RESEARCH HELPS MAKE THE CASE FOR BICYCLINg

Looking to make the case for bicycling in your community? Check out Rutgers University Prof. John Pucher's recent presentation, "How to Increase Cycling for Daily Travel: Lessons from Cities Around the Globe." Pucher initially presented the information to the Institute for Transportation Engineers and Active Living Research, but the data and statistics are free to share and use to make the case for biking. Read more here.

latest bike education video: traffic laws

While bike laws can vary widely from state to state, there are some foundational rules that all bicyclists should follow when they are on the road. This week we're featuring our new bike education video that focuses on just that: Traffic Laws. Review some of the basics of traffic law here, and check out all of our bike education videos!

 
 partner news
webinar: Supporting Communities So All Can Thrive

Infrastructure is critical to connect people to economic opportunity. But infrastructure is often crumbling in communities of color. How can we leverage billions of dollars of infrastructure improvements to reduce the nation's unemployment and poverty rates and create pathways to jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for our fastest-growing demographic groups? PolicyLink is hosting a webinar, "All-In Infrastructure: Supporting Communities So All Can Thrive," tomorrow, Sept. 10, at 12 p.m. EDT. Register now!

register for 2013 national Bicycle tourism conference!

The Bicycle Tourism Network is hosting its 2013 conference Nov. 6-9 in Iowa City/Coralville, Iowa. The conference includes a diversity of workshops and topics and will also boast a number of high profile speakers, special guests and industry celebrities. Registration is now open! Learn more here.

upcoming state and local bike summits
Looking to connect with local advocates and make an impact in your community? Don't miss a state or local bike summit in your area:

Have more to add? Email [email protected] with the details!

 


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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