Blog
Bike equity means believing the stories people have to share about what it’s like for them to be in the street. There’s more to safety than being seen, and we need to believe when people tell us about insecurity beyond traffic violence. As a national organization, we have a role to play in convening tough conversations.
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Event management is not my gig. I have the utmost respect for ride and event directors who place themselves in the hands of the weather gods and face countless uncontrollable variables with aplomb… but that just isn’t me. And recently I got a stark reminder of why that’s true. I was having dinner with a colleague in New York City when the phone rang. It was a ride director who had just been told, within two days of their main event of the year, that their insurance company had let them down and they basically had no insurance for the event.
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The Nov. 4 midterm election saw a major shake up in Congress — and there are still several local, state and federal run-off elections looming in its wake. Earlier this month, I discussed what these results mean for biking at the state and federal levels. So what’s next? Here are the key takeaways from this month’s elections — and what to watch for in the next several months.
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The City of Milwaukee once again was awarded a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community award status by the League of American Bicyclists. We know the bar is continually being raised on what it means to be bicycle-friendly. To meet those challenges, City of Milwauke Mayor Tom Barrett has directed Milwaukee’s Department of Public Works Commissioner Ghassan Korban and City Engineer Jeff Polenske to establish a sub-committee of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force to define the path to not only reaching Silver but going for Gold-level status. The City is already making progress on many of the League’s recommended “Steps to Silver.”
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This week Advocacy Advance released its newest report, “Leveraging Health Funding for Active Transportation Investments,” (PDF) and held a webinar to talk about the new report. The report and webinar review the recent round of CDC awards in the area of prevention and provide examples of partnerships where transportation and health have worked together. This fall the CDC awarded 193 awards totaling nearly $212 million to state, local, or tribal public health departments, and non-profit organizations or coalitions for projects that addresses prevention and wellness. Specifically, the funding programs aims to reduce the prevalence of obesity and to reduce the rates of death and disability due to diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Active transportation has an important role to play as one of the solutions to create healthy communities.
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The Juneau Police Department has played an important role in educating the community and elementary children on bicycle safety through its annual bicycle rodeos. The Police Chief has also started a new campaign called “Spot the Chief for a 10 spot”. Any member of the public who spots the Chief as he rides through town with a spotted jersey can call into the Police Department and receive ten dollars. This campaign received great media coverage and helps promote bicycle safety and awareness.Trail Mix a non-profit coordinates with the City and maintains trails for mountain bikers.
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The League is excited to announce the first keynote presentation at the 2015 National Forum on Women & Bicycling: Ren Barger, founder and CEO of Tulsa Hub, and Barbara Bannon, Tulsa Hub Board Chair and expert human resources and organizational development consultant, will provide a live case study on organizational transformation. They’ll be discussing what worked, what didn’t, lessons learned and other observations.
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Today the League of American Bicyclists announced 55 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC). With this new round, 69 million people live in a Bicycle Friendly Community as the program extends to all 50 states. These new awardees join a leading group of more than 325 communities in all 50 states that are improving health, safety and quality of life in cities and towns nationwide.
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This Thursday, November 20 at 12 pm, the League will be participating in a Twitter chat on ways to ensure safe passage to and from school for students, with special attention to issues facing communities of color.
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In 2012, I spoke with Cathy DeLuca about her research in the underrepresentation of women on Bicycle Advisory Committee in California. DeLuca’s research showed that while women represent one half of the population in California, they comprise on 19% of members on Bicycle Advisory Committees and 27% on Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. At the League, we believe that in order to equally address bike use among diverse users, you must do your best to include diverse voices at the table. Groups focused on local transportation issues like Bicycle Advisory Councils help to ensure the needs of bike riders remain at the forefront of local politicians’ minds. Women Bike was thrilled when nearby Bicycle Friendly Community Arlington, VA appointed Gillian Burgess as chair. She joined existing vice-chair and long time community bike advocate Megan Jones, creating the first women led Arlington BAC.
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