Blog
Advocacy Advance’s most recent Navigating MAP-21 Workshop was held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Boasting an extensive transportation history and known for the “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Chattanooga is located is southeastern Tennessee, just north of the Tennessee-Georgia border, and nestled along the Tennessee River and surrounding mountains.
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In all my travels, I’ve seen a lot of great things on the street, from green lanes to bike boxes. But those high-profile facilities are the result of something far less visible: words. For a truly Bicycle Friendly Community, before you can put paint to pavement, you need the laws and policies that legitimize and encourage safe cycling.
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For many women, clothing is not an insignificant barrier to bicycling.While advocates and educators and ride leaders are making huge strides in getting more women in the saddle, our National Women’s Bicycling Forum has shown that there’s an equally exciting movement among entrepreneurs to create commercial products aimed at addressing women’s needs. One such product that’s been getting recent headlines is the Skirtweight, so we got in touch with its creator, Lani Tarozzi, to hear her bike story and advice for fellow Women Bike entrepreneurs.
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Can a temporary street closure have lasting effects on everyday transportation habits? The social psychology concept of “unfreezing” habit suggests that it can, as detailed in a new report on “How Ciclovías Can Unfreeze Streets.” This report is based on fieldwork I undertook as an anthropologist studying bicycle advocacy and street culture in Los Angeles from 2008 to 2011. My central project was helping to organize the open street event CicLAvia. I found the ciclovía to be useful for identifying the “human infrastructure” that helps or hinders our work as active transportation change agents.
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A single session at the 2013 California By Bike Summit radically reframed my perception of urban planning. In the final round of workshops I was drawn to an intriguing title: “Creating your own Biketopia: Community engagement workshop through play.” Presenter James Rojas didn’t disappoint. Put simply, the urban planner, artist and founder of the Latino Urban Forum has found a way to bring planning to the people. And we couldn’t be more excited to have him present and facilitate at Future Bike on September 11.
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Last week, Sports Marketing Surveys USA released new data on the most popular sports and fitness activites in America — and biking ranked #6 on the list, with more than 41 million participants in 2013. While we often talking about the health benefits of bicycling, we focus on the physical: losing weight, managing diabetes, increasing energy. But, as Josie Smith, a rider and blogger in Decorah, Iowa, shared with us, cycling can heal our hearts and minds, as well. Here’s her story…
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With more than 3,500 certified League Cycling Instructors nationwide, we have the privilege of working with hundreds of leaders who are delivering our Smart Cycling program and innovating bicycle education in exciting ways. Whether you’re an educator yourself or simply a bicycle enthusiast, our LCIs have so much knowledge and inspiration that we want to share their stories. In this first edition of LCI corner, Molly North, executive director of Bike Denver (and LCI #2669!), gives five helpful tips for marketing bike education.
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Yes, we’ve seen columnist Courtland Milloy’s awful rant against bicyclists in yesterday’s Washington Post and wonder with you how such a dreadful piece of writing could find its way onto the pages of such a respected source of news. As usual, the question is how does one respond to such mindless vitriol? Facts clearly don’t matter. Self-righteous indignation probably isn’t going to make much of an impression, certainly not in the comment section of the paper’s website!
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Joining the League is a way of giving back to cycling, to help others experience the joy and freedom that cycling brings. Neil Walker exemplifies that spirit of giving back. League Member Neil Walker first discovered cycling after a series of knee injuries ended his college basketball career. A specialist recommended cycling as an alternative to surgery. He got on a bike, strengthened his knee, and in the process found a new direction in life. “It has been a blessing to have cycling in my life,” Neil says. “It gave me life, invigorated me.”
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Advocacy Advance recently released its latest report, “How Communities are Paying for Innovative On-Street Bicycle Infrastructure.” The report provides examples of how communities across the country are paying for separated bicycle infrastructure. Just like how communities are paying for other important civic infrastructure, communities are using a combination of federal, state, local/regional, and private sources of funds.
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