Blog
When Hamzat Sani, Alison Graves and I were establishing the League’s first Equity Advisory Committee back in 2012 there was one name that was at the top of all of our lists: Keith Holt. Long before equity became a buzz word in bike advocacy, Holt was a visionary voice for change. The Milwaukee-based advocate and southeast region director of the Wisconsin Bike Federation was among the first leaders to convene and speak on panels related to building an inclusive movement. He was among the first to be tasked, in Chicago, with targeted outreach around bicycling to traditionally underrepresented communities. And, through his progressive but constructive vision of greater diversity in bicycling, he has helped to spark and shepherd a national dialog on who is served by and who has power to impact local, state and national advocacy efforts.
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This May, we’re asking the question, “With so many reasons to ride, what’s yours?” The beauty of the bicycle is that it means many things to many people, so we wanted to highlight some of those many reasons this National Bike Month. Today, we heard from Andrew Siegel, of Dover, Delaware, who rides because it keeps him connected to his brother. Here’s his story…
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Let’s face it: Bike advocates have it tough. Winning our goal of safer streets is a game played in multiple arenas, where different teams must come together and share in the ultimate victory — or defeat. Sure, bicycling may be a simple solution to many social problems, but, as Darla Letourneau explains so well, the problems that keep people from riding are… complex.
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During last week’s #BikeChat we dug into the newest Women Bike report, “Bike Shops for Everyone: Strategies for Making Bike Retail More Welcoming to Women.” Liz Cornish, former Women Bike Manager and now Executive Director of Bikemore in Baltimore, researched, analyzed and produced the report, with support from Specialized. We spoke with Liz about some of the more surprising findings and how shops can remain financially viable by being more inclusive.
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Last week, Advocacy Advance released a new resource, “Active Transportation Equity: A Scan of Existing Master Plans.” While the report is not a comprehensive list, it cites 38 examples of active transportation master plans that include definitions of equity, equity goals, and — in some cases — performance measures for equity. But why this equity resource? What’s its purpose?
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National Bike Month is 20 days in, and we’ve seen such a great response online and in print. There have been numerous articles, TV pieces and radio spots from across the country covering the two-wheeled celebration this May. We’ve also seen great coverage of the Bicycle Friendly State ranking, which served as a great lead-out to the many great events advocates and organizers like yourselves hosted for National Bike To Work Week.
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Bike shops as we know them are dying. From 2000 to 2013, the number of bicycle retailers in the United States decreased from 6,195 to 4,055. Why is it the concern of the League’s Women Bike program if they do? The League of American Bicyclists believes that independent bicycle dealers in providing access to bicycles, bicycle maintenance, bicycling information, and creating a community of people riding bikes are a critical component to building a bicycle-friendly America. We want them to succeed, which means providing resources to assist them in embracing an increasingly diverse and growing market.
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed a two month extension to the federal transportation bill, MAP-21, yesterday, with a vote of 387 to 35. You can read more about the debate over federal transportation funding here. The most interesting part of yesterday’s debate was the number of members of Congress saying they’d had enough: This is the last time they will vote for an extension. Though key Democrats, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Democrat on the Transportation Committee, left some wiggle room for their votes, this could be a threat enough members stand behind.
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This May, we’re asking the question, “With so many reasons to ride, what’s yours?” The beauty of the bicycle is that it means many things to many people, so we wanted to highlight some of those many reasons this National Bike Month. Today, we heard from Robert Lype, of Fairbanks, Alaska, who rides because it helps him see the world from a different point of view. This, in turn, strengthens his abilities as a photographer. He will ride in any weather, unless it dips below the very reasonable temperature of -45 degrees…
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Where did your city get the money for the bike lane on Main Street or the PSA campaign to educate motorists about the rights of bicyclists? It very well could have come from the federal transportation bill. And that funding is running out. The federal transportation bill is the source of a hundreds of millions of dollars that municipal, county and state governments use for biking and walking projects in their communities. Where do those federal dollars come from? The Highway Trust Fund, which relies predominantly on the federal gas tax. But the Trust Fund is in trouble. We’ve been spending more than we’ve been bringing in.
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