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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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National Bike To Work Day 2015 was a great success, thanks to the many photos and shout outs we saw on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Thousands of Americans took to their bicycles to get to the office on Friday, May 15, turning their commute into a workout, inspiring others to do the same, and having a whole lot of fun. We promised to share some of our favorite photos from the day’s celebrations. Thank you to everyone who participated, and be sure to document and share your other National Bike Month activities throughout the month of May!
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During last week’s #BikeChat we took a deeper dive on our 2015 Bicycle Friendly State ranking. Ken McLeod, the League’s Legal Specialist, spearheaded the ranking this year, and he let us in on what states are doing really well, where they can improve and what some of the best innovations in bicycling he’s seen across the country. Join us this Friday at 2 p.m. for another #BikeChat over on Twitter!
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Happy National Bike to Work Day! Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month is a 31-day celebration of travel by two wheels. Communities big and small are hosting bike-centered events, teaching bike education classes, voting on resolutions to deem May Bike Month in their towns and much more. National Bike to Work Day, May 15 this year, is also a time to take stock of how much bicycling has grown locally and nationally. It’s trending upward: Since 2000, bike commuting has grown by 62% nationwide.
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Two percent is not ideal. It isn’t proportional to any statistics about how much bicycling and walking is a part of how people get around. It pales in comparison to the percentage of road fatalities that are bicyclists and pedestrians (16% in 2013). It is less than the percentage of people who bike or walk as their primary means of getting to work (3.4%). It is much less than the percentage of total travel done by biking or walking (11.9% of all trips are done by biking or walking).
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