Bicycle Friendly America
The League of American Bicyclists, a Washington DC-based advocacy organization representing the interests of the nation’s 57 million cyclists, is seeking an intern to assist with the Bicycle Friendly America and membership programs. Each year, through its Bicycle Friendly America program, the League evaluates hundreds of applications from across the country, and designates Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly States, Communities, Businesses, and Universities.
On its maiden voyage, the Taco Bike in Nashville caused quite the scene. Cayla Mackey managed to pull the 200 lb trailer up one of Music City’s steepest hills while, coincidentally, her mom and sister drove past. They couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, Mackey said. “They drove past me laughing, and I screamed ‘I’m doing it! I’m doing it!’ ” Mackey said.
Admittedly, we have an unfair advantage in Fort Collins. With New Belgium Brewing Company being the drum major of the literal and metaphoric bike parades in our town, the bar was set high a long time ago for what it means to be a bicycle friendly business. To a large degree, New Belgium is responsible for the creation of our city’s bike culture and identity, and for demonstrating that bikes are good for business. For Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch, founders of New Belgium, this was a key part of their corporate plan and culture goals when they founded the company nearly 25 years ago. And, now in its 16th season, the company’s Tour de Fat festival — taking places in 11 cities in 2015 — has raised nearly $4 million for bicycle non-profits nationwide. So, in a spirit of fairness, perhaps Fort Collins should have been issued a handicap before we were announced as the new top-ranked city for the most Bike Friendly Businesses.
Earlier this week, we re-launched the new and improved Bicycle Friendly Business application, and it’s got a lot of exciting improvements. Since the Bicycle Friendly Business program originally launched in 2008, nearly 1,300 businesses have applied, and over 960 businesses have been awarded the BFB designation. Like the other Bicycle Friendly America programs, BFB applications have been on the rise in recent years, and we don’t expend this trend to change any time soon. Here at the League, we have been thrilled to see growing enthusiasm for bicycling from among the private sector, and so we’re working hard to accommodate continued growth in demand for the BFB program.
If you ask League Bicycle Friendly Business staff what the most surprising and encouraging trend from recent rounds of awards is, they’re quick to shout, “hospitals!” Several hospitals across the United States are providing patient care in new and innovative ways by bike — and they’re encouraging and supporting the health and wellness of their employees by offering bike commuting classes, incentives to ride and more. One hospital that stands out among all the Bicycle Friendly Businesses is Seattle Children’s Hospital, which is a new Platinum-level BFB. They’re using bicycles to boost the health of employees and the experience of patients in many ways.
Far too often bike shops are at the margins of the conversation about improving and increasing bicycling. Advocates and elected officials are focused on infrastructure — bike lanes and cycle tracks and multi-use trails. Many would argue it’s time for that definition to change. At the 2013 National Women’s Bicycling Forum, Adonia Lugo, now the League’s Equity Initiative Manager, shared the concept of “human infrastructure” — the existing social networks, community groups, and shared ideas about transportation that make bicycling possible for more people.
At first glance, Ellen Dunham-Jones doesn’t seem to fit the part. A car-free architect. An urban designer with a focus on sustainability. A creative thinker with a passion for problem solving. Even her colleagues, she admits with a laugh, have asked her incredulously: “What are you doing out in the ‘burbs?!” Dunham-Jones is one of the nation’s leading experts on “Retrofitting Suburbia” — in fact, she wrote the book on the topic. But she thinks outside the (big) box (stores).
We are currently seeking a spring intern to assist with the Bicycle Friendly America program. Each year, through its Bicycle Friendly America program, the League evaluates hundreds of applications from across the country, and designates Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly States, Communities, Businesses, and Universities. Learn more about the Bicycle Friendly America program at bikeleague.org/bfa.
It’s official: The League reached 100 visits to communities across the country this year, helping them to create more bicycle friendly places for their residents. I completed 77 of those visits myself, so, as you can image, I have a lot of lessons to share. Here’s some of what I learned.
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.”