Blog Post

We learned at the 2014 National Bike Summit first-ever media training that, with a few tips and explanations, it’s really not all that hard. And, tomorrow, we’re talking about how to use Twitter to better your own media relations. We’ve partnered with the Alliance for Biking & Walking, and will be providing more tips and insights on how to maximize your 140-character potential.

Marin Tockman was on the steering committee for the very first Women Bike event in Long Beach, Calif., in September 2012 — and has continued her work to increase female ridership in New Orleans. In this guest post, she describes the inspiration for and innovative work of the NOLA Women on Bikes initiative.

One of the very first things I learned as a journalist was an evident but often overlooked fact: A story needs characters. No matter how important or compelling an idea or issue, it can’t come to life without a human face. This month, at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum, we examined how better storytelling can be a significant bridge to increasing bicycling.

We join our colleague at the Rails to Trails Conservancy in being extremely disappointed by the recent Supreme Court ruling on railway rights of way. The decision will make it more difficult to get trails on the ground in those situations where federally granted rights of way are at issue, and we share RTC’s belief that this decision is not in the public interest.

It was no surprise to learn that Jennifer Laurita received the highest number of nominations for our 2013 Educator of the Year award. During my time with the League, Jenni has been both a pleasure to work with and an important contributor to bike education.

Just as the bicycle movement itself has matured, advocates and enthusiasts who are working to get more women riding are eager to enhance their leadership skills. So we’re bringing together a panel of dynamic, high-ranking women from different backgrounds to discuss their experiences at the 2014 National Women’s Bicycling Forum.

Yesterday, I ranked the Top 10 Bike Facilities for the first 14 cities I’ve traveled to so far. Today, here are some city superlatives for those same dozen or so communities. As I said, infrastructure is important, but ideas, too can become a material force. Check out these city superlatives that might ultimately be a bigger factor in long term success in becoming a Bicycle Friendly America!

Across the country today, people are wearing red to call attention to a sobering fact: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women. Every year, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign recognizes Wear Red Day to raise awareness about the “silent killer” and its staggering casualties among women. Our prescription to address this nationwide epidemic: Make bicycling more accessible and appealing to women.

So you’ve got a handle on Facebook and Twitter. But what comes next? Yesterday, the League of American Bicyclists and Alliance for Biking & Walking hosted a webinar on the “what comes next,” focusing on Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and Vine. This was the third in a series of webinars the League and Alliance have teamed up on, looking at using social media to spread your messages and bolster your campaigns.

‘Tis the season of 2014 predictions and, this month, the Gluskin Townley Group, released it’s top 7 projected trends for the year. For me, two stood out: the rise of women and decline of youth in bicycling participation. And, guess what? New federal data backs up their predictions.