Blog
The League’s Board of Directors last week appointed Sam Adams and Harry Brull to fill two vacancies. Sam Adams is the former Mayor of Portland, Oregon. Now the director of WRI’s U.S. Climate Initiative, Adams leads WRI’s efforts to analyze and develop new policies and support coalitions that will encourage the U.S.’s transition to a strong, low-carbon economy.
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In 2013, the City of Richfield became the first suburb in Minnesota to be awarded the Bicycle Friendly Community designation in Minnesota. We’ve since been joined by our neighboring City of Edina but I’m still often asked by staff and bike advocates in other suburban cities: What are the key issues we should focus on to become a more bicycle friendly suburban community?
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Growing up, cycling all over Dublin city center on the thousand-year-old narrow streets I never imagined another life, decades later, bicycling around the northern Virginia suburbs. This isn’t to say you won’t find me ferrying teenagers around in my minivan, but when I can I use my bike instead. It’s fast and it’s cheap and just seems like a nicer way to encounter the world. But nowadays when I bike, many aspects of how and where I ride differ greatly from back in my Dublin days — because of the suburban location.
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If you ask why enough, you quickly get to the heart of an issue. Why does the League exist? We have a compelling mission, vision and belief statement that says we all win if everyone gets to enjoy the benefits and opportunities of bicycling. Why the League? There are other bike groups out there with similar goals; why should you support the League?
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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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