The League Launches Campaign to Reach 1 Million Miles of Bike Trips

August 31, 2021, Washington, DC — Bikes can be used for any type of transportation – from commuting to work or school, running errands around town, and even getting groceries. Beginning on September 1, the League of American Bicyclists is challenging Americans to begin taking more transportation trips by bike rather than hopping in a car for its “Drive Less, Bike More” campaign. Using the Love to Ride platform to track participants’ rides, the League is encouraging Americans to rack up 1 million miles in bike trips that would have been car trips by the end of 2021 as part of “Drive Less, Bike More”. 

“You don’t have to turn your life upside-down and sell your car to make an impact,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “Just converting one or two short car trips per week to bike trips is good for your health, your family’s health, the environment, and even putting cash usually spent on gas money back into your pocket. Start with one trip a week, track it through the Love to Ride app, and see the benefits add up.”

In the United States, nearly 50 percent of trips taken by car are less than three miles long and 35 percent are less than two miles long. These are short trips that if taken by bike instead of by car could be both convenient and contribute to big changes for the planet and the participant. 

The launch of the “Drive Less, Bike More” campaign coincides with Cycle September, the final month in the National Bike Challenge hosted by the League and Love to Ride. Already, participants in the National Bike Challenge, which began in May, have ridden more than 200,000 miles by bike for transportation. Seeing the amount of biking for transportation people have already pedaled, the League and Love to Ride felt it only natural to up the ante and encourage people to contribute to a shared goal of reaching 1 million miles.

“At Love to Ride, we’ve been encouraging more people to ride bikes for years through our platform, partners, and campaigns like the National Bike Challenge,” said Thomas Stokell, CEO of Love to Ride. “We’re stoked to be working with the League to track our riders’ progress to 1 million miles of bike trips for transportation and promote the ‘Drive Less, Bike More’ initiative.”

To participate, riders sign up through the League’s partner Love to Ride at www.lovetoride.net/usa, complete a survey on their current transportation habits, and begin logging bike rides. All rides under 3 miles and other bike rides marked as “transportation” rides will count towards the 1 million miles goal of “Drive Less, Bike More.” Love to Ride offers integrations through various applications such as Strava so that riders can either track and upload their bike rides as they normally would, or they can manually add trips and miles directly through Love to Ride. 

There are many different short trips usually taken by a car that riders can turn into bike trips such as biking to the store, biking to a friend’s house, biking to get coffee, or biking to the gym. By rethinking bicycling from being a purely recreational experience to one with functionality, “Drive Less, Bike More” participants can embrace a more active lifestyle, reduce their carbon footprint, and save money on gas. 

For many, choosing to travel by bicycle is a possible, and often a smart, choice of transportation. Most trips people take are shorter than three miles but unfortunately, safe and accessible bicycling isn’t the reality for all Americans. 

“This campaign puts into action our belief that life is better for everyone when more people are on bikes,” said Nesper. “And I promise you, doing your next short trip by bike is not impossible!” 

Participants can track our collective progress towards the 1 million mile goal through the Mode-Shift-o-Meter on Love to Ride’s U.S. homepage. They are also encouraged to ask family and friends to join them and inspire others by posting pictures of their own short trips on social media using the #DriveLessBikeMore and #BikePossible hashtag or @drivelessbikemore Facebook handle. 

As we roll into the bike-tastic time of year that is Cycle September, challenge yourself: before you grab your keys for that next trip to the coffee shop, think of how fun it would be to take your bike out for a spin instead. 

About the League of American Bicyclists

The League of American Bicyclists leads the national movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. With a history dating to 1880, the League is committed to engaging diverse communities and building a powerful, unified voice for change around protecting and promoting bicyclists’ rights. Learn more at www.bikeleague.org.