Bike On!

National Bike Summit
Washington, DC
March 5, 2008

Consider this:

* 41% of all trips taken in the U.S. are 2 miles or less. These trips are ideal for bicycling – and thus, great opportunities for motorists to try bicycling as an alternative. By the way, most CO2 emissions are expelled during the first 2 minutes of running a car engine.

* Can the U.S. keep pace? The Paris Velis program offers cheap rentals of 20,000 bicycles at 1,450 stations citywide. Join up cost $1.50 day or $43 a year. In London, there’s a $787 million system of 12 “two-wheeler superhighways” connecting residential areas and city centers.

* More people are considering bicycling as transportation with gas approaching $4 a gallon, traffic congestion, pollution, and growing awareness about climate change. We’re a car-driven society: in the 1950s, drivers traveled 600 billion milles; 50 years later, the U.S. hit the 3 trillion mile mark. That’s a 5-fold increase – escalation that’s not sustainable.

* Only 9% of bicyclists stop regularly at stop signs. Then again, only 20% of motorists – in powerful vehicles! – stop regularly at stop signs. (per Scott Bricker, City of Portland).

Getting More People to Ride:

Dan Bower shared learning lessons from Portland’s super-successful effort to increase ridership:

* Every time you build something, tell people about it.
* Find out the perceptual and physical barriers to riding, and address them.
* As part of Portland’s SmartTrips program, 20,000 households were approached at a time with promotional mailings and visits by volunteers on bike delivering personalizated transportation information.
* The program distributes 400,000 bike maps a year.
* An employer program includes bike route mapping.
* Give out free stuff – that has a purpose. Like Portland’s bandanna imprinted with bike maps, leg bands, coupons and bike event listings.
* Make sure the city transit department includes bike commuting info.
* Offer free bike clinics and group rides year-round. Their popular ones include a pub crawl for baked goods (says Bower: “these rides are seriously slow”), Midnight Mystery Ride, World naked Bike Ride (participation in that one has increased 50% each year).
* These moves create “a bike culture.” In Portland, even business folks who don’t bike like to be part of something perceived so good for health, the environment, and the city. Some have asked for bike racks to replace parking spots in front of their stores.
* Where’s the money come from? Get business sponsors, grants, government support. Be sure to measure and promote results of each component of your bicycling promotion effort.

Bicycling Resources:

Adventure Cycling’s Cyclist’s Yellow Pages Online - great resource!
AdventureCycling.org

National Center for Biking and Walking
bikewalk.org

Federal Highway Admin. Bicycle Program
safety.FHWA.dot.gov

League of American Bicyclsts
bikeleague.org

Taking back roads for pedestrians and bikers:
ThunderheadAlliance.org

Trail info
Trails.com