Leah Shahum, the executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, shared this two minute video, which really depicts San Francisco’s bike story. San Francisco is ready for more bikeways, in fact, they’ve seen a 58% increase of people biking in the past four years.    Great work Leah and team at the SF Bicycle Coalition!

San Francisco loves biking — more and more people are getting around the city by bike, and that’s a good thing for everyone. We need to meet that growing demand with better bikeways, safe, comfortable, continuous bikeways, fit for anyone from an 8-year-old kid to her 80-year-old neighbor. That’s Connecting the City!

Dr. Patz practicing what he preaches.

I found the article below on npr.org.  Written by Nancy Shute for NPR, Nancy really captures the essence of Dr. Jonathan Patz’ new study on the benefits of going by bike for short trips.  More supporting evidence that the bike really is a simple solution to many complex problems. 

What would you say to a cheap, easy way to stay slim, one that would help avoid serious illness and early death? How about if it made your neighbors healthier, too? It could be as simple as biking to the store.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin were wondering if getting people out of their cars just a wee bit would create measurable improvements in health. So they gathered up data sets on obesity, health effects of pollution, and air pollution caused by automobiles in 11 Midwestern cities, and did a mashup.

They found that if the Midwesterners ran half of their short-distance errands by bike rather than by car, 1,100 deaths would be avoided each year, and $7 billion would be saved in reduced health-care costs. The trips were 2.5 miles one way; less than a 25-minute bike ride, the researchers figure.

The benefits were based on a presumed reduction in air pollution particulates and ozone, which increase the risk of heart attack, strokes, and asthma. They also factored in the health benefits of increased exercise, and applied that to the 31 million people living in the Upper Midwest.

The results were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

“We were conservative,” says Jonathan Patz, a physician and co-author of the study, who heads the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The researchers figured that people in the Midwest would do errands by bike only in the best 124 days of weather each year. “It’s only about 4 months worth of biking.”

Still, the benefits were enough to still reap health benefits, even though a larger chunk of the year might be spent on the couch, watching the Packers and the Blackhawks on TV. And people who weren’t biking benefited, because they were breathing in less car-generated pollution, which contributes to asthma and cardiovascular problems.

The study also didn’t take into account the benefits of walking or taking mass transit for errands, which Patz says would also be good for one’s health and reduce pollution. “Studies have shown that if you take mass transit, you’ll get about 20 minutes of decent walking,” he says. That’s a topic for the next study, he adds.

Patz himself is a devoted bike commuter and shopper in Madison, which he says is a bike-friendly city. But when he was working in Baltimore, he quickly realized that the city was not set up for safe bike commuting. “I tried it about three times, and realized this could be very hazardous to my health.”

Public policies that make cities safer for bicyclists and walkers would go a long way towards encouraging people to shift a bit of their daily two and fro away from cars, he adds. “There are so many win-wins. Better health, personal economics, and finally less greenhouse gases.”

Count him as a scientist who’s testing his theories firsthand.

As someone who spends her waking hours trying to help America become Bicycle Friendly, this video on How the Dutch got their Cycle Paths, was food for thought on a sunny Monday morning. How does this video inspire you?

A year ago Emily won the opportunity to give up her car for a year and go by bike. Yes, she won the opportunity and much more when she signed onto the Bike Lane’s Going Bike Bike Challenge. Little did she know one year later she’d be saying that she rode across the country.
When Emily applied to the Bike Lane Challenge, she was driving her car approximately 100 miles a week, including a 14 mile commute to work five days a week. She admitted most of her car trips were 4 miles or less. Emily was able to identify the challenges we all face when making the decision to go by bike; such as the time it takes to go by bike, what to do when you face inclement weather, and simply the challenge of how to carry lots of stuff. Other factors are the lack of safe bike routes and lack of easy to use bike facilities at work. But Emily has spent the past year breaking down those barriers and helping others through her blog.

Just the other day Emily wrote the following, It’s taken me almost a year, but I finally reached the 3,000 mile mark this afternoon on the bike. Three-thousand miles. I’ve virtually ridden across the country, as from my home in Arlington, VA to Eureka, CA is 2,954 miles. I’ve virtually made it across the country, from sea to shining sea and there were times I didn’t want to keep going, and times I couldn’t wait to get on the bike as well. This Saturday will be the one-year anniversary of the start of my Go By Bike Challenge, and I’m glad I took on the challenge, and looking forward to keeping it up for at least the next year, because like with any journey, half the fun is not knowing what’s around the corner and sometimes the surprises that are waiting there for us.
Great work Emily. You are certainly an inspiration to all of us. Thanks for taking the Challenge and sharing your story. Read more about Emily’s last year of Going by Bike More often.

Here is a fun one. Kimberly-Clark’s Scott® Brand and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (Bike Fed) have teamed up to offer a free, four-month biking challenge to all adult Wisconsin residents. The goal of the first ever Scott® Brand Get Up and Ride Wisconsin Challenge is to promote bicycling and provide a fun and environmentally friendly way for Wisconsin adults to improve health and wellness.
The Challenge is open to all Wisconsin businesses, organizations and residents 18 and older. It begins at the start of National Bike to Work Week on Monday, May 16, 2011, and runs through September 30, 2011. It’s easy to enter your rides and miles using the free online tool developed by Endomondo, a leading sports tracking company. Additionally, an optional free app is available for smartphone users.
Participants will earn points based on the number of miles and trips in both the transportation and recreation categories. Individuals will be entered into prize drawings and will receive one entry for each point earned. Monthly prizes will be given away based on transportation points. Grand prizes (for example a Trek bike or Trek recreation product package includes a factory tour and mountain biking) will be awarded at the end of the Challenge for both recreation and transportation points. The more you ride, the better your chances to win! For additional details and to sign up for the Challenge, go to www.challenge.bfw.org.

6 Employees 31 Days 0 Cars
Our latest heroes come from Shererville, Indiana where 6 employees of Trek Store Schererville will be participating in a month–long car-free challenge to see who can go all 31 days of May using only a bike for trips 10 miles or less. What started as Chad, the General Manager’s curiosity to replace some of his own daily trips, has resulted in a fun 31 day challenge for six employees. Here’s their oportunity to find out first-hand what the benefits and barriers are to traveling by bike. They plan to share their new-found wisdom so others can learn from their experience. As Chad noted in an email, we are just normal people, on normal bikes, riding normal routes and of course with the normal problems people face. Our guess… these six normal people find it much easier to go by bike then they think. Meet the six employees and follow their story on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CarlessMay. And if you have a fun Bike Month Challenge happening in your community, I’d love to hear about it.

In only its second year, nearly 600 advocates, industry members, and citizens gathered in Madison for the Second Annual Wisconsin Bike Summit put on by the Bike Federation of Wisconsin.  Over the course of two days (April 21-22), attendees participated in breakout sessions, seminars, round table discussions, and meetings with their local and state government representatives.

The event was highlighted by the evening Plenary Session, which featured guest speakers Andy Clarke, President of league of American Bicyclists, Amanda White, Director of the Wisconsin Bike Fed, Tim Blumenthal, Executive Director of Bikes Belong, and John Burke, President of Trek Bicycle Corporation.

A nearly full house for the Plenary Session at the Summit

The night was a success despite the fact that the original Keynote speaker, Andreas Rohl, the Bike Coordinator for the City of Copenhagen, inability to attend due to flight cancellations from the Icelandic volcano.  Additionally Madison’s Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and five other panelist where stuck in Amsterdam and unable to present. The mayor was leading a group of 20 Madison area advocates visiting and researching best-in-class cycling cities across Netherlands and Germany. This trip was the kickoff for Madison’s new goal: to achieve 20% bicycle mode-share transportation by the year 2020. Visit the blog website at 20-by-2020.com to see details and lessons learned from their trip, and to see how Madison is going to accomplish this lofty but attainable goal.

And there is a great chance this goal will be attained.  Last year at the summit this same group accomplished great things. On lobby in 2009, the Wisconsin Advocactes asked for three things. 1)Complete Streets legislation, 2) a Fair share of funding and 3) pass Anti-Dooring legislation. Within three months of the summit all three asks were signed into legislation. It is proof that advocacy does work.

While the Wisconsin Bike Summit and all of its accomplishments are specific to Wisconsin, everything they’ve done and achieved is very applicable to your city and state.  John Burke always says that Government is of the people, by the people, for the people who show up. If you just show up, you will begin to make a difference.

To start, visit peopleforbikes.org and sign the pledge.  Then have everyone you know who cares about cycling also sign the pledge, to help gather over one million names of support for cycling.  There is so much momentum in cycling advocacy happening right now, with support from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, bikesbelong.org, bikeleague.org, imba.com, and many other organizations.  As a member of the cycling industry, make sure you are doing everything you can to move cycling forward.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood named the National Bike Summit as a catalyst for his recent proclamation that declared an end to favoring motorized transportation at the expense of the nonmotorized. Lahood’s initial statements came following the 2010 National Bike Summit, and outlined new DOT plans for livable and sustainable communities. LaHood specifically stated that bicycling and walking should be given the same consideration as motorized transport in state and local transit projects. This is clear proof that the voices of America’s cycling advocates are not falling upon deaf government ears, and that a bicycle friendly America is an obtainable goal.

Trek would like to extend an enormous thank you to the 108 Trek Retailers who showed up at the 2010 National Bike Summit, as well as the League of American Bicyclists for organizing the event. Your efforts are going noticed, and your support is greatly appreciated.
Read the New York Times article and become a fan of Ray LaHood on Facebook
Photo Credit to:

In Washington DC last week at National Bike Summit, Bikes Belong launched peopleforbikes.org, a campaign to unite one million voices for the future of bicycling. Because as we know, there is power in numbers. The presentation received very positive reviews: In the five days that followed, more than 3,700 people pledged their support and close to 6,000 people viewed the “If I ride” video on YouTube.

So please visit peopleforbikes.org, and help Bikes Belong gather pledges and support from your local customers.

he 2010 National Bike Summit drew over 725 cycling advocates from across the Union last week, including 108 Trek Retailers, Trek President John Burke, and Trek’s Advocacy guru Krista Rettig. Thanks to everyone who attended and made their voice heard at this influential and important event.

Highlights of the 10th annual Summit included the unveiling of Google Map’s Bike feature, the successful lobbying of representatives by constituents, and the commitment of Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to promote and fund a bicycle friendly future in America.

This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized, wrote LaHood on his blog following the Summit. We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

Want to learn more about the events at this year’s Summit? Check out these links below:

Read Ray LaHood’s entire blog post and watch video coverage of the Summit at http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/03/my-view-from-atop-the-table-at-the-national-bike-summit.html#more 
Read the League of American Bicyclist’s Top 10 Summit Highlights at http://www.bikeleague.org/blog/2010/03/10th-national-bike-summit-rocked/.
Also read John Burke’s Top 10 Summit Highlights at http://agreatride.typepad.com/a-great-ride/2010/03/national-bike-summit-wrapup.html#more on his new blog, A Great Ride.

Remember, it’s never too early to begin planning your trip to the 2011 National Bike Summit!