#47 Getting the Bike Fix on Route 66 - Sullivan

Get the Bike

Travel Fix on

Route 66

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Ginny Sullivan Adventure Cycling Association

Alan Thompson Southern California Association of Governments

Colin Bogart Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

• History of Route 66

• U.S. Bicycle Routes & the Adventure Cycling

Route Network

• Bike Route 66

• Planning a Regional Bike Route

• Advocacy’s Role: Outreach & Implementation

• Main Street of America

• Will Rogers Highway

• Est. 1926

• Eight States, 2,000+ miles, numerous alignments

• Removed from the system in 1985

• Attracting tourists from across the world!

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What do you see at 10-15 miles per hour that you don’t see at 65+ miles per hour?

Everything!

Lon Haldeman

Richard Moeur

Adventure Cycling: Who We Are

• “America’s Bicycle Travel Experts”

• Started as Bikecentennial in 1973

• Largest cycling membership group in North America: 45,000 globally

• Non-profit mission: to inspire and empower people to travel by bicycle • 32 staff and many volunteers

• Outside Magazine Best Place to Work

• Create some of the best bike route maps, publications, special cycling routes (40,000+ miles), tours in North America

40,000 mapped miles and growing!

Why Designate National Bicycle Routes?

Lon Haldeman Melissa Thompson

Why travel by bike?

• It’s Hip!

• Liberating – independent or group

• Easy to set your own budget

• Fitness

• A chance to eat all you want

• Truly “learn the landscape”

• Easy to meet incredible people

• Great for communities

• Eco-friendly

• Pedal for a purpose

• Relaxing

• Exhilarating

• Life-changing

10 Indicators: Bike Travel Blooming

• Economic impact

• State & Provincial interest & actions • New bicycle travel websites

• Commercial tours up

• Cycling events up

• More cyclist campsites everywhere

• Mountain bike-related travel

• 30+ states working on USBRS

• Adventure Cycling network – 40K+ miles

• Record year for bike tourism

Bike Travel Demographics • Highly Educated • Higher Discretionary Income • Bike travelers spend more than average tourist ($100+ daily versus $60+ in 2005) • Typically stay longer in an area • Less direct impact on local environment • Green travel potential and linkage with trains/buses • Becoming sweet spot for 50-64 demo, which as of 2010 accounts for 43 percent of increase in consumer spending

Where is Bicycle Travel Going? Tourism Trends • Chadwick, Martin & Bailey travel trends: Active vacations Sustainable travel

Experiential travel

• New York Times Travel Magazine (March 2010): 50% of American travelers want a culturally authentic experience

European Bike Travel

• Germany -- 3.9 billion euros and 3% of tourism sector

• Austria -- 317 million euros and 5% of tourism sector

• Netherlands – 565 million euros

• Switzerland – 120 million euros

• European bicycle tourism (including 2.8 billion day trips) -- 54 billion euros!

A recent study for the European Parliament (2009) concluded that cycle tourism has a role to play In more sustainable future for domestic and international tourism, and “that cycle tourists bring major benefits to localities which currently do not enjoy mainstream tourism development.” Yet the barriers continue to be • Poor integration with public transport • Lack of consistent infrastructure Demand tends to occur where good networks of cycle routes exist; in a European context this tends to be Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

National Cycle Network 2000 4,269 miles 85.5 million trips 2005 ~10,000 miles 236 million trips 2008 12,000+ miles 386 million trips Car displacement = 134 million trips (~35%)

• Velo Quebec – 1970’s • Tours & Promotion • Quebec Province: Mode Share Goals • Significant Government Investment

Quebec and La Route Verte

• $160 million-plus spent on bicycle travel along the network

• ROI: $134 million-plus per year

• Urban-suburban-rural system

• Hospitality certification program

• Virtuous cycle: as the network grows, serious injuries and fatalities have dropped by half – and by much more in per rider terms – total number of riders is mushrooming in all demographic categories

U.S. Economic Impact

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Wisconsin - $534 million/year out of state impact; $924 million direct and indirect impact 13,193 jobs Iowa - A University of Northern Iowa study: biking benefits exceed $450 million Minnesota - $427 million for recreational road and mountain biking – sizable chunk for tourism NC Outer Banks - $60 million and 1,407 jobs ($6.7 million up front investment) Great Allegheny Passage - $40.6 million/ $98 per person per day on overnight cycling travel

> $1 billion annually

Bike travel and tourism are growing in popularity The potential?

• US Bike Industry -~ $6.5 billion • Adventure Travel Industry ~ $89 billion (3 continents)

• Wisconsin and Minnesota alone ~ almost $1 billion annually each How do we capture, organize and utilize this growing clout on behalf of bicycling?

Building USBR 66 ~ State by State

Chicago, Illinois

• League of Illinois

Bicyclists draft a

route guide

• DNR assembles

stakeholders

• Trail Concept Plan is

developed

St. Louis, Missouri • Regional Bike Plan

• Missouri Bike and Pedestrian Federation

• Missouri DOT: priority for USBR designation

Mel Selway

Oklahoma!

• HB 2049 Historic Route 66

Bike Trail

• Oklahoma Bicycle Coalition

Outreach

• Community & Tourism

Support

BUT will the DOT designate?

Texas: Historic

Bicycle Tourism

Trails

Bike Texas is proud to

encourage and support

the development of

these bicycle tourism

trails in an attempt to

foster and promote

Texas as a world class

destination for touring

cyclists.

Arizona Draft Route by DOT

Outreach by Arizona Bicycle Coalition

Signing the Route

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Planning the Route: California

Alan Thompson Active Transportation Coordinator Southern California Association of Governments September 12, 2012

Pro Walk/Pro Bike Long Beach, CA

Ventura

Imperial

San Bernardino

Los Angeles

Riverside Orange

Southern California Association of Governments

Metropolitan Planning Organization 6 Counties

189 Cities

Transportation Planning New Plan every Four Years

Examine All modes

Fiscally constrained

20+ year horizon

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Transportation Planning 2008 Transportation Plan

$545 Billion for all modes

$2.6 billion for Biking/Walking

Biking just under 0.5% of all trips in 2000

2012 Transportation Plan

$525 Billion for all modes

$6.7 billion for Biking/Walking

Biking over 1.7% of all trips in 2010

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How Does BR66 Fit in RTP? Objectives • Increase dedicated funding for active

transportation infrastructure • Develop a regional bikeway network

• Establish Bike Route 66 as part of a functional

network of regional bicycle routes connecting the

region and serving commuter, recreational and

touring cyclists.

Relevant Law

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MAP-21- allocates “Transportation Alternatives” funding to be divided equally between MPOs and the States AB1358 (California Complete Streets Act) – requires all cities to include complete streets principles/policies when performing a major update of their General Plan Caltrans DD64R1 – which details how Caltrans will incorporate AB1358 into their transportation planning process SB375 – designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Integrates land use decisions and transportation. Active Transportation, as a TDM Measure can play a big role.

Existing Bikeways (2010)

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Proposed Bikeways (2035)

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BR66 and Regional Bike Network

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Implementation

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Develop Draft Route Structure

Recently traveled by ACA

Develop BR66 Concept Plan

Based on Illinois BR66 Concept Plan

Includes draft Route Structure

Use BR66 Concept Plan for Local Buy-In

Resolutions supporting BR66

Finalize route

Cities Along Proposed Route • San Bernardino County

Cities: • Barstow • Fontana • Hesperia • Needles • Rancho Cucamonga • Rialto • San Bernardino • Upland • Victorville

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• Los Angeles County Cities: • Arcadia • Azusa • Beverly Hills • Claremont • Duarte • Glendora • Irwindale • La Verne • Los Angeles

• Monrovia • Pasadena • Pomona • San Dimas • Santa Monica • South

Pasadena • West

Hollywood.

Implementation (cont.)

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Once Route is designated

Signage and Wayfinding

Improve Roadway for bicyclists

As part of normal roadway maintenance

As stand-alone bikeway project

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Sample Page from Concept Plan

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Needles In Needles, the preliminary Bike Route 66 travels south to North along Broadway, turning west on Needles Highway/W. Broadway/River Road. As it passes Interstate 40, the road turns into the National Trails Highway. The Bike Route will connect with Interstate 40 again at West Park Road. Implementation Implementation will involve finalizing the route through Needles, posting signage and possibly painting bike lane, and installing bike racks in front of businesses. Primary coordination will be with the City of Needles and local business community. It is important to note that leaving Needles, traveling west, there will be long distances traveled without access to water.

U.S. Bicycle Route 66 ProWalk ProBike 2012

Colin Bogart

Education Director

About LACBC • The largest member-supported, non-profit

bicycle advocacy organization serving Los Angeles County ▫ Founded in 1998 to build a better, more

bike-able Los Angeles County

▫ Promote cycling through education, community building, policy, planning and advocacy

▫ Over 1,200 members

▫ Work with the 88 civic jurisdictions of Los Angeles County, as well as with Caltrans, LADOT, METRO and other agencies

USBR-66 and the Advocate’s Role Why is USBR-66 Important to LACBC?

• Potential for Improved Bikeways

• Possibility for Improved Roads at Minimum

• Help to Establish Regional Network of Bikeways

• Connects Cities in LA County and Beyond

• Consistent with LACBC goals for County-wide bicycle improvements

Photo: Tammy Shurr

USBR-66 and the Advocate’s Role Why is USBR-66 Important to LACBC?

•Supports and Encourages Active Transportation

•Gives LACBC a chance to connect with business and economic development

groups

• USBR-66 Will Attract Tourism Dollars

•Tool to engage the public that we don’t normally reach

Photo: Tammy Shurr

USBR-66 and the Advocate’s Role

Three Phases for Establishing a US Bicycle Route

• Planning

• Implementation

• Promotion

Photo: Tammy Shurr

USBR-66 and the Advocate’s Role

LACBC’s role for all three phases

•Educate

•Push for Coordinated Planning, Implementation, Promotion

Photo: Melissa Thompson

Coordinated Implementation

Who Should We Look to for Implementation?

• Individual Cities

• Metro

• County Public Works

• California Department of Transportation

• All of the Above?

Coordinated Implementation

Potential Partners (Beyond ACA and SCAG)

• California Bicycle Coalition (state DOT focus?)

• LACBC Local Chapters

Pomona

West Hollywood

Beverly Hills

Santa Monica

• CICLE

• Bike SGV

• Bicycle Clubs

Coordinated Implementation

Additional Role of LACBC and Local Chapters

•Educate and Advocate

• City Government

• Local Business Groups

• Members

• Public

•Ride It!! – Check alignment

• You Can’t Beat Local Knowledge

Photo: Lon Haldeman

Tactics for Education/Promotion

Some of the tactics that can be employed

•Newsletter Updates

•Website

•Facebook Page or “Event”

•Twitter

•Local newspaper – letters or op-ed

•City Council meetings

•Business Group meetings

•Bike Rides!! – fun and good for publicity!

Photo: Ride America for Safe Routes

Ginny Sullivan Adventure Cycling Association gsullivan@adventurecycling.org

Alan Thompson Southern California Association of Governments thompson@scag.ca.gov

Colin Bogart Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition colin@la-bike.org