Creating a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone

WHO IS THE LEAGUE?

The League helps create great communities for biking and walking by developing more effective advocates

•Strengthen groups

•Support professional development

•Advance equity, diversity and inclusion

•Build a state by state strategy

•Learn to tell persuasive stories

League & Affiliated Groups

78%

People 4 Bikes 7%

Rails to Trails

6%

Adventure Cycling

4% IMBA 4% NBDA

1%

Bike Advocacy $117M 2014

New Active Transportation Leadership Institute of the League

• Support the 720 staff of local and state advocacy organizations who are raising $88 million annually to advocate for biking and walking

• Build on the 20-year legacy of the Alliance for Biking and Walking

• Launching at the 2017 National Bike Summit

Bike Clubs

•History – The League was founded by bike clubs to advocate for a national road network

•Today 800 bike clubs belong to the League with a total membership of more than 225,000 people

•Club Insurance

•Additional Benefits

National Bike Summit

Smart Cycling

• Nationally recognized Bike Education curriculum

• Designed to teach people of all age and abilities (beginner to advanced) to feel confident and be safe when bicycling

• 5,200 trained League Cycling Instructors (LCIs)

• Annually, 450 experienced cyclists are certified as LCIs after passing rigorous 12-hour training seminars

Gail & Jim Spann Bike Education Donors

Join the League of American Bicyclists

Individual

Family

Student & Youth

Silver Spoke

Life Member

Supporter

Sustainer

Advocacy Organizations

Clubs

Rides

Benefits of membership include the League's American Bicyclist and depending in membership level

up to four magazine subscriptions - Bicycling, Bicycle Times, Dirt Rag, and Momentum

Mag. Members also get discounts at dozens of participating businesses. Most importantly, League

members join a community of people and organizations across the country working to create a

Bicycle Friendly America!

372 Bicycle Friendly Communities and counting

Bicycle Friendly America Theory of Change

Record-breaking round of Bicycle Friendly Community applications

Our Fall 2016 Bicycle Friendly Community round had a record 140 communities applying for recognition

Bicycle Friendly America

• Bike plans in many communities set a goal of reaching, or upgrading, Bicycle Friendly America status

• We create action plans for each applicant, whether communities, universities or businesses

BFA - Pennsylvania #12 Bicycle Friendly State

6 Bicycle Friendly Communities

72 Bicycle Friendly Businesses

7 Bicycle Friendly Universities

The Bicycle Friendly Community

program is a key component of the

League.

At all times it is meant to be a

positive tool – it provides a roadmap

and recognition to transform

communities.

The program provides a broad menu

of options for taking action through

the online application, resource

library and hands-on assistance from

program staff.

In 2002 the program was overhauled and a

new, more rigorous application and review

process was initiated.

One important change was the creation of a

four tiered award system – Bronze, Silver, Gold

and Platinum - created with the intent of

encouraging communities to continually

improve.

A fifth award level – Diamond – was added in

2012.

Where people want to live, work and visit

• BFCs are among the best places to live, work, study and retire lists. (6 in US News’ latest Top 10)

• Mercer Int’l Quality of Life Ranking: 7 of 8 U.S. cities are BFCs

• Forbes’ Healthiest Cities 15 of top 20

• Businessweek’s Best Places to Ride out the Recession 17 of 20 are BFCs

• 9 out of Forbes’ top 10 Cities adding the most high paying jobs are BFCs

Key Actions

• Connected network– close gaps and build an all-ages and abilities network including bike boulevards, bike facilities on major streets and expanding off-street network

• Expand outreach/education to general public and work with Bike AAA to offer classes, events

• Expand staff time devoted to biking/walking and create advisory committee

• Improve measuring ridership and communicating progress

Connected, Legible Network

• Complete Streets Policy and design standards for a bicycling network that accommodates all ages and abilities

• Bicycling network is a connected, well maintained system of context appropriate signage and facilities

• Bike parking available throughout the community

• Bicycling and public transportation trips can be easily combined

Facility Selection

PROXIMITY TO TRAILS RAISES HOME VALUES

Monon Trail, Indianapolis

Otherwise identical houses

Worth 11% more for

every half mile closer to trail

Protected bicycle lanes led to a 49% increase in retail sales at local businesses

New York City Department of Transportation. Measuring the Street: New Metrics for 21st Century Streets. NYC, 2012.

Manhattan

Improved Economic and Safety

Outcomes

PEOPLE ON BIKE AND FOOT SPEND MORE PER WEEK

Transportation Alternatives. East Village Shoppers Study: A Snapshot of Travel and Spending Patterns of Residents and Visitors in the East Village. Oct 1, 2012.

East Village, NYC

Engineering

Bike parking available throughout the community

• Adopt the APBP bike parking standards

• Adopt an ordinance ensuring high-quality, safe and convenient bike parking throughout the community

• Create a program to offer low-cost or free bike parking to interested businesses and facilities

Convenient, Safe, and Everywhere

www.apbp.org

www.changelabsolutions.org

Education

• Bicycle and traffic safety education are promoted to the general public

• Bicycling education is conducted in school and outside of school

• Bicycling education is readily available for adults in the community

Encouragement

• Support for bicycling culture through events and rides

• Broaden support for bicycling through better engagement

• Active bicycling advocacy and bicycle advisory committees

• Support an active, engaged

bicycle advocacy group

representing the interests of

bicyclists and potential bicyclists

• Form a recognized, diverse and

representative Bicycle Advisory

Committee or similar group that

meets regularly

Bicycling Advocacy

Bicycle Friendly Businesses

Enforcement

• Support and enforce better bicycle-friendly safety ordinances at state and local levels

• Partnership between law enforcement and bicycling community

• Light the Night +

Partnership between law enforcement and bicycling community

• Ensure regular law enforcement participation on bicycle advisory committee and agency staff

• Ensure Law enforcement officers are offered regular education on the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and traffic law as it applies to bicyclists and motorists.

• Law enforcement officers provide education and distribute helmets, bike lights and bike locks to encourage cyclists to ride more safely and discourage bike theft.

Enforcement

Bike plan is current and being implemented

• Create a current, comprehensive bike master plan with dedicated funding, specific targets for ridership and safety, and tools for evaluation and monitoring progress.

Evaluation and Planning

Setting Targets

Outcomes like ridership and safety are being tracked and inform the bike program’s work

• Research bicycle ridership comprehensively and use to inform project planning

• Study bicycle crashes and create a plan for crash reduction and safety improvement

Evaluation and Planning

Communicating Progress

BFC Lambertville, NJ – BFB REI Princeton

Join the League - Member Supported Since 1880!