SRAM Awards $400,000.00 to Bike Advocacy

The League of American Bicyclists and the Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking now have funds to launch a nation-wide initiative to strengthen state and local advocacy groups and to help them make their communities more bike friendly.

January 16, 2009 -- Stan Day, President and CEO of SRAM Corporation commented on the potential of this combined effort. "National support of state and local advocacy groups is imperative to creating a bicycle friendly America," he said. "A committed partnership between the League and Thunderhead Alliance will guarantee greater coordination and effectiveness among an even broader base of local advocacy groups."

In response to SRAM’s announcement, Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists said, "SRAM’s outstanding contribution will strengthen our ability to capture this extraordinary moment of opportunity for bicycling. We have a new President, a new Congress and a new economic reality that is encouraging people to ride. Hundreds of millions of dollars of potential federal funding for cycling is at stake — and most of that will be invested at the local level. Bicyclists must have a voice in how that money is spent."

Jeff Miller, President of the Thunderhead Alliance said, "We intend to fully leverage this remarkable investment by SRAM. These funds will help form new state and local organizations, spur innovation among existing organizations, and deliver successful advocacy training to implement needed bike policies across the nation."

This is the fourth in a series of awards made by SRAM’s Cycling Fund, which was created on September 30, 2008. During the next five years, the Fund plans to award $10 million in grants to support committed national advocacy efforts that enhance cycling infrastructure, safety and access.

President Barack Obama's Call to Action

I am inspired. If my President-elect can pick up a paint brush or push a broom -- I can roll up my sleeves and get to work.

Please make it a point to enlist every single person in PA who you know supports Livable Streets -- those friends and co-workers who believe there must be a better way to design streets in our communities. If you know a bike advocate or a neighbor who walks their dog all over your home town -- that's who we need. Decide today that you are going to answer the new President's call to action -- and rally membership for your local bike/ped organization.

You can join WalkBikeBerks right now by clicking on the Donate button to the right. We need you -- and a donation in any amount will help us provide transportation choice in Berks County.

It is my hope that together, we can collectively get more done, more efficiently, more quickly.

WE CAN do this together.

Let's be the change we want to see.

~Michele

Stimulus -- Sidewalks are Shovel Ready

Stimulus - Sidewalks are Shovel Ready
by John Boyle
Newspaper reports of PENNDOT’s “Shovel Ready” list of projects offer no mention of bicycle and pedestrian projects. That is a great indicator of the weak political position of bicycle and pedestrian advocates in the state. But we are not alone - only 2 states that have publicly posted their lists (Vermont and Maine) are asking for more than 1% of their funding allocation go to bicycle and pedestrian projects.
Former Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Michael Ronkin had a great suggestion - dedicate money for sidewalks as translated on the Naked City Blog
You have heard from many about repairing bridges and highways. You have been receiving many ’shovel-ready’ wish lists of projects. Big highway projects are rarely shovel-ready; there will always be legitimate environmental and political hurdles to overcome, requiring robust public debate.
However, there are many small-scale projects that require little or no red tape, provide tremendous benefit/cost, and create the greatest number of local jobs per dollar spent: sidewalk repair, infill and construction, and bringing existing sidewalks up to ADA compliance. Sidewalk projects provide many economic benefits for communities large and small:* Most of the sidewalk cost is labor (60-80%);* The labor force is usually local; the bulk of the materials (sand and gravel) can be found locally too;* The wages are living wages, but not too high for financially strapped communities;* The minimal amount of design needed can be done in-house or by small local engineering firms. * Local small contractors can perform the work;* This provides work for small contractors hurt by the housing downturn, as they are doing less small concrete work for house foundations, driveways etc.;* These are opportunities to make good use of existing incentive programs such as Emerging Small Businesses, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Minority-Owned Businesses;* But most important are the positive results for the community:* Sidewalks improve property values, make it easier to walk for short local trips, reduce municipal liability for trip and fall injuries, and help make the transportation system accessible to all pedestrians, including those the Americans with Disabilities Act was intended to help bring into the mainstream.
The backlog of sidewalk infill and repair is huge in most cities. When I worked as Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation, I managed a small grant program (approximately $3,000,000/year statewide) that funded sidewalk infill projects. Every year we had to turn away many worthy applicants, as the requests exceeded available funds at a 5:1 ratio.

[Note: PennDOT's Safe Routes to School website states that $56 million in requested pedestrian infrastructure funds were requested in 2008 -- but only $12 million is available in this round of funding. That means that $44 million worth of pedestrian and bicycle projects were submitted to PennDOT -- but were NOT included in our list of shovel ready projects. WHY?]

PA Bikes and Walks

PA Bikes and Walks - A Virtual State Advocacy Group

PA Bikes and Walks is a statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocacy Group. The group advocates for livable, complete streets and for the protection of vulnerable road users.

The Livable Streets Network is hosting the group site http://www.livablestreets.com/projects/pabikewalk.

We also have a second group site on Facebook.

We are hoping to connect with everyone else in Pennsylvania who wants better biking and walking conditions. We are eager to support what you are doing as much as we are interested in helping you get things done. So -- if you're visiting from another organization or are interested in creating an organization -- take a look at our Virtual State Advocacy Group. We'd love to have you!

Safe Routes to School Newsletter

Please visit http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/mediacenter/6621/205694to view the SRTS National Partnership’s January 2009 E-newsletter.List of E-News Stories:1. 2nd Safe Routes to School Conference Call for Proposals2. 2009 National Bike Summit, March 10-12 in Washington, DC3. SRTSNP Welcomes Our Newest National Partners4. Federal Update - Stimulus Bill, Transportation, Climate, and School Siting5. President-Elect Obama Selects Ray LaHood for Transportation Secretary6. New CDC Report Shows Prevalence of Childhood Bike/Ped Injuries7. Safe Routes to School State Network Project Update8. Colorado SRTS Receives Thirty-Nine Applications in 4th Application Cycle9. Maine’s SRTS Program Expanding10. SRTS News Throughout the CountryBest,Brooke DriesseProgram AssociateSafe Routes to School National Partnership

Streetfilms -- thanks for sharing

We just wanted to remind you that you all are welcome to view Streetfilms at any time. To date, there are almost 200 Streetfilms to choose from, shot in more than two dozen cities, treating all kinds of concepts. They might be useful to illustrate livable streets to neighbors, government officials, business people, or fellow non-profits. You can view all Streetfilms videos at http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/category/streetfilms/ .

Clarence Eckerson, leader of the Streetfilms team, suggested these:

DAYLIGHTING: http://www.streetfilms.org/[…]/
ANIMATED RAISED CROSSWALK: http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/raised-crosswalk/
DIAGONAL CROSSWALKS: http://www.streetfilms.org/[…]/
CICLOVIA, BOGOTA: http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/ciclovia/
TRANSPORTATION ETHICS: http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/transportation-ethics/
BIKE CORRALS IN PORTLAND: http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/portland-bike-parking/

Bicycle Commuter Vouchers

Finally - the details we've all been waiting for!

Find this post on the Philadelphia Bicycle News blog: (Thanks BCGP!)

Here is the program in a nutshell from the CommuterCheck.com website:
"We offer the Commuter Check for Bicycling voucher which makes participation a breeze. Your employer will first need to choose to offer the benefit (pre-tax deduction or an employer subsidy). Once you sign up with your employer to get the benefit, take the voucher you receive to any dedicated bicycle shop or bicycle parking or storage location to redeem your value. If your purchase is greater than the amount of the voucher you have, you can use multiple vouchers or add value with another credit/debit card."

There is an contact form for the Human Resources person at your workplace: http://accorservicesusa.web101.hubspot.com/cc-for-bicycling-employer.

You can also have them call 1-800-531-2828
Accor Services USA (ASUSA) has added some additional guidelines for the program.

1. The voucher will be available for customers nationwide beginning in March, exclusively through www.commutercheck.com.

2. The maximum value will be $20; vouchers will be valid for 13 months.

3. These vouchers will be able to be used for the purchase of bicycles, bicycle accessories, maintenance, and storage. Bicycle accessories include pumps, locks, racks, lights, and safety gear but do not include clothing and food products such as energy bars.

4. The bike shop or service provider must be registered with ASUSA to accept the vouchers. The League of American Bicyclists and the National Bicycle Dealers Association are working on outreach to the shops.

For more information about the Commuter Benefit program visit the League of American Bicyclists website.