Biking from NYC to DC to Speak Up for Women in Bicycling

The Women's Forum and National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. are coming up the first week in March. While many Bicycle Coalition staff will be there, one of us is getting there via bicycle.

Our Education Fellow Katie Monroe will be joining nine other women in a bike ride from New York City to Washington D.C. These women are activist leaders from WE Bike NYC, Philadelphia's own Gearing Up (Program Director Kaelin Proud), Women Bike PHL, Black Women Bike: DC, and Women & Bicycles and they're undertaking a "purposeful adventure" to get to the National Bike Summit.

Why ride to D.C.?
The number of women who commute to work by bicycle has increased 56% in the last year. Lower-income individuals (earning less than $30,000) accounted for 28% of bike trips as recently as 2009 — more than 1.1 billion bike trips overall. Yet both of these groups are woefully under-represented in national transportation conversations. So the ride's goal is to support the League of American Bicyclists’ efforts to include underrepresented cyclists at the decision-making table through the inclusion of ten voices that would not be able to attend the summit without the financial support generated by this ride.

They are raising funds to make this happen. If you would like to help Katie and her fellow adventurers on their trip to D.C., you can donate at their Indiegogo campaign. You can learn more about the ride on WE Bike NYC's website.

The women will be taking a pretty direct route from New York to Washington D.C (boring). But one stretch goal of their Indiegogo campaign* will allow them to pedal really fast and check out some of the fine small-town bike share programs in the area. (Area = Burlington, Keene, Mt. Vernon, Tulsa, and Chapel Hill.) We think it's doable in three days if they're really motivated and get up early. Plus we hear Keene, NH is beautiful in early March.

3,500 miles divided by 3 days, divided by 20 hours of biking a day...oh, I'm not a "math guy" but I'm sure this is feasible.

*The women doing the ride are unaware of this stretch goal.

Join Us at the National Bike Summit in March

The 2014 National Bike Summit and Women's Forum is coming up from March 3rd - 5th in Washington, D.C. The early bird deadline for discounted registration fees and scholarships is January 22nd.

The National Bike Summit brings together the many voices of bicyclists to advance the issues of bicycle safety, funding, and equity. More than 700 participants from all 50 states will share success stories and best practices from the federal, state and local level; examine new means of messaging and communications; and take on some of our critics’ most challenging arguments against investing in bicycle-friendly policies and funding.

The schedule is as follows:

• March 3rd: the Women's Forum
• March 4th: the National Bike Summit
• March 5th: Lobby Day

The early bird registration deadline for both the Forum and the Women's Summit is January 22nd. Afterwards prices go up. Register here.

If you are a woman or a bike shop employee, there are two scholarship programs to apply for.
Scholarship information for bike shops is here; for women is here.

We will be there! If you want to join us for Lobby Day, send us an e-mail so we can organize a meeting with your congressional representative. In addition, we will be speaking:

• Katie Monroe will be talking about Women Bike PHL and hosting a panel on Girl Scouts on Wheels as part of the Advocacy section of the Women's Forum.
• We will be in the "Advocacy Wins" panel of the Forum, telling the story about how we got dedicated bike/walk funding in Pennsylvania's latest transportation bill.

The full programs for the Women's Bicycling Forum and the National Bike Summit are below.

The Big Takeaway from Last Week's National Bike Summit

Last week's National Bicycle Summit, an annual confab organized by the League of American Bicyclists, was an invigorating and innovative three days in Washington D.C. As reported in earlier posts, the Summit featured the terrific National Women's Bicycle Forum on Monday. We heard keynote addresses from Georgena Terry, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, and NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. (Click those links for videos of their addresses.) Tuesday's speakers included beloved and departing DOT Commissioner Ray LaHood, Bruce Katz from the Brookings Institute, and Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard.

Tuesday also featured one of the most interesting parts of the summit, the presentation from Doug Meyer, of Bernuth & Williamson Consulting. Mr. Meyer was hired by the League to interview 30 Republican and Democratic hill staffers to get a sense of which messages delivered by the biking and walking community best resonate. You can read a summary of Mr. Meyer's findings here and his presentation here. Some of the key findings of his presentation:

• Bicycle advocates as “sore winners”  (MAP-21 should be considered a win, not a loss, given that all funding was slated to be eliminated and we were able to save it.) 
• Dedicated funding is not the be all, end all (The trend is for funding to be directed to MPOs and localities.)
• The future is a multi-modal transportation system; embrace it and use it (Frame biking as a key cog in a larger multi-modal transportation system.)
• Asking for a “fair share for safety” doesn't resonate (Asking for safer streets through performance measures — or a national goal — is far more compelling than asking for money.)

As reported by Bike Portland, the bicycle movement is evolving and the advocacy community needs to evolve with it.

A big takeaway from Meyer's research (and the Summit overall) is that bicycling should no longer be considered a fringe activity. From the huge positive impact of bike-sharing and the proliferation of protected bikeways in U.S. cities; to US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood's efforts to legitimize non-motorized transportation — the national profile of cycling has never been higher. That means advocates must shift their frame-of-reference.  "Bicycling advocates now have a seat at the table," said Meyer during an interview on Wednesday, "So instead of convincing people that they need that seat, now they need to sit down and start working together on solutions."

On Wednesday, despite a federal government shut-down (by a storm that ultimately skipped DC), we joined other PA residents in trooping through the rain to visit with members of Congress and their staff (those whos offices remained open through what turned out to be little snow and much rain). A big thank you to everyone who took the time to come down to DC to deliver the message that Bicycling Means Business, especially in Pennsylvania!

Pat Cunnane (Advanced Sports) & Joe Staffor (Bicycle Access Council)
 greeted Rep. Scott Perry (PA -09) on his way to a vote

 Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA-06) took time out of
a Ways and Means Committee hearing to meet with
Shayne Trimbell and Joe Lison 

Bucks County residents Gunnar Bergy,
Jennifer Polo, Scott Wueschinski,
Andy Hamilton and Steve Hawkins were warmly greeted by Rep. Fitzpatrick (PA-08)

Picking Up Speed: Women Talk Bicycling In DC (Part 2)

Note: This is the second entry in our ongoing conversation about women and bicycling in Philadelphia. Katie Monroe, who is leading the Bicycle Coalition's work to address the bicycling gender gap, is in Washington DC this week for the National Bike Summit. Here she reports on Monday's National Women's Bicycling Forum.

The second annual National Women’s Bicycling Forum in Washington, DC, presented by the League of American Bicyclists, had a catchy name: Women Mean Business. Chosen in part to emphasize the economic power of women on bicycles, the more idiomatic meaning rang true for me. Women from around the country are taking bicycling and bicycle advocacy seriously, and I couldn't be more excited about it.

Diana Owens Steif and Katie Monroe riding Capital Bikeshare bicycles in the Black Women Bike DC ride

One of my personal heroes, the feminist bicycling thinker, writer, and activist Elly Blue, distilled it best in a speech on Sunday night. She put the conversation about women and bicycling in the context of the national conversation about women’s rights. After all, what better symbol do we have for controlling our own health and mobility than riding a bicycle? Elly also acknowledged the changing face of the National Bicycle Summit -- after years of being a “sausagefest,” now it’s more like “a tsunami of inclusivity” (her words!).

The women at the National Women’s Bicycling Forum came from rural and urban backgrounds, from established advocacy groups and grassroots movements, from academia, advocacy, and the art world. A few of the many who stirred my mind and heart:

• Black Women Bike DC grew from a just a few Twitter followers to a bike club over 700 strong in less than two years, because of the vision and leadership of Veronica Davis. BWBDC led a bike ride through the city on Sunday -- I had so much fun pedaling past the Washington Monument on my shiny red Capital Bikeshare bike! 
• Liz Jose is the founder of WE Bike NYC, a women’s bicycle club that operates in all five boroughs, offering social rides, mechanics workshops, training rides, and more to grow NYC’s community of women bicyclists. 
• Under the leadership of Nelle Pierson, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association just launched a peer-to-peer mentorship program designed to transfer the enthusiasm and practical knowledge necessary to ride a bicycle from woman to woman. 
• Finishing up an anthropology PhD dissertation about social justice in bicycling, Adonia Lugo is building new and useful academic knowledge for the bicycle movement to use -- rooted in her own real-world advocacy experience in Los Angeles and Seattle. 
• Harrisonburg, VA is lucky to have Suzi Carter working to build a biking and walking path called the Northend Greenway through her town. Harrisonburg has made dramatic improvements in bicycling infrastructure in recent years, a reminder that bicycling isn't just about big cities. 
• One of the rock stars of the event, New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan has crafted innovative streetscapes that are safer for everyone under Mayor Bloomberg -- including 200 miles of new bike lanes in three years! 

Every moment of yesterday’s National Women’s Bicycle Forum -- from the keynote speakers to the conversations in the hallways -- buzzed with the excitement of a movement diversifying. Stay tuned tomorrow to learn how the Bicycle Coalition plans to help more Philadelphia women start bicycling!

Previewing Next Week's National Women's Bicycling Forum

The National Bike Summit is happening next week, and we will be down in Washington DC to talk bicycling with legislators and advocates from across the country.

One component of the Summit we're particularly excited about is the National Women's Bicycling Forum. Hosted by the League of American Bicyclists, this year focuses on women's role in the business of bicycling.

The Forum will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on March 4 at the Renaissance Washington hotel (999 9th St NW, Washington, D.C.).

A very limited number of $85 tickets remain available. Tickets include lunch. Click here to register and click here for the program and schedule.

Highlights include keynote addresses from:

• Georgena Terry: founder of Terry Precision Cycles, the first brand of bicycles built specifically for women;
• Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (D-IL): helicopter pilot, Purple Heart recipient, former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and hand-crank bicyclist;
• Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan: New York City Commissioner of Transportation and architect of NYC's dramatic rise in bicycling.

With a theme of "Women Mean Business," this event will provide special focus on industry leaders, entrepreneurs and the economic impact of female bicyclists. According to the 2012 American Bicyclist Survey, women represent a critical majority for the future of the bicycle movement: 60 percent of bicycle owners aged 18- to 27-years-old are women. In 2012 alone, women reported that they planned to spend nearly $2 billion on bike products.

Three Bicycle Coalition staffers (Diana, Katie, and Susan) will be attending. Will we see you there?

Update: they are no longer providing childcare at the event.

Join Us For Bike Lobbying In D.C. On March 6th

Get your lobby on! Join us in Washington DC for the National Bike Summit's Lobby Day on Wednesday, March 6th.

You don't have to attend the National Bike Summit to participate in this Lobby Day, but we do ask that you let us know you're coming by signing up here:

http://bikelobbyday2013.eventbrite.com/

What is involved? Travelling down to Washington DC to meet with your elected officials and stress to them the importance of supporting biking and walking programs, funding, and trail projects.

We cannot provide you with transportation, but we can let you know who else is travelling so you can find someone to carpool with. Once we have appointments arranged with the various senators and representatives, we'll share those meeting dates and times.

This year, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee is Congressman Bill Shuster (PA-9), so the PA delegation is even more important than ever! We need to send the message loud and clear that bicycling is good for Pennsylvania and New Jersey's economy. Please join us!

Join Us at the National Bike Summit DC Lobby Day on March 6th

Are you interested in asking your congressional representative in Washington DC to support bicycle programs? Consider taking the day off to join fellow cyclists from the Greater Philadelphia region as we attend the National Bike Summit's Lobby Day on Wednesday, March 6th.

We invite you to travel down to DC and join us in pounding the pavement on Capitol Hill to visit the offices of our congressional representatives and Senators. You don't have to attend the National Bike Summit to participate in this Lobby Day, but we do ask that you let us know if you want to come down on Wednesday. Please send an e-mail to bike (at) bicyclecoalition.org with your name, home address, and contact information. We will send you the schedule and where to find us. We cannot provide you with transportation, but we can let you know who else is travelling so you can find someone to carpool with.

This is a fun experience and a great way to get involved in lobbying for a cause that matters to you! We will be asking our congressional delegation to support biking and walking programs, funding, and trail projects. Last year, we met personally with Congressman Brady, Congressman Pat Meehan and Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick.

This year, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee is Congressman Bill Shuster (PA-9), so the PA delegation is even more important than ever! We need to send the message loud and clear that bicycling is good for Pennsylvania's economy. Please join us!

Early Bird and Bike Shop Scholarship Deadlines for National Bike Summit

Two Important National Bike Summit Deadlines are nearly here! The NBS is March 4-6 in Washington D.C.


For Bike Shop Owners/Managers - Thursday, Jan 10th
For 25 shop owners and managers, the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) is providing scholarships to cover the cost of registration and travel (up to $625). To be eligible to apply, you must be a first-time Summit attendee and your shop must be a member of NBDA. If you or someone you know would like to be considered, make sure to get in your application fast! The deadline is 5:00 EST this Thursday, January 10th.

Apply for the scholarship, or register today!


Early Bird Rate For Bike League Members - Monday, January 21st
If you haven't registered yet for the 2013 National Bike Summit, now is the time! Join the advocates and industry leaders from 35 states and two Canadian provinces who have signed up so far. The early bird rate of $375 (for current League members) goes up by $100 on January 21st. Secure your spot and save some bucks by registering today.

Local Bike Shops Can Win Funds to Attend the National Bike Summit

The National Bike Summit theme in 2013 is "Bicycling Means Business." The National Bicycle Dealers Association wants to make that theme evident by paying to bring bike dealers to DC.

In their words:

The National Bike Summit is the premiere advocacy event of the year -- and this year's theme is Bicycling Means Business. The National Bicycle Dealers Association understands the close relationship between federal funding and the success of bicycle retailers. That's why they're offering 24 scholarships to first-time Summit attendees who work at bike shops. Not only will this scholarship pay for your registration for the 2013 Summit, but it will also fund your travel and lodging, too. Read more and apply!

The deadline to fill out the online application form is January 10, 2013.

Participate In National Lobbying Day From Comfort Of Your TwitterCouch

As many of you know, this week is the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. Today (Thursday) is Lobby Day, when bicycling advocates pound Congressional pavement speaking to our elected officials about the importance of funding walking and biking.

Not in DC but want to amplify our collective voice? Tweet at your elected officials (or at least the 20-somethings staffers who manage their Twitter accounts). The League of American Bicyclists passed around the action alert below:

Hone Your Bicycle Advocacy Skills at Our National Bike Summit Orientation

On Monday, we will host a special National Bike Summit preparation course. “Educating Our Elected Officials In Washington” is designed for those attending the Summit's Capitol Hill day on Thursday, March 22nd, or those interested in setting up a meeting in their Representative's District office. (But it is open to everyone.)

What: Federal bicycling advocacy prep course
When: Monday, March 19th
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Bicycle Coalition's Education Office, 1500 Walnut St, Suite 305.

Refreshments will be served.

National Bike Summit Coming Soon In D.C.

A reminder that the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Summit is coming up in a week and a half (March 20-22nd). This is the yearly gathering of bicyclists and bicycling advocates in our fair capital.

It's a terrible climate for pedestrian and bicycling funding in Washington DC, which means our attendance and advocacy is needed all the more.

The Summit features a conference portion and a lobbying day. If you are interested in attending the conference portion of the Summit, you should sign up here.

If you would like to come down to Washington for the day on Thursday, March 22nd and join fellow PA and NJ constituents lobbying on the Hill, please send us an email at bike@bicyclecoalition.org so we can include you in the meeting schedule. We are organizing visits with the PA House delegation and Senators Casey and Toomey. It's your opportunity to bring your own voice to Washington and add it to our collective call to save cycling.

UPDATE: the original title of this post had the Summit happening next week, which is incorrect (unless you think of next week as this week, and the week after this week as next week. Ugh, we need standards for this).

National Bike Summit: Join Us in D.C. to Lobby Congress to Save Biking and Walking

The League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Summit is coming up in a couple weeks. This is a once-a-year gathering of bicycling advocates in Washington DC, and it comes at a critical time.

It's hard to predict how Congress will resolve its differences and pass a new transportation bill by March 31st, when the current extension of the federal transportation bill expires. We breathed a sigh of relief when, facing howls of opposition from both its right and left, the GOP House abandoned its terrible bill (H.R. 7) last week. It began working on a shorter bill which might be better for transit, but will still eliminate dedicated funding for biking and walking.

It's likely that this nasty fight will continue through March, and so the National Bike Summit on March 20-22nd is going to be most important ever. If you are interested in attending the conference portion of the Summit, you should sign up here.

If you would like to come down to Washington for the day on Thursday, March 22nd and join fellow PA and NJ constituents lobbying on the Hill, please send us an email at bike@bicyclecoalition.org so we can include you in the meeting schedule. We are organizing visits with the PA House delegation and Senators Casey and Toomey. It's your opportunity to bring your own voice to Washington and add it to our collective call to save cycling.

Ray LaHood Speaks At The National Bike Summit (Again)

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was the Keynote Speaker at the National Bike Summit's opening dinner and reception.

2010 National Bike Summit Highlights

This year's highlights from the biggest and boldest Bike Summit to date:

Day 1

• More than 700 attendees at the National Bike Summit
• Bikes Belong launches People For Bikes Campaign
• Bicycle Coalition wins advocacy organization of the year award from Alliance for Bicycling and Walking

Day 2

• Federal Highway Administrator highlights TIGER grant to Philadelphia/Camden in his remarks
• DE Governor Markell speaks at the opening plenary session
• Green Cycle Track announced for Pennsylvania Avenue (concept photo)
• Google Maps rolls out Bicycling Directions
• Google Bike Sweepstakes for Twitter users (#bikewithgoogle)
• Bicycle Coalition receives $20,000 Bicycle Friendly Communities Grant from Bikes Belong/REI
• Sarah Clark Stuart presents on panel about social marketing
• Bikes PAC fundraiser sets record

Day 3

• Breakfast with Bob Casey provides face time with the Senator
• Bicyclists who couldn't attend participate in a Virtual Advocacy Day
• Representative Sestak introduces Highway Safety funding legislation
• 35 Pennsylvania constituents from across the state jam Senate Offices
• Specter Aide says the PA delegation of bicyclists was one largest groups he has ever seen-looking forward to the new transportation bill
• Casey Aide says that our message about bikeable/walkable communities is resonating
• Quote of the Day from Rob Andrew's Legislative Aide - "My world is blowing up with this healthcare bill"
• Anti-Tax/Healthcare activist with funny hat rolls eyes at bike summit elevator speech
• Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood jumps on the table to speak to a full house at congressional reception and gets rock start treatment.
• Russell Meddin rushes the stage-hands Ray LaHood a Complete The Trail brochure
• Sarah Clark Stuart and Matt Anastasi personally thank Secretary LaHood for Philly and Camden
• Earl Blumenaur works the room and speaks to local advocates

Bike Share Philly's Russell Meddin interrupts Ray LaHood's speech at the National Bike Summit

Off to the 10th Annual National Bike Summit

All Aboard! We'll be waiting on the platform at 30th St Station for the train that will take us to the National Bike Summit in Washington DC, which runs from tomorrow until Thursday when we march on Capitol Hill.

The National Bike Summit began in 2001 with just 100 participants and this year will boast nearly a thousand. I have been representing the Bicycle Coalition at the Summit since 2002 and this year nearly two dozen of our staff members and volunteers will be calling on our members of Congress. Also this year The New Jersey Bicycle Coalition, Bike Delaware and PA Walks and Bikes will be sending a record number of attendees from all three states, which means that our region will be well represented.

Follow the National Bike Summit on Twitter with the hashtag #nbs10. BikePortland.org will also be offering extensive coverage of the event. And even if you don't go you can participate in a virtual lobby day by calling your Congressional reps on Thursday. Stay tuned for details on that.

Bike Summits Everywhere

I remember when there was only one bike summit-The national one in Washington. Now it seems that every gathering of three or more bicyclists is called a bike summit. Well maybe I'm getting a little cynical in my old age. Actually it's a great thing, Delaware took the lead last year with it's first bike summit last April, and in 2010 all three states in our area have set the dates for their respective bike summits.

New Jersey Bike Summit - February 27th in Denville, NJ
National Bike Summit - March 9 - 11th Washington DC
Pennsylvania Bike Summit - May 4th at the Capitol in Harrisburg
Delaware Bike Summit - May 21st at the Wilmington Opera House

Remarks of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood talks at the 2009 National Bike Summit.



Secretary LaHood reinforced his commitment to bicycling in his official blog Welcome to the Fast Lane: Cyclists are important users of Transportation Systems

Bike Summit Lite

Off we go to the National Bike Summit, you can download the program here.

This year the League of American Bicyclists has opened up their Annual Meeting to all cyclists in the amphitheater of the Ronald Reagan Conference Center on Wednesday night and you can still lobby with us on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Call it Bike Summit Lite and it is free.