Eric
I still remember when my Dad took me to get my first bike. We went to the local hardware store, of all places, and he told me I could have my pick. I immediately went for the one that was a road-sign-yellow with black sprayed on it as if it had just gone through the deepest mud puddle on the block. I could've cared less about all the features my dad was trying to convince me it had.

That summer my siblings and I went everywhere on our bikes. We lived on a farm out of town, and we took full advantage of now having a mode of transportation other than our parents. 

It wasn't long before I had outgrown that bike, so my brother and I started turning our bikes into frankenstein bikes—taking parts off our parents' bikes to make ours last longer (not knowing then that I would use my dad's bike during college and have to buy all new components). We spent another summer with my cousins in a town north of ours where we spent every waking minute exploring on our bikes, going to 'Elephant dirt' (a homemade dirt terrain park) and worrying our Aunt riding way too far to junk yards to find better parts.

A few years ago, I moved to Denver to serve for an Americorps program with getting a new bike in mind. We were planting trees and installing energy efficient light bulbs when a very grateful woman gave me her son's bike that had been getting taken over by weeds for a few years in the backyard. Being in Americorps you don't have much money for gas or bike shops, but you do have dozens of resources to help you out. Once I had the bike, I started frequenting local bike non-profits in Denver like Detailer and The Bike Depot to keep my commuter in working order.

Its amazing how a bicycle—a machine—has played such an important role in my relationships with people. Whether it's racing down dirt roads with my friends and family, volunteering at a local bike shop teaching kids how to fix their bikes (without tearing apart their parents'), or now advocating for better biking in America, biking has been a great way to keep me involved, and I hope you will do the same. 

Grace
A lot of people are into bikes to go fast. I'm into bikes to go slow.

I started riding my bike regularly four years ago. I wish I could say I began riding because I was trying to make a difference in the world by improving the environment, but the truth is, I couldn't drive anymore.

My car, my first and only car, the car I bought when I was sixteen, and the car that lasted until I was 26 was breaking down regularly, and as a college student and part-time barista, I couldn't afford to keep fixing it plus pay for its insurance and gas, so I gave it away. Yep—after ten years of driving, all it took was one quick phone call to NPR, and I was car free.
 

Right after I gave my car away, I wasn't so thrilled about the change of pace. I felt like I couldn't get everything done that I "needed" to get done. I was accustomed to driving to school, then to work, then I'd go to a store or two to buy something I "needed" and then, maybe go to the library or a coffee shop, and then finally drive home.

Once I stopped driving a car and started riding a bike, my path through the city, out of nessecity, became linear. Instead of ziging and zaging my way to a laundry list of destinations, I rode my bike to school, to work, and home. Because riding a bike was slower (at least for me it was), I didn't have time to go to two or three stores everyday, so I went to one store a week insted. And as it turns out, that's was all I needed.

When my bike broke down, unlike my car, all I need was my hands, my mind, and the advice of some local volunteers to fix it. Contrary to what I thought, going slow on a bike made my life more manageable than going fast in a car. But going slow didn't just make my life more manageable, it also made it more gratifying because when you ride a bike you get to experience more. This is what I mean by that: My favorite time to ride my bike is in the morning because sometimes I get to feel the air before the sun steals its coolnes and I get to hear the quiet before the traffic moves in, and when I get to experience these moments, I always squeeze on my brakes because I know slow is what is needed to enjoy the ride.

At Bike Expo New York, Christine Capetola and Carolyn Auwaerter actually “tied” as the 500,000th person to sign the PFB pledge. Since they signed the pledge at the same time, we decided to declare them both our half-millionth supporters.

Christine and Carolyn were the 500,000th people to sign the PFB pledge

We owe half a million thank-yous to everyone who helped us reach this important milestone. Thanks to our title sponsors SRAM and VW for the funding we need to spread our movement far and wide, companies inside and outside of the bike industry that contributed to our cause, rides and festivals that hosted our pledge team, other nonprofits that joined forces with us, and, most importantly, to you, for being a part of PeopleForBikes.org.

As a way to say thanks and to celebrate reaching 500,000 names, we called upon America’s bicycling superhero, Rex T. Rider. Watch Rex in action below.

1)     Go for a type of bike ride that you normally wouldn’t: If you’re a road rider, try a mountain bike ride. If you’ve never ridden your bike to work, give bike commuting a shot. And if the ride to work isn’t something you can tackle this year, ride your bike to run an errand you would normally do by car, even if it’s just a trip to the coffee shop or ice cream parlor. Remember—forty percent of trips Americans take are two miles or less, an easy bicycling distance.

2)     Introduce one other person to bicycling. Whether it’s your partner, a coworker, a family member, or just a friend, help someone find a bike and go for a fun ride. Bicycling is a pretty amazing thing, right? Why not encourage someone else to discover the activity that brings you so much happiness.

3)     Participate in one or more National Bike Month events. A list of community rides can be found at the League of American Bicyclists, and here are some key national events:

• National Bike to School Day (May 9)
• CycloFemme, the International Day of Women’s Bicycling (May 13)
• National Bike to Work Week (May 14-18)
• National Bike to Work Day (May 18)
• National Bike Challenge (May 1-August 31)

This May and this summer should be an amazing time for bicycling in America. An increasing percentage of our national leaders recognize bicycling as a simple solution for transportation challenges, jobs and economic development, and health and obesity issues. Communities are investing in bike lanes and paths more than ever, helping bicycling to become safer and stress-free. We encourage you to take advantage of these new places to ride by participating in National Bike Month!

We set a personal record for pledges collected at Sea Otter, thanks to the help of our sponsor VW, who was there with the Think Blue tent and a really nifty bicycle-powered photo booth. They collected 1,500 additional pledges for us.

Even the official Sea Otter sea otter signed the pledge!

Our crews were busy Tweeting, Facebooking, and Instagramming in between collecting pledges. If you don't follow us yet and want to hear the stories from our travels across the country spreading the good word of bicycling, follow us at @peopleforbikes on Twitter, PeopleForBikes on Facebook, and PFBCrews on Instagram. With Sea Otter complete, our crews parted ways to begin their summer events expeditions. We're doubling our coverage this year, so hopefully we will be at an event near you. Our schedule is posted below. If you don't see an event on there that you think would be great for us, leave a suggestion in the comments below.

2012 PFB Events Schedule

April

27-28: Athens Twilight Criterium Athens, GA

28: Koppenberg Superior, CO

29: GA XC Championship Series 1/SERC #4 Fort Yargo State Park Winder, GA

29: Tierra Torture Santa Fe, NM

May

3-5: Bike Expo NY NYC

5: Live Green SLC Salt Lake City, UT

6: Five Boro Bike Tour NYC

10: Capital Bikefest Sacramento, CA

12: Lifetime Gran Fondo Santa Rosa, CA

13-20: Tour of California CA

18: National Bike to Work Day San Diego, CA

18-19: Dominion Riverrock Richmond, VA

20: Bobby Labonte Bike Ride Trinity, NC

21-23: Climate Ride NYC-DC

25-27: Mountain Sports Festival Ashville, NC

27: Bike the Drive Chicago, IL

June

1-3: Teva Mountain Games Vail, CO

2-3: People's Fair Denver, CO

3: Ride the Drive Madison Madison, WI

8-10: Tulsa Tough Tulsa, OK

9-12: Ride the Rockies CO

13-17: Nature Valley, MN

16: G'Night Ride Longmont, CO

15-17: Freemont Fair Seattle, WA

21-23: Flaming Gorge Days Green River, WY

24-27: Bike Virginia VA

27: Bike to Work Day Denver, CO

30: Red Bell 100 Redmond to Bellingham, WA

30: Tour De Fat Atlanta, GA

July

4-8: Ride Sun Valley Sun Valley, ID

14-15: Seatle to Portland Seattle, WA/Portland, OR

19-21: Tour de Fat Chicago, IL

22: RAGBRI Expo, IA

28: Tour De Fat Minneapolis, MN

August

1-5: Outdoor Retailer Salt Lake City, UT

12: Ride the Drive Madison Madison, WI

16-18: Tour de Fat Boise, ID

19: People's Pedal Party CO

20-26: USA Pro Cycling Challenge CO

September

1: Tour de Fat Fort Collins, CO

8: Tour de Fat Denver, CO

19-21: Interbike Las Vegas, NV

22: Tour de Fat San Francisco, CA

29: Tour de Fat San Diego, CA

29: Gran Prix of Gloucester MA

One of the most remarkable features of Portland’s bike system is its “bike boulevards.” Rather than carving out space for bicycles on busy, popular streets—an expensive, difficult, and often contentious task, especially when you remove car parking—planners in Portland designate a parallel route as a “bike boulevard.” These bike boulevards are low-traffic residential streets, with frequent, easy to spot symbols that mark it as a bike route. Some bike boulevards will have speed bumps to calm traffic. Instead of separating bicyclists from traffic (a relatively costly maneuver), bike boulevards let bikes and cars share the road safely and without much stress.

Besides their low cost and ease of implementation, the beauty of bike boulevards is that they are easy to navigate. You don’t even need to have a map or a specific route planned for how to get to point A to point B. You just wiggle your way in the approximate direction you need to go, following the bike symbols.

Sometimes the bike boulevards have to cross busy roads. Because they are minor, residential streets, they often don’t have a stoplight to help get across the major road. We came across this genius crossing pictured below, where all you had to do was press a bike-specific signal to stop traffic on the busy street and continue on the bike boulevard.

The innovative bicycle facilities in Portland make it easy, efficient, and fun to get around by bike, which is why Portland has one of the highest bicycling levels in the country. During rush hour on the most popular roads, like the Hawthorne Bridge pictured below, you see a constant stream of bicyclists.

Here’s another nifty feature that we encountered during the commute home on Monday afternoon. As you can see in the photo below, the bike lane off of Hawthorne Bridge has to jog left to avoid the off-ramp. Traffic speeds are relatively high, so it’s a bit tough to look behind and make sure you aren’t crossing paths with any exiting cars. The green colored pavement and Yield to Bikes sign let motorists know that they should expect to wait for you. This makes navigating this section much less stressful for bicyclists than it would be.

Next time you are visiting Portland, be sure to grab a bike and explore town. It’s amazing to see what the city has accomplished in terms of making bicycling easy and lower stress. There’s still a way to go to bike paradise, but it’s an example of how a little paint and a few neat tricks can transform your experience getting around without a car. (Learn more about Portland's work building its bike infrastructure here.)

Bicycling over one of Portland's many bridges offers outstanding views of the city.

Portland uses green paint to signal where motorists should expect to see and yield to bicyclists.

Widespread bike-specific signage is a huge plus for tourists and those unfamiliar with the city's bike network. It's easy to just jump on a path and figure out where you have to go.

Portland has many public open spaces that encourage you to deploy your kickstand and take in the view.

Again, lots of public maps and signage make wayfinding easy.

Here's crossing back over the river on the Hawthorne Bridge. Bikes and walkers are separated from cars.

Bikes ride on a different grade from cars on the Hawthorne Bridge. 

We're excited to explore Portland more over the next few days and see everything this bike-friendly city has to offer!

Since last summer, proposals have flown around the Capitol to strip away all designated transportation funds for biking and walking—even though biking and walking account for 12 percent of all trip across America but receive only 1.6 percent of federal funding.

But yesterday (March 29) the U.S. House of Representatives—the hotbed of opposition to bike and walking as well as transit programs—voted to extend the current surface transportation bill for another three months, saving the funding of bike and ped programs. The Senate followed two hours later. (This marks the 9th extension of the existing transportation bill since 2009 and another victory for the growing movement to ensure federal support for biking and walking projects.)

The political forces that want to steer policies back to the 1950s—when cars and highways were seen as the only way to go—have consistently failed to muster enough votes to shift federal transportation funding into reverse.

There are several reason for this, but one of the most surprising is the emergence of bicycle advocates—and to a lesser extent pedestrian advocates—as a persuasive political lobby.

Groups like the Alliance for Biking and Walking, the League of American Bicyclists, America Bikes, Bikes Belong, Rails to Trails Conservancy, People for Bikes, America Walks and others emphasize the message that the biking and walking benefit everyone, not just folks who ride and stroll frequently.

They've earned the attention of a growing bi-partisan bloc of Congress members, which makes the prospects for continued federal support of bike and pedestrian improvements much more likely than anyone expected last year.

The core of their message is plain common sense: All Americans are better off because biking and walking foster improved public health (and savings in health care expenditures for households, businesses and government), stronger communities, less congestion, safer streets, lower energy use and a cleaner, safer environment.

While Congressional critics belittle bicyclists as a marginal, almost silly special interest group, others herald them as self-reliant citizens who get around without the need of imported oil and mega-highway projects that cost taxpayers billions. Instead of a boondoggle, continued funding to improve biking and walking conditions in the U.S. represents a sound investment that saves taxpayers money now and in the future.

Even if you will never ride a bike in your life, you still see benefits from increased levels of biking. More bicyclists mean less congestion in the streets and less need for expensive road projects that divert government money from other important problems. Off-road paths, bike lanes, sidewalks and other bike and ped improvements cost a fraction of what it takes to widen streets and highways. It's proven that bicycling and walking increases people's health and reduces obesity, which will translate into huge cost savings for government and a boost for our economy.

Policies that are good for bicyclists actually benefit everyone on the streets. Good conditions for bicycling also create good conditions for pedestrians. And what makes the streets safer for bikes, also makes them safer for motorists.

Higher gas prices (which have topped four bucks for the third time in four years) means more Americans are looking for other ways to get around. Bikes offer people more choices in transportation. This is especially true for people whose communities are not well served by mass transportation or where distances are too far to walk to work or shopping.

Bike advocates are also working hard to dispel the stereotype that all bicyclists are young, white, urban, male ultra athletes in lycra racing jerseys. Increased investment in safer, more comfortable bike facilities means that more women, children, families, middle-aged and senior citizens, minorities, immigrants, low-income, suburban and rural people will ride bikes.

The number of Americans who commute primarily by bike leaped 43 percent since 2000 according to census data. The number of overall bike trips rose 25 percent.

But for those numbers to keep climbing—and the benefits for all Americans to continue accumulating—people need to feel safer on their bikes. Seventy-one percent of all Americans report that they would like to bike more than they do now, according to U.S. Highway Safety Administration data. But many of them fear riding on busy streets with speeding traffic.

Sharing is the best way to help these people feel safer. By historical tradition and legal decree, streets are not for the exclusive use of moving and parked cars. They are shared space belonging to everyone.

The Green Lane Project, which will launch in May, is an initiative to reclaim a bit of streets for bicyclists. The goal is to pioneer 21st century streets in six cities where bike lanes on major routes will be protected from heavy traffic by curbs, posts, parked cars or paint. This could do for bicyclists what asphalt roads did for cars a century ago.

But it’s important to remember that biking and walking are not strictly an urban way to get around. A new report from the Rails to Trails Conservancy (which I helped write) shows that biking and walking in rural America is far more widespread than most people realize.

The report cites data from the U.S. Department of Transportation showing that rural Americans bike only slightly less than their urban counterparts, and much more than people living in newer suburbs. Here are two particularly surprising findings.

• In towns of 10,000 to 50,000, a higher percentage of overall trips are made by bike than in urban centers.

• In towns of 2500-10,000 twice as many work trips are made by bike than in urban centers.

Federal funding of biking and walking improvements play an important role in helping rural communities attract and retain young people, families and businesses.

As the CEO of the Billings (Montana) Chamber of Commerce John Brewer told a Congressional hearing last year. “Talented people are moving to Billings in large part because of our trail system that creates the quality of life they are expecting….Trails are no longer viewed as community amenities; they’re viewed as essential infrastructure for business recruitment.”

This story is adapted from remarks Jay Walljasper gave at the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. on March 21.

(L to R: Eric and Grace - PFB Crew West, Christy and Adam - PFB Crew East)

Adam and Christy have a personal mission to improve the future of bicycling, demonstrating this commitment through Give a Bike, a 50-state charity bike tour supporting World Bicycle Relief and Achilles International. In 2011, the couple pedaled 12,591 miles across 50 states, raising more than $25,000 for those causes.

Grace has more than 1,000 hours of outdoor leadership training from Voyageur Outward Bound School. In addition, she has planned long distance cycling trips for teens, organized recreational programs for college students and was a camping crew leader for the Mile High Youth Corps.

Eric has worked as: a mentor with SOS, a nonprofit organization that builds character and self-esteem in youth through outdoor activities and the SOS curriculum; served as a project leader with the Continental Divide Trail Alliance; and was a leader with AmeriCorps.

“Our partnership with Volkswagen Group of America enables Peopleforbikes.org to attend more events in 2012, and to reach more Americans who care about safe and stress-free bicycling,” said Bruno Maier, vice president at Bikes Belong. “Christy, Grace, Adam and Eric understand the many benefits of bicycling, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them representing Peopleforbikes.org.”

The PFB crews will spearhead events including Volkswagen’s Sea Otter Classic, the Amgen Tour of California, Bike the Drive Chicago, Nature Valley Bike Festival, RAGBRAI, Ride the Drive Madison and USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

In addition to Volkswagen Group of America, SRAM, the respected bicycle component manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, is a lead sponsor of Peopleforbikes.org.

Look for a preliminary event schedule to be posted in the coming weeks. Also, if you have any suggestions for events we should attend, we'd love to hear them in the comments below.

Tim Johnson created the Ride on Washington after first attending the National Bike Summit in 2010. In 2011, he recruited seven riders to pedal from Boston to Washington, and scores of additional riders joined in along the way. New this year, Tim encouraged the general public to join the last five miles of the ride in street wear, with no spandex required, to the National Bike Summit on Capital Bikeshare bikes. The ride brings together advocates, industry leaders, and racing clubs at nightly receptions in each host city in an effort to raise local awareness about national bike initiatives. The event also aims to create discussion and attention around the social and health benefits of bicycling.

Title sponsor of the event, SRAM, is also a major sponsor of Peopleforbikes.org.

Please contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to support the bipartisan Petri Amendment to keep bicycling safe and increase transportation choices.

Members of the House will be home in their districts the week of March 12. Please call, email, or meet with your Member of Congress (follow link here to find your Member of Congress) to urge him/her to preserve popular programs for bike infrastructure and explain the benefits of this infrastructure in your community.

The Petri Amendment consolidates important bicycling programs like Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School into the Transportation Improvement Program, and ensures that local governments — cities and counties — have an opportunity to weigh in on transportation decisions.

Tell your Representative that the bicycling community now supports the Senate version of the Transportation bill with the recent inclusion of the Cardin-Cochran Amendment. The Cardin-Cochran Amendment, similar to the Petri Amendment, ensures that local governments, school systems and metropolitan planning organizations have access to funding to make walking and bicycling safe and accessible.

Thanks again for speaking up to save bicycling. Stay tuned for updates on the House bill and the Petri Amendment.

Read more: Bicycling and Walking Organizations Respond to MAP-21 Manager's Amendment, full Petri Amendment, support the Petri Amendment Transportation Improvements Program

Despite our gains in the Senate, the future of federal funding for bicycling remains uncertain. The battle returns to the House of Representatives, where some leading members continue to push to eliminate key bike programs.

You can help save bicycling in the House by contacting your U.S. Representative and asking them to support the Petri Amendment. The Petri Amendment consolidates important bicycling programs like Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School into the Transportation Improvement Program, ensuring that local governments — cities and counties — have an opportunity to weigh in on transportation decisions.

Thanks again for speaking up to save bicycling in the Senate. We're getting closer to long-term success—but it is far from guaranteed! Stay tuned for updates on the current House bill and the Petri Amendment.

Read more: details of the Cardin-Cochran Amendment and the updated Senate transportation bill, the full Petri Amendment (PDF)

Here at PFB, we know that seeing others enjoy riding a bike is a big part of encouraging even more people to join in, so we're glad to see so many captivating bicycling images become available to promote bicycling.

Rachel Schell, a photographer from Spokane, WA, won the overall grand prize for her photograph "Flying" and will receive an all-expenses-paid, 10-day bike trip to Tuscany, Italy! Liv Ames from San Jose, CA, won second place overall for her photo "Vancouver Foot Traffic," and Russell Roca of Corvallis, OR, took third place overall for his "Biking Family" image. Momentum magazine is featuring an array of the winning photographs from each category in its March/April 2012 issue.

Do you have any great bicycling photos of yourself, friends or family? Share them with a story in our Story Gallery and on our facebook page!

Grand Prize: Rachel Schell, "Flying"

Second Place: Liv Ames, "Vancouver Foot Traffic"

Third Place: Russell Roca, "Biking Family"

Check out the Alliance's full photo library and learn more about the contest.

Federal support for bicycling is in trouble, again. The U.S. House and Senate have released bills that would reverse 20 years of progress toward making bicycling safe and stress-free for all Americans.

The current Senate transportation bill eliminates essential biking and walking programs. To improve the bill, we’re asking senators to vote for a bipartisan amendment that guarantees our local governments a voice in transportation decisions, allowing them to build bikeways and sidewalks that keep people safe.

Take action today to help preserve the successful, cost-effective federal investment in biking. Contact your state’s two U.S. senators to encourage them to vote for the Cardin-Cochran amendment. (You can find your senators, review basic suggested text for your email, and send your note directly from this link above.) You can read more about the Cardin-Cochran amendment here.

Thank you for speaking up to save bicycling. 

I’m just back from an invigorating bike ride. Nothing unusual about that.

I bike almost every afternoon—not only for exercise but for the mental lift that comes from feeling the wind in my face and blood pumping through my body. For me it’s a form of meditation, which sends fresh thoughts soaring into my imagination that would never take flight back at my desk.

The only thing unusual about my ride today is that it was 5 degrees (Fahrenheit, that is). But that doesn’t stop thousands of people in the Twin Cities from getting on their bikes each day to pedal to work, school, errands and just for fun.

Traffic counts from Bike Walk Twin Cities show that 36 percent of summer bike commuters continue to ride on clear, warm winter days (like the ones we experienced in early January) and 20 percent on cold or snowy ones (which we seem to be getting our share of now). Even in the midst of blizzards and Arctic cold blasts, you see hardy cyclists navigating the streets on two wheels. It’s one reason we were named America’s No. 1 Bike City by Bicycling magazine in 2010.

Now let me confess that I am no ultra-fit athlete; I’m just a regular middle-aged guy who likes to ride. So if I can do it, you probably can too. In fact, I’ve discovered over the past dozen years that winter biking is way easier than it looks. Actually, I can’t think of any easier way to earn macho points without really pushing myself too hard.

Here in Minneapolis, the streets are clear and the mercury hits the 20s many days throughout the winter. (Even in our coldest month, January, the average temperature is 21.) And when it’s not, follow these common sense guidelines to stay safe and warm.

Get a Good Light. I find that darkness, more than cold and ice, is the biggest challenge of year-round biking. Many North Americans and Europeans, even in warm climates, ride home from work in the dark and need the protection of bright front and back lights.

Dress Warm. Thick socks and good gloves are especially important, since the extremities get cold first. Add a face mask when you venture out in sub-zero temperatures.

Dress in Layers. The great surprise about winter biking is that being too hot can be as big a problem as being too cold. You warm up quickly once you start pedaling, so make sure to wear wickable undershirts and long johns on long rides (I find silk the best to bead up the sweat, but others swear by synthetics). It’s also handy to have outer garments that you can easily unbutton or unzip to let in some cool refreshing air.

Invest in Snow Tires. This innovation sparked the winter biking boom. Studded tires give you good traction in the snow or slush. They are some help on sheer ice, too, but extra caution is warranted.

Lower Your Seat. The best way to stop in a hurry is to plant your boots right on the pavement.

Travel Slower. Use the same common sense as when driving a car in winter conditions—take it easy.

Pay Extra Attention to Motorists. Drivers are less likely to be looking for bikes in the cold weather. Also, you may be competing with them more for the smooth spots in the center of the road. I stick more to off-road paths (which are well plowed here in Minneapolis) and less-traveled streets in the winter, and sometimes pull over to let a vehicle get past. It relieves anxiety for both of us.

Have Fun! Winter biking really is one of life’s unexpected pleasures.

We are working with VW as part of its Think Blue initiative, which encompasses all of the company’s efforts to promote eco-friendly mobility and encourage environmentally conscious behavior. VW has a history of working to improve its sustainability. Its factory in Chattanooga is the only auto manufacturing plant in the world to be LEED Platinum Certified. The VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany has 5,500 bikes for employees to use for transportation.

“Volkswagen’s commitment to environmental sustainability extends beyond our fuel-efficient vehicles and company practices,” said Jonathan Browning, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “We are extremely proud to be partnering with Bikes Belong to encourage biking and ensure that people of all ages can safely share the road, saving fuel and reducing pollution and traffic congestion.”

This sponsorship will considerably increase the reach of our efforts to make bicycling better and safer in the U.S. We’ll be able to unite more bicyclists through the PFB movement, help more children safely ride or walk to school, and increase the number of innovative bicycle facilities in cities across the country. Mainstream support like this is huge for bicycling in America.

Right now we are nearly halfway to our goal of uniting 1 million bicyclists. Thanks to VW, we might even reach our goal by the end of the year. We’re truly thankful to be working with a forward-thinking company that recognizes bicycles as a solution. Look for great things to come from this partnership in 2012.

Thanks to Allen, Ryan, Boulder Cycle Sport, Pete Webber, and everyone else who helped with this video.

So far, so good! After a solid first year, the PFB movement nearly tripled in size during 2011. Nearly 500,000 supporters now power our collective, unified voice. We will continue to grow in 2012. 

We've rallied the PFB troops four times to show how much Americans care about the federal investment in bicycling. In 2011, our movement sent more than 100,000 letters to U.S. Representatives and Senators. These messages made a strong impression, and inspired Congress to preserve dedicated funding for essential bike infrastructure and programs--at least for now. 

Nevertheless, some members of Congress still want to eliminate all support for bicycling and reallocate that money to highways. They fail to recognize how the steady federal investment is boosting bicycling and helping our nation in many important ways. They overlook the tangible outcomes and the cost-effectiveness: 3,000 bike projects are backed nationwide for less than the cost of a dozen miles of multi-lane highway in a single city.

Your voices have made a difference. But the fight isn't over.

2012 will be a challenging year for federal support of bicycling. Federal transportation funding expires at the end of March. Congress must either approve a new, multi-year bill or extend the current bill again. Either way, the value of ongoing bicycling investments will be debated. Future funding will be determined.

Peopleforbikes.org is ready for this fight, and we want all of our supporters to be ready for additional calls to action. Together we can protect key investments in bicycling that keep people safe and encourage more individuals to get on their bicycles.

Meanwhile, you can help us make our movement stronger by spreading the word and asking your friends and family to sign the pledge. Tell us how we can improve PFB by posting a comment below. Finally, you can help us continue to protect bicycling by donating to PFB -- even $5 or $10 can help us win this battle and assure that bicycling becomes safer and better for all Americans for decades to come.

Thanks, as always, for your action and your support.

For this year’s Winter Bike to Work Day, we had clear roads, gusty winds, and temperatures slightly above freezing. I rode to work with my husband, Spencer, who is a year-round bike commuter too. We live just a few miles from our offices, which makes it easy to leave our cars parked at home most days.

 
Spencer sets out for a wintry ride to work.

Riding in the bike lane.

Of course, the whole point of Winter Bike to Work Day isn’t the fact that you are biking to work, but the strategic planning around how to visit as many breakfast stations as possible. Spencer and I made sure to stop at Ideal Market, which always has one of the biggest and best breakfast spreads.

  
Arriving at our first breakfast stop of the morning. 

 
Yummy French toast.

   
S'mores for breakfast!

Compared to the main Bike to Work Day in the spring, the turnout was lower at Ideal Market. (Though this meant there was no line for the free coffee!) The city still expects 1,400 people to officially participate in Winter Bike to Work Day.

Spencer arrives at work after a successful Winter Bike to Work Day.

My coworker Erik visited another station by the Boulder Creek Path on his way into the office. This station seemed to be busier.

The Dushanbe Tea House breakfast station.

Especially for those of us highly motivated by free food, events like Winter Bike to Work Day are a great way to encourage people to try bike commuting during a time of year when participation tails off. Chicago’s Winter Bike to Work Day is this Friday, and Madison, WI and Fort Collins, CO have held similar events in the past.

Would you participate in a Winter Bike to Work Day if your city had one? Is every winter day a Bike to Work Day for you? Or does biking during the winter seem too difficult or inconvenient where you live? Let us know in the comments below.

TED launched the Ads Worth Spreading initiative as a way to recognize companies that want to communicate ideas in the same way TED wants to communicate with its audience.

We feel honored to be included in this group of visionary leaders working to make the world a better place. 

Check out TED’s YouTube channel to watch (and vote if you’d like) for Bikes Make Life Better. 

We’d like to thank TED for this amazing opportunity and wish the other companies and organizations good luck!

Each participating school must choose one school winner whose poster will go to the state coordinator. Each state will have three winners, and the first place winner will receive a new bike, light, and helmet. There will also be one national winner. In addition to the bike, light, and helmet, the national winner will receive a three-day all-expense-paid trip for two to Washington, DC for the 2013 National Bike Summit.

The national winning school will receive 10 branded bike docks (bike parking for 20 bikes) and a Hub system. The Hub is an active transportation tracking system that makes it easy, fun, and educational for a school to implement a walking and biking incentive program.

The national winning state coordinator will receive $250.

For more information about the Saris Fifth Grade National Poster Contest and how to become a state coordinator, visit the Saris Cycling Group website.

After being acclaimed as America’s best city for biking in 2010, what can you possibly do for an encore?

Well, in the case of Minneapolis, you do even more bicycling—and more walking too.

People here biked and walked 16 percent more in 2011 than in 2010, when Minneapolis was crowned “#1 Bike City” by Bicycling magazine. The same is true for St. Paul and some inner ring suburbs.

Biking rose 22 percent across the Twin Cities compared to 2010, according to data just released by Bike Walk Twin Cities. And it’s up a whopping 53 percent since 2007, when the organization began counting bicyclists and pedestrians at 42 locations from Beltline Blvd. in St. Louis Park to Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights.

Bike Walk Twin Cities has conducted bike and pedestrian counts over the past five years as part of the federally funded Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, which is focused on implementing proven strategies and finding innovations that allow some Americans to switch from driving to biking and walking for many short trips. Bike Walk Twin Cities is a program of Transit for Livable Communities, a nonprofit focused on increasing transportation options for Minnesotans.

The pronounced rise of two-wheel and two-feet travel between 2010 and 2011 is attributable in part to an array of street improvements—including more bike lanes and special bicycle-and-pedestrian boulevards—installed around town in the past year as part of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program. The Twin Cities was one of four communities around the country designated as transportation laboratories in the legislation, which was passed by a Congress in 2005 and signed by President George W. Bush.

“The goal of this project from Congress was to shift some trips, and this data shows it is happening,” says Joan Pasiuk, director of Bike Walk Twin Cities. “The implications for overall health and transportation access are outcomes the community will realize from the numbers we’re reporting.”

Bike and pedestrian counts on the Lake Street Bridge, for example, show that the increase in biking translates to 96,000 fewer auto trips at that location during 2011 compared to 2007, explains Tony Hull, Bike Walk Twin Cities’ Nonmotorized Evaluation Analyst. He arrived at that figure by using a model developed as part of the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Protocol by Alta Planning & Design of Portland. Overall, people made 1.1 million bike and pedestrian trips across the bridge in 2011.

“This is a massive number of people that need to be factored in our transportation policies,” Hull notes. “It’s not just nice that people are biking and walking more today. It’s a significant form of transportation” which he says offers positive results for public health, the environment and our sense of community.

Accurate bike and pedestrian counts are critical to the growth of biking and walking in America, Pasiuk explains. “Policymakers act on hard evidence—they want to be able to know if their investment is paying off and that more people are relying on biking and walking as a regular transportation pattern. These counts show what’s happening on the streets in a way everyone can understand.”

The busiest spot for bicyclists in this year’s count was 15th Avenue and University Avenue, near the University of Minnesota campus, with 787 riders and 1840 pedestrians between 4 and 6 p.m. on the days of counting in mid-September.

I was on hand at the second busiest spot, the Sabo Bridge on the Midtown Greenway where 767 riders and 60 pedestrians crossed over Hiawatha Avenue. It was a chilly afternoon with howling winds that felt more like March than September yet waves of bicycles rode by, ranging from executives in business suits to Native American kids from the nearby Little Earth housing project.

Rolf Scholtz tallied each one as they passed. He’s the president of Dero Bike Rack Company, located nearby in the Seward neighborhood and one of 54 volunteers who took part in the project. “We let our employees out to do the counts every year,” he said. “Bike riding is going crazy around here.”

All the people counting bike and pedestrian traffic are trained by Bike Walk Twin Cities, and checked in on at least once by staff during their two-hour shift. Some cities use paid counters from temp agencies, Hull notes, but BWTC believes volunteers are more diligent and accurate.

The counts have been carried out the second Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of September for the past five years to ensure an accurate measure. “This data is rock solid,” Pasiuk says. “BWTC is using state of the art methodology for tracking and interpreting data.”

Bike Walk Twin Cities also conduct counts on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 locations around town, which have turned surprising results—20 percent of bicyclists and 75 percent of pedestrians continue to bike and walk throughout the winter despite Minnesota’s frigid, snowy weather. Given the trends reported today, no surprises here – just more evidence of the transportation shift that the Twin Cities can underscore.

Jay Walljasper, author of The Great Neighborhood Book, is editor of OnTheCommons.org and senior Fellow at Project for Public Spaces. He writes frequently about cities for National Geographic Traveler and other publications.

Update: the sale ends Friday, December 16 at 12 PM MT.

As 2011 draws to a close, we’re cleaning out the PFB office to make room for new goodies. We have a ton of extra t-shirts left over from our summer tour, and bottle openers too. Help us find them a home!

We have men’s shirts in sizes M and L and women’s shirts in S and M. (A note from PFB ladies: the women’s shirts run small. We usually wear a size up or a size down in men’s.) They are printed on 100% cotton Gildan and Next Level tees. Tees are $12 each, including shipping. Our apologies if we don’t have your size. Consider ordering one for a friend instead.

We also have Park Tool bottle openers for $5 each. They are *the* best stocking stuffer in the history of stuffing stockings.

To add a bit of holiday fun to our holiday sale, we’re randomly including a Primal jersey in two orders. You just might win one, you lucky dog!

To order a t-shirt or bottle opener, first submit your order on our online form below, and then mosey on over to the Donation page and pay there. We know, we know, it’s not a fancy online shopping system. But ordering this way allows as much of your donation as possible to go directly to our work, instead of hosting some slick e-commerce site.

For 17 bucks you can treat yourself to a new shirt and a bottle opener. For a $27 donation you can add bottle openers for two friends! Get shopping!

Though it may be tempting to buy a trendy toy, skip the lines and purchase one of the most iconic children’s gifts: a bicycle. Call me old-fashioned, but when I conjure up childhood memories, none measure up to the feeling I felt when I rode my first bike.

I learned to ride a bike when I was three, and that experience led to a childhood of independence, freedom, and health. I was probably the only four-year-old who rode his bike to preschool on Ohio’s Little Miami Scenic Trail. My bike was not just my way to have fun, but also my ticket to independence. I rode my bike everywhere: to elementary school, the pool, the store, and friends’ houses. As I entered high school it became a vehicle to get to sports practice, work, or anywhere else I wanted to go.

As an adult and a father, I love bicycling in all its forms—I use it for recreation, transportation, and exercise. It allows me to spend time with my family as well as maintain my physical and mental health. But what I appreciate most about bicycling is how it is helping my children develop into smart, independent, and healthy teenagers. My two sons are learning to be responsible and self-reliant while building healthy habits that will help in their development to adulthood. I can say with 100% certainty that Madden 2012 and Modern Warfare 3 will not have the same positive effects as a bicycle.

Functional and fun, bikes make the ultimate gift for kids because they can use it every day. More importantly, a bike will help your child develop independence and a healthy lifestyle. If you are considering purchasing your child’s first bike, here are a few suggestions to keep in mind.

1. Stick to your budget
Children’s bikes come in a range of prices. Shop around, and determine which one will be within your budget.

2. Find the perfect fit
The right size and set up of the bike will make a big difference. Most bike shops will help guide you on the bike’s size.

3. Stock up on proper gear
Of course, this means a properly fitted helmet. Make sure your child has pants that won’t get caught in the chain, and a good pair of sneakers to safely pedal.

As we set out to make holiday wishes come true, I challenge you to carefully consider your purchase decisions. Certainly we all desire to see that look of unbridled joy dance across the faces of our little ones. In my opinion, there’s no gift that will have the lasting impact of a sparkling, new two-wheeler.

 
    PFB Vice President Bruno Maier on his first bike

This idea of Tim’s got the rest of us thinking. Why should we acknowledge other bicyclists, and how should we do it? And what would it look like if every rider did this?

It’s safe to say that greeting another cyclist—whether it’s with a nod, a smile, a wave, a bell ding, or even a “hello”—can’t hurt, perhaps except in special situations. If you’re flying down a winding, technical descent, you might not want to remove your attention from the road right in front of you. But in most cases, a simple greeting will do no harm. Smiling at another rider will probably make both of you feel good. Research shows that your facial expressions can influence your mood.

If you’re an introvert (or perhaps tired from a long climb) and can only bring yourself to lift a few fingers, that’s still better than staring off into the horizon and pretending the human being next to you on the bike path doesn’t exist. The bike bell is the ultimate tool for those who have trouble mustering a greeting. And for those of you concerned with the extra weight of a bell, they do come in lightweight titanium versions.

As bicyclists, we are typically in the minority out on the roads. Greeting other riders enhances camaraderie and builds a feeling of community. If you get caught out on your bike in the pouring rain or a freak hailstorm, nothing beats seeing another bicyclist and sharing your collective experience with a single moment of eye contact and a grimacing smile.

But what happens when our numbers grow to the point where encounters with other riders happen every second, instead of every hour or even once in a blue moon? Well, it becomes much more difficult to follow Tim’s lead of greeting every passing bicyclist. Some members of the PFB staff were in Copenhagen, “City of Cyclists,” earlier this year. In Copenhagen, where 37% of commuters ride bikes every day, bike riders don’t acknowledge each other. There are simply too many of them! 

To demonstrate this, our guide Mikael Colville-Andersen showed us a photo of a vacuum cleaner. (Yes, a vacuum cleaner.) For Copenhagen residents, he explained, a bicycle is like a vacuum cleaner. It’s a tool. We don’t wave to other vacuum cleaner users, Mikael explained, so why would we wave to other bicycle users.

The sheer prevalence of bicycling is why we didn’t see riders greeting each other in Copenhagen. We observed the same thing in the Netherlands, where bicycling is also extremely popular.

Until the day when bicycles outnumber cars on the streets of your city, take a lesson from Tim and try greeting the other bicyclists you see. Being cordial can’t hurt, and a simple smile can make you and others feel better. It might even encourage new cyclists. Why not spread the joy that a bicycle brings (which, incidentally, is way more than that of a vacuum cleaner.) We have the luxury of not being stuck in metal boxes, so go on and ding that bell!

Bicycling does immense work for our health and happiness. The next time you are out riding your bike—whether it's a hilly, 40-mile ride to burn off all that bacon-wrapped turkey, or a simple jaunt downtown to meet a friend—remember to give thanks. Give thanks for bicycling, because it makes our own lives, our country, and our planet better with every pedal stroke. And, as with anything in life, there's no guarantee that you will be able to ride tomorrow, so give thanks for riding today.

We'd love to hear your comments below about why you are thankful for bicycling. Are you thankful for a shiny new bike? Losing a few pounds? Being able to ride with your family? Let's hear it.

But for those naysayers out there who haven’t ridden a bike since they were kids, the benefits of bicycling aren’t so obvious. In lieu of the actual experience of riding, we have to encourage them with facts and statistics that make the case for biking.

Lately, a bunch of new studies have come out on the benefits of bicycling. Here’s a summary of our top picks. Share them with your favorite naysayer when you have the chance. That is, after you get them out for a bike ride.

Bikes are good for the economy

• A University of Cincinnati study estimated that houses within 1,000 feet of Ohio’s Little Miami Scenic Trail are worth an extra $9,000.

• Another study found that three bike paths in Central Florida bring $42 million in annual spending and 516 jobs to the area’s economy.

Bike facilities are good for cities

• After New York City installed protected bike lanes on Columbus Avenue, bicycling increased 56%, all traffic crashes decreased 34%, speeding decreased, sidewalk biking went down, vehicle traffic flow remained the same, and double parking decreased.

• Bicycling in Salt Lake City—which has recently added 50 miles of bikeways—increased 27% from 2010 to 2011.

Biking is good for our health

• University of Wisconsin researchers estimated that if Midwesterners ran half of their short distance errands (less than five miles round trip) by bike instead of by car, they would avoid 1,100 deaths each year and save $7 billion in healthcare costs.

With a new study pegging the cost of obesity-related diseases at an extra $48-66 billion per year by 2030 (thanks to the additional 65 million obese adults we’ll have in the U.S. by then), bicycling’s benefits should warrant attention from everyone—whether they ride bikes or not.

For more statistics on the benefits of bicycling, visit our parent organization Bikes Belong’s Stats Library.

The U.S. Senate resoundingly defeated Kentucky Senator Rand Paul's proposal this morning to strip the transportation enhancements budget and reallocate money traditionally spent on bicycling and walking infrastructure to bridge repairs. The vote, 60-38, affirms bipartisan support for cost-effective investments in facilities that make bicycling and walking safer and easier.

Thanks to all PFB supporters for taking the time to email your U.S. Senators. PFB-backers and our partners generated more than 50,000 letters in 48 hours!

Read more here.

Cheers to full glasses and companies that want a better future for biking!

They’re good exercise, fun to do and—as an alternative to driving everywhere—help us save money and the environment. Both biking and walking are increasingly popular for transportation and recreation today, thanks in large part to a recent flowering of federally-funded trails, bikeways and pathways that make getting around on two wheels and two feet safer and more convenient.

But in these antagonistic political times, bikers and walkers are now targets of controversy for some members of Congress. In September, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn proposed stripping all designated federal funding for bike and pedestrian projects from the pending Transportation Bill. After an outpouring of opposition from citizens coast-to-coast (including PFB supporters), Coburn withdrew his amendment.

Now bicyclists and pedestrians are under attack again, this time in an amendment from Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. He wants to redirect every last penny of money dedicated to bicycling and walking to bridge repair instead.

His proposal is scheduled for a vote next Tuesday. (Here's how to contact your Senators and Representatives to save federal bike and walk programs.)

Now we all agree that safe bridges are important. Look at the tragic bridge collapse four years ago in Minneapolis that took 17 lives.

But safety for the millions of kids and adults that bike and walk every day is important, too. Since 2007, 2,800 cyclists and 20,000 pedestrians have died on America’s roads—many due to the lack of sidewalks, bike lanes and other safety measures that federal funds provide.

We shouldn’t have to choose between safe bridges and safe streets. Here’s why.

First of all, Senator Paul’s amendment will not even come close to fixing America’s bridges. Biking, walking and other so-called “transportation enhancements” that Paul wants to kill account for less than two percent of the total Transportation Bill. It would take 80 years using money saved from scrapping these programs to finance the backlog of current bridge repairs—not to mention future needs.

States are not spending the money already allocated for bridge repairs. Last year, they returned $530 million to the federal government. That represents a big chunk of total bike and pedestrian projects.

Federal money to make biking and walking safer and more convenient is a great investment in America’s future that pays off in safer streets, reduced environmental damage, greater energy security, improved public health and more resilient, neighborly, pleasurable communities.

Originally posted on Shareable.net.

Last month, we asked you to contact your U.S. Senators to oppose Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn's plan to strip funding from the Transportation Enhancements program, which is the main source of the federal investment for bike projects of all types. Peopleforbikes.org supporters and our allies generated more than 75,000 emails to Congress in 48 hours. This rapid and powerful grassroots response succeeded: Mr. Coburn withdrew his amendment and crucial funding for bicycling was preserved.

We are sorry to report today that bike infrastructure funding is under serious and immediate attack again – this time in an amendment proposed by Senator Rand Paul (KY) that would redirect all funding for Transportation Enhancements to bridge repairs. Mr. Paul's amendment is set for a Senate vote Tuesday, Nov. 1.

While we are all for bridge repairs, gutting the Transportation Enhancements program is not the way to get the job done. We must defeat this amendment and we need your help. We need you to contact your state's two U.S. Senators today and ask them to oppose this amendment. Here are four reasons why:

1. Everyone deserves to be safe. We agree that we must keep our bridges safe, but the lives of pedestrians and bicyclists are important too. Nearly 5,000 Americans die each year biking or walking on our nation’s roadways.

2. Reallocating bike funding won't make a dent in the cost of bridge repairs. Even if every penny of Transportation Enhancements money is diverted to bridge repairs, Senator Paul’s plan would still take 80 years to fix the backlog of bridge repairs we have today.

3. Transportation Enhancements provide essential transportation benefits, like reducing road congestion, improving safety, getting people active, and creating more jobs per dollar than highway-only projects.

4. States don't spend all the money they already receive for bridge repairs. Last year, states sent $530 million of unspent bridge funds back to Washington in rescissions – the states are leaving bridge repair funds on the table, unspent, year after year; they should at least spend these funds first.

This is the third attempt in a month by a small group of Senators to target Transportation Enhancements, using a different angle each time. It is a waste of the Senate's time and taxpayers dollars to focus on eliminating this modest, cost-effective, valuable program when we are in dire need of real and viable solutions to fix our failing transportation system.

Please contact your Senators today to ask them to vote against the Paul amendment (SA-821) to eliminate Transportation Enhancements. (You can find your Senators, review basic suggested text for your email, and send your note directly from this link.)

Thank you for your help today, and for passing this call to action along.

Tim Blumenthal
Director, Peopleforbikes.org