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The very first issue of the Bike Cleveland News thanked the more than 125 participants who attended a two-day Strategic Planning Summit in September: “As a participant you did something mighty. You gave birth to an organization that will be a force for positive change for cycling in our region.”

The strategic planning process, facilitated by the Alliance, kicked off in December 2010, when 10 people gathered together as a Leadership Team for the project. The goal: create the organization and design a strategic planning summit that would engage and strengthen the Greater Cleveland cycling community.

The Leadership Team intentionally included participants from the Cleveland YMCA and the Earth Day Coalition, two planners (county and city), and a representative from the business community. They were joined by three leaders from the cycling community, and two staff from Slavic Village, a community development corporation in Cleveland committed to improving cycling. Slavic Village had conducted interviews with members of the Cleveland cycling community, and the team used that to design a solid plan to engage the whole community in further strategic planning, to increase the buy-in and support for the new organization.

The Alliance facilitated a series of meetings, guiding the team through securing a design team, which came together in March to provide feedback on a rough draft strategy, input on the summit, and more than 800 suggested participants who might have interest in participating in the two-day event. After the March meeting, various committees met to execute planning items for the summit, and the Leadership Team worked to secure a solid board to lead the organization, file important documents to start the organization, and even explore staffing models that the organization could consider. The organization also held other events along the way, such as a naming ceremony for the community to help select a name for the organization, as well as a design team meeting to give feedback on strategy and event development.

Finally, September 10 arrived and more than 120 people showed up to Windows on the River, a perfectly designed facility to build a common desire within the group, develop a compelling vision for how they saw the organization serving its stakeholders, and create a clear action plan.

I’ve been facilitating groups through this process for 10 years, and was still amazed at the way the Leadership Team was able to secure the funding to hold their summit and create a summit that empowered the community to come together and create a strong organization that can really move itself to the next level. The interaction among members of the cycling community was fantastic and it was great to see creative ideas, building relationships, and the transition of leadership to a strong and committed board to implement the strategy.

Since September, the organization has already:

• Officially endorsed the Bike Cleveland Mission, Vision, Principles, Goals and the organization’s action plan as developed by the Bike Cleveland Summit participants;
• Set advocacy priorities for the coming year, including work making the West Shoreway bike-friendly;
• Created a website that is becoming the hub for cycling in Greater Cleveland: BikeCleveland.org;
• And, set the foundation for making Bike Cleveland an integral part of improving Northeast Ohio.

The organization has also secured foundation support. They were awarded $10,000 from the YMCA of Greater Cleveland that is a part of a larger grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health” program. These funds will be used in Bike Cleveland’s advocacy efforts on behalf of “necessity cyclists.” In addition, Bike Cleveland was also awarded a $60,000 start-up grant for advocacy and organizing efforts from The George Gund Foundation, to “make Cleveland a more bike-friendly city.”

Chris Alvarado, Bike Cleveland Board President, writes “The Bike Cleveland Summit was a remarkable opportunity to bring together over 120 Clevelanders who are not only passionate about cycling, but who have a deep and abiding love of Cleveland and wish to express that through the establishment of our new advocacy organization. We believe that Bike Cleveland is becoming a force that not only advocates for cyclists, but does so with a heartfelt devotion to the assets that make Northeast Ohio special: the incredible diversity of Clevelanders, our natural assets of rivers, Lake Erie, and greenspaces, our engaging built environment, and our culture of hard work, grass-roots efforts, and a commitment to making Cleveland great. Jeremy has been absolutely instrumental in bringing us together and focusing our efforts towards creating Bike Cleveland. Already, we have attracted over $70,000 in funds (including grants from The George Gund Foundation and YMCA of Greater Cleveland), tens of thousands of volunteer hours, and the attention of cyclists and change-agents throughout Northeast Ohio. We are looking forward to building our relationship with the Alliance for Biking & Walking and with our sister organizations near and far.

Bike Cleveland is just one of the organizations that have received Strategic Planning Assistance from the Alliance. Strategic Planning Summits range from big to small, depending on the approach the organization wants to take with the process. Reflects Marie Kittredge, Executive Director of Slavic Village (who hired the Alliance for this project), “I was equally impressed with the process you led us through—truly transformational and powerful, a huge win for Cleveland and cycling”.

The Alliance would like to recognize the commitment and direct support of the Bike Cleveland project from Slavic Village Development, Cleveland YMCA, The George Gund Foundation, and, of course, the leadership team and design team of the project. Thank you for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of advocates.

The Alliance would also like to thank New Belgium Brewing Company for its overall commitment to helping the Alliance make more strategic planning assistance and other coaching like the process used in Cleveland more affordable to Alliance member organizations. Next month, we highlight the success of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, a project supported directly by New Belgium.

Contact Jeremy at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more details, and help your organization take its work to the next level.

In October 2010, Consider Biking put out the call to its members: Tell us where you’d like to see great bike parking in Columbus. Nearly 100 community members responded with their input.

Last week, almost exactly one year later, advocates celebrated the unveiling of the first of 16 large bike-parking shelters in key locations around Ohio’s capital city.

“With a growing number of people using bicycles for strictly transportation purposes, there is a growing demand for end-of-ride facilities,” Jeff Stephens, Executive Director of Consider Biking, said in a press release last week. “These bike parking structures meet that demand with elegance, functionality, and cost effectiveness. But most importantly, they send a highly visible message that bicycling is a viable and mainstream form of transportation, worthy of equitable investment in infrastructure needs.”

Part of the city’s Bicentennial Bikeways Plan, the first shelter is one of 10 that will be installed by spring 2012. The city chipped in $300,000 through its Capital Improvements budget to fund the parking facilities which feature rounded roofs and racks that accommodate six to 14 bicycles.

That’s just one piece of the overall plan to improve bicycling in Ohio’s biggest city. Thanks in part to the consistent advocacy of Consider Biking, the city has invested a cool $5.3 million in bicycle facilities since 2008, including:

• 286 new bikes racks
• Share the Road signs on 20 miles of roadway
• Sharrows on 18 miles of roadway
• Bike lanes on 6.4 miles of roadway

And it’s not just the city that’s making streets safer for all users. The unveiling of the new parking shelters included another accolade: Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman presented Ohio State University with its “Bicycle Friendly University” award from the League of American Bicyclists.

Read more about the progress in Columbus — including the Connect the Core campaign and discussion about bike sharing — on Consider Biking’s website.

In June, the city of Cincinnati passed an ambitious plan to double the number of people who ride bicycles for everyday use. Queen City Bike is helping them get there with a $10,000 grant to fund Bicycle Friendly Destinations.

The grant, announced earlier this month, comes from The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, but the idea came, in part, from the business community.

Every year, the regional chamber of commerce convenes a Leadership Class that brings together area powerbrokers to come up with new ideas to enhance civic life. Living up to the bike-friendly attitude that’s been spreading across the Buckeye State, those leaders agreed that better bicycling has the potential to lure and retain promising employees. The folks from Queen City Bike, who helped flesh out the concept, were given the reins for the Bicycle Friendly Destinations program.

“More and more cities are realizing that supporting bicycles is important for their future,” Gary Wright, President of Queen City Bike, says. “Young people especially measure a community by how bicycle friendly it is. I’m proud to say that Cincinnati is one of the places that gets it.”

The Bicycle Friendly Destinations program, Wright explains, will work with area employers, retailers, government agencies, and arts and cultural organizations to make it easy for people to reach and use their facilities on a bicycle, whether that means adding bike parking or creating bike commuter incentives for employees. The overall goal of the project, he adds, is to increase the use of bicycles for all kinds of trips, whether to work, to go shopping, or just to run errands in the neighborhood.

Queen City’s role is central to the project’s success. Led by Jess Linz, a key player in Cincinnati’s biking renaissance, the local advocates will advise organizations on the best steps to becoming a Bike Friendly Destination, and will publicly recognize those that succeed next May.

“The City is committed to making our streets more bicycle friendly. We hope that many area businesses and organizations will match that commitment by participating in the Bicycle Friendly Destinations Program,“ Wright says. “We are very excited that The Greater Cincinnati Foundation is partnering with us to make that happen.”

Read more about Queen City Bike and the Bicycle Friendly Destination program here.

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Mosher

Thanks, in part, to some dedicated advocates in Cleveland, the federal Complete Streets Act is now a bipartisan bill.

For many, the name Steve LaTourette is familiar. This spring, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood made headlines when he jumped on a table at the National Bike Summit in animated support for bicycling and walking. LaTourette caught some media attention too, when he jokingly quipped that LaHood must be on drugs to suggest cycling deserved significant federal funding.

While that off-the-cuff comment went viral on the internet, LaTourette quickly wrote a public clarification, noting his “ardent support” for bike facilities. Now, another story is spreading across the country. The Ohio Congressman is getting some deserved attention for putting that “ardent support” into action, leading his conservative colleagues and proving that complete streets is a concept that transcends politics.

Last week, LaTourette signed on to the Complete Streets Act — a bill now in Congress that would ensure that communities across America design, build and operate their roadways with all users in mind, including bicyclists, public transit users and pedestrians. Because of his position on the prestigious House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, LaTourette’s opinions on transportation policy and infrastructure spending are critical. Not to mention, the Congressman is the first Republican to join the growing ranks of lawmakers who support complete streets.

So what nudged LaTourette to add his name? Action from advocates at Walk+Roll Cleveland and local bike shop owners.

First, the Ohio advocates kickstarted communications and meetings between LaTourette and national organizations like Bikes Belong, the Alliance, the League of American Bicyclists and the National Complete Streets Coalition.

Next, they showed LaTourette the numbers. Walk+Roll’s founder, Lois Moss, and owners of Eddy’s Bike Shops and Solon Bicycle met personally with the Congressman’s staffers. They came prepared with copies of Minnesota Business magazine, which reported that bicycling has added millions to the state economy and that many thousands of Minnesotans use bicycles for transportation, despite the chilly climate. They also cited stats from the Outdoor Industry Association that show bicycle facilities create jobs — in fact, generating more jobs per million dollars spent than massive highway and bridge reconstruction projects.

Then, they rallied the community. On September 17th, more than 1,000 residents walked, rolled and bused to Cleveland’s Progressive Field for an “Access for All Party,” a festive event promoting complete streets. Lo and behold, a few days later, LaTourette was signing on as a Complete Streets co-sponsor.

“Congressman LaTourette has historically been generally supportive of recreational bicycling,” Moss said in today’s press release. “Agreeing to co-sponsor Complete Streets demonstrates an understanding that bicycling and walking can also be transportation.”

Check out the National Complete Streets Coalition to learn more about the federal bill.

This month, Jeff Stephens had some fun with street paint.

With the city’s permission, of course.

Last week, the executive director of Consider Biking (pictured) helped officials in Columbus, Ohio, install sharrows on High Street. After a year of waiting, nearly 190 markers are now alerting motorists that cyclists have equal rights to the full lane. Much to Consider Biking’s liking, the sharrows are highly visible and placed only 200 feet apart along the 6.5-mile stretch.

That’s not the only promising development in Columbus, a city that has a strong complete streets policy that aims to make roadways accessible to all users.

In addition to the paint sprayer, Stephens wielded some scissors, helping Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman cut the ribbon on new improvements to Morse Street. A critical east-west corridor, that artery now has three miles of bike lanes.

So it’s no surprise that Consider Biking gives the city some love in its latest newsletter: “Experience across the country demonstrates that bike lanes help encourage more people to bicycle on the road. And we know that more bicycles on the road translates to increased safety for bicyclists, too. We applaud the City for their commitment to building ‘complete streets’ and look forward to helping unveil more dedicated bike lanes across the city as the summer progresses.”

Check out Consider Biking’s Facebook page for more photos.

On the first day of Bike to Work Week, Consider Biking launched a commuter initiative backed by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and more than 70 business leaders across central Ohio. To get things rolling, “Bikin’ Mike” Coleman and dozens of CEOs demonstrated their dedication with a 2.5-mile bike commute to celebrate the start of “2 BY 2012.”

The “2 BY 2012” campaign aims to nearly triple bicycle commuting in the Columbus area and it’s already garnered some big-name partners, including JPMorgan Chase and Nationwide Insurance. Working with the central Ohio corporations, Consider Biking will provide consultation to engage employees and encourage bike commuting. In addition to a $295,000 grant from The Columbus Foundation, the “2 BY 2012” initiative has received support from the Alliance for Biking & Walking through its Advocacy Advance Grant program.

“This is definitely the largest show of CEO support for bicycle commuting ever held in the United States,” said Jeff Miller, President and CEO of the Alliance for Biking & Walking.

“The ‘2 BY 2012’ initiative is our goal to get as many central Ohio citizens as possible to bicycle to work two days per month by 2012, which is the Columbus bicentennial,” said Jeff Stephens, executive director of Consider Biking. “Bicycle commuting two days per month would make Columbus the greenest city in the country. And two days per month is a reasonable goal that many can aspire to.”

Check out Consider Biking to read more about today’s launch event and the “2 BY 2012” initiative.

According to Central Ohio’s Consider Biking, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) recently became the first large metropolitan planning organization in the country to adopt a solid complete streets policy. The complete streets policy, approved on April 8, 2010, will replace the region’s existing routine accommodation policy.

Complete streets are streets that are designed and operated with users of every age and ability in mind. Now every roadway project in central Ohio that uses MORPC funds must enable safe and comfortable access for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, public transit, people with disabilities, delivery and service personnel, freight haulers, emergency responders, and other users. For more information visit ConsiderBiking.org.

Special thanks to Christopher Doenlen for contributing this member news.

Consider Biking has convened a Cycling Corporate Caucus representing more than twenty of Columbus’ largest employers. Since the formation of the caucus in 2009, Consider Biking has held meetings, and in partnership with Leadership Columbus, developed a “Two-Wheel Toolkit”. Consider Biking introduced the toolkit in a meeting with many of Columbus’ largest organizations’ CEOs, presenting information on encouraging employees to bicycle more and providing targeted resources for each specific audience within a business.

ConsiderBiking activated the caucus in late December in order to speak in unified support of a funding request on behalf of the city of Columbus to implement the Columbus Bike Plan. The caucus drafted a “case for support” that demonstrated why investment in bicycling is good for Columbus’ community’s health and economic efforts, but also for a business’s bottom line.

Consider Biking states “We had over 20 of our community’s most prominent business leaders & CEOs, sign our letter of support. No doubt - our business leaders “get it” We believe major organizations and workforces have the ability to affect behavior change quickly.  That’s why we’re placing a significant effort on our worksite intervention Mode Shift program. (Bike to Work and Bike Away from Work).”

For more information about the “Two Wheel Toolkit” and to learn more about how the caucus is affecting its community, visit http://www.considerbiking.org/activities/consulting/

According to Walk + Roll Cleveland, “ Kaiser Permanente has provided seed funding for six Walk+Roll programs in neighborhoods all over the greater Cleveland area!

Saturday, May 15 in Cleveland’s Kamm’s Corners neighborhood will kick off the 2010 Summer of walking and rolling! Walk+Roll is partnering with Taste of Kamms which is a new event to celebrate this family-friendly neighborhood and it’s streetscaped Lorain Avenue.

Other neighborhoods and dates will be revealed soon. Always free and always fun for everyone, this year’s Walk+Roll initiative will include our signature street-closings plus also free guided bicycle rides and walks to secret places you’ve probably never experienced. With six events spread over the summer and throughout the city, you will be continually reminded and encouraged to walk and bike more in your daily life which will make your world cleaner, greener, wealthier and healthier.”

Walk + Roll is a ciclovia-type event that temporarily closes streets to cars and opens them to people on bike, foot, and skates. Learn more by visiting http://www.walkroll.com.

On January 14, Consider Biking helped reinforce the right for bicyclists to ride in the road, and take the lane if necessary. The organization provided legal defense in Municipal Court for a cyclist who was incorrectly cited for “not riding as far to the right as possible.” According to Jeff Stephens, Consider Biking’s Executive Director, “We saw this case as a critical means to reinforce the excellent bicycling (traffic) laws we helped Columbus enhance in late 2008.”

Read More…

Walk+Roll is benefiting today, August 6th, from the Whole Foods Market weekly Giving Grill in University Heights, Ohio. Every Thursday this summer, for a $5 donation, customers will receive a grilled meal pack from Whole Foods. According to Whole Foods, “100% of the proceeds are donated to a community group whose mission is tied to Whole Foods Market core values. Walk+Roll will also host a guided bicycle tour from Cleveland’s Public Square and University Circle to Giving Grill.”

To read about the event on the Whole Foods Market website, click here…

For more information on Walk+Roll, click here…

Smarter Cities, a Natural Resource Defense Council project that examines cities’ progress towards environmental sustainability, ranked Columbus in its top fifteen because of its commitment to being bicycle friendly. The Bicentennial Bikeways Plan calls to double the city’s 50 miles of bike lanes and trails by the city’s bicentennial in 2012 and sets goals for 200 miles of paths connecting greenways and activity centers by 2018 and 1,000 new bike racks by 2028. The plan is a result of the advocacy efforts of Alliance organization Consider Biking.

To read about Columbus and the other sustainable US cities, click here…

To read what Smarter Cities had to say about Columbus, click here…

Numerous Alliance member organizations in Cleveland, Ohio including Cleveland Bikes, Walk and Roll Cleveland and Bike Lakewood are coming together to produce the first ever “Cleveland Bicycle Week.”  The goal of the event is to promote cycling during National Bike Month by hosting fun and educational activities.  Thursday May 15th they will host a one-day conference for government officials, health and wellness agencies, the media and other interested parties.  Friday will be the Cleveland Bicycle Expo at Cleveland City Hall.