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A new report published by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia proves the City of Brotherly Love has fallen head over heels for bicycling in recent years. Mode Shift: Philadelphia’s Two-Wheeled Revolution in Progress reveals Philly has, per capita, twice as many bike commuters as any other large U.S. city.

The growth in bicycle commuting has been phenomenal, rising 151 percent between 2000 and 2009 and rivaling nation-leading Portland in certain sections of the city. According to the report: “Philadelphia’s city-wide bicycle mode share for 2009 was 2.16 percent. Philadelphia’s share of female cyclists is also very high, an indicator often used to test how bicycle-friendly a city is. In Center City and South Philly, bike commuting rates are among the highest anywhere in the country, and rank among the Top 25 of 2,100 census neighborhoods. Only Portland, Minneapolis and San Francisco have two or more neighborhoods in the Top 25.”

The comprehensive report, which draws on BCGP’s own bicycle count data, also highlights the impact of bicycle facilities on rider behavior and gender mode share. For instance, almost twice as many bicyclists ride on streets with a bike lane and the percentage of women cycling jumps from 22 percent on streets with no bike lane to 37 percent on streets with a bike lane. The report found that dedicated infrastructure also improved rider behavior: “Sidewalk riding drops from 19.8 percent on streets with no bike lane to 8.6 percent on streets with a bike lane to 2.4 percent on streets with a buffered bike lane.”

Clearly Philly is on the right track, but, as the BCGP points out, the pace and prevalence of bicycle facilities pales in comparison to other big cities, like New York City and Minneapolis. “The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia recommends that Philadelphia pick up the pace to improve its bicycle infrastructure, launch a high profile public education and encouragement campaign, and make enforcement a higher priority,” the report concludes.

Click here to download and read Mode Shift.

What else is new in the Alliance Resource Library? Here are a few highlights:

• State-Based Costs of Deaths from Crashes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Complete Streets Policy Analysis 2010: A story of growing strength (Natl Complete Streets Coalition)
• Metropolitan Transportation Infrastructure Survey (US Conference of Mayors)
• Grow Your Organization’s Capacity with Interns Mutual Aid Call (Alliance)
• 2011 City Council Candidate Questionnaire (League of Bicycling Voters)
• State Legislation Policy Positions (PA Walks and Bikes)
• Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 (United Nations)

Did you know there are more than 900 resources in the Alliance’s online library? And that we’re adding new items almost every day?

We hope the Resource Library is your first stop when you’re looking for tips and templates to grow your organization, advance your campaigns or find the latest research on bike/ped topics. But we’re in the midst of making it even better, by editing, adding and updating many of the items and categories. To keep you posted, each week on the blog we’ll round up some of the recent additions.

Here’s this Friday’s hit list:

• Need stats on bicycling mode share, demographics, infrastructure or just about any other metric? You’ll likely find the data you’re looking for in the latest paper from John Pucher (Rutgers University) and Ralph Buehler (Virginia Tech): “Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities”

• A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the “Women Can Change the World Through Cycling” webinar presented by APBP, which marked the release of new materials from the Women’s Cycling Survey. Click here to read the survey results, watch the webinar and check out the new analysis of three open-ended questions from the survey, including “What would cause you to start or increase your cycling?”

• If you weren’t able to attend the Alliance’s “Fundraising Fundamentals” Mutual Aid Call this month (and even if you did attend), check out a wealth of resources and templates shared by our expert panelist Andy Robinson, including a fundraising menu for your board and an income diversification form.

• We know many of you are preparing your applications for Advocacy Advance Grants. For inspiration, see what some of our past grant recipients have been able to develop and share with other member organizations, including a variety of resources from the League of Illinois Bicyclists on their incredibly successful Bicycle Planning Workshops.

• New proof Americans also want more livable communities: A survey from the National Association of Realtors revealed that 56 percent of respondents preferred smart growth neighborhoods over neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation.

• May is just a few weeks away; check out this sample Bike Month proclamation/resolution created by the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation and tailor it for your mayor or city council.

• Are you ready to work with the media for your Bike to Work events? Make sure you’ve got a helpful one-page press primer, like this one from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland.

Stay tuned for another installment next Friday!

As the lucky Alliance staffer to attend the American Trails National Symposium last week, I shared a call to action and a moment of inspiration from the four-day conference down in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But those big-picture presentations were just the bookends on some really insightful workshops on specific topics. I only got to a small handful of the more than 65 discussions, and my head’s still spinning. But here are a few resources that topped my notes.

• Policymakers like numbers. They like to know how much civic bang they’re getting out of their taxpayer buck. Well, there’s a site where you can calculate estimated use and economic benefit of bicycling infrastructure in your community. Researchers at the University of North Carolina and University of Minnesota have created an online “Cost-Benefit Analysis of Bicycling Facilities” tool that’s 85 percent accurate. Check it out here. (Hat tip to Steve Buchtel, Southland Coordinator at Active Transportation Alliance for including the link in this presentation.)
• Speaking of websites, the advocates at Ozark Greenways helped create a very cool platform for commuters in Springfield, Missouri. By logging on to www.OzarksCommute.com, residents can find biking buddies for their routes to work and use an online calculator to show how much green they’re saving by leaving their car at home. Ozark Greenways also has a neat “Drive Less, Live More” booklet. (I especially like their 10 answers to “The Usual Buts” that keep people from pedaling.)
• It’s common sense that trails promote more active communities and physicians are getting on the bike-walk bandwagon. For a wealth of great stats and case studies about how trails and public lands breed better health, check out “Park Prescriptions: Profiles and Resources for Good Health from the Great Outdoors” — a 2010 report from the Institute at the Golden Gate and the National Park Service.
• I’ve never had the chance to do much mountain biking, so, before the Symposium, I’d never even heard the term “Bike Park.” Turns out, bike parks are increasingly popular ways for cities to engage residents, use marginal land and provide a mountain-bike-like experience in a compact space. Nat Lopes, from Hilride, gave a comprehensive presentation on the topic, referencing his company’s 2010 project in Green River, Wyoming. With videos and schematics, the website alone is a neat resource, especially if you’re considering a bike park in your community.
• Are you new to fundraising and have no earthly idea how to approach, or even identify, appropriate foundations? Want to know what program officers are thinking — from people who make those decisions for a living? Read this presentation from Karen Rudolph, from the Lyndhurst Foundation, and Robin Posey, with the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, to get your bearings.
• And, speaking of money, the folks at the Alliance for Community Trees partnered with American Trails to bring Andy Robinson to town for a fundraising training. Obviously, Robinson himself is an incredible resource, and if he’s hosting a training in your town, sign up. But ACT’s Community Tree Leadership Forum has compiled some really cool advocate primers on key topics. In addition to Fundraising, check out their modules on Marketing, Partnerships and Public Policy.
Posted by Carolyn S on November 22, 2010
Tags: resource library, american trails national symposium
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