Bicycle Friendly America Summer 2017 - 2

VIEWPOINT

Bill Nesper, on the stage with League staff, addresses the audience at the 2017 National Bike Summit.

t's a special honor for me in my 15th year at the League to
be serving as your Interim Executive Director. In this issue
you will see an array of articles covering the events and issues
highlighted at our most recent National Bike Summit. Summit season has always been my favorite time of the year, as this
is our opportunity to witness the strength of our movement
and the impact of our voice in Washington. It is truly inspiring
to be with bicycle advocates from across the nation to share,
strategize and press forward toward our shared goal to build a
Bicycle Friendly America-for everyone.
Those two words were in my mind often throughout this
Summit. As some of you may remember a few years ago, the
League's mission statement was updated and transformed
by those two additional words. These two simple words, "for
everyone," refreshed and refocused our work in ways big and
small.
These two words were a reminder that the League's programs
must serve every type of bicyclist, neighborhood, community,
organization or business that stands to benefit from our network and resources. And while at times it seems the focus of bicycling improvements has been focused on particular types of
places or projects, our programs are broad-based and designed
to serve people living in all types of cities, suburbs, small towns,
and rural areas alike.
Over the last few years we listened, learned and adjusted our

2 BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA

BFA applications and feedback to better meet broader needs.
Today we have over 400 awarded Bicycle Friendly Communities, 1,300 Bicycle Friendly Businesses, over 100 Bicycle
Friendly Universities of all kinds and in every region of the
country. The greatest strength in these programs is that they
are platforms for collaboration, bringing together advocates,
agency staff and decision makers to work toward the same goal.
We continue to improve and make sure we have an application
and process that brings people together and maintains national
standards for success.
We have expanded the reach and accessibility of our education program to give more people the skills and confidence to
ride. Resources like the Smart Cycling Quick Guide and Smart
Cycling Videos make bicycling education more accessible. Our
national network of over 5,000 League Cycling Instructors are
reaching people with hands-on training in neighborhoods, communities, and organizations in every state. We continue to make
the improvements to meet people and communities where they are
to make bicycling safe, comfortable and convenient for everyone.
I'm also thrilled to say that the League is once again hosting
the National Bike Challenge. For many years, the League organized national rallies, and The National Bike Challenge is one
way we are keeping this tradition alive and making bicycling
more accessible and fun for all. I hope you will join and ride
with us!

http://www.bikeleague.org/community http://www.bikeleague.org/community http://www.bikeleague.org/business http://www.bikeleague.org/university http://www.bikeleague.org/university http://www.bikeleague.org/quickguide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIwK8IFLvz0&list=PLEunXMVRYA7Sb6oOVe7SvDZj24DcHL7Wu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIwK8IFLvz0&list=PLEunXMVRYA7Sb6oOVe7SvDZj24DcHL7Wu http://www.bikeleague.org/ridesmart https://www.nationalbikechallenge.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bicycle Friendly America Summer 2017