Bicycle Friendly America Summer 2017 - 6

2017 NATIONAL BIKE SUMMIT

PARTNERSHIP PRODUCES
BENCHMARKING REPORT WEBSITE
The League has partnered with the
American Public Health Association and
the Institute of Transportation Engineers
to produce an online version of Bicycling
& Walking in the U.S.: 2016 Benchmarking Report. It can be accessed at http://
bikeleague.org/benchmarking.

he American Public Health Association (APHA) champions the health
of all people and all communities.
APHA believes collaborating with multiple sectors-planners,
engineers and community
leaders-is essential to ensuring healthy communities for all. The Institute of
Transportation Engineers
(ITE) shares many of
APHA's values on the importance of a holistic vision
for transportation and how
it can benefit the public.
ITE's membership comprises a wide spectrum of
backgrounds-from engineering and
planning to policy and technological
development, as well as a mix of private

sector, academic, and public agency interests. From these backgrounds ITE
seeks to leverage a deep pool of knowledge on how transportation can facilitate more than mobility from point A to
point B, by making communities more
livable through improved access to jobs,
housing, food, recreation, healthcare, and
community amenities.
APHA and ITE recognize that the environment-the air we breathe, the food
we eat, and the places where we learn,

ties opportunities to be physically active
and improve health. Unfortunately, many
communities, particularly low-income
communities and communities of color,
face increased barriers to a healthy environment and lack of access to infrastructure that supports active living. For
example, while walking is the primary
way to get to a public transit hub, pedestrian infrastructure, such as sidewalks,
is often unsafe or absent in low-income
communities. This increases the risk
of traffic-related injuries
and fatalities. 1 Barriers to
walking or biking in the
community due to lack of
supportive infrastructure
and traffic safety concerns
can result in preventable
health inequities.
By integrating non-motorized travel in new and existing infrastructure, rather
than trying to accommodate
it after the fact, the public
work and play-matters to our health. travel space can be a safer, more welIntentionally building walking and bi- coming environment for all people. This
cycling infrastructure offers communi- planned environment, with lower speeds

Left: ITE's Steve Lavrenz (left) with the League's Ken McLeod at the Summit. Right: APHA's Kate Robb.
1. Safe Routes to School National Partnership. "Fighting For Equitable Transportation: Why It Matters." 2015. Accessed February 17, 2017.
http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Fighting-For-Equitable-Transportation-Why-It-Matters.pdf
6 BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA

http://www.bikeleague.org/benchmarking http://www.bikeleague.org/benchmarking http://www.apha.org http://www.apha.org http://bikeleague.org/benchmarking http://www.ite.org http://www.ite.org http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Fighting-For-Equitable-Transportation-Why-It-Matters.pdf

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