"Bicycle Vote" flexing its muscles as bicycle advocacy and the amount of bicycling grow nationwide

An article in Salon this week talks about the emergence of the 'bike vote' as a political force across the U.S.:

“De Blasio Wins the Bike Vote,” announced the New York Daily News, as if such a thing as the “bike vote” were a known quantity. With major differences between mayoral candidates on issues like education, policing and taxes, are there New Yorkers who will cast their votes thinking of speed cameras and bike lanes? 

CitiBike launch in New York City

If so, it would mark the emergence of a surprising political force in the city . . . 

In New York, the would-be “bike voters” face an important election. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s tenure, a benevolent era for cyclists, pedestrians and park-lovers, is expiring. New York has replaced traffic jams with picnic tables, added hundreds of miles of bike lanes, and implemented one of the world’s largest bike-share systems. It seemed at times that his initiatives — innocuous though they may appear, to residents of other cities — would cause some kind of citywide crackup. But Bloomberg held his ground.

His would-be successors, though, have struggled to stake out territory of their own. In the early stages of the campaign, they were eager to distance themselves from this transportation legacy. . . .

But as the summer wore on, the candidates have shelved the anti-bike rhetoric. Usage of the bike-share program exploded and polls showed the majority of New Yorkers not only approve bike lanes but would like to see more of them. “Certain candidates may have joked about ripping out bike lanes or that they wouldn’t be opposed to removing pedestrian plazas, “ McClure notes. “But the reality is that there’s no moving backwards from this.” As TA employees put it to me, the debate over bike lanes is settled. 

Janette Sadik-Kahn, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation

The article focuses on the situation in New York City, which under the leadership of Janette Sadik-Kahn, the commissioner of the city's Department of Transportation, has implemented some of the fastest-moving and most innovative bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly changes of any American city.  The changes include greatly expanded pedestrian plazas, bike lanes, and an amazingly successful launch to the city's new bike share system--which launched late May 2013 and had already hit 2 million trips by mid August.

That makes the current NYC city elections something of a referendum on these 'radical' changes--but in fact polls show that NYC residents support the bike/ped improvements by large majorities and a follow-up study showed that emphasis on pedestrian plazas, bike lanes, and transit had helped reduce congestion, rather than increasing it as fearmongering opponents had maintained.

Bicycle advocacy growing in strength nationwide

But the article also touches on other powerful and effective bicycle advocacy groups in cities nationwide, including the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the Cascade Bicycle Club.

But in fact, as you members and supporters of MoBikeFed know, the growth of support for bicycling and walking is a nationwide phenomenon.  Closer to home, the article could have mentioned Chicago's incredibly effective Active Transportation Alliance, Activate Omaha, Bike Denver, Bicycling for Louisville, INDYCOG, and others.

Bicycling in Missouri up 2-3 times since 2000 - active advocacy groups a big part of the picture

Missouri has literally exploded with active, effective bicycle, pedestrian, and trails advocacy organizations over the past decade, including Trailnet in St. Louis, PedNet in Columbia, BikeWalkKC, Bicycle Friendly Springfield, KA-Motion in Kirksville, and a large number of other groups across the state.

Thanks to all of them--and thanks to your support as a MoBikeFed member or supporter--we are making major strides in bicycle, pedestrian, and trails access and safety across Missouri.  

As the Salon article points out, bicycling is on the rise across the U.S.  Over the past five years, the amount of bicycling is up 68% in New York City and 71% in San Francisco.

But the increases across Missouri are, if anything, even more impressive.  Our best available information shows that the amount of bicycling in cities across Missouri is 2-3 times what it was in the year 2000 and the amount of walking is up, as well.

That's because people want to be able to walk and bicycle in their own communities, and when our communities provide safe places to walk and bicycle, people do use them--and that helps us create better, more livable, healthier, self-sufficient communities.

Photo credits:

• CitiBike launch in New York City, courtesy NYCDOT, FlickR
• Janette Sadik-Kahn, courtesy SLO County Bicycle Coalition, FlickR