How do I make my city a cycling city?

[Bike nut]

I have been to some cities here in California where they are designed to be bike friendly. However, in my city we do not have any bike lanes or bike paths. Most of the time roads are constructed with just enough room for cars. When I started riding about 5 years ago I would never see cyclists, now I see them all the time. My area (not just my city) is growing by 3000 people per month. It is time to put in bike lanes that are safe or what would be really nice would be a bike path away from cars. We have had about 6 cyclists killed in the last 5 years in my area (that I know of). So what can I do to get my city officals to be concerned for cyclists?

[Kyle90]

Power in numbers, get all the riders you can find and get them to help. Make petitions, write a letter, even get some of the non-rider good do citizens to help. That's all I know of, doing that got my city a skate park.

[Bikepacker67]

It is time to put in bike lanes that are safe

Jumbo Shrimp
Military Intelligence
Airline Food
Safe Bike Lanes

[stevesurf]

Host a bike-a-thon to raise money for a local school or children's center and ask the local politicians to participate. Invite the press; the politicians always show up, even if they have to ride bikes!

[lilHinault]

You stick with it and form a club, an advocacy group like www.penbiped.org and svcbikes.org etc., and you just build up the core of something, and you get out there and ride. If you can you help the odd person you run into who can't afford a decent bike by getting them one. And so on.

[fixsatively]

march right into that governors office and law the law down. do it for denver if you find any spare time. i can't tell you how many times i almost died trying not be a contributor to the filth of air pollution.

[chocula]

Have you checked out www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/ (http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/)?

[oboeguy]

Jumbo Shrimp
Military Intelligence
Airline Food
Safe Bike Lanes

Useful Post by Bikepacker67



Doh!

Anyhow, OP, your city sounds like it needs something like Transportation Alternatives (http://www.transalt.org) which we have here in NYC. Good luck!

[Dahon.Steve]

Useful Post by Bikepacker67



Doh!

Anyhow, OP, your city sounds like it needs something like Transportation Alternatives (http://www.transalt.org) which we have here in NYC. Good luck!

Contact Transportation Alternatives and see what info they can give you.

On another note, bike lanes are expensive and cost tens of thousands just to lay down the paint. If you can get the city to lay down the paint (on the left side) so that there's space between the car door and the cyclist, this in effect acts as a bike lane. But they may have to remove a lane or ban parking on one side of the street.

[Platy]

I go to the occasional public meeting about transportation. There are already plenty of high quality bike advocates where I live, so usually all I do is submit pro-bike/ped letters and emails when public comment is invited on various subjects.

Even this modest amount of participation accomplishes something. I don't know if my input has ever affected any big decisions, but in one case I pointed out a dangerous situation at a bus stop where a sidewalk dropped off into a deep drainage ditch. Two weeks later a guardrail was installed.

[Platy]

From what I've seen at public meetings, it seems that most of the bike/ped projects in my area are funded by Federal programs. I guess someone thinks up an idea and advocates it to the people in the city and state who write the requests for Federal funding. Then I suppose you just sit back and wait for your bike facilities to appear? Well, maybe it's not that easy since lots of programs will be competing for the same money, but that's the theory as I understand it. One way to approach it might be to ask your city officials if they are getting their share of Federal bike/ped money or letting it go to other cities.

Here's a link:

DOT Bike/Ped Programs (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/index.htm)

[Orikal]

I thought this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=113957&highlight=bicycle+friendly+city) was informative and helpful.

[noisebeam]

I think these things can help (in no order):
1. Encouragement/support for businesses to provide lockers, showers and and a secure place to lock up the bike.
2. Bike on bus options (either on front racks or in bus)
3. Improvements to road surface
4. Increasing width of outside lane where existing road has a very narrow no shoulder outside lane
5. City support for 'bike tours' and bike awareness
6. Reduction of and enforcement of speed limits so urban/suburban roads are kept below 40-45mph.

Al

[biodiesel]

1-Start a fund raiser tour for a local charity, get press. Make it a big event with short, medium and long routes. Use the event to raise good press.

2- Start a once a week family and cruiser ride. Slow speeds, side roads, riding as a group. Teach responsible cycling. The numbers will grow and the people that ride it will be your best supporters.

Lots of bike lanes in cities are just paint. The roads arn't any wider. The streets with on street parking have a 'door zone' that's calculated into road planning. Painting a cycle path that doubles as a 'door zone' reduces parked car damage and benifits cyclists (though you have to be carefu 'in the zone.')