The San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition will bike in the nation’s capital this week. The group is attending the 11th annual National Bike Summit from March 7 to 14.
Garrett Farmer, the programs manager for the bicycle coalition, said the summit is a multipurpose outlet for bicycle advocates and enthusiasts.
“People from all over the country go to promote bicycle advocacy, attend lectures and meet other people doing similar things in their own towns,” Farmer said.
The League of American Bicyclists has run the summit since 2000 to raise awareness for bicycling across America and promote bicycle-related legislation. According to the League of American Bicyclists’ Web page, “there are more people riding bikes than ever, yet more than 90 percent (of trips) are made by car (which increases the) need and opportunity to improve physical activity, safety and livability in the U.S.”
Meghan Cahill, the director of communications for the League of American Bicyclists, said there are many benefits for attending the summit.
“The National Bike Summit is a great opportunity for bicycle advocates and people in the industry and students, anyone who loves to bicycle, to all gather together in Washington D.C.,” Cahill said. “You get to learn so much about bicycling, how you can make bicycling bigger in your community, business, university (and) get to network. The most beneficial thing besides hearing these amazing speakers is going to people on Capitol Hill and meeting with your representatives to really put our issues out there.”
Cahill said over the years the summit has not only grown in attendance, but has also made a difference with legislation. Though she said this year they are not pushing a particular bill, previously the National Bike Summit has done a lot for the different transportation bills and helped gain funds for community projects and state bicycle infrastructures.
Leslie Bloom, the outreach manager for the Bicycle Coalition, who along with Bicycle Coalition Executive Director, Dan Rivoire, is attending the event, she said one of the most important causes to promote for bicycle legislation is funding.
“Only 1.5 percent of federal transportation dollars currently support biking and walking, despite the fact that these two modes represent 12 percent of all trips in the United States,” Bloom said. “As biking and walking continue to grow, it’s essential that we allocate funds to these essential and affordable modes.”
Bloom said the Bicycle Coalition, a local non-profit advocating biking and walking in San Luis Obispo County specifically, has attended the summit five times. Bloom said the summit offers a great opportunity to learn from one another, and bring those ideas back in order to continually improve biking in San Luis Obispo County. In fact, the coalition’s mission statement is “to transform San Luis Obispo County into a safer and more livable community by promoting cycling and walking for everyday transportation and recreation,” according to the coalition’s Web page.
Bloom said besides the learning opportunity, the summit also offers the opportunity to share the uniqueness of San Luis Obispo County bicycling itself.
“One of the best things about biking and walking on the Central Coast is the wonderful collaboration we have between multiple agencies to make so many projects a reality; it’s a truly unique trait that we are proud to share with our colleagues from across the country,” Bloom said. “Along with this collaboration, we also have plenty of projects currently in the works to make (San Luis Obispo) County better connected by bicycle.”
Some of the coalition’s projects include bike trails and lanes, as well as many bike education programs and even a bicycle valet for safe and secure parking. Bloom said with the many projects and programs the coalition offers, she hopes bicycle enthusiasts in San Luis Obispo will become members and follow the coalition’s summit activities on its blog.
Cahill said she wanted a lot of university students to attend the summit next year to promote the voice of the young people who want to include bicycling on their campus or hometown.
“It’s everyone from, you know, bicycle advocate to the mom down the street who wants to bike her kids to school safely or have her kids bike to school,” Cahill said.
Bloom said the summit is a valuable avenue for innovative ideas about biking around the nation, comparing it to the Technology, Entertainment, Design conference (TED), a non-profit devoted to innovative ideas.
“Similar to the infamous TED Conference, the National Bike Summit allows us to share and learn ‘ideas worth spreading,’” Bloom said. “It’s great!”