Bicycle Advisory Committees at Platinum and Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Communities

Platinum Level Communities

1) City of Davis, California - Bicycle Advisory Commission
• Develops options to achieve the goals of the city's Comprehensive Bicycle Plan, and recommends changes to the plan, as necessary, to achieve its purposes.
• Makes recommendations on any matter of bicycle safety
http://www.cityofdavis.org/meetings/agenda.cfm?c=29

2) City of Portland, Oregon - Bicycle Advisory Committee

The thirteen-member volunteer Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) meets monthly to review projects of interest to cyclists and discuss bike issues. The committee advises City Council and bureaus on all bicycle-related matters.

http://www.portlandonline.com/TRANSPORTATION/index.cfm?a=71962&c=37401

3) City of Boulder, Colorado – NO bicycle advisory board ; Transportation Advisory Board (TAB)

Boulder held a Bike Summit Sept. 7, 2007
At the City Council retreat in January 2007, Council identified conducting a Bike Summit as an initiative, with a goal of achieving Platinum status from the League of American Bicyclists. The summit was held at the Boulder Outlook Hotel on Sept. 7, 2007.
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7693&Itemid=3068


Gold Level Communities

4) Corvallis, Oregon - Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission ( BPAC )

Advises Council on bicyclist and pedestrian issues; analyzes operation, routing, and safety concerns; recommends projects for bike facilities (paths, lanes, and racks); designs education and public outreach opportunities; and develops bike and pedestrian systems within the community. The Commission is comprised of 6 members who represent bicycle and pedestrian issues, one representative from the Associated Students of OSU, and one City Council representative.
http://www.ci.corvallis.or.us/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=388&Itemid=1393#BPAC

5) Fort Collins, Colorado – NO bicycle advisory board; Transportation Board

The Transportation Board advises the Fort Collins City Council on transportation issues. The Board examines issues relating to financing; the development and implementation of master plans pertaining to pedestrian, streets, transit, bicycles, automobiles, congestion, traffic signalization, and transportation facilities; the use of technology; and education of the public and private industry on transportation topics. The Board acts as a forum for the citizens to express their needs and concerns. The Board coordinates with other city boards and commissions on projects and issues that are of mutual interest. The Transportation Board works with other municipalities in the region to identify and develop solutions to key transportation issues.
http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us/cityclerk/transportation.php

6) Jackson, WY – NO apparent bicycle advisory committee

7) Madison, Wisconsin - PLATINUM BIKING CITY PLANNING COMMITTEE

Platinum Committee Draft Report, November 29, 2007
In the fall of 2006 Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz formed the Platinum Biking City Planning Committee with the overall goals of
1) achieving the Platinum designation level through the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Communities program, and
2) putting forward a roadmap - or bike path - for Madison to become the best city in the country for bicycling.
Platinum Biking Committee Final Report
Adopted by the City Council April 8, 2008 (PDF 1.3 MB)

For more information on the Platinum Biking City Planning Committee, see the links below, or contact Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator at bicycle@cityofmadison.com
Platinum Biking City Planning Committee:

8) Palo Alto, California - Bicycle Advisory Committee

The Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee is a citizen advisory committee which reports to the Chief Transportation Official. Members have interest in or knowledge of bicycling issues. The Committee's role is to review all issues related to bicycling in the areas of engineering, enforcement, education and encouragement. The types of activities include, but are not limited to the following:
• Review and comment on the design of Capital Improvement Program projects, street improvements, traffic signal projects, and parking facilities projects.
• Review and comment on changes and updates to the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance, Municipal Code and other policy documents which relate to bicycling.
• Review and prioritize the City's annual Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 list of pedestrian and bicycle projects and report the Committee's recommendations to the City Council.
• Provide liaison between the City and the community and community groups on issues related to bicycling.
• Promote bicycling as a viable form of transportation.
• Assist in the development and dissemination of bicycle safety awareness and education materials to the community.
• Review and comment on private development plans, which include bicycle facilities or have impact on bicycle safety and access.
• Initiate requests to City staff on issues of concern to the Committee related to bicycling.

http://www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/depts/pln/news/details.asp?NewsID=497&TargetID=107

9) San Francisco, California – Bicycle Advisory Committee

The Bicycle Advisory Committee meets to consider bicycle transportation projects and policies and to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, the Department of Parking and Traffic, and other City and County of San Francisco agencies. Our projects include oversight and facilitation of the five-year Bicycle Plan Update, improved transit access for bicycles, and funding for bicycle improvements to increase road safety.

http://www.sfgov.org/site/bac_index.asp

10) Seattle, Washington – Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board

The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board was created through Resolution 25534 on May 11th, 1977 to advise the city on the concerns and needs of the growing bicycling community. It is composed of 11 Seattle residents that serve for a 2-year term and in 2001 added an additional position for the YMCA Get Engaged Program that serves for a 1-year term.
Mission Statement: Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board advises the City of Seattle on all matters related to bicycling.
Vision: Make Seattle a world-class City for Bicycling. Make bicycling a viable transportation choice by encouraging active participation in policy and planning efforts through all levels of government. Build a more inclusive bicycling community by representing the needs of the diverse population of bicyclists in the City.
To fulfill this Mission and to achieve the Vision, the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board will concentrate its efforts on the following five principles as outlined by the League of American Cyclists as key elements of a bicycle friendly community:
 EVALUATION & PLANNING
 ENGINEERING
 EDUCATION
 ENCOURAGEMENT
 ENFORCEMENT


11) Stanford University, California – NO bicycle advisory committee

Stanford has an Alternative Tranportation Divison under the Department of Parking and Transportation.

http://transportation.stanford.edu/alt_transportation/AlternateTransportation.shtml

12) Tucson/East Pima County, Arizona – -Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee

The Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee (TPCBAC) was established to serve in an advisory capacity to local governments on issues relating to bicycle recreation, transportation, and safety.
The TPCBAC is involved in promoting the development of a safe bicycling environment in the City of Tucson and Pima County.
Members of the Committee include representatives from:
• each of the Wards of the City of Tucson,
• unincorporated Pima County,
• the Arizona Department of Transportation,
• the Pima Association of Governments ("PAG"),
• the City of Tucson Department of Transportation,
• the Pima County Department of Transportation,
• the City of Tucson Police Department,
• the Pima County Sheriff's Department,
• the University of Arizona,
• the Town of Oro Valley,
• the Town of Marana,
• the University of Arizona,
• Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,
and other representatives from local governments and other constituencies.

Boulder Attributes Platinum Ranking to City's Bike Summit Last Year

The Boulder Daily Camera carried the following article in today's paper:
(For details on the Boulder Platinum Summit meeting scroll down)

Bike-friendly rank bumped up to platinum
Boulder's bicycle- friendly rank bumps up to top honors
By Laura Snider, Camera Staff Writer
Sunday, September 28, 2008

The League of American Bicyclists bumped Boulder's bicycle-friendly status from gold to platinum last week, putting the city in the company of Portland, Ore., and Davis, Calif., the only other towns with the league's highest honor.

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"To all the people who ride bikes in Boulder, including kids riding to school, world-class racers training for their next event, commuters riding to worker, mountain bikers riding Marshal Mesa and families biking to the farmer's market, I say thank you," Mayor Shaun McGrath said in a statement.

The designations, which must be applied for, are based on everything from well-designed bike lanes and multi-use paths to cyclist education and bicycle-law enforcement liaisons.

There are seven official bicycle-friendly communities in Colorado, including bronze-rated Longmont and gold-rated Fort Collins. As a whole, Colorado ranks 22 out of 50 for bicycle-friendly states. Washington is the friendliest, according to the league, and West Virginia is the least supportive of bicycling.

The city said ongoing efforts to encourage biking and the bike summit held in Boulder last year, which forged bonds between government agencies and leaders in the bike community, were responsible for the higher rating. Mayor McGrath also acknowledged that Boulder still has improvements it wants to make.

"I am aware, as are most cyclists in Boulder, that we still have work to do to make bicycling safer and more attractive to more people," he said. "This award will inspire the city, and hopefully our community, to continue to progress.

For more information on the League of American Bicyclists rating system, go to www.bikeleague.org.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Laura Snider at 303-473-1327 or sniderl@dailycamera.com.

Does CSU Need a Bike Coordinator or an Alternative Transportation Coordinator?

A Fort Collins landlord who rents properties to students near Colorado State University has built "the Cycle Pad" or bike storage facility “to promote sensible transportation to our CSU student tenants.”As he explains, “this may not surprise you but many of our CSU tenants drive their cars to campus each day, rather than walk or bike. Now when you consider that our properties are located within 300 feet of campus the car thing is bizarre to say the least. So we are trying to help tenants break the habit by focusing on the bicycle as a safer, quicker, healthier and more enjoyable way to commute the 300 feet to CSU. All our tenants have cars; many do not have bikes…yet.”

Mom Explains why Students Don't Ride

A CSU mom writes with some pretty clear reasons why her daughter doesn’t ride at to CSU:
“My daughter is a bike-riding student at CSU this year, but I can give you some insight into what needs to change for cycling to take off at CSU.

First, there are only a very few lockers at CSU, which must be rented, and none of them are large. It's hard to carry a laptop, helmet, removable bike light, large books, etc. all day. My daughter drove her car to school when she was a member of the Visual Ensemble because there was no other place to store her flags, but in her car.

Also, it would be a big draw for cycling if students were able to ride between classes and this advantage was pointed out to them. However, there seem to be large areas of campus where bicycling is prohibited, making it difficult, if not impossible, to ride to classes in time. Bicycle lanes need to be really well-marked and allow access to all parts of campus in as short a distance as is reasonable. In winter, my daughter has had real difficulty riding her bike when it's snowy. Perhaps a snowplow/sweeper thing for bike lanes?

One other thing, she's had her seat stolen, her basket stolen, and she interrupted a guy trying to take her fender.... They need publicized cameras on the bike racks and a program to prosecute and scare the hell out of thieves. I would also publicize the number of thieves caught to show that the program is working and to scare them off.

One other thought: lights are required to ride at night which most students have to do. Bike paraphernalia is expensive. And, they have to get their bike registered. Maybe a mid-campus registration week with free light giveaway. '

Just some thoughts.

What Universities Have Bicycle Coordinators?

You guessed it: UC Davis and Portland State, both in towns with Platinum Level Bicycle Community Designations have them. Here are some resources:

Explore the UC Davis Bicycle Program here: http://taps.ucdavis.edu/bicycle/
and read all about Davis as a bike town here:
“A Bicycle Friendly Community - The Davis Model”(a paper presented at Pro Bike/Pro Walk, September 1998, Santa Barbara, CA)By David Takemoto-Weerts (UC Davis Bicycle Program Coordinator)Read David’s paperhttp://taps.ucdavis.edu/bicycle/education/community.cfm

Portland State University
Has a transportation options coordinator and a campus bike co-op: http://www.bikeshop.pdx.edu/

Chicago
Chicago Department of Transportation has a University Marketing program that encourages students, faculty, and staff to bike/walk/take transit to campus in place of driving. The program is in place at the five largest universities: University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola, Northwestern, and DePaul. Each campus has a student intern who coordinates programming at the school. The intern is paid half by the University and half by the Chicago Department of Transportation. I coordinate the interns and assist with creating objectives and moving the program forward.

Univeristy of Minnesota twin cities campus
Has had a bike coordinator since 1996!http://www1.umn.edu/pts/biking.htm
I’m sure there are more.

Boulder Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Platinum Bike Summit

Boulder City Council sponsored a Bike Summit Sept. 7, 2007 with the purpose of achieving Platinum status from the League of American Bicyclists.

Among the suggestions coming out of the summit:  

• World class recreational cycling for all ages;
• Bikes on Transit;
• Wayfinding initiatives;
• Bike Education in Schools;
• Bike Service Stations;
• Car free zones;
• Active Living Business Cluster.

"The bike summit was attended by nearly 100 people, inclucing leaders from the bicycling community and staff from a number of local agencies, who gathered to brainstorm a vision of of vision that would make Boulder the bicycling capital of the world in 20 years.  The  Bike Summit Report is a recording of the recommendations and initiatives identified by summit participants.

The summit was a collaborative community effort. City staff's primary role was to listen carefully and to facilitate a broad and open discussion amongst participants, with no attempt to explain why something wasn't feasible or how it didn't fit into current city plans.

Follow some of these links for more on the Boulder initiative:

From the report on the summit: http://www.ci.boulder.co.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7693&Itemid=3068