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When it comes to walking, many businesses understand pretty intuitively the value of fostering good foot traffic - the ones that are surviving, anyway. With bicycling, however, a lot of business owners and political decision-makers just don't get it at all. When Elly Blue wrote "Why an additional road tax for bicyclists would be unfair," which was later followed by a series of posts on Grist under the banner of bikenomics, I started to view bicycling under a completely different lens. This view and emphasis on economics has influenced my own writing and advocacy ever since. Elly Blue (left) & April Economides (right) At Pro Walk-Pro Bike April Economides, principle of Green Octopus Consulting, who headed up the program to create bicycling friendly business districts in Long Beach, is another voice in the bike movement who has been emphasizing economics. She was recently hired by Bike Nation to manage their bike share program proposed in Long Beach. Blue and Economides got together for the first time for a presentation at Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike titled "Bikenomics & the Business Case for Bike-Friendly Business Districts". Their presentations complimented each other very well, with Blue setting up some of the conceptual framework for why looking at the economics of bicycling is important, while Economides outlined the nuts and bolts of the outreach and programs done so far in Long Beach. April encouraged people early on in her talk "to engage the business community; we can't just preach to the choir". Some of the most well known aspects of the Long Beach bicycle-friendly business districts are the discounts participating businesses offer for those arriving on bike, and the themed bike racks selected by and installed for businesses. Each business district also received its own cargo bike to be used by businesses for whatever use they may find for them. Given the difficulty of finding places to either buy or rent such utilitarian bicycles throughout most

From 2000 to 2010, bicycle commuting rose 40 percent in the U.S. But, in the 38 largest BFCs, the rise in bike commuters was almost double the national rate, growing a staggering 77 percent over the same time period. Cities like Portland, Ore.; Boulder, Colo; Davis, Calif., and other leading BFCs are almost ready to join the ranks of world-class bike communities - and the League has been working with BFC representatives to envision a higher standard that challenges and charts new heights for bicycle-friendliness in the United States. "If it sounds like we are moving the goalposts, it's because we are," says Andy Clarke, League President. "Communities are doing so much more, and the state of the practice in innovative infrastructure and programs has developed so rapidly in recent years, that it really is time to challenge communities to do even more to make biking better." Attaining Diamond designation will involve an individualized challenge tailored to each community. The League will conduct a detailed audit for each city and work with community leaders to create clear 5-, 10- and 15-year goals for important factors like bicycle mode share, land use, crashes, network connectivity and bike culture. The primary measure to Diamond designation: The number of people riding and citizen satisfaction. Cities will delve into a more detail evaluation of ridership and level of service, using standard methods of measure like the American Community Survey and National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project, but also more challenging and broader tools such as Copenhagen's Bicycle Account. The end goal: American communities that rival top international cycling cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam with world-class facilities, like protected bike lanes - and so much more. "In Portland, bikes mean business," says Tom Miller, Director of the Portland (Ore.) Bureau of Transportation. "Our commitment to bike-friendly streets has helped to attract a wealt

"Bike Cleveland has urged the city to move faster in adding bike-friendly features, especially bike lanes. Promoting a bike culture boosts a city's image, advocates say. "

This is a company that assists corporations to become bike friendly with special designed bikes, bike commutes, bike shares, etc.

Although many big cities are trending to start bike sharing projects, But still most of the cities lack a proper bike sharing platform. in Cyclingboom we have developped a platform which make is possible for cyclists who own spare bikes(no matter how old are they) to share with community and opens the possibility to find a bike to ride i cities without bike sharing plans.

You might have noticed some shiny new bikes parked outside the Ruth Lilly Student Center. Marian University has started a new bicycle sharing program and the bikes are available to students, faculty, and staff. "We want to start a cycling culture on campus that extends beyond our 19-time championship cycling team. We want Marian University students, faculty, and staff to embrace cycling for fun, exercise, transportation and competition. These bikes are a great way to build on the cycling culture that is already a part of the Marian University community," said Deborah Lawrence, Senior Vice President Head Cycling Coach Dean Peterson worked with Marian University cycling team partner, Matthews Bicycles, to find bikes that everyone could easily use. They selected a beautiful fleet of Electra bikes that reflect the school: new and cutting edge with a vintage flair. In addition to the bikes, a former cycling team member, Miles Chandler, is leading an effort to start a cycling club on campus, and they have agreed to maintain the Electra bikes for the campus community. "It's quick, it's easy, it's free, and healthy for you, too!" said Scott Ralph, Marian University's Chief of Police. The bicycles will be available each day from dawn to dusk, seasonal weather permitting. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Safety and Police Services in the Ruth Lilly Student Center at 317.955.6789. Happy cycling!

Bikes for Goodness Sake is a charity with a mission to share to Goodness of Bicycles with underprivileged children. We are a registered 501 c(3) non-profit. We work local bike shops and corporations to create events and distribute bikes to local children. We aim to create a cycling culture in North America by giving a bike to a child. Each bike we give comes along with a custom fit a helmet. The charity was started by Mark Smith and Pete Buck of Bucks Bikes in Austin, Texas. Our first event was on July 4, 2008. We worked the the Texas Military Family Services and identified 50 recipient children. Our goal for that event was to honor the silent sacrifice of children whose parent serve in the Armed Forces. Here is a video that honored that event.

Leerone Nesmith said he sometimes finds sharing the road to be a bit of a squeeze. Nesmith, 66, of Erie, rides his bicycle every day, weather permitting, and said he is occasionally overtaken by motor vehicles that come too close to him when they pass. "It can be a little nerve-racking. You have to keep watching traffic real close," he said. Changes to Pennsylvania's Vehicle Code that took effect a year ago require motorists to stay at least 4 feet from bicyclists when passing them on the road. Nesmith said he's familiar with the new law but doesn't believe everyone is aware of the changes. "Some come pretty close to you," said Nesmith, who has never been in an accident while riding his bike. The education continues as the Erie region heads into a new bike-riding season. Sgt. Jeff Annunziata, a traffic investigator with the Erie Bureau of Police, said he first heard of the law change from a citizen and learned more about it later during police updates. Annunziata said he's not sure the newly designated passing "buffer" will help much in cutting down accidents involving bicycles and other vehicles. The biggest problems Annunziata says he sees are motorists not paying attention to bicyclists, and bicyclists not paying attention to other traffic and not knowing the rules of the road. "The avid bike riders absolutely know the rules, but others don't," he said. "Probably 90 percent of the accidents involving bikes in the city are probably caused by bike riders not paying attention." The bulk of the attention given to the vehicle code changes adopted under Act 3 of 2012, signed by Gov. Tom Corbett in February 2012, centered on the distance vehicles must stay from bicyclists when passing. It's the greatest distance established by any of the 25 states that have specific distance requirements in their traffic laws. Two states have distance requirements of at least 2 feet, while 22 require a distance of at least 3 feet, according to data compiled by the League of Am

Here are some ideas of how park and ride or carpool lots could be catapulted into the 21st century, attract more users, promote healthier lifestyles, and offer more intermodal connections. Additional suggestions are always welcome. Add bicycle parking racks (preferably covered) and bicycle lockers. Even if one cannot bike commute the entire distance to work, adding bike parking racks and lockers to carpool lots allows cyclists to ride part of the way and then safely secure their bicycles. Whenever possible, locate the park and ride lots along or near mass transit routes. Add EV (electric vehicle) charging stations. These lots are perfect place to re-charge your EV while carpooling. Provide shelters for those who are waiting for their carpool group or for mass transit. No need to get drenched when you don't have too. Add some landscaping. Let's show some community pride by making them attractive amenities instead of simply another sea of asphalt and/or stone. Security lighting that is also dark-sky friendly. There is no need to light up the entire interchange (or neighboring homes) when properly installed and designed lighting can accomplish the job and be environmentally friendly. Lease some space to car-sharing organizations like ZipCar and donate space to local, non-profit bike-sharing programs if they exist. This would produce some income for maintenance of the carpool lot and provide a greater range of intermodal services. Include an area for taxis to pick up and drop off people. Include emergency phones.

From Andreas Røhl's perch behind the handlebars, Minneapolis looks like a city at the beginning of a bicycle cycle. Røhl is chief of bicycle programs in Copenhagen, probably the world's most advanced bicycling city. About half of all trips within the Danish capital's boundaries are made on bikes, a share that no American city approaches. Still, Røhl described his spin through Minneapolis on Thursday as impressive. The United States's top-rated bicycle city (a 3.8 percent mode share) has a lot of nice trails, nice views and a core of passionate riders, he said. What it lacks at this early point is urban density and a European attitude that treats bicycle travel as perfectly ordinary.

CTA makes it easy for you to use your bicycle with transit, including bike parking at stations, racks on the front of buses, and the ability to bring your bike on the train.

Bicyclists Are Serious Shoppers A 2012 study of shoppers in New York City's East Village district - which had recently installed protected bike lanes - found that, per capita per week, cyclists spent the most money at local businesses. Bicyclists: $168 Pedestrians: $158 Car drivers: $143 Public transit: $111 The "so what?" argument may seem valid here. The East Village is particularly dense, with especially high mode shares of bicycling and walking. So of course that will be represented in total retail sales for the area. But the phenomenon does not exist in a single-neighborhood vacuum; cities in every region across the country are seeing positive results from increased bike infrastructure.

CYCLODEO is a website that allows you to take 'virtual' bike rides by replaying 'real' ones created and shared by other cyclists all around the world. HD videos recorded by the cycling community are synchronized with the corresponding GPS tracks and placed on a map. With this video documentation, visitors can 'feel' via their web browser the experience of a cyclist on a particular route. Route safety is one of the main problems that urban cyclists have to deal with every single day. Understandably, it is also one of the top reasons why so many citizens are afraid to ride their bicycles. Instead a majority prefer to use their car even for short distances. Cyclodeo helps address this issue by allowing anyone to see exactly what street conditions they might encounter on a particular ride. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a thousand pictures.