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Bicycles are here to stay as part of our transportation system. While MAP-21 reorganizes and reduces funding opportunities, advocates and agency staff will need to look beyond Transportation Alternatives. This may be the Highway Safety Improvement Program, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, Surface Transportation Program, or a number of other federal and state sources. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the FY2012 grant recipients for their Bus Livability grant program. Highlighting the importance of connecting bicycles and transit, many of the approved projects include a bicycle component. At the same time, states are recognizing and funding important bicycle programs and projects. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley recently announced 28 Bikeways Program Grants, part of his Cycle Maryland initiative. The grant winning projects include on and off-road bicycle route connections, bike route signage, bike racks and safety improvements. Salisbury, a recent host of a Bicycle Friendly Communities workshop, received funding to complete their downtown bicycle lanes project (way to go bike-SBY!). Baltimore will be using the grant to install a downtown cycletrack. Click here for a complete list of projects. As these two programs show, there are funds available for bicycles, but not always in the first place you look. Advocates and agency staff will need to be creative and tenacious in finding sources and getting projects funded. The Advocacy Advance team is always here to answer questions, brainstorm ideas, and help get your projects funded.

See pages 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, and 26 Countywide: TE Line Item: Countywide transportation enhancements funding for eligible project categories (e.g., ped / bike, scenic / historic preservation, archaeological planning) administered jointly by the County and PennDOT TE Line-Item - was assumed to include 100% of the applicable TE revenues, minus any "already programmed" TE projects on the 2011-2014 TIP. All TE projects must relate to surface transportation within one or more of the 12 eligible activities listed in specific program guidance and requirements for Erie County. PennDOT's guidance on Developing Regional Long Range Plans indicates that successful plans should "Emphasize Planning, not Programming". To that end, policy-level guidance is included within the 2040 LRTP to provide consistent and meaningful direction for the MPO and stakeholders towards achieving the plan's overall goals and objectives. The guidance focuses on several areas including: * General Planning Practices * Land Use Planning * Economic Vitality * Multimodal Transportation Safety * Multimodal Transportation Security * Roadway System * Pedestrian / Bicycle / Trail Network * Public Transportation * Rail Service * Air Travel * Waterborne Transportation * System Sustainability and Livability * System Efficiency and Preservation The plan encompasses all projects selected as part of the Erie LRTP's Decision Lens evaluation and screening process, all projects currently included on the 2011-2014 TIP, and additional interstate maintenance, transit, and airport projects that are funded or programmed through separate sources. Fiscal constraint and a reasonable set of expectations as to projects that can be implemented throughout the life of the plan were maintained through comparison to the established time periods and revenue assumptions listed below: * Period "0" = 2011-2012, or the remainder of the ongoing 2011-2012 TIP projects. * Period

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

Erie Ped / Bike Prioritization Program/ Bayfront Trails Establish a prioritized ped / bike /trail network along the Bayfront Parkway and study the feasibility of existing and future improvements, key corridors,special facility design, and maintenance ‐ Multi‐municipal Ped / Bike Prioritization Program/ Erie Metro Area Establish a prioritized ped / bike /trail network within the Erie Metro Area and study the feasibility of existing and future improvements, key corridors,special facility design, and maintenance ‐ Countywide Ped / Bike Prioritization Program/ Erie County Establish a prioritized ped / bike /trail network for Erie County's outlying municipalities and study the feasibility of existing and future improvements, key corridors,special facility design, and maintenance

Help your child develop independent bike-riding skills on a two-wheeler. Ready, Set, Ride! is an innovative program that helps youngsters learn to ride a two-wheeler bicycle. It is held on four consecutive weekends during the summer in Erie and Warren. The program was developed for children with special needs, but is open to any child who is able to pedal and steer a bike but has not yet been successful in learning to ride without training wheels. It is ideal for youngsters with: Autism Down syndrome Mild cerebral palsy Sensory issues Behavioral issues Children should be at least seven years old and have a bike and helmet. A limited number are also available for use. The cost of the program is $90, but may be covered through an FSS allocation. Scholarships are also available. Ready, Set, Ride! sessions will be held: Erie: Saturdays, July 16, 23, 30, and August 6; 9-10 a.m. and 10:15-11:15 a.m. ; BNI West parking lot. Warren: Sundays, August 7, 14, 21, and 28. 9 - 10 a.m. and 10:15 - 11:15 a.m.; Warren YMCA, 212 Lexington Avenue, Warren, PA 16365 For more information about Ready, Set, Ride!, call (814) 874-5671.

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

Through our research-based programs, youth are building relationships, practicing goal persistence, and developing problem-solving and organizational skills. They receive direct time and attention from caring adults, helping kids construct positive self-perceptions. Youth have the opportunity to develop life skills, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that will contribute to success in relationships, work/school and in community life. We operate year-round and often six days a week with expanded programming during the summer months to meet the needs of kids during summer vacation.

They have been working on becoming bicycle and pedestrian friendly for 20 years. 15% of their road funds go to pedestrian and bicycling projects. A transportation system is not complete without bicycle and pedestrian elements. These travel options provide essential connections to the region's transit system and are particularly important to create walkable communities. A strong bicycle and pedestrian program gives Central Floridians an option for travel beyond one person in one vehicle. It creates a community where it is possible to live, work, and play in the same area.

Barber Center bike education program

The Bicycle Commuter Act of 2008, which became a law on January 1, 2009, is a transportation fringe benefit that provides a small sum to qualified employees to offset costs incurred through bicycle commuting. Passed as an addendum to the larger Renewable Energy Tax Credit legislation, the tax provision sought to elevate cyclists to the same level as people who received qualified transportation benefits for taking transit. This tax benefit is mutually beneficial for employers and employees. Receiving the bicycle commuter tax provision is estimated to save 40% on every dollar that is used through the program for employees, while employers should save around 10% on every dollar in saved payroll taxes (San Francisco Bicycle Coalition 2010). The actual text of the law can be found at http://www.bikeleague.org/news/100708adv.php.

Assuming a one-to-one tradeoff between vehicle trips and non-motorized trips, the DOT report estimated that the program conserved 1.67 million gallons of gasoline and averted more than 30.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions between 2007 and 2010. The report also noted that the increase in non-motorized travel and the decrease in automobile trips resulted in notable reductions in other air pollutants that contribute to health problems. It estimates that boosting the amount of pedestrian and bicycle activity in these communities reduced the economic cost of mortality by about $6.9 billion in 2007. Doctors and the broader public health community have long been advocating increasing opportunities for biking and walking as a cost-effective strategy to reduce illness and wasteful spending on reactive health care. The U.S. DOT report, "Report to the U.S. Congress on the Outcomes of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program", is available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/ntpp/2012_report/final_report_april_2012.pdf.