The bicycle suppliers and retailers who make up the nonprofit Bikes Belong Coalition have been busy doling out grants to reward grassroots organizations that are making life better for bicyclists.
Two rounds of grants have been handed out to 11 locally oriented bicycle advocacy groups recently. Not only is it cool to see that their good work is being supported, but it's interesting to see what's going on around the country for bicyclists.
Maybe some readers will get an idea for grant-worthy projects for their clubs.
The latest are 5 REI/Bicycle Friendly Community grants of $10,000 to $20,000 handed out in collaboration with Bikes Belong and the League of American Bicyclists. Earlier, Bikes Belong handed out $50,000 in grants to 6 groups working on local projects in Alabama, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Virginia, and Texas.
Envelope please
According to the Bikes Belong press release, the REI awards are:
BikeDenver—Denver, ColoradoBikeDenver is helping its home city, currently a Bronze-level BFC, to reach Silver status. Through participation on the Denver Bike Initiative committees, they'll help the city to implement a bike-share program and improve city infrastructure and policies related to cycling. BikeDenver plans to work with their state group, Bicycle Colorado, to help update the Colorado DMV manuals and tests to include bike-specific information and questions—a key enforcement initiative. They'll also encourage more people to participate in Bike to Work Day through their Bike Pool program, and expand their successful Bike Valet at major events this year.
LivableStreets Alliance—Boston, MassachusettsLivableStreets Alliance is working with Mayor Menino's Boston Bikes Program on key initiatives that will help the city establish policies for safe street design and expand infrastructure for bicycling. They are providing technical assistance and facilitating community involvement to help Boston develop its Bicycle Network Plan, and working to ensure improved bicycle access on the many bridges over the Charles River that are about to undergo reconstruction. In the short term, LivableStreets is working to ensure that proposed stimulus funding for bike parking at transit stations will be spent quickly and efficiently on secure, well-designed bike storage solutions. These important goals will further LivableStreet's mission of working systematically to help Boston become a Bicycle Friendly Community.
Bike Pittsburgh—Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaBike Pittsburgh is tackling education and encouragement through public outreach by developing a local Bicycle Friendly Employers Program and expanding the popular Pittsburgh BikeFest—an annual 10-day event that celebrates cycling in the city—to include a criterium race and ciclovia event. They're also funding the reprint of Pittsburgh's famous bike map this year. The group is forging a strong relationship with Pittsburgh's new bike-ped coordinator, and will serve as a principal advisor on the soon-to-be updated Citywide Bike Plan and cycling investment strategy.
Atlanta Bicycle Coalition—Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC) is working with the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia's Department of Transportation to enact Complete Streets policies and guide bicycle facility design. They're also helping to increase awareness through Bike Month and Bike to Work Week participation programs. ABC's unique approach to enforcement combines enacting new legislation and partnering with the police department to plan targeted-enforcement “stings” and update crash reporting and investigative techniques. Best practices from their enforcement work will serve as good models for other communities.
San Diego County Bicycle Coalition—San Diego, CaliforniaThe San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is focusing on education and encouragement to promote bicycling in their city. Through public outreach and awareness as well a new social marketing campaign, modeled after successful programs in Chicago and Portland, they hope to get more people to use the excellent infrastructure that already exists in San Diego—and make the case for more bike facilities that will bridge existing gaps in the network. Evaluation of these measures is a key element of their plan and will help other cities adopt successful strategies to increase ridership.
In February, Bikes Belong issued six grants to local bike organizations. Here are the beneficiaries and their projects:
Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (BUMP)—Lake Trail, Oak Mountain State Park (Alabama) — The Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (BUMP) will receive $10,000 to help build the Lake Trail in Oak Mountain State Park. Bikes Belong funds will leverage a Shelby County Grant for the project, helping BUMP to connect two sections of singletrack that are currently linked by a roadway while creating a 3-mile mountain-bike loop specifically for beginners. Oak Mountain State Park receives more than 500,000 visitors annually. BUMP, which has gained and maintained mountain-bike access in the park since 1990, anticipates that many of these outdoor enthusiasts would try mountain biking if beginner options were available. They hope the Lake Trail will bring new riders to their sport and encourage more people to actively enjoy the park.
Peoples Advocacy for Trails, Hawaii (PATH)—Active Transportation for Hawaii's Sustainable Future — Peoples Advocacy for Trails, Hawaii (PATH), will receive $7,500 to support “Active Transportation for Hawaii's Sustainable Future,” an initiative designed to make bicycling part of the solution to Hawaii's energy challenges and environmental concerns. PATH and its partners will work to enact and encourage active-transportation policy at the state level. If PATH is successful, their policies will serve as models for other states. Bikes Belong's funding will help support the coalition's efforts to make bicycling a strong component of Hawaii's plan to reduce transportation energy demand, curb greenhouse gas emissions, and improve health outcomes.
City of Ellsworth, Maine—Ellsworth Rail with Trail Connector — A $5,000 grant will help the City of Ellsworth, Maine, connect two sections of rail trail on either side of town, creating an enjoyable route for bike commuters, recreational riders, and tourists. This path will also serve as a safe, appealing re-route for the East Coast Greenway, connect destinations within the downtown area (including a proposed multi-modal transportation and recreation center), and link to the 86-mile Downeast Sunrise Trail as well as miles of beautiful cycling roads in Acadia National Park. Bikes Belong's grant will add to city and state funds designated for path-construction costs.
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative—Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway (New York) — The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative will use their $7,500 grant to continue to work with NYC DOT as they develop a comprehensive plan for the 14-mile Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway—a high-priority project for bicycling in Brooklyn. BGI's role in the project is coalition building. They are the tie that binds the DOT, State Parks, City Parks, the Economic Development Corporation, private landowners, multiple neighborhoods and developers together for the common cause of creating a beautiful recreation amenity in Brooklyn before prohibitive development occurs along the waterway. They are a true neighborhood advocacy organization, and their grassroots efforts will ensure that the $18 million in Federal Transportation funding designated for the greenway project gets spent before it—or the opportunity to build the greenway—expires.
Page Valley Cycling—Big Gem Park Trails and Pump Track (Virginia) — Page Valley Cycling will receive a $10,000 grant to help build a trail and pump track for new mountain bikers in Shenandoah, Virginia's, Big Gem Park. Page Valley Cycling has formed strong partnerships with the Town of Shenandoah, the Chamber of Commerce, and other local cycling groups to execute this project. They've also garnered grassroots support from volunteers and in-kind contributions from local businesses and laborers, and the design and flagging are being donated by IMBA Trail Solutions. The path and pump track will provide the first natural-surface riding in Page County and serve as a gateway to mountain biking for its citizens. Bikes Belong's funding will help cover construction costs.
Greater Houston Off-Road Bicycling Association—Double Lake Trails Expansion (Texas) — A $10,000 grant will go to the Greater Houston Off-Road Bicycling Association (GHORBA) to help expand the trail network at Double Lake Recreation Area. Although Bikes Belong supported this project last year, Hurricane Ike destroyed nearly 2,000 volunteer-hours worth of GHORBA-built singletrack shortly after our grant award was given. This was a huge setback for the group and required that volunteers spend last year rebuilding rather than expanding their trail system. This grant will help provide matching funds for a Recreational Trails Program Grant, enabling GHORBA to proceed with their expansion efforts this year.
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