2010 National Bike Summit.
(Photo © J. Maus)
If you think the federal bike funding picture looks bleak after last night’s elections, here’s some news that should lift your spirits. This morning, component maker SRAM — along with the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking & Walking — announced a three-year renewal of a campaign to double federal funding for active transportation projects by 2013.
Dubbed the “Advocacy Advance Partnership“, the initiative is backed by a commitment of $1.2 million from SRAM over the next three years to, “unite active transportation advocates across the nation and give them tools and resources to secure increased funding from existing federal transportation programs for critical bicycle and pedestrian projects.”
According to the announcement this morning, much of the money will be funneled to local bike advocacy groups. Via a statement, SRAM CEO Stan Day said,
“The biggest barrier to increased bicycle use in daily lives is the lack of appropriate infrastructure, and local bicycle advocates are working to break down those barriers across the country. The Advocacy Advance campaign will empower those advocates to dramatically improve conditions for bicyclists.”
The Advocacy Advance campaign began two years ago and SRAM, the League and the Alliance for Biking & Walking have been awarding direct grants to advocacy groups and funding research to gather data that makes the case for bicycling. Now, the partnership will begin a laser-focused strategy on federal funding. League president Andy Clarke calls the initiative’s goal of doubling federal funding for biking and walking projects by 2013 “bold and essential.”
SRAM is not new to investing in bike advocacy. Their SRAM Cycling Fund was founded in 2008 with a goal of handing out $2 million a year for five years. The fund is managed by former leader of Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance and one of the most knowledgeable bike advocates in the country, Randy Neufeld.
More details about the Advocacy Advance Partnership will be announced in the coming months. More info here.
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SRAM always seems to be out front with its advocacy for cycling. Maybe I should buy more SRAM products!
Interesting, and I welcome the arrival of corporate money to a purpose, the provision of infrastructure, which obviously ought to be a core function of the government,…
That said I disagree with the premise that “The biggest barrier to increased bicycle use in daily lives is the lack of appropriate infrastructure,…”
The biggest barrier, as so often cited here and elsewhere, is the perception of the lack of safety, and that is a result of the culture of intollerance, inconsiderance, and misplaced blame by many motorists as well as the acceptance, legally and culturally, of a poor standard of operation of motor vehicles and bullying by motorists.
That’s not an infrastructure issue.
I didn’t like inconsiderance when I typed it, and I don’t like it now either – sorry everybody…
I would argue that the right kind of infrastructure can create an environment where people do feel safe enough to ride.
For example, a network of low-traffic bike boulevards with traffic calming features enable cyclists to largely avoid the high-traffic, high-speed, aggressive environments that feel (and are) unsafe for many riders.
And by making visible provisions for cyclists (“Bikes on Bridge” signs, etc.), you help remind the driving population that bikes are to be expected on roads as well as they are, and not an illegal nuisance. So I’d say that that infrastructure might not change attitudes, but it can help change behavior – and that can go a long way towards improving perception of safety (and hopefully, ridership). Worth investing in – thanks, SRAM!
As the collaborator of the Moots Bicycle Raffle, which will be donating $10,000 each to the BTA and the NWTA if completely successful, Id like to point out that SRAM was quick to be one of our large product sponsors for the build of the bike. While a few other brands were cautious about joining in, SRAM was there with a emphatic “yes!” before they were even given 100% of the details. Its great to see so many businesses in the bike industry so pro-active towards our communities and livability. Obviously there is a marketing benefit from these types of gifts, but I can definitely say that the people I worked with on this were REALLY excited due to their strong personal beliefs of common good.