• Boise Bicycle Project – Idaho’s first Gold medal recipient
• Idaho Power Company – the state’s second Silver medalist, joining previous honoree Healthwise, Inc.
• Microsoft Boise – Bronze medal, joining previous Bronze awardees REI Boise and NIFC (the National Interagency Fire Center)
• CTA Architects – our host for the walking tour during the 2011 BFB Workshop, received Honorable Mention

All four Idaho recipients participated in the 2011 Bicycle Congress.

League of American Bicyclists president Andy Clarke said, “We are happy to recognize these businesses for their investment in bicycling as a vehicle for improved employee health, social responsibility and economic growth. Some of the most successful companies in the world are showing that investing in bicycling is not only good for health and sustainability but also the bottom line.”

Currently, there are 344 awardees in 40 states that span a wide range of industries from hospitals to the financial service industry. Idaho’s first honoree was J-U-B Engineers of Coeur d’Alene (Honorable Mention, 2009).

To apply or learn more about the free BFB program, visit the League of American Bicyclists online at bikeleague.org/businesses.

The group expressed interest in continuing to communicate. An e-mail discussion group has been created for the purpose. Questions? Contact us via e-mail at bicyclecongress@boisestate.edu

Evaluation and Planning

• user satisfaction survey (good examples can be found at UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Stanford)
• implement Alta Plan
• do bike counts

Enforcement

• targeted enforcement of bicycle laws both on campus and along feeder routes

Encouragement

• implement a bike sharing program
• tie staff and faculty into Student Recreation Center programs
• build awareness of where to shower and get clean clothes
• get upper administration involved; interest them in advancing to Silver, Gold, Platinum
• roadside service: people can get this for their cars (lockouts, dead batteries) why not for their bikes?

Engineering

• connect gaps
• establish more covered bicycle parking
• achieve standardization of bicycle parking
• work on University Drive; get more bicycle facilities on the pavement
• take steps so that CLC becomes campus bicycle hub
• develop bicycle-friendly gateways to campus
• in cooperation with ACHD, improve level of service for bicycles on campus access routes, especially Kootenia/Protest

Education

• integrate planning for bicycles with M.A. in planning program
• implement a “Dorm Challenge” (example from Stanford)
• University 101 course should introduce people to the resources that exist for cycling on campus
• include an overview of bicycling resources in new student orientation
• make bike map widely available
• develop more bicycle education for people that drive University vehicles

Questions? Contact us via e-mail at bicyclecongress@boisestate.edu

Bicycle Friendly Business Workshop: 8:15 a.m. to Noon, Wednesday, April 20

A Bicycle Friendly Business is one which actively supports bicycling for transportation and recreation. There are many such businesses in our community, yet few have sought recognition from the LAB. In order to help local businesses realize their potential for award, Boise State University has invited Bill Nesper, director of Bicycle Friendly America programs, to present this half-day workshop. There is no fee for participation. This workshop will be held in downtown Boise at the Owyhee Plaza, Regency Room.

Bicycle Friendly University Workshop: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 20

Bicycle Friendly University programs, launched in October of 2010, will provide incentives, hands-on assistance, and award recognition for colleges and universities that actively support bicycling for transportation and recreation. Boise State University was among the first to apply for the new designation, and now wishes to help jump-start the process for candidate institutions around the northwest. There is no fee for participation. This workshop will be held in the Boise State Student Union Building, Simplot A Ballroom.

Related activities April 21 (Thursday morning)

Details of these activites to be announced.

Questions? Contact us via e-mail at bicyclecongress@boisestate.edu

• major routes of pedestrian and bicycle travel to and within campus;
• existing opportunities for bicycle parking on campus;
• important zones where foot traffic and bicycle traffic come into conflict;
• zones where pedestrians or cyclists come into conflict with motor vehicle traffic.

After describing the conditions that now exist on campus, the plan proceeds to recommend future improvements, including

• programs designed to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists;
• facilities to improve travel options for people walking and bicycling on campus;
• facilities to improve bicycle parking opportunities (both short-term and long-term), and to improve security for parked bicycles.

Interested persons are welcome to download (PDF, 9.5 MB) the Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Master Plan.

The event will include:

• A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony
• Demonstration on how to access and use the Bike Barn
• Bike tune-ups by bike mechanics from Campus Recreation’s Cycle Learning Center (10 – 11 a.m.)
• Drawing for chances to use the Brady Bike Barn free for one year

Brady Bike Barn is a special fenced-off segment of the garage that can store 65 bicycles on special racks. Students, faculty and staff will be able to park their bikes securely and away from inclement weather. The gated entryway can be activated only by those who have signed up for the service through the transportation & parking office..

Cost for Brady Bike Barn is $15 per semester. Visit transportation.boisestate.edu for more information.

Are you new to bicycle commuting? Great! Are you experienced in fair weather, and wondering how to “ride on” into the more wintry months ahead? Are you already an all-weather bike commuter, interested in seeing the latest gear? Wondering how to protect your bicycle from wet weather and roads?

If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then the Four Season Bicycle Commuting clinic is for you! Join us during the noon hour on October 16, to learn about:

• technical clothing to keep you and your feet warm and dry
• gloves for your hands, fenders for your bike
• bike lighting systems for every budget
• bike maintenance for foul weather
• bikes on buses

Presentations will be made by Idaho Mountain Touring staff members. Joining the IMT guys will be Marti Stephen, who served for eight years as mountain biking editor of VeloNews. Marti will offer some tips for people on tight budgets, to help you “make do with what you’ve got.”

Because fall and winter days in Boise are often nice at one end and nasty at the other, we have arranged to bring a ValleyRide bus to the clinic, so that we can demonstrate how to load bikes on and off.  Buses rock–if morning is dark or rainy, let the bus haul you and your bike to campus. That way if the weather breaks and the afternoon turns sunny, you can ride your bike home! Remember that Boise State students, staff and faculty ride free on many ValleyRide routes. Bring your student, staff or faculty ID, we will validate it for free bus service.

Need one more incentive? How about free stuff from Pearl Izumi!!  The famous maker of cycling gear has generously donated several nice items for us to give away, in a door-prize raffle.

Join us October 16 in the Student Recreation Center Classroom.  You’ll be glad you did.

In 2008, the Community Bicycle Congress will convene just as the Ada County Highway District completes its “Roadways to Bikeways” master plan. In celebration of that plan’s significance, the fourth Bicycle Congress will serve as a kind of coming-out party in which we unveil the new plan while exploring its connection with other plans and agreements already being implemented in the Treasure Valley and at Boise State University.

As in past years, the fourth Bicycle Congress will feature presentations by invited researchers. Peter Furth, professor of engineering at Northeastern University, has been studying design criteria to help people overcome the stresses of cycling in city traffic. His paper explores on-road bicycle facilities for children and other “easy riders.” José Weissmann, professor of engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has developed a GIS to assist the Texas Department of Transportation in determining bicycle accommodation priorities for rural roads, when these are due for rehabilitation. His paper is entitled, “Rural Bicycle Accommodation Plan and Decision-Aid Tool.”

Joining professors Furth and Weissmann will be a panel of distinguished local guests, to address a significant collection of plans and agreements that have come into being during the past two years in the Treasure Valley. These include:

• Downtown Boise Mobility Study (2007);
• Meridian Pathways Plan (2007);
• U. S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (2006);
• Communities in Motion (2006).

How will these plans, already being implemented, relate to the new bicycle master plan? Can the plans have combined effects that better allow bicycling to achieve its potential as a non-polluting mode of transport? Cyclists, policymakers and the public deserve a forum in which these questions are asked.

Join us Friday evening and Saturday morning for the Women’s Bike Fitness Festival, sponsored in part by the Department of Kinesiology at Boise State University. The festival will feature two fun, non-competitive group rides led by the women of team Bobs-Bicycles.com; demonstrations of equipment will be offered at a celebration in Ann Morrison Park on Saturday morning.