What if the key to better bike infrastructure isn’t just safer streets, but more joyful, connected and car-free communities?
The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Planners (APBP) writes the guidebook on bicycle parking best practices in the United States, offering recommendations around policy, requirements, codes and placement of bicycle parking. These recommendations are put forth by planning professionals and then reviewed by another body of planners, engineers and transportation officials before being published.
What happens at APBP events?
Every other year, APBP hold a conference in a different bike-friendly city that attracts hundreds of transportation professionals from all over the country. Ideas around emerging trends are shared, cutting edge research is presented and those of us who get excited about things like road diets, protected bike lanes and infrastructure redevelopment strategies can nerd out with like-minded professionals.
This year’s conference was held in Pittsburgh, PA which ranks in the top 15 U.S. cities for bike commuting and achieved a Silver-level Bike-Friendly Community award from the League of American Bicyclists. Here are some of the common threads we noticed when we attended this year:
City planners need to include “joy” in their projects
City planners and engineers should work more closely with local advocacy groups to reach the communities where their projects are located. Local non-profits and community-based organizations often have the personal relationships necessary to connect with people in ways that data and reports cannot.
What we brought to APBP
Cyclehoop had the opportunity to speak on a panel as a co-founder of the Minnesota Cargo Bike Library (MCBL). The panel highlighted how public, private, and non-profit partnerships can increase eCargo bike access and reduce car dependency for short journeys.
MCBL’s mission is to give Minnesota residents the knowledge, skills and resources to confidently replace car trips with electric-assist cargo bikes. This mission is shared by the other panelists, Dorothy Fennell, Founder of CargoB in Boston, and Lelac Almagor, founder of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) Cargo Bike Library . They shared their experiences of starting up eCargo bikeshare programs with examples of what kinds of impacts they’re seeing in their local communities.
The key takeaways from the panel were:
- Cargo bikes are surging in popularity.
- Conventional bike and scooter share in North America is growing.
- The ability to carry objects or people on a bike is critical to replacing a car trip.
- The built environment must support and encourage cargo bike usage to reduce car dependency.
Until next time
The next APBP conference will be held in Nashville, TN, a city known for the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame. A little-known fact is that they also have some fantastic biking and walking infrastructure.
We’re looking forward to exploring Music City on two wheels and, who knows, maybe we’ll bring our music bikes and make some of our own music!
If you’d like to learn more about our presentation or our US operations, contact us today at (612) 470-0960 or via email at info@cyclehoop.us for more information.