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Information about League Of American Bicyclists

The League of American Bicyclists (LAB), a cyclist's advocacy group, was founded in 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen to improve riding conditions within the United States of America. The League was the leading organization advocating for the improvement of roads and highways in the United States throughout the last part of the 19th century, and has continued to serve as the leading membership organization for bicyclists in the US into the 21st century. The League operates as a §501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.[1]

History

The League of American Wheelmen was founded in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1880, and was the leading national membership organization for bicyclists in the United States. LAW also served as a governing body for bicycle racing in the US in the late 1800s.

The League was a prominent advocate for the improvement of roads and highways in the United States[1] long before the invention of the automobile. LAW founded and led the Good Roads Movement in the US in the last part of the 19th century, and began publishing Good Roads magazine in 1892—a full ten years before the founding of the American Automobile Association.

The League continued to play a leading role in bicycling issues in the 20th century. One example was the promotion and distribution of John Forester's Effective Cycling cyclist education program to clubs and educational institutions across the United States from the 1970s through the 1990s. This indicated the strength oy the vehicular cycling (VC)philosophy in the League, as opposed to advocates of segregated cycle facilities (SCF). However, some of the League's sponsors, such as the larger bicycle manufacturers, favored the SCF approach.

The League had often been criticized by feminists for calling itself the League of American Wheelmen. It changed to its current name of the League of American Bicyclists in the early 1990s, and continues to serve as a leading membership organization for cyclists in the US. Curiously, the League didn't choose the name League of American Cyclists, which would have been equally non-sexist but would have expressed the view that bicycles are ridden by adults as well as children and that cyclists are intelligent users of roads. The term bicyclist implies a more passive, consumer-oriented approach. The name change suggests that the VC group lost to the SCF faction

Advocacy

LAB claims to serve as a voice for cyclists at the national level, and organizes an annual National Bike Summit to bring together professionals and advocates in Washington, D.C., so that they can meet with government representatives. The major event supporter is the Bikes Belong Coalition (BBC), a §501(c)(6) trade association for the bicycle industry which lobbies Congress for funds to build bicycle usage in the U.S.

In addition to BBC, LAB works in partnership with other organizations such as America Bikes ("leveraging federal transportation dollars for bicycling", primarily with BBC money), Thunderhead Alliance [2] (lobbies for government money to encourage bicycle usage while receiving substantial industry funding), FHWA, NHTSA, NCUTCD and NCUTLO in order to "create a more bicycle-friendly America".

Education

LAB coordinates and promotes the "Bike Ed" program, which offers adult and child bicyclist education courses for a variety of skill levels in many locations across the US. Much of the content in these courses is based on the Effective Cycling program developed by John Forester. However, the Bike Ed and Effective Cycling courses are now separate programs offered by different organizations.

LAB also sponsors the biennial Bicycle Education Leaders Conference, and is active in Safe Routes to School programs at a national level.

Bicycle-friendly communities

As of September 2007, the LAB has formally recognized dozens of U.S. cities as bicycle-friendly communities for "providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation." (Ironically, most of the high-rated cities yavor segregated bicycle facilities, which are the antihesis of the Effective Cycling program that the League once sponsored.) These are the cities:
Bronze-level[3]

















































LAB Reform

Some members of LAB are concerned with various decisions made by the LAB board of directors in recent years, and have formed a group calling for reform at LAB. The stated goals of LAB Reform are:
  1. Regain control of the League for members by allowing them to elect ALL directors
  2. Restore access to the ballot and Bylaws via the petition and referendum
  3. Remove the veil of secrecy over the actions of the board and staff
  4. Allow members a reasonable process to remove unethical directors
  5. Promote the best and safest practices of cycling
  6. Protect the rights of cyclists
  7. Revive member services

Contact information

  • 1612 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006
  • 202-822-1333 (phone), 202-822-1334 (fax)

External links

References

1. ^ https://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/join/signup/index.php
Cycling is a means of transport, a form of recreation, and a sport. The bicycle carries riders across land, through tunnels, over bridges, snow, or, less frequently, over ice (icebiking).
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interest group (also called an advocacy group, lobbying group, pressure group (UK), or special interest) is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to
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Newport, Rhode Island
Nickname: City by the Sea, Queen of Summer Resorts , America's Society Capital
Location in Rhode Island
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Country United States
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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automobile (from Greek auto, self and Latin mobile moving, a vehicle that moves itself rather than being moved by another vehicle or animal) or motor car (usually shortened to just car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor.
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The Good Roads Movement occurred in the United States between 1880 and 1916. Advocates for improved roads led by bicyclists turned local agitation into a national political movement.

Outside cities, roads were dirt or gravel; mud in the winter and dust in the summer.
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The AAA (usually read triple-A, or sometimes three As), formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is an American not-for-profit automobile lobby group and service organization.
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Effective Cycling is a trademarked cycling educational program designed by John Forester, which was the national education program of the League of American Wheelmen for a number of years.
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Vehicular cycling, or VC, is the practice of driving bicycles on roads in a manner that is visible, predictable, and in accordance with the principles for driving a vehicle in traffic.
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Segregated cycle facilities may consist of separate roads, tracks, paths or lanes designated for use by cyclists and from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. In some areas[1], motorized bicycles may still be used on these routes.
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Feminism is an ideology focusing on equality of the sexes.[1] Feminism comprises a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and discrimination against women.
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501(c) is a provision of the United States Internal Revenue Code (), listing twenty-seven types of non-profit organizations exempt from some Federal income taxes. Sections 503 through 505 list the requirements for attaining such exemptions.
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The Bicycle Industry or Cycling Industry can broadly be defined as the industry concerned with bicycles and cycling. It includes at least bicycle manufacturers, part or component manufacturers, and accessory manufacturers.
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The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or NCUTCD, is a private, non-profit organization whose purpose is to assist in the development of standards, guides and warrants for traffic control devices and practices used to regulate, warn and guide traffic on
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Effective Cycling is a trademarked cycling educational program designed by John Forester, which was the national education program of the League of American Wheelmen for a number of years.
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John Forester (born 7 October, 1929) is a Californian industrial engineer and a noted cycling activist who coined the term Effective Cycling. Born in East Dulwich, England, the oldest child of the writer and novelist Cecil Scott Forester and his wife Kathleen.
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Effective Cycling is a trademarked cycling educational program designed by John Forester, which was the national education program of the League of American Wheelmen for a number of years.
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"Bicycle-friendly" is a descriptive term that describes policies, places and practices which help some people feel more comfortable about traveling by bicycle with other forms of traffic.
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Segregated cycle facilities may consist of separate roads, tracks, paths or lanes designated for use by cyclists and from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. In some areas[1], motorized bicycles may still be used on these routes.
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City of Davis
Motto: Most bicycle friendly town in the world
Location in Yolo County and the state of California
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Country United States
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County Benton
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