the new majority: pedaling towards equity

7/28/2019 The New Majority: Pedaling towards equity

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THE NEW

MAJORITYPEDALING TOWARDS EQUITY

PRESENTED BY


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Bcyclng s n the rse acrss the U.S. Adults are captalzng n the

health and ecnc benefts acte transprtatn, hle an

ncreasng nuber yung peple are rgng drers lcenses t

sae ney and ebrace re alable, beable lestyles.

The new majority that elected a president youth, women andpeople o color is playing a key role in pedaling the countrytoward a more Bicycle Friendly America. These diverse commu-nities are embracing bicycling at a high rate, redening the aceand trajectory o the bicycle movement and the way the nationaddresses transportation. An increasingly powerul and growingconstituency, previously underrepresented groups are cultivatingnew campaigns and bike cultures that address the needs, serve thesaety and improve the health o all residents who ride or wantto ride. These new riders, leaders and organizations are making

#womENBikE

biking accessible and inviting to all Americans while makingthe case or a saer and more equitable transportation system incommunities nationwide.

For too long, many o these diverse populations have been over-looked by traditional organizations and transportation planners.In too many instances, people o color have been largely let out o

transportation decision-making processes that have dramaticallyimpacted their neighborhoods. Rising up in response to this dis-enranchisement, new leaders are rallying against stark disparitiesin bicycling acilities and sae streets. These organizations arentjust engaging new communities in traditional campaigns, butopening new avenues o conversation shiting the ocus rombicycling itsel to how bikes address the core everyday issues acedin their unique communities.

Red, Bike and Green chapters are using the bicycle as a meansto address health, economic and environmental disparities thatdisproportionately aect the black community. In Los Angeles,Multicultural Communities or Mobility is working with immi-

THE NEWMAJORITYPEDALING TOWARDS EQUITY

Red, Be and Green - Atlanta Grls Be Club

Lz Clayan


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grant worker populations, producing Spanish-language publicservice announcements and securing bike parking at a day laborercenter. In Chicago, Girls Bike Club is making bicycling an integralpart o the personal and social lives o young women o color. TheBiking Public Project in New York City is giving voice to the o-ten-invisible delivery bicyclist. And these are just a ew examples.

But, while many communities are enjoying new opportunitiesbecause o the boom in bicycling, signicant challenges persist inmany underserved communities. While some residents o a cityhave access to a variety o transportation options, many commu-nities o color in that same city are in transit deserts that lack saestreets or walking or biking. In act, according to 2001 data romthe Centers or Disease Control and Prevention, compared towhite bicyclists, the atality rate was 23% higher or Hispanic and30% higher or Arican-American riders.

To address these pressing issues, community groups are devel-oping their own educational and advocacy material catering to thespecic needs and cultural understandings o their members be-

cause o the lack o ability and interest o larger local, regional andnational cycling advocacy to address these expressed needs. Thereare clear and potent opportunities or transportation planners,departments o transportation at all levels, bicycling advocates,and industry leaders to address the many issues highlighted bythis new wave o grassroots leaders in a manner that advances the

movement or transportation equity nationwide.Sae inrastructure or biking will help bring the health, eco-nomic, and environmental benets o biking to those who wantto ride but dont currently eel sae on the streets. These sorts oimprovements along with the standardization o sae bike inra-structure design by the U.S. Department o Transportation andother agencies across the country are integral in implementingequitable access to sae inrastructure across jurisdictions.

This report showcases new data and analysis rom the Leagueo American Bicyclists and the Sierra Club, as well as compellingstatistics and inormation that highlight the new ace o biking inAmerica.

Cer age pht credts, clcse rtp let: majr Taylr Bcyclng Club mnnesta, Bng Publc Prject, AndreShue, Red, Be and Green - Atlanta, LzClayan, Dtry Gud, Lcal Spes

ayan

Cunty Cyclng Center, Prtland

Cunty Cyclng Center, Prtland

23%HiGHER FoR HiSPANiCTHAN wHiTE BiCYCLiSTS 30%HiGHER FoR AFRiCAN-AmERiCANTHAN wHiTE BiCYCLiSTS

THE fATAlITY RATE fOR bIcYclIsTs Is


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Bcyclng s an prtant r transprtatn and recreatn r

a grng and derse nuber U.S. resdents. in 2009 alne,

Arcan Aercans t 461 lln be trps, Hspancs t

196 lln be trps, Asan Aercans t 92 lln be trps and

Nate Aercans t 91 lln be trps [1].

In act, the astest growth in bicycling is among the Hispanic,Arican American and Asian American populations. Between 2001

and 2009, those three groups grew rom 16 to 23 percent o allbike trips in the U.S. [1]. Within those groups, the percent o tripstaken by bike has grown much aster than in the white population(see chart I).

Diverse populations are commuting by bike, too. The averagepercent o commute trips by bike rom 2006 to 2010 was higheror Native and Latino than white workers (see chart II) [2].

According to a September 2012 national poll by PrincetonSurvey Research Associates, 86% o people o color* and 82% owhite respondents said they had a positive view o bicyclists [3].

86%PERCENTAGE oFPEoPLE oF CoLoR*wHo HAvE A PoSiTivEviEw oF BiCYCLiSTS

71%PERCENTAGE oF PEoPLEoF CoLoR* wHo AGREESAFER BiCYCLiNGwoULD mAkE THEiRCommUNiTY BETTER

43%GRowTH iN LATiNoAND ASiAN BiCYCLECoNSUmER SPENDiNGFRom 2000 To 2010

100%ARIcAN AmERIcAN

80%ASIAN

50%hISPANIc

22%WhITES

cHART I:GROWTh IN ThE PERcENT O ALL TRIPSThAT ARE BY BIKE (2001-2009) [1]

THE cHANGING fAcEOf bIcYclINGAN OVERVIEW


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According to the Outdoor Foundation, road biking, mountainbiking and BMX was the second most popular outdoor activityor both Asian/Pacic Islanders and Hispanics (14% o respon-dents choosing it as their top activity) and third most popular orArican Americans (10%) in 2010 [4].

In the PSRAI study, two-thirds o all Americans agreed with thestatement: My community would be a better place to live i bicy-cling were saer and more comortable. More than 30% o peopleo color said they strongly agree with that statement 24% owhite respondents said they strongly agree [3].

That support and interest in bicycling is showing up in the bike

shops, too. According to the Gluskin Townley Group, between2000 and 2010, the impact o Latino consumers grew 43%, Asianconsumers 43% and Arican American consumers 12% com-pared to 6% or white consumers [5].

In act, the astest growthin bicycling is amongthe Hispanic, AricanAmerican and AsianAmerican populations.

* Note: The non-white category, asreported by PSRAI, is defned as

Hispanics, Arican Americans, Asians,Native Americans, mixed or other race.

Recycle-A-Bcycle

majr Taylr Bcyclng Club mnnesta

cHART II:AVERAGE PERcENT O cOmmUTETRIPS BY BIKE IN 2010

.3%.5% .6%

.7%

.53%

AfRIc

AN

AmER

IcAN

ASIAN

WhITE

LATIN

O

NATIV

EAmERIcAN/

ALASKAN

NATIVE


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bUIlDING EQUITAblE

INfRAsTRUcTURE

in Atlanta, leaders r bcyclng rganzatns Red, Be and Green,

the Atlanta Bcycle Caltn, metr Atlanta Cyclng Club alngsde

lcal bcyclng cunclebers le Aarn watsn and kanzaa Hall

are rng t ensure better access t bcyclng nrastructure r all

cuntes. one recent capagn surrundng the ctys hstrc Auburn

Aenue successully unted neghbrs, busness leaders and adcates

hen the cty erled the prtant Arcan Aercan crrdr n thedstrbutn be lanes. The pettn nt nly rced planners t recn-

sder desgn plans r Auburn Aenue, but als re-cused undng n a

ne bcyclng bll t pre nrastructure n l-nce neghbrhds

and cuntes clr.Red, Be and Green - Atlanta

Red, Be and Green - Atlanta

Red, Be and Green - Atlanta


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Equitable access to sae inrastructure makes biking saer or thosewho are already riding and helps to get those who want to use a bikeor transportation out on the streets. Unortunately, there are stilldisparities in access to sae inrastructure or low-income and peo-ple o color communities across the country, including in cities likeNew York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and many others [6].

One study in Portland, Ore. ound that 60% o the population is

interested in bicycling or transportation but is concerned about

saety, and would try bicycling or transportation with betterinrastructure [7].

Only 9% o Americans say they will ride on all roads and eel

condent riding in trafc. Only 6% o women and 5% o Arican

Americans eel condent riding on all streets with trafc.

However, 26% o people o color* said theyd like to ride more but

worry about saety in trafc. The same was true or 19% o white

respondents [3].

A strong and diverse majority o Americans say more bike lanes and

trails would encourage them to ride more, including 60% o people

o color* and 59% o those earning less than $30,000 per year [3].

Its not just the polls that show that more people want to get out

and ride i they have access to inrastructure that makes them

eel sae. In New Orleans, the installation o a bike lane on South

Carrollton Street dramatically increased the number o diverse

riders, including a 135% growth in youth, 115% rise in emale and51% increase in Arican American bicyclists [8].

In a national Princeton Survey Research Associates poll in March

2012, people o color were also more likely than whites to support

more ederal unding or sidewalks, bike lanes and bike paths, with

56% o people o color* and 44% o white respondents supporting

increased investment or people who walk and bike [9].

Sae inrastructure or biking will help protect the communities

that are already out there on their bikes, and enable those who

want to ride to access the benets o biking. In its capacity toensure saety on the streets or everyone, the U.S. Department o

Transportation should move orward to set design standards or

sae bike inrastructure, and transportation agencies across the

country should move orward to implement equitable access to

sae inrastructure across their jurisdictions.

26%PERCENTAGE oF PEoPLE oFCoLoR* wHo woULD LikETo RiDE moRE BUT woRRYABoUT SAFETY

60%PERCENTAGE oF PEoPLEoF CoLoR* wHo SAY moREBikE FACiLiTiES woULDENCoURAGE THEm To RiDE



Dtry Gud


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ENGAGINGNEW AMERIcANs

Ls Angeles s he t any Latn bcyclsts h rde t r each

day but any these rders are nsble. These nsble bcyclsts,

ten thut equpent le lghts and helets, rde ut ecnc

necessty and ce r grant r argnalzed cuntes thu

access t sae bcyclng educatn and dscnnected r be adcacy

grups and resurces. The ratn Cty Lghts (Cudad de Luces),

n n as multcultural Cuntes r mblty, s brdgng the gapbeteen the eents r Latn scal justce and bcycle adcacy,

brngng underrepresented grant bcyclsts nt the decsn-ang

prcess and tang an acte rle n transrng the bult enrnent

n ther neghbrhds t sere ther transprtatn needs by becng

re be-rendly.

Phts by multculturalCuntes r mblty


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Immigrants are twice as likely as US-born Americans to travelby bicycle. Those earning less than $35,000 and living in denseresidential areas are more than 10 times as likely to travel by bike.Over our years, bicycle mode share among new immigrants dropsrom 1.8% to 0.4% highlighting the importance o eorts toensure bicycling remains a viable orm o transportation or the

health and greater mobility o these communities [10].

Data gathered by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition re-

vealed that neighborhoods with the highest percentage o peopleo color had a lower distribution o bicycling acilities and

areas with the lowest median household income ($22,656 annu-

ally) were also the areas with the highest number o bicycle and

pedestrian crashes [11].

According to the PSRAI poll, people o color* (39%) were more

likely to indicate that learning about sae riding skills would

increase their riding ar higher than white (20%) respondents

[3]. In Minneapolis, or instance, 84% o participants in Cycles or

Change Learn to Ride classes identiy as immigrants and 87%

as people o color [12].

People o color* (47%) were also ar more likely than whites (32%)

to indicate that plentiul, secure bike parking would increase their

bicycling. While 45% o those earning less than $30,000 per year,

only 30% o those earning more than $75,000 per year indicate that

bike parking would increase their riding [3]. A survey conducted by

the Community Cycling Center in Portland, Ore., ound that 57%

o Hispanic respondents cited not having a sae place to store their

bicycle as a barrier to bicycling [13].

People o color were also more likely than white respondents, in

the PSRAI poll, to be encouraged by an active riding club or advo-

cacy organization, including 36% o people o color* compared

to 21% o white respondents [3].

Events like CicLAvia in Los Angeles with more than 150,000

participants on just a single day are bringing communities

together and uniting diverse bicycling cultures with open streets

events that close roads to cars and open them to all orms o active

transportation and recreation.



39% 20%vs.

36% 21%vs.

PERCENTAGE oF PEoF CoLoR* vS. wHiwHo SAY LEARNiNGRiDiNG SkiLLS woUiNCREASE THRiR Ri

PERCENTAGE oF PEoCoLoR* vS. wHiTES

SAY AN ACTivE RiDiNCLUB woULD iNCREATHEiR BiCYCLiNG

Phts by multculturalCuntes r mblty


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GEARING UP THENEXT GENERATION

in Chcag, the Grls Be Club at west Tn Bes s changng the perceptn bng n ther cunty and gettng re ther peers t hp n a

be r un, buldng le slls and deelpng relatnshps th rends and ther cunty. wrng prednantly th undersered cuntes,

bcycle c-ps and cllectes le west Tn Bes are playng a ey rle n expandng the nuber and dersty peple h rde. Grls Be Club

as created by a grup eale hgh schl students partcpatng n a suer apprentceshp h began eetng eery ee t r ther n

unque grup. Creatng a elcng space thn the ten ale-dnated shp atsphere, the yung en clr plan rdes tgether, ae

jeelry r be parts and een hae te set asde r her help nt nly creatng rendshps, but als cultatng healthy lestyles and jb

slls alng the ay.

Phts by Grls Be Club


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The percentage o children walking or bicycling to school has

dropped precipitously, rom approximately 50% in 1969 to just

13% in 2009. Over the past 40 years, the percentage o children

who are overweight and obese has grown to more than 33% [14].

This epidemic has hit hardest in communities o color: Close to

40% o Latino and Arican American children ages 2 to 19 are

overweight or obese, compared to only 28% o white children [15].

89% o young adults aged 18-29 have a positive view o bicy-

clists and 75% agree that their community would be a better place to

live i biking were saer and more comortable [3].

O all age groups, young adults (18-29) were the most like-

ly (62%) to indicate that having people to ride with would

increase their bicycling nearly 20 percentage points above all

other age categories [3].

Arican Americans were more than twice as likely as whites (38% vs

14%) to agree that their perception o bicyclists would improve ipeople on bikes represented a broader cross section o Americans,

such as women, youth and people o color in their community [3].

In just its third year, the Youth Bike Summit drew 369 youth and

adult attendees representing 23 states and our countries [16].

Young adults are pressing or better biking on college campuses:

There are now 58 Bicycle Friendly Universities in 38 states [17].* Note: The non-white category, asreported by PSRAI, is defned as


Phts by Lcal Spes


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DElIVERINGAccEss TO JObs

There are re than 6,000 restaurants n Ne Yr Cty that deler

d and any thse deleres arre by be. whle present n great

nubers n the streets, these rders are ten erled by tradtnal

bcyclng adcates, be cunts, and transprtatn planners. The Bng

Publc Prject s rng t change that, expandng lcal bcyclng ad-

cacy dscussns by reachng ut t underrepresented bcyclsts arund

Ne Yr Cty ncludng en, peple clr, and delery bcyclsts.

The grup has red th NYC Departent Transprtatn t dstrb-

ute be saety equpent and ateral, as ell as eleatng sblty

th a Be Prtrat Prject thats puttng a ace n the ull dersty

bcyclsts n Ne Yr , hether rdng t an fce at 9 a.. r pedalng

r a restaurant r a late-nght delery.

Bng Publc Prject

Andre Shue


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Bicycling is an increasingly important mode o transportation,with bike commuting rising 47% nationwide between 2000 and2011. From 2007 to 2011, the number o women commuting towork by bike grew by 56% [2]. That growth was signicantly high-er in the largest Bicycle Friendly Communities, rising 80 percentover that same timerame [18].

The nations poorest amilies spend the highest portion o their

income on their commute, spending more than 40% o take home

pay on getting to work. Nationally, the average amily with anincome less than $50,000 spends 28% o its annual income on

housing and 30% on transportation [19].

The annual cost o owning and operating a bicycle is $308 com-

pared to $8,220 or the average car [20].

Residents earning less than $30,000 per year accounted or 28% o

bike trips in 2009 more than 1.1 billion bike trips overall [1].

Black and Latino male workers are the most likely to work non-

day shits 28.2% and 22.5% respectively oten commuting

during the o-peak hours o public transit schedules that are vul-

nerable to cuts due to inadequate budgets, i o-peak service exists

at all. For these individuals and many others, bicycling provides a

viable mode o transportation [21].

However, many communities are still disenranchised rom new

public resources that make biking more accessible and convenient

including the growing number o bicycle sharing systems. Mem-

berships in these systems are still overwhelmingly white includ-

ing 90% o Denver B-cycle members (2011) and 77% o Capital

Bikeshare members in Washington, D.C. a majority minority city

(2012). Ensuring that sae inrastructure reaches all communities,

especially those communities who rely on bikes and public transit

to meet their transportation needs, is essential.

Building better integrated bicycling and multimodal networks

provides opportunities to reduce transportation costs and close

gaps in job access or low-income amilies and individuals.

30%PERCENTAGE oF ANNUALiNComE SPENT BY THENATioNS PooREST FAmiLiESoN TRANSPoRTATioN

56%GRowTH FRom 2007 To2011 iN THE NUmBER oFwomEN CommUTiNGTo woRk BY BikE

$308AvERAGE YEARLY CoSToF oPERATiNG A BikE,AS oPPoSED To $8,220FoR THE AvERAGE CAR



Bng Publc Prject Bng Publc Prject


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bIKING TObETTER HEAlTH

Fr hgher rates besty t a greater prealence heart dsease,

Arcan Aercan cuntes suer dsprprtnate health burdens

acrss the Unted States. wth a ssn t prte an apprecatn

bcyclng and ts benefcal pact n health ssues aectng thse

cuntes dsprprtnately aected by health dspartes, the

Natnal Brtherhd Cyclsts and any majr Taylr grups arund

the cuntry are rng t change that. Seeral majr Taylr clubsshare begnnngs n lcal health ntates r health-related eents.

The mnneapls majr Taylr Bcyclng Club gt ts start hen a grup

blac en lng t tran r a lcal AiDS Rde apprached t

lcal blac bcyclsts, h und that re ebers the Arcan

Aercan cunty ere nterested n bcyclng r reasns beynd just

transprtatn. mebers the club r th cty fcals t nr

health preent and engageent strateges, hle ensurng that

peple clr are nled n erts arund bcyclng eents and the

ctys beshare prgra.

Phts by majr TaylrBcyclng Club mnnesta


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Inrastructure that helps people eel sae on the roads and get outbiking can also have an impact on air quality, which is an import-ant actor or good health. Currently, one in three children andmore than 127 million Americans live in areas where air pollutionlevels are sometimes dangerous, meaning asthma attacks, hospitalvisits, and premature mortality [22].

Cars and trucks are a major source o this health-threateningpollution, particularly in urban areas with lots o trafc and ewtransportation options [23]. Low-income and people o color

communities are disproportionately impacted by this pollution asbusy roads pass through these communities [24].

Biking has well-established health benets as a part o an active

liestyle, biking can lower incidence o obesity, diabetes, and heart

and lung disease, as well as health care costs.

One study in Nebraska discovered that or every dollar invested in

trails, there was a medical costs savings o nearly three dollars [25].

A 2012 study by Quality Bicycle Products showed that its $45,000

investment in a robust bicycle commuting program resulted inmore than $200,000 in employee healthcare cost savings [26].

Moving short trips rom cars to walking, bikes, or transit is key to

signicantly reduce this air pollution, and part o making this shit

possible is to have accessible inrastructure that makes people eel

sae walking and biking on their streets.

Biking is on te rise aross te ountry, espeially aong yout, woen,and people o olor. And, even ore people want to get on teir bikes andride. Better, saer inrastruture, like dediated street spae inluding bikelanes and yle traks, eans ore people eel oortable riding a bikeand are tereore better able to aess jobs, teir ounities, and teealt benefts o biyling.

But tis issue is bigger tan bike lanes. As te national deograpi apsits, so too is te way people are reaing plaes o work, sool andplay. Tis reality presents bot an opportunity and allenge to ensuretat biyling is not just a sae transportation option, but also a ulti-lay-ered solution or ounities burdened by signifant soial, ealt andwealt inequalities. Te opportunity: Te deand and interest in efienttransportation alternatives are inreasing in te ae o rising gas pries,publi transit osts and sprawl. Te allenge: Level te playing feld wenit oes to aess to sae, efient and well onneted bike travel or allounities.

Te tie to prioritize equity is now or risk arginalizing te new ajority.

cONclUsION



Phts by majr Taylr

Bcyclng Club mnnesta


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WWW.BIKELEAGUE.ORG

SoURCES1) Natnal Husehld Trael Surey, Federal Hghay Adnstratn, U.S. Departent Transprtatn

2) Aercan Cunty Surey, U.S. Census Bureau

3) Prncetn Surey Research Asscates, Septeber 27-30, 2012, onbus surey

4) The outdr Fundatn, 2010 Partcpatn Reprt

5) 2012 Aercan Bcyclst Study, Glusn Tnley Grup

6) http://.hunter.cuny.edu/ccpd/repstry/fles/es_beynd-the-baclash-2011.pd,

http://dcst.c/2012/08/reducng_barrers_t_bng.php

7) Dll, Jenner. Categrzng Cyclsts: what d e n? insghts r Prtland, velCty cnerence, 20128) Parer et al. Eect Be Lane inrastructure ipreents n Rdershp n one Ne orleans Neghbrhd,

Annals Beharal medcne (2012)

9) Prncetn Surey Research Asscates, march 22-25, 2012, onbus surey

10) Sart, m. US igrants and bcyclng: T-heeled Autpa, Transprt Plcy (2010)

11) Ls Angeles Cunty Bcycle Caltn, http://la-be.rg/cty-ls-angeles-be-plan-enrnental-justce

12) Cycles r Change

13) Cunty Cyclng Center, Understandng Barrers t Bcyclng Fnal Reprt, August 2012

14) Sae Rutes t Schl Natnal Partnershp

15) Rbert wd Jhnsn Fundatn

16) Recycle-A-Bcycle, cnerence rganzers

17) League Aercan Bcyclsts, Bcycle Frendly Aerca prgra

18) Aercan Cunty Surey, League Aercan Bcyclsts19) Brngs insttutn, Cutng t opprtunty: The wrng Pr and Cutng n the Unted States, 2008

20) Pcet Gude t Transprtatn 2009, Bureau Transprtatn Statstcs, 2009

21) Bstn Cllege, Slan wr and Faly Research Netr, Sht wr Fact Sheet, 2009 22)

Ctatn r Serra Club Ter 3 Standards act sheet

23) ibd

24) http://.statethear.rg/2013/health-rss/health-rss-dspartes.htl

25) wang G, macera CA, Scudder-Sucle B, et al (2009). A cst-beneft analyss physcal actty usng

26) Qualty Bcycle Prducts, http://bt.ly/10YARJ

WWW.SIERRAcLUB.ORG

the new majority: pedaling towards equity

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