The Alabama Bicycle Coalition, AlaBike, was formed in September of 2003, to promote cycling access, education and safety, to advocate for safer road environments for all users, and to act as a statewide voice to encourage bicycling in Alabama.
Rocket City Criterium 2012
Late Fees Waived! Come Race in Huntsville!
The Rocket City Criterium (RCC) Races, May 19-20 up in Huntsville , Alabama , will again benefit AlaBike. This year the purse will be nearly $10,000 and includes a three race omnium!
Let’s get the word out and make it a BIG Race Weekend!
USAC registration and promotion for the races is underway.
Family Fun & Fitness Day
Celebration of Physical Health, Sustainability
April 28-29, 2012, Montevallo, AL
On the last weekend in April, the ValloCycle Program will co-host with the City of Montevallo ’s Parks and Recreation Board and the “Get Moving Montevallo” city-wide fitness initiative, car-free roadways in a Ciclovia-inspired theme. The weekend will be an interactive celebration of outdoor recreation, physical fitness, and sustainable living, and will consist of two separate events:
Saturday April 28, beginning 8 PM, Eclipse Coffee and Books.
This concert event will be sponsored by Back Forty Beer Company including musicians: To Light a Fire, Great Pyrenees, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Sunday April 29th “Family Fun and Fitness Day,” from 2-5 PM.
In support of the “Ciclovía” theme, the City of Montevallo make streets near the Orr Park district available for recreational use and unique presentations including the Bamboo Bikes Project, Birmingham Fencing Club, Tragic City Rollers, PieLab, Mountain UniCyclists of Montevallo, Southeastern Outings, Alabama Bicycle Coalition, and others.
In addition, the ValloCycle Program will provide free bicycle, rollerblade, and handcycle rentals to all festival-goers.
A number of healthy meal options will be available to guests on Saturday, including Organic Harvest and Dreamcakes Cupcake Bakery, with recreational equipment and merchandise also available for sale.
Time to Take Action!
We need you to help us maintain pressure on Congress for a smart, modern transportation bill. Both chambers of Congress are moving towards floor debates on their versions of the bill, so we are again asking you to take action.
The current Senate transportation bill (MAP-21) weakens walking and biking programs. To improve the bill, we’re asking senators to vote for a bipartisan amendment to guarantee local governments a voice in transportation decisions and allow them to build sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that keep people safe.
In the House, we are asking representatives to oppose the House transportation bill. Despite the fact that walking and bicycling infrastructure is a low-cost investment that creates more jobs per dollar than any other kind of highway spending, the House bill eliminates dedicated funding for walking and biking altogether.
Will you contact your Representative and Senators today and ask them to save our streets? Take Action Now!
Senate: Support the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran amendment
As written, the Senate’s transportation bill removes dedicated funding for walking and biking and allows state DOTs to opt-out of safe street programs. The Cardin-Cochran amendment ensures local governments can fund walking and biking infrastructure.
Tell your senators:
Local governments deserve a voice in transportation. The Cardin-Cochran amendment ensures that cities and counties have a voice in making transportation decisions for safer streets in their communities.
Safety matters. Bicycle and pedestrian deaths make up 14% of all traffic fatalities, but only 1.5% of federal funds go towards making walking and biking safer. These programs provide funding for sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that make streets safe for all users.
Active transportation is a wise investment. Walking and biking infrastructure is low-cost, creates more jobs per dollar than any other kind of highway spending, and is critical to economic development for main street America.
House: Say “NO” to H.R. 7
On the other side of Congress, the House is about to consider a transportation bill that reverses 20 years of progress in making streets safer for people. Despite the fact that walking and biking make up 12% of trips but receive only 1.5% of federal funding, the House bill eliminates dedicated funding for walking and biking. It’s time to defeat this bill.
Tell your representative:
HR 7 takes us back to the 1950s. HR 7 takes us back to a 1950s system by eliminating dedicated funding for biking and walking AND kicking transit out of the highway trust fund. We need a transportation bill to meet 2012 needs, not 1950 needs.
HR 7 doesn’t invest wisely. Federal transportation laws should invest our finite resources in cost-effective, efficient infrastructure solutions that create jobs and keep the economy moving. The House bill eliminates walking and biking, despite the fact that walking and bicycling infrastructure is low-cost and creates more jobs per dollar than any other kind of highway funding.
HR 7 makes streets more dangerous for kids. By repealing the successful and effective Safe Routes to School program, the House bill makes the streets more dangerous for kids on their walks and bike rides to school.
Congress needs to know that that finding effective, efficient transportation solutions to keep people safe on the streets should be a national priority. Please contact your representative and senators today. Take Action Now!
Montevallo opens the first Bike Share in AL, ValloCycle!
…take a look at what cyclists in Montevallo have been up to.
Many thanks go to Aaron Traywick and his collegates for inspiring the rest of us.
Can You Make Your Own Sports Drink?
YES says Gayle Williams, editor of Consumer Reports on Health newsletter and it can save you money and calories compared with buying sports drinks, which aren't always good for you anyway.
Electrolytes are minerals in your body that help maintain proper muscle and nervous system function, and the best known are sodium, potassium, and chloride. Anything that seriously depletes your body's fluids, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive sweating from exercise, can disrupt your electrolytes balance.
To make your own drinks: Mix together:
4 cups of water
2 T of sugar
1/2 t salt
Optionally add lemon juice or sugar-free Kool-Aid flavoring to taste
And unless you do endurance sports, steer clear of electrolyte sports drinks like Gatorade. They're loaded with calories, plus add sugar, which can actually worsen diarrhea and nausea.
Source: ShopSmart (Consumer Reports) June 2011 page 12
Posted by Marjorie Holderer July 16, 2011
Complete Streets 2011 House Bill 342 - more to come
Alabama representative Joe Faust, Fairhope introduced the Complete Streets House bill 342 this spring of 2011.
It did not pass; but then most bills take 6-7 years to gain the traction to pass.
AARP in Alabama is actively pursuing its passage. AlaBike president Marjorie Holderer and the AlaBike board agrees with AARP Complete Streets is the transportation future for people and places.
Complete streets policies design transportation networks that routinely accommodate multiple modes of travel; public transit, train, motor vehicles, bicycles, walking, and freight. That does NOT mean that everywhere gets the super deluxe treatment.
Check out the bill and check out ALDOT's response (click here) to the bill. More details and discussion will certainly follow.
Alabike presents bicycling at Alabama
Public Works Conference.
June 8th, 2011 Alabike president, Marjorie Holderer was invited to speak about bicycling at the Alabama chapter's conference of the American Public Works Association. The location was the beautifully restored historic Battle House Renaissance Hotel. If desired, contact AlaBike for more information. Click here to see the presentation.
Complete Streets policies formalize a community’s intent to plan, design, and maintain streets so they are safe for all users of all ages and abilities. Policies direct transportation planners and engineers to consistently design and construct the right-of-way to accommodate all anticipated users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and freight vehicles.
Complete streets can be achieved through a variety of policies: ordinances and resolutions; rewrites of design manuals; inclusion in comprehensive plans; internal policies developed by transportation agencies; executive orders from elected officials, such as Mayors or Governors; and policies developed by stakeholders from the community and agency staff that are formally adopted by an elected board of officials. We group our evaluation of policies by type, to allow apples-to-apples comparisons.
New League Cycling Instructors!
Congratulations to our newest League Cycling Instructors (LCI) certified by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Ffeb 26, 2011 in Birmingham ! With these LCIs, the number of instructors in the state has quadrupled including 4 cities that did not have them before.
AL Statewide HWY map includes bike laws
and safe driving tips
AlaBike asks Department of Tourism to work with ALDOT to include cycling information on the next official Alabama Highway map 2011-2012. For 2009 and 2010, Alabama is rated the 50th (worst) state for cycling. We have a wonderful climate, beautiful places, and lots of cool things to see. Adding cycling information that a maximum number of tourists and residents will see and use is just one small step in changing that reputation. These maps are printed every two years and are given away for free to tourists at rest stops and everywhere else that tourist materials are displayed. For decades no cycling information has been included. We are available to help. Read on. See the attached letter.
Alabama Trails Act
The Alabama Trails Act was passed July 9, 2010
This act establishes the Alabama Trails Commission within the Department of Economic and Community Affairs to advance development, interconnection, and use of trails throughout the state, and also establishes an advisory board to advise the commission.
New League Cycling Instructors!
