Rory Neuner, LMB's Board Vice Chair and John Lindenmayer, LMB's Advocacy & Policy Director with Derrick James, Director, Government Affairs - Central Amtrak during the May 15th bikes on trains demonstration ride.
LMB's ongoing bikes on trains campaign took a major step forward recently, with an Amtrak demonstration ride that took place on May 15th. The demonstration ride was aimed at generating feedback from bicyclists on a new prototype bike rack design Amtrak is in the process of field-testing.

The well-coordinated event by Amtrak and MDOT, had bicyclists board and deboard Train #350 at various legs along the Wolverine service route. Bicyclists participated at stops in Chicago, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Royal Oak.

John Lindenmayer, LMB's Advocacy & Policy Director and Rory Neuner, LMB's Board Vice Chair were along for the demonstration which showcased a recently retrofitted café car outfitted with angled bike parking to accommodate four bicycles.

Amtrak currently does not allow bicycles on board most of their Midwest routes, including all that pass through Michigan. For the past several years LMB has actively lobbied Amtrak to change their policies and urged them to modify their existing cars with bike racks to help bridge the 'last mile' problem many commuters and potential commuters face.

On Wednesday, May 22nd, LMB hosted the 8th Annual Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day at the State Capitol in partnership with Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance (MTGA), Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA), and our newest host partner, Programs to Educate All Cyclists (PEAC).

The 8th Annual event was our largest and most coordinated Advocacy Day to date. Despite the inclement weather, many kicked of the day of action by participating in the morning ride down Michigan Avenue to the State Capitol. After a group photo on the Capitol steps and brief overview of the 2013 legislative priorities, over 100 bicyclists sporting bicycle lapel pins participated in 95 preschedule face-to-face meetings with Michigan legislators and/or staff. Advocates also assisted in dropping off literature to an additional 53 legislative offices, as well as the offices of Governor Snyder and Lieutenant Governor Calley.

"Every year, we as a diverse cycling community, including mountain bikers, road riders, rail-trail advocates, are getting better and better at reaching our legislators with a unified slate of agenda items for a more bicycle-friendly Michigan. It's important that we keep building on this event with an increasing number of bicyclists each year," said Nancy Krupiarz, MTGA Executive Director.

The legislative priorities for this year's Advocacy Day including:

• Protecting vulnerable roadway users by establishing enhanced penalties for injuring or killing cyclists.

• Establishing a standard for safe passing of bicyclists on Michigan roads.

• Revising the right turn hand signal to make an extended right arm legal in Michigan.

• Allowing bicyclists to bypass malfunctioning traffic lights.

• Supporting a new Michigan trails and greenways license plate to fund local trail projects.

• Preventing the Raid on Natural Resources Trust Fund Dollars Available for Trails Projects.

• Adequately funding safe transportation infrastructure that supports multi-modal use.

A special emphasis was placed on the vulnerable roadway user legislation during the legislative meetings. Advocates hand delivered co-sponsorship memos from Representatives McBroom and Nathan who sponsored the bipartisan bill package to create enhanced penalties for reckless drivers who injure or kill bicyclists on Michigan roadways.

Annually, LMB recognizes Michigan bicyclists that embody the mission of LMB in our work to promote and advance bicycling across the state. 2013 award recipients were honored at a luncheon on the Capitol Lawn during the Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day held on May 22nd.

Please join us in congratulating our 2013 honorees for their leadership and dedication:

Bicycle Advocate Award
Bryan Waldman
Bryan is an active bicycle racer, participating in road races, criteriums and cyclecross. When not racing he is pursuing his career as a lawyer with Sinas Dramis Law Firm. Over the last 20 years, he has represented numerous cyclist and outdoor athletes. Most are cyclists hit by cars or injured in dog attacks. This past summer he represented LMB's John Lindenmayer in his defense against an "Impeding Traffic" ticket. He authored, "A Legal Handbook For Michigan Cyclists," which is available through his firm, Sinas Dramis. He has also assisted LMB over the past year by writing position papers on various bills affecting bicyclists. Locally, Bryan has developed a standard letter pointing out the risks of sub standard road conditions that he sends to local road authorities whenever he encounters a road that is dangerous for bicyclists.

Bicycle Educator Award
Fred Schaafsma (posthumously)
Bicyclists in Michigan and the Traverse City area lost a tireless bicycle educator in November of 2012 with the passing of Fred Schaafsma. We are honoring Fred posthumously with the Bicycle Educator Award. Fred was a member of the Cherry Capital Cyclist Club. He organized their Education and Safety Committee and worked with and through that group to make the Grand Traverse area a better place for bicycling. He was also concerned about statewide issues and annually attended LMB's Advocacy Day and worked with LMB staff on various bicycle safety issues. Not only was Fred a passionate educator, he loved to have fun and compete. Many would say what made him so special was his wide-ranging interests and his passion for people and his passion for cycling. He would often remark, "who is going to look out for these kids?"

Ralph Finneren Encouragement Award
Re-Bicycle Lenawee (not pictured)
Re-Bicycle Lenawee is a bicycle co-operative in Adrian, MI dedicated to refurbishing donated bicycles to any person interested in riding for transportation, fitness or fun. Re-Bicycle Lenawee provides bicycle safety education and equipment along with the bicycles. Anyone is eligible to receive a bike, but their priority has always been children, the homeless, those on public assistance and the working poor. The organization has no paid staff, but a small group of volunteers work with clients to repair bicycles and educate them. They also sponsor local recreational rides and support other community events.

Thank you to our amazing volunteer designer Alex B. Hill for creating this awesome infographic about the state of bicycling in Michigan. We are excited to deliver it to the Michigan Legislature during the 2013 Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day on May 22nd. We hope cyclists from across the state will join us in advancing our legislative priorities.

Michigan Bicycling Infographic by League of Michigan Bicyclists

LMB Advocacy & Policy Director John Lindenmayer with Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, receiving an Outstanding Traffic Achievement Award for our What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know booklets at the 18th Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit on March 27, 2013.

LMB continues to work closely with the Department of State on bicycle safety issues including recently helping to update the "Share the Road" section of What Every Driver Must Know manual and developing a bicycle-related question for the sample driver's test within this publication.  In addition, Secretary Johnson is currently developing a short "Share the Road" PSA message aimed at Michigan drivers and bicyclists.

On March 27th, 2013 at the 18th Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit, the Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Commission honored LMB with an Outstanding Traffic Achievement Award for our bicycle safety education efforts. The award specifically was in recognition of the What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know and What Every Young Michigan Bicyclist Must Know publications.

Modeled after the Department of State's What Every Driver Must Know, which is aimed at driver's ed students, What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know focuses on safe cycling behavior. It discusses proper road and lane placement, hand signals, emphasizes the dangers of sidewalk riding, provides guidance on properly fitting a bicycle helmet, fixing a flat, riding at night and in bad weather, as well as offering guidance for riding on multi-use trails and paths. In addition, the booklet includes an appendix of the Michigan Vehicle Code pertaining to cyclists, which serves as a valuable resource - not only to cyclists and law enforcement - but also helps educate drivers about the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and the importance of safely sharing the road.

What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know has turned into one of LMB's most popular resources. Since 2003, more than 240,000 copies have been distributed to bicyclists across the state.

The 2013 Michigan Ride Calendar is now available. In addition to the table listing on our website, we have uploaded a downloadable PDF version.

The Ride Calendar was mailed to all current members and Michigan bike shops around the state. If you are not a current member, we encourage you to join today! You can also request a Ride Calendar to be mailed to you by filling out our Michigan bicycle tourism packet request form.

The 2013 Ride Calendar lists nearly 300 events including tours, mountain biking, road races, trail events, Ride of Silence, advocacy events, Bike to Work/Smart Commute events and more. We are also extremely pleased to report, that 66 events pledged to participate in our $1 Per Rider program - also the most we have ever had. The funds generated through this program provide essential funding to help LMB sustain our bicycle education, advocacy and promotion efforts. Participating in $1 Per Rider events in 2013 is an easy way to support LMB's work to make Michigan a more bicycle friendly state.

Download PDF Version:

2013 Michigan Ride Calendar

2013 Michigan Ride Calendar lists nearly 300 bike events including tours, mountain biking, road races, trail events, Ride of Silence, advocacy events, Bike to Work/Smart Commute events and more.			Date File size Hits	2013-02-26  22.17 MB  1387