Show your support for safe and accessible biking and walking for all Montanans with a Bike Walk Montana license plate!  The $25 fee directly supports Bike Walk Montana's efforts to educate, network, and advocate for better bicycling and walking laws and facilities.  Available at your county treasurer's office February 1st.

License plates sponsored by qualified organizations, colleges or governmental bodies are designed with distinctive backgrounds, colors or phrases that identify the sponsoring organization.  Bike Walk Montana will have a sponsored plate available beginning February 1, 2015

Although the plate is not yet available you can learn more about the program here:

https://dojmt.gov/driving/license-plates/#sponsoredplates

It is time for Bozeman’s fourth annual bicycle count to be held on Tues. Sept 9, Wed Sept 10th and Thurs Sept 11 from 5 to 7 pm. Volunteers counted over 4700 bicyclists at 12 locations in 2011, over 5500 bicyclists at 15 locations in 2012 and over 6400 bicyclists at 15 locations in 2013!

Please volunteer a few hours to document bicycle use and promote improved bike facilities.  Sign up here to volunteer.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090f48a9ae22a57-bozeman3 

After you sign up, we will email you count forms/ directions and will set up a time to meet in person to answer any questions.  Please share this link with friends who may want to get involved in creating a more bicycle friendly Bozeman.

Thank you!
BABAB (Bozeman Area Bike Advisory Board)

bozemanbikeboard@gmail.com
facebook.com/bozemanbikeboard
bikewalkbozeman.com
Bozeman, Montana

This is a re-blog from bikewalkalliance.org.

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Data about how we get around town is really important for biking and walking advocacy.

Every year, the U.S. Census' American Community Survey releases a bundle of data about how people get to work. We focus intently on this question because it gives us an estimation of how many people regularly walk and bike to work. Without Census data on work trips, we would have a hard time making the case for better biking and walking. Without this information, it would be impossible to measure bicycling and walking in the United States in our biennial Benchmarking Report.  

That's why it's important to let the Census Bureau know just how important the biking and walking question is on the American Community Survey.  

Take action today to save biking and walking questions in the Census.

Here's how you can help:

1. Click here to comment in the Census' content review process.
2. Click "See All Economic Topics," then click Journey to Work.
3. Check the box next to "How did this person usually get to work last week?" 
4. Scroll down and click "Next Step"
5. Answer the questions on this next page. You could write your own answers, or borrow from us:
   
   a. Please tell us how you use the information from this question.This data from this question are essential to having consistent, reliable information about how people get to work. Without the data from this question, we would have no way of knowing how many people and where people walk and bike to work. Biking and walking trends have consistently proven useful as key safety and public health indicators. Information from this question is absolutely crucial to needs for non-motorized transportation infrastructure, travel demand, and policies. Moreover, these data are not readily available from other sources on a reliable basis. Without this information, citizens would be unable to estimate the rate of bicycling and walking to work, the growth of bicycling and walking to work, and the relative safety of bicycling and walking to work in their states and communities.
   
   b. The American Community Survey might not be the only source for this information. Is there another source that you use?
   Yes
   
   c. If yes, is the American Community Survey your primary source for this information? 
   Yes
   
   d. If yes, please tell us why the American Community Survey is your primary source for this information.It is possible to collect travel data from The National Household Travel Survey, which has occurred irregularly since 1983. This survey does provide more comprehensive data on the use of biking and walking for travel and transportation. However, it last occurred in 2009 and the next version will occur in 2015. It is not a substitute for the annual data produced by the American Community Survey.
   
   In addition, numerous local governments, agencies, and private organizations produce bicycle and pedestrian counts of varying consistency. But without a national standard for these data, it is impossible to compare counts across the United States. For this reason, the American Community Survey is the best and most consistent source for national and local data on bicycling and walking.
   
   3) Please tell us if you have any additional comments about any of the questions on the American Community Survey that you use.Because not everyone gets to work by just one mode of travel, it would be very useful for the American Community Survey to ask whether people use multiple modes to get to work or use more than one mode of travel to get to work most weeks. Data on the use of multiple modes to get to work would provide a more accurate snapshot of Americans' transportation choices and would help measure the success of multimodal infrastructure and projects. 
6. Click submit.

What: The Bozeman Bike Kitchen is Hosting a Grand Re-Opening Party!

When: Thursday, May 15at 4:00pm - 8:00pm

Where: Bozeman Bike Kitchen - 2104 Industrial Drive, Bozeman, Montana 59715

RSVP: facebook.com/events/311033502380342/

We're having a Grand Re-Opening Celebration and invite you to visit our new space, learn about our programs, mingle with like-minded folks, and celebrate bicycling!

The Bike Kitchen has humble roots going back to the days when we were located in one of our founder's driveways, followed by our time "squatting" in a chicken coop, followed by a quaint garage. This winter we moved into an airy, visible, and quality garage space located at in the old Thompson Rental building.

On Thursday, May 15th during Bozeman's Bike Week the Bike Kitchen invites you to our space to chat with our Board of Director's, meet our Volunteer Staff, take a tour of our facility, and have a good time.

Bring your kids as we'll be holding a mini "bike rodeo" on site. We are working to have food and drink options available (in progress) to make an evening out of it all. Please drop by to say hi if you've never had a chance to look us up, or if it's been awhile since you've come down. We look forward to meeting you!

Bozeman's annual "Bike Week" aka Bike to Work Week aka Bike to School Week aka Bike to the Unemployment Office Week aka I think you get the idea is happening from May 12th to May 16th.  The poster above is only a small portion of all the events going on around town.  Check out bikewalkbozeman.org for a more thorough list.  

Yeah, yeah, yeah, big government, no new taxes, thousand points of light, screw Bachmann, etc.  I get it.  Big government is far off and seemingly intangible, but LOCAL government is real, it's next door, it's downtown, it's everywhere around you.

The Bozeman Mayor and City Commissioners are very accessible people who listen closely to those who have appointed them.  And you, yes YOU have a voice in our upcoming election.  If you're interested in hearing from those who are up for election visit the upcoming Candidate's Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

Where: City Commission room of City Hall
When: 6:45pm on Oct. 22nd
What: 

CANDIDATES' FORUM

1. The moderator welcomes the candidates and the audience. She will identify the candidates by name and according to the office and term sought.
2. The moderator explains the evening's format and rules.        

FORMAT

1. Each candidate will have up to 1½ minutes to introduce him/herselfand explain his/her qualifications and why he/she would like to be elected.
2. Each candidate will answer one question that has been provided in advance. This will be timed at 2 minutes.
3. The forum will be opened to questions from the audience.  Questions can be directed to one candidate or more. Each candidate will have a chance to answer, however, whether or not identified by the questioner.
4. Each candidate will have 2 minutes for a closing statement. 

RULES

1. The timer will let each candidate know when he or she has one-half minute remaining, and no time remaining. Candidates will be asked to finish promptly when the time is up.
2. While candidates will not be so closely timed in answering questions from the audience, the moderator will remind candidates of time constraints if answers get long.
3. The moderator will ask members of the audience to pose questionswithout comments-i.e., editorializing. The forum is designed to hear candidates' views and not the audience's.
4. The audience will have the option to ask questions verbally themselves or they can write their questions on cards for the moderator to ask.  The first part of the forum will be verbal questions and the latter part will use the written questions.
5. If a member of the audience asks that a question be answered yes or no,the candidates will be allowed to qualify or explain their answers. The forum is meant to help voters understand the candidates' positions, not force candidates to select answers they don't feel comfortable about.
6. If questions or answers become repetitive or courtesy is not shown, the moderator will intervene.

And remember to put your leg over your bicycle, head to your local polling place and ROCK THE VOTE ON NOVEMBER 5TH!

Counting Bicycles

Bozeman’s third annual bicycle count is scheduled to coincide with the national bike count between 5 and 7pm on Tues. Sept 10th, Wed Sept 11th, and Thurs Sept 12th.

In 2011 Bozeman volunteers counted over 4,700 bicyclists at 12 locations and 5,519 bicyclists at 15 locations in 2012!   Please volunteer a few hours to document bicycle use and promote improved bike facilities.  Your volunteer time will help ensure accurate data which will be provided to our local, state, and federal governments as well as non-profit organizations to better our cycling infrastructure and programs.  

To sign up for a volunteer slot, pick your chosen time (or times) by using our "Sign Up Genius" here:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F48A9AE22A57-bozeman2

Upon sign up you will receive an email with the count forms and instructions.  You will also have the option to set up a time to meet in person to answer any questions if you feel it necessary.  Please share this link with friends who may want to get involved in creating a more bicycle friendly Bozeman.

This message is brought to you by the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board (BABAB) Members

WRP is building upon our online community of knowledgeable trail guides by expanding the FEATURED RIDES page on our website. We want to create a rider-generated, online resource for residents and visitors to find out about all the great trails the Gallatin Valley has to offer.  If you haven’t explored the page on our website yet take a minute to do so here: http://gallatinwrp.org/wp/trails/featured-rides/. We have a few rides up now but we need more and we want you to help!

As National Bike Month begins, make a promise that applies no matter if you are a bicyclist, a driver, or both. A promise that could transform our streets. A promise that can turn every trip into a better one. A promise that will help us see our fellow travelers as the people we all are—whether we are behind the steering wheel or the handlebars. A promise to travel with compassion. A promise to Roll Together!

Hey cyclists,

Get off your lazy asses and help out with a good cause for a few hours on an evening between Sept. 11-13 from 5-7pm.

The Bozeman Area Bike Advisory Board (BABAB) is organizing Bozeman's 2nd annual city-wide bicycle count on Sept 11-13 from 5 to 7 pm. We are using standard methods from the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation project

http://bikepeddocumentation.org/

Over 4700 cyclists were counted at twelve locations in September 2011. We added three new locations for 2012.

We want to invite you to participate in the 2012 count. Minimum commitment time is two hours. The volunteer signup is available at

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F48A9AE22A57-bozeman

As a member of the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board (BABAB), I want to share two upcoming events with you and ask that you pass these along to other City and County leaders/engineers/planners. 

1.        BABAB is organizing Bozeman’s 2^nd annual city-wide bicycle count on Sept 11-13 from 5 to 7 pm. We are using standard methods from the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation project http://bikepeddocumentation.org/ .  Over 4700 cyclists were counted at twelve locations in September 2011 (see attached results). We added three new locations for 2012.  We want to invite you to participate in the 2012 count and consider how this data may play into city planning, prioritizing projects and identifying demand.  The volunteer signup is available at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F48A9AE22A57-bozeman.  BABAB will discuss the bike count at our September 5^th meeting (6-8 pm at the City Hall Commission room) and invite you to provide input. 

 2.      There is a free 90 minute webinar on bikeway design on September 5^th.  I want to encourage city/county planners and engineers to participate.  This webinar features Bozeman’s very own Joe Gilpin of Alta Planning and Design, a nationally recognized expert in the bike/pedestrian planning field.   Joe has graciously offered to do a follow up talk in person to expand on the webinar content and discuss local issues and ideas for how this relates to the Bozeman area.  We would have to schedule a date and time for the follow-up. Let me know if WTI can facilitate a follow up meeting. We have a nice meeting space and would be happy to host a meeting. Details below:

This webinar was originally scheduled for July 11, 2012. The date has been changed to September 5, 2012.  NACTO's Urban Bikeway Design Guide has quickly emerged as the preeminent resource for designing safe, protected bikeways in cities across the United States. NACTO will release the second edition of the guide in the fall, with updated graphic profiles for all of its bicycle facilities, a new subsection on bicycle boulevard planning and design, and a survey of materials used for green color in bikeways. The guide continues to build upon the fast-changing state of the practice at the local level; it responds to and accelerates innovative street design and practice around the nation. 

Join APBP and NACTO for a free, 90-minute webinar on the second edition of the Bikeway Design Guide. This training offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from some of the cities that compiled the guide. Attend this webinar to gain a better understanding of the guide's contents, hear how to use and implement these designs, and find out what NACTO envisions as the next steps to adopt and deploy these tools and design guidelines. Presenters: Roger Geller, Bicycle Coordinator, Portland Bureau of Transportation; Joe Gilpin, Senior Planner, Alta Planning + Design; David Vega-Barachowitz, Sustainable Initiatives Program Manager, National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO).  APBP has applied for 1.5 Certification Maintenance credits and will offer a certificate of attendance. http://www.apbp.org/events/event_details.asp?id=241901

Please share this email with others who may have an interest.

Thank you,

Rebecca

Rebecca Gleason, P.E.

Research Engineer

Mobility and Public Transportation

Western Transportation Institute (WTI)

This is not real, but should be:

2012 Bike Week Schedule

Coffee Stops

May 14-18, 2012, 7-9 AM Free drip coffee and refreshments for bicycle commuters at these fine Bozeman Establishments:

Monday (May 14) Rockford Coffee by Team Rockford/Clif and the Bozeman Police Dept. (corner of Rouse/ E. Main)

Tuesday (May 15) Sola Café by Gallatin Alpine Sports (GAS) and Oracle (290 E. Kagy)

Wednesday (May 16) Costco –by Master’s Velo (refreshments: New Day Bakery food and Crema Roasting) (2505 Catron St) *For recommended bike routes to Costco- see facebook.com/bozemanbikeboard

Thursday (May 17) Lil Sherpa Java – by the Dirt Concern (111 E. Mendenhall)

Friday (May 18) Community Food Coop by Gallatin Valley Bicycle Club (908 W Main)

Bike From Work Party

Friday May 18 5-8 pm Lindley Park Center (1102 E Curtiss St) Pasta Dinner (to first 75 arrivees) & Beverages (suggested $5 – 20 donation)/ Raffle Prizes/ Live Music/Bike Activities

Kid's Events

Thursday May 3 (4:30-6:30pm): Bozeman School District K-5 Bike Rodeo - Emily Dickinson School (2435 Annie St). For details contact Julie.smith@bsd7.org or Sharon Navas at 522-6650

Wednesday May 16: Bike to School day – Contact your school for details

Thursday May 17 (4-6pm): Bike and Board Rodeo (for Middle school students, ages 10-14) Chief Joseph Middle School (4255 Kimberwicke St). For details contact Amanda at 522-6312 or Amanda.ferrat@bsd7.org

Bike Commuter Challenge

Join Bozeman’s Bike to Work Challenge by creating a team at your workplace.  Any team member who bikes to work any day from May 7th – 17th can win prizes.  See RideShareMT.com for details. 

Bicycle Shop Specials

Thursday May 10 (4-7pm):

• REI (2220 Tschache St) -  Bike maintenance and food from Baja Fresh (accessory give-aways –tire levers, patch kits or water bottles) and 20% off coupons (free)

Tuesday May 15 (7pm):

• Summit Bike & Ski (26 South Grand) - Basic bike tune-up/maintenance class (free)

Thursday May 17 (6:30pm): 

• Bangtail Bikes (137 East Main) -  Bike maintenance clinic (free)

Now through May 18:

• Bozeman Bike Peddler (101 East Oak) - Trade in ANY used bike and get a minimum of $50 off a new bike 

May 12-18:

• Chalet Sports (108 West Main) - 20% off of all commuter accessories (Panniers, fenders, bells, bike outerware...)  
• Owenhouse Bicycling and Fitness (25 South Black) - 20% off on helmets, 10% off on Burley trailers
• Roundhouse Sports (1422 West Main) - discounting a full maintenance bike tune up from $60 to $39.95, or a safety check up from $30 to $19.95, and 10% off bike accessories (one time purchase)

 

Our country is at a crossroads. We have a choice: Greater wealth for a few or opportunity for many.

This month, 100,000 Americans will train for nonviolent direct action. You can be part of this exciting process.

In Bozeman, the Montana Organizing Project and Moveon.org are offering a training session with community members on Saturday, April 21. This direct action training can be applied to any sort of social change - the environmental movement, Occupy Wall Street, civil rights, etc.

The local training will be offered at the Gallatin Labor Temple at 422 East Mendenhall, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Free lunch provided.

Lean more and register at http://the99spring.com/about/

This Spring, we Rise!

Dear Montana Friend of Cycling, Walking, Trails and Transit:

Federal support for cycling, walking, trails, and transit is under the most severe threat in 20 years. Congress is scheduled to act next week on legislation that would eliminate or severely curtail investment in bike, pedestrian, trail, and transit programs. We need to let our Congressional delegation know how much Montanans care about these programs – and we need to do it in the next six days!

Click below to sign on to an urgent letter -- included below -- to Senators Baucus and Tester and Representative Rehberg. Please sign this letter ASAP and by no later than 10 am on Monday, February 13.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/montanaactionalert/

Please share this widely with your Montana friends and neighbors. We would like to get as many Montanans as possible to sign and state their strong support for biking, walking, transit and trails.

Again, here is the link – please sign by February 13 and share this widely.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/montanaactionalert/

If you have questions, email info@adventurecycling.org. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Ginny Sullivan
Adventure Cycling Association

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Stay Rad, Cyclists.  Sign on with your support!

January 10, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information:
Lori Ryan, Public Information, MDT, (406) 444-6821

Informational meeting to discuss Rouse Avenue Reconstruction projects in Bozeman, MT – Gallatin County

Bozeman - The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is conducting an informational meeting to discuss a proposal to reconstruct approximately 2.03 miles of Rouse Avenue/Bridger Drive from Main Street (Reference Marker 0.0) to Story Mill Road (Reference Marker 2.03) in Bozeman, Gallatin County, to meet current MDT urban roadway standards while adding capacity. The meeting will start with an open house at 6:30 p.m. followed by a brief presentation at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at the Bozeman Senior Center, 807 N Tracy, in Bozeman.

Community participation is a very important part of the process, and the public is encouraged to attend. Opinion, comments and concerns may also be submitted in writing at the meeting, by mail to Jeff Ebert, District Administrator, at MDT’s Butte district office at PO Box 3068; Butte, MT 59702-3068, or online at

http://www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml

Please indicate comments are for project CN 4805 and submit by February 27, 2012.

Proposed work includes reconstruction and widening throughout the corridor; intersection improvements with turn lanes; addition of bike lanes, sidewalks, and a two-way left turn lane (TWLTL) throughout much of the corridor to improve safety and level-of-service (LOS); side-street improvements at intersections to accommodate turning movements; and storm drainage improvements. The corridor is proposed to be reconstructed in two segments: Main Street to Oak Street and Oak Street to Story Mill Road. The purpose of the projects is to improve vehicular level of service and enhance bike and pedestrian travel within the Rouse Avenue corridor.

The target ready date to acquire right-of-way and complete design is December 2012. The actual start of construction will be dependent on the availability of funds.

New right-of way and relocation of utilities will be required. MDT staff will contact all affected landowners prior to doing survey work on their land. Staff will again contact landowners prior to construction regarding property acquisition and temporary construction permits.

MDT attempts to provide accommodations for any known disability that may interfere with a person’s participation in any service, program or activity of our department. If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in this meeting, please call Paul Grant at (406) 444-9415 at least two days before the meeting. For the hearing impaired, the TTY number is (406) 444-7696 or 1-800-335-7592, or call Montana Relay at 711. Alternative accessible formats of this information will be provided upon request.

Bozeman is conducting it's first annual bicycle count this week! Many Bozemanites have noticed more bikes on our roads, but until we have hard numbers, this is just an observations and won't help make the case for building more bicycle facilities. The City found that when they installed bike lanes and sidewalks on West Babcock Street in 2006, bicycle and pedestrian numbers went up 256 percent immediately! This is a powerful and convincing statistic, but until now, it's all we have. 

We will be following the methodology developed by the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project and conducting our counts September 13th-15th from 5-7pm. If you can help us count, please click on the following link to provide your name and email to one of the locations and time periods. If you can do multiple days from the same location, this will improve our consistency in data gathering. Click here to access sign-up sheet.

When you sign-up, we will send you customized count forms and instructions to print and take with you. 

Thanks for helping to make Bozeman a better bicycle town!

Joe Gilpin
Associate

Alta Planning + Design

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