by Russell Boniface
Associate Editor

How Do You . . . use “Bike to Work Day” in your own community?

Summary: “Bike to Work Day” will take place on May 17 in the San Francisco Bay Area and May 16 and 18 in other parts of the country. The day-long event is part of “Bike to Work, School, Errands, or Play Week” and “Bike Month.” The goal of the nationwide event is to spotlight human transportation, encourage governments to provide infrastructure for bicycling, and increase awareness about global warming, congestion, and unsafe streets. Ron Bishop, AIA, East Bay, Calif., believes AIA members can learn livable, green design strategies by participating in the event.

“Bike to Work Day” expects 30,000-40,000 bicyclists in the Bay Area alone. The event is sponsored by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Nationwide “Bike Days” are planned to coincide with National Transportation Week, May 13–19, and “Bike Month.” (To check on events in your city and state visit the League of American Bicyclists Web site.)

Including bicycling in infrastructure
Bishop, a certified bicycle safety instructor and founder of Bishop Architecture, strongly encourages AIA members to participate in “Bike to Work Day” in their community. “Get out of the car for a day,” he says.“It’s fun, healthy, and a good thing to do.”

And architects can learn from the experience. For example, in Oakland, 85 percent of the trips are less than 2 miles. In fact, across America, 40 percent of all trips are less than 2 miles, Bishop contends, asking: “So why are we only accommodating motor vehicles? . . . The AIA is on board with Transit Oriented Design Development (TODD) and can do more to improve the viability of transit to help create walkable, bikeable, livable cities. Biking is often talked about as an important factor, but the idea of bike lanes and bike parking is seldom included in TODD projects.”

Bishop, who maintains that biking improves the health of the individual, the community, and reduces CO2 emissions, believes the problem is the lack of infrastructure design for bikes. “When good street design is employed, cycling increases. More riders draw even more riders. But even though we design housing and shopping, we’re not providing any way to get there other than driving.” Bishop suggests that well-marked bike lanes be placed on roadways. “If you don’t have bike lanes, motorists and cyclists are not sure what to do.”

Bishop says the key is for architects to become more political about transportation issues. “We’re building cities—and that includes transportation—but we’re not participating in the parking because someone else determined what people are driving. Architects need to encourage governments to provide better infrastructure for bicycle travel.”

Community infrastructure designs, Bishop maintains, need to include bike parking at places like transit centers. “An infrastructure with bike parking costs less, will be more energy efficient, have less pollution, encourage more cyclists, and provide a better use of space.” Bishop provides an example: “We have bike stations within the Bay Area Rapid Transit where you give your bicycle to a parking attendant. They even do repairs, checking your tires and aligning your wheels. And it’s free.”

Positive impact; architects can help
Bishop notes there are many success stories of people who experience “Bike to Work Day” for the first time and then continue to bike to work in the coming weeks and months. “The cumulative effect is to make a community more livable.”

Bishop emphasizes that bikeable cities must become more than words. “Architects need to step up, make it a reality . . . embrace human transport through bikeability and walkability. Global warming, congestion, and unsafe streets shouldn’t be tolerated.”