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SDBC board President Kevin Brady and Vice President Jessica Giard hit the road nearly two weeks ago to become better leaders and advocates for South Dakota bicycling.

The pair attended the Winning Campaigns training in Davenport, Iowa, led by the Alliance for Biking & Walking. Not only did they learn how to write a blueprint for a successful campaign, but they met other Midwest bicycle and pedestrian advocates and leaders. Others attending represented Iowa, Missouri, Illinois; McHenry County, IL; Chicago and the Quad Cities.

By Brighid O’Keane on April 13, 2011 (reposted with permission from the Alliance for Biking & Walking)

Attendees of the Iowa Winning Campaigns Training by the Alliance for Biking & Walking.

Two weeks ago, 13 advocates from seven Midwest bike/ped organizations gathered in Davenport, Iowa for an Alliance Winning Campaigns Training.

Hosted by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and facilitated by veteran bike/ped advocate Dave Snyder and Alliance CEO Jeff Miller, participants had two and a half days to develop their campaign strategy, learn from fellow organizers, and – of course – bike along the Mississippi River.

“This training helped me become a better leader and advocate for bicycling,” said Jessica Giard from the South Dakota Bicycle Coalition. Giard not only worked through the development of a complete streets campaign, but also said she plans to apply what she learned to other aspects of her burgeoning organization.

Campaigns that were addressed by other training participants included 3-foot passing laws, Safe Routes to School, mandatory training for all crossing guards in Iowa, and working with a state DOT to update drivers’ license manuals and exams to include questions about biking and walking.

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Notice of Open House: Rapid City Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan

April 12 2011, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, 1^st Floor Community Room 

Project Description

City of Rapid City and Rapid City Area Metropolitan Planning Organization with Alta Planning + Design are conducting a planning effort to improve the bicycling and walking environment in  Rapid City. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan will identifies strategies to make bicycling and walking safe, convenient, and attractive travel modes in Rapid City and its surrounding communities.

Open house attendees will be asked to share their thoughts on the preliminary recommendations contained in the public review draft Rapid City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The draft plan lists recommended bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects, including shared-use paths, sidewalks, and on-street bikeways. The plan prioritizes key connections to surrounding communities, existing shared-use paths, schools, parks, and other community destinations. The plan also addresses education, encouragement, and enforcement strategies to improve the overall environment for non motorized travel in Rapid City.

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Contact Information: Ann Freiwald, ASLA-Alta Planning + Design 608-213-9077

Kip Harrington, Rapid City Growth Management 605-394-4120

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Additional Information:

The plan is available from The City of Rapid City website.

The Rapid City Journal published a related article, “Growth management department aims to make city more bicycle-friendly.”

State Coalition Offers On-the-Bike Training in Rapid City

South Dakota Bicycle Coalition will host a bicycling education course in Rapid City, April 15-16.

The nine-hour bicycle skills training is ideal for bicyclists who teach youth, use the bike for transportation or want to be a better a rider. Friday evening, attendees learn practical skills including basic maintenance and safety checks. Saturday, they will practice on the road skills, including crash avoidance and riding with traffic.

Recommended for adults and children above age fourteen, this course prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling.

Jim Books, Rapid City, and Michael Christensen, Sioux Falls, will lead the Traffic Skills 101 course. Both are volunteers with the coalition and certified cycling instructors with the League of American Bicyclists.

To register,  contact Books at (605) 359-5672 or email jimbooks@dakotabiketours.com. A $50 fee applies, which provides materials and support the SD Bicycle Coalition.

Event specifics:
The South Dakota Bicycle Coalition presents League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills 101
Friday, April 15 5:30 to 9pm; and Saturday, April 16 15 9am to 4pm
$50 fee for materials. Proceeds support the South Dakota Bicycle Coalition.
At the City School Administrative Center, Community Room, 300 6th Street, Rapid City
To register contact Jim Books, (605) 359-5672, jimbooks@dakotabiketours.com

For further information on Traffic Skills 101.

Jim Books, coalition board member from Rapid City, represented the SDBC at the National Bike Summit last week. On Wednesday, he served on a national panel of bicycle tourism advocates pulled together by Adventure Cycling Association’s Jim Sayer, executive director.

Thanks Jim!

 – Reposted from Adventure Cycling –

This coming week, I’ll be traveling with Adventure Cycling’s special projects director, Ginny Sullivan, to the 10th annual National Bike Summit. The summit has come a long way since its inception when, as Congressman Jim Oberstar joked, you could fit the attendees in a phone booth.Janette Sadik-Khan, and many excellent break-out sessions.Dakota Bicycle Tours; Lauren Hefferon, founder and director of Ciclismo Classico; Jerry Norquist, executive director of Cycle Oregon and board chair of the National Bicycle Tour Directors Association; Robin Phillips, consultant and past policy director, American Bus Association; Amanda White, associate director, Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin; and Tania Worgull, president of Trek Travel. Luckily, I get to facilitate the session and come away with good ideas on promoting bike travel.bike travel is blooming. We got another indicator of this trend last week when it was announced at the Minnesota Bike Summit that on-road and off-road bicycle tourism generates $1 billion annually — in the same ballpark as the yearly amount generated by bike-related tourism in Wisconsin.

Of course, now there are practically no phone booths to be found — and the summit is expected to draw at least 700 delegates. In fact, it’s gotten so big that the League of American Bicyclists has moved it to a larger venue, the Grand Hyatt in central Washington DC. (According to the League’s website, “Registration for the National Bike Summit has closed online. If you would like to attend the Summit, please register on site at the Grand Hyatt. “)

The summit will feature great speakers, like New York City’s pro-bike transportation commissioner

For those of you going to the summit and interested in bicycle travel, I want to spotlight one session. It will take place on Wednesday, March 9 from 2:30-3:45 and is called Creating a New Power Base–Organizing and Supporting the Bike Travel and Tourism Sector to Support Bike Advocacy. It features a powerhouse line-up of experts and entrepreneurs who will explore ways in which we can highlight the economic and community-building advantages of bike tourism to leverage those advantages to motivate political leaders to provide more support for bike travel and cycling facilities.

Panel participants include Jim Books, president of

As I’ve written before,

As more people seek out authentic, active travel opportunities, we need to bring together all the companies and associations providing bike tours to make the case to public officials and the travel industry that they should be promoting bike travel and investing in facilities that make bike travel safer and more enjoyable.

That’s part of what we’ll be doing in Washington DC at the National Bike Summit. I hope you can join us — and if you have any ideas on how we can build the movement for bike travel and tourism, please let me know!