Bicycle Friendly Community Leadership AppointmentMasterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
ilittil
All- Ametica City
1 I I !
I ® '
2007
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Bicycle Friendly Community Application - Leadership Appointments
DATE: May 3, 2011
As part of the application process to be designated as Bicycle Friendly Community by
the League of American Bicyclists, Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is
recommending she be appointed as the City of Dubuque Bicycle Program Manager.
Laura then plans to appoint the Tri -State Trail Vision group as the Bicycle Advisory
Committee to the Bicycle Program Manager.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
MCVM:jk
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
Michael C. Van Milligen
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager �/
FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager._;; U
SUBJECT: Bicycle Friendly Community Application — Leadership Appointments
DATE: May 2, 2011
Dubuque
AB- Amedcactty
2007
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to request City Council concurrence with
leadership appointments necessary to submit a Bicycle Friendly Community application
to the League of American Bicyclists. The Dubuque application is a collaborative effort
of Tri -State Trail Vision and the City of Dubuque that will be submitted for City Council
review and approval in June 2011. A BFC brochure is enclosed.
Background
The mission of the League of American Bicyclists is: To promote bicycling for fun,
fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle -
friendly America.
The League's Bicycle Friendly Community Program (BFC) provides incentives, hands -
on assistance, and award recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. A
Bicycle Friendly Community welcomes bicyclists by providing safe accommodation for
cycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. The BFC
application is an audit of the engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and
evaluation efforts in your municipality. This comprehensive inquiry is designed to yield a
holistic picture of your community's work to promote bicycling.
A League of American Bicyclists committee reviews and scores the BFC application and
consults with local cyclists in the community. An award of platinum, gold, silver or
bronze status is designated for 4 years. Renewals are due every 4 years and require a
short annual update. Award levels may change based on the renewal feedback.
Discussion
Tri -State Trail Vision was formed from the Envision 2010 (Ten Community Projects by
2010) effort. The mission of this non - profit group is to develop an integrated trail system
to enhance the life of the residents in the Tri -State region. The group was instrumental
in the creation of the Tri -State Area Integrated Walking, Bicycling, and Hiking Plan.
Friendly Community Application — Leadership Appointments
Page 2
Tri -State Trail Vision's current initiative is submission of a BFC application for the city of
Dubuque. The BFC application requires support from the City Council to be successful.
The City Council already has taken major steps in support with adoption of the Tri -State
Trail Plan and a Complete Streets Policy.
Recommendation
Two leadership appointments for submission of the BFC application also must be made:
a Bicycle Program Manager and a Bicycle Advisory Committee.
Bicycle Program Manager
City staff supports the appointment by the City Council of the Planning Services
Manager to serve as the Bicycle Program Manager for Dubuque. Planning is a major
part of the local and regional efforts for the area's trail system development. As is done
currently, the Planning Services Manager would continue to attend bicycle facility
design workshops and conferences, and to work closely with staff in other City
Departments as well as community stakeholders like Tri -State Trail Vision, to support
bicycle friendly plans, policies, programs and projects in Dubuque and the surrounding
area.
Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)
The position of the League of American Bicyclists is that having an effective BAC is
critical to building public support for bicycle improvements. It creates a systematic
method for ongoing citizen input into development of important policies, plans, and
projects. A BAC should be involved in developing relevant policy and planning
documents, setting priorities, reviewing annual pedestrian program work plans, and
reviewing major public and private projects.
As noted in their enclosed letter, Tri -State Trail Vision has offered to serve as the
Bicycle Advisory Committee. City staff supports this request, since the group meets
regularly, works with City Departments on various bike /hike initiatives, and has formed
partnerships with local bike clubs and other organizations that support bike /hike trails.
Tri -State Trail Vision would not be the only source of information for the City's bike /hike
trail plans and designs. Additional input would be sought from other stakeholders.
Requested Action
The requested action is for the City Council's appointment of the Planning Services
Manager as the Bicycle Program Manager. Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens
will then appoint the Tri -State Trail Vision as the Bicycle Advisory Committee to the
Bicycle Program Manager to facilitate submission of a Bicycle Friendly Community
application to the League of American Bicyclists.
Enclosures
cc: Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer
F: \USERS \LCARSTEN \WP \Complete Streets \Bike Friendly Community \BFC Application - Initial Memo to MVM.doc
April 29, 2011
Dear City Council members,
On behalf of Tri -State Trail Vision Board of Directors, our organization requests that the City Council
assign Tri -State Trail Vision to the role of Bicycle Advisory Committee, for the Bike - Friendly
Community application from the City of Dubuque. Assigning a Bicycle Advisory Committee is a
requirement of the application.
We also encourage you to appoint City Planner Laura Carstens as the Bicycle Program Manager. Having
these two key appointments in place will enhance the City of Dubuque application to be recognized as a
Bike - Friendly Community.
We thank you for the recent adoption of the Complete Streets Initiative. Along with Tri -State Trail
Vision's funding and securing of bike rack installation on city buses, and our efforts with Bike to Work
Week, these initiatives place Dubuque on the path to becoming a leader in sustainability, as we actively
develop bicycling, hiking, and walking opportunities and amenities.
Thank you for your consideration of Tri -State Trail Vision as the Bicycle Advisory Committee for the
City of Dubuque application for the Bike - Friendly Community Application.
Sincerely,
J
I •
Michael A. (Tony) Zelinskas
President
Bicycle Friendly Community
Program Partners:
The League of American Bicyclists pro-
motes bicycling for fun, fitness and trans-
portation and works through advocacy
and education for a bicycle - friendly Ameri-
ca. The League represents the interests
of the nation's 57 million cyclists. With a
current membership of 300,000 affiliated
cyclists, including 25,000 individuals and
700 affiliated organizations, the League
works to bring better bicycling to your
community. Learn more about the League
at www.bikeleague.org.
This type of recognition for
the region enhances Tucson's
image as a great destination
for bicyclists and outdoor
enthusiasts. When people visit
the Tucson region, they have
an opportunity to experience
all the natural and cultural amenities we
offer. We are proud of the gold award, and
we will continue to improve in the future.
- Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup
League of
American
Bicyclists
a� Bikes Belong
OHO
1 WORLD
2 WHEELS
A IREK COMMITMENT
LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS
...........
2 K Street, NW, S
DC 200
www .bicyclefriendlycommunity.org
The Bicycle Friendly Community Program
inspires communities to improve conditions
and opportunities for bicycling.
League of
America
Bicyclists
A Bicycle Friendly Community welcomes cyclists by
providing well - engineered bicycle facilities, creating
new places to ride, educating motorists and cyclists on
the rules of the road, and encouraging people to bike
for transportation and recreation.
Bicycle Friendly Communities have a high
quality of life that translates into sustainable
development, tourism, business growth and
even increased property values. Encouraging
bicycling is an effective way to increase physical
activity, improve air quality, reduce traffic con-
gestion and foreign oil dependence, and tackle
climate change and obesity. Benefits for the
more than 200 communities that have applied
for BFC status include:
• Inspiration to do more
Technical assistance and training
Grants and funding notification
• Recognition and promotion
The Bicycle Friendly Community application is
an audit of a community's efforts to create a
bicycling culture. The audit reviews engineering,
education, encouragement, enforcement, and
evaluation and planning efforts for bicycling.
Each application is reviewed by national ex-
perts and local cyclists to determine whether
the community should get a BFC designation.
Feedback from the reviewers creates a valuable
roadmap for action.
my community,
The League will recognize deserving com-
munities at one of four award levels: bronze,
silver, gold, or platinum. The League will issue
a press release, and will present an award
and two highway - quality road signs at a local
ceremony or celebration.
What if my community doesn't
Get involved with your local bike club or
advocacy organization, join your community's
bicycle advisory committee and work with
your city staff. Use the BFC application as a
task list to improve the state of cycling in
your community.
The BFC application is available at www.
bicyclefriendlycommunity.org. The site also
provides resources and technical assistance
to help you with the on -line application.
Contact the League of American Bicyclists at
202 - 822 -1333 or info @bicyclefriendlycommu -
nity.org to receive more information.
for more info, visit www .bicyclefriendlycommunity.org or call 202- 822 -1333
What are the next steps?
0 Access the application and resources
at www .bicyclefriendlycommunity.org.
O
Create a partnership between local
government and advocates to com-
plete the application.
o
Submit a completed application at
www . bicyclefriendlycommunity.org.