Dear Steven, Spring is flying by and Bike Month is here! For most of us, every month is bike month, but May is still a great time to get out and ride, and encourage your friends and family to join you. Help us make our Texas roads and streets better for all riders: Join BikeTexas today to add your voice to many other Texans who ride bikes and support bicycle advocacy in Texas. Happy riding! |
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Event listed in our newsletter? Become a Member Today and help make Texas a great place to walk and bike! |
| | | Dero Bike Racks held a competition for an organization to win $7500 in Dero products plus $1000 for furnishings and decorations for a new Dream Bike Room. We're proud to say that after BikeTexas was selected as a finalist, Texans rallied round to get out the vote! At midnight on April 30, BikeTexas was declared the winner after having received over 4000 votes. Thank you!
We hope this new bike room will be a source of conversation and inspiration for the many planners and officials who stop by our office and see what indoor bike parking can look like. Of course, we'd love for all of you to see it, too! Be sure to come by the office if you're ever in Austin for a tour of our Dream Bike Room. |
The National Bike Challenge presented by the League of American Bicyclists is back and better than ever for 2014! The Challenge began on May 1 and runs through September 30.
New this year is the local challenge! BikeTexas is your team leader for most of the state, with BikeDFW and Shawnee Trail Cycling Club covering their respective regions. You don't have to do anything special to join a local challenge-- just sign up today to boost Texas in the rankings. The Challenge will also have prizes for riders every month, so don't miss your chance! Sign up today. |
After two successive years of amazing gains in the Bicycle Friendly State Rankings, Texas is back where we were three years ago. We've fallen from #22 in 2013 to #33 in 2014. While we're disappointed by this, we aren't surprised. After all, we knew we had a tough year last year with a struggle in the legislature followed by the toll road bike ban. Texas has fallen in ranking because it is relatively worse at the state level in comparison to other states than it was last year. Our worst scores seem to be in infrastructure, funding, policies and legislation. Read more |
 Paul, a 5th grader at Bonner Elementary in Tyler, was the Texas winner for the Saris 5th Grade National Poster Contest. His winning poster went on to the national competition, where unfortunately Texas lost to another stellar poster from Mississippi.
All posters that BikeTexas received as part of the contest are on display at the Texas Capitol through Saturday, May 3. Way to go, Texas 5th graders!
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 BikeTexas is delighted to lead the Texas delegation to the Women's Bicycling Forum and National Bike Summit every year as we hear from amazing speakers and network with our colleagues from different parts of the U.S. This year, 16 delegates from Texas went to Washington, DC, for the Forum and Summit.
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 Dr. Aaron Block is an assistant professor of computer science at Austin College in Sherman, home of 1350 students. Austin College was one of the pilot CATS schools in 2012, and Professor Block used CATS as a starting point to offer his well-earned wisdom to his students.
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| Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price talks to BikeTexas Executive Director Robin Stallings before Mayor Price's keynote address. |
Nearly 300 advocates, engineers, planners, and elected officials from all over Texas and across the south converged on Fort Worth March 26-28 for the 3rd biennial Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference. More than 70 speakers over three days inspired attendees to dream big about making Texas a great place for trails, walking, and riding a bike! |
 BikeTexas had a special opportunity March 20-21 to participate a 24-hour fundraiser called AmplifyATX. 46 different donors, many of them first-time BikeTexas supporters, donated nearly $1500 towards BikeTexas' education programs.
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A BikeTexas bike rental is just the thing for getting around town during special events like X Games in June! Bike rentals are just $35/day (3-day minimum), and include a helmet, lock, lights, and 24-hour flat repair. Not coming to X Games? Spread the word, save your friends some traffic woes, and support bicycle advocacy! biketexas.org/rentals |
Do your kids need a refresher on bike riding laws before pulling the bike out of the garage for Bike to School Day? Jenny's Neighborhood will teach them about wearing a helmet, using hand signals, and stopping at stop signs, all while they try to beat the clock. Jenny's Neighborhood is part of the pilot program Texas in Motion that offers digital bike safety education for kids. Go to BikeTexas.org/Game. |
UPDATE: After another meeting where once again bike lane supporters were not able to speak, TCI has moved forward with a recommendation to remove the bike lanes -- using nearly half the budget of the bike program to do it! We have urged you to be calm and respectful in the face of the rude and angry opposition. However it appears that the City is simply listening to whoever shouts loudest. It's time to let your elected officials know how many people supporting bicycling in San Antonio. Read more |
 A great thing in Texas just got a little bit greater-- the City of San Juan held their first Open Streets (Ciclovía) event on Saturday, April 12. Over 200 residents of San Juan turned out to enjoy a car-free stroll, run, ride, or play through town.
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BikeTexas welcomes guest writers to contribute to our newsletters. In this edition, Beth Nobles, Executive Director of the Texas Mountain Trail Region, writes about the Ride for Reading program. |
By Beth Nobles I'll say it: "It is the best thing I've done on a bike." Last month, it has made U.S. Congressman Beto O'Rourke feel like a "rock star." It made kids, teachers, and scores of cyclists from El Paso, Terlingua, and Fort Davis very happy. What was it? Ride for Reading deliveries in Far West Texas. Read more |
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