League of American Bicyclists
Encyclopedia
The League of American Bicyclists (LAB) is a non-profit membership organization which promotes cycling
for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy
and education
.
A §501(c)(3) nonprofit, the League is one of the largest membership organizations of cyclists in the United States.
on May 30, 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen by Kirk Munroe
and Charles Pratt, it soon became the leading national membership organization for cyclists in the United States
. The League was also the governing body for amateur bicycle racing in the U.S. during the late 19th century. Membership peaked at 103,000 in 1898.
. The Good Roads Movement
in the late 19th century was founded and led by the League, which began publishing Good Roads magazine in 1892.
In the mid-1890s, bicycling became accessible to the population at large with the advent of the mass-produced chain-driven safety bicycle. A huge boom in bicycle sales occurred, then collapsed as the market became saturated. Bicycle manufacturers were no longer able to support the League financially, and the interest of its members, largely well-to-do hobbyists, turned elsewhere.
In 1894, the League voted to prohibit membership by non-white people. Since the League was the governing body for bicycle racing at that time, the League's action effectively banned non-white people from most races in the United States. In 1999, the League disavowed the 1894 action.
Amateur bicycle racing declined with the rise of professional racing. League membership declined to 76,944 in 1900 and only 8,692 in 1902. The League dissolved that year, when there were still only a very few motorized vehicles on the roads. The American Automobile Association
was founded the same year, 1902, and was, to an extent, a successor organization. It provided—and still provides—route information to members, as the League had provided. The League's Secretary, Abbott Bassett, produced a monthly publication under the League's name until 1924, but there was no League organization.
had drained traffic from many of them, and new interest in recreational cycling was spurred by the promotion of sports bicycles with derailleur gearing by the Schwinn Bicycle Company
and others. Increasing awareness of the importance of physical fitness also contributed to the popularity of bicycling.
Through the end of the 20th century, the League existed as a national clearinghouse for cycling advocacy, but more so as a social organization, holding three or more rallies each year, centered on college campuses in various parts of the USA, with mapped rides of various lengths. At their peak, rallies would each attract as many as 2,000 cyclists.
With increasing popularity of bicycling, however, various other organizations adopted functions which the League dropped or did not pursue—most prominently, Bikecentennial
(later renamed as the Adventure Cycling Association
), which maps touring routes and provides services for touring bicyclists; the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
, which promotes conversion of abandoned rail lines to trails; and the Alliance for Biking and Walking (formerly Thunderhead Alliance), a loosely-organized consortium of state and local advocacy organizations which maintains communication over the Internet.
In the late 20th century, the League was criticized for its name: League of American Wheelmen. Also, the term Wheelmen was becoming increasingly obscure. In response, the League began doing business as the League of American Bicyclists in 1994.
The League reached a peak of 24,000 paid memberships in 1997, then declined to around 20,000, where it has remained since (as of 2009), though it is able to cite larger numbers by using a multiplier for family memberships and counting the approximately 300,000 members of affiliated bicycle clubs and advocacy organizations.
The League's rallies became less successful as bicyclists became able to find similar events closer to home. Beginning in 2003, the League would no longer organize its own rallies, but rather, would designate an existing event in one part of the country or another as its National Rally.
A major change in the direction of the League occurred in 1997 when it moved its offices from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington, DC and focused increasingly on advocacy at the Federal level. The League has shed most of the services it once provided to individual members, other than its magazine, and now is primarily an advocacy organization. Its major annual event is now the National Bicycle Summit (which see, under Advocacy, below).
The League has continued to play a leading role in cycling issues into the 21st century. One example is the certification of cycling instructors, since the 1970s. The League's education program concentrates on practical bicycle handling and traffic skills, and has more than 1,000 active instructors as of 2009. The League's Bicycle Friendly America program distributes awards to communities which have adopted measures to accommodate and encourage bicycle use. The League manages liability insurance programs for its instructors and for bicycle clubs, an invaluable service to them.
which lobbies Congress for funds to build bicycle usage in the U.S. The Summit has attracted around 500 attendees in recent years (as of 2009).
In addition to BBC, LAB works in partnership with other organizations such as America Bikes ("leveraging federal transportation dollars for bicycling", primarily with BBC money), the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking (lobbies for government money to encourage bicycle usage while receiving substantial industry funding), Federal Highway Administration
, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), NCUTCD and NCUTLO in order to "create a more bicycle-friendly America".
(EC) course developed by John Forester and given to the League in 1976. Later, citing poor attendance and blaming the 30-hour length of the EC course, the League developed a curriculum
consisting of multiple shorter courses. Forester did not agree with some of the changes to the program and withdrew permission for the League to use the EC name. The name of the League's program was then changed to "Bike Ed". In 2008, the program was renamed "Smart Cycling".
In addition to sponsoring the biennial "Bicycle Education Leaders Conference", the League is active in "Safe Routes to School" programs at a national level.
communities for "providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation." These are the communities:
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
.
A §501(c)(3) nonprofit, the League is one of the largest membership organizations of cyclists in the United States.
History
Founded in Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
on May 30, 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen by Kirk Munroe
Kirk Munroe
Kirk Munroe was an American writer and conservationist.-Biography:Born Charles Kirk Munroe in a log cab near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, Munroe was the son of Charles and Susan Munroe. His youth was spent on the frontier, after which his family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where he...
and Charles Pratt, it soon became the leading national membership organization for cyclists in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The League was also the governing body for amateur bicycle racing in the U.S. during the late 19th century. Membership peaked at 103,000 in 1898.
The 1880-1902 period
The League was a prominent advocacy group for the improvement of roads and highways in the United States long before the advent of the automobileAutomobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. The Good Roads Movement
Good Roads Movement
The Good Roads Movement occurred in the United States between the late 1870s and the 1920s. Advocates for improved roads led by bicyclists turned local agitation into a national political movement....
in the late 19th century was founded and led by the League, which began publishing Good Roads magazine in 1892.
In the mid-1890s, bicycling became accessible to the population at large with the advent of the mass-produced chain-driven safety bicycle. A huge boom in bicycle sales occurred, then collapsed as the market became saturated. Bicycle manufacturers were no longer able to support the League financially, and the interest of its members, largely well-to-do hobbyists, turned elsewhere.
In 1894, the League voted to prohibit membership by non-white people. Since the League was the governing body for bicycle racing at that time, the League's action effectively banned non-white people from most races in the United States. In 1999, the League disavowed the 1894 action.
Amateur bicycle racing declined with the rise of professional racing. League membership declined to 76,944 in 1900 and only 8,692 in 1902. The League dissolved that year, when there were still only a very few motorized vehicles on the roads. The American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
was founded the same year, 1902, and was, to an extent, a successor organization. It provided—and still provides—route information to members, as the League had provided. The League's Secretary, Abbott Bassett, produced a monthly publication under the League's name until 1924, but there was no League organization.
The 1939-1955 revival
Bicycle club activity revived and was particularly strong in the Chicago area during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Attempts to revive the League were initiated by representatives of the bicycle industry in 1933 and continued through the 1930s, and consisted primarily of a number of exhibitions and races under the League's name. Chicago-area bicycle clubs formed the core of a revived League governed by recreational cyclists in 1939 and which adopted a constitution in April, 1942. This incarnation of the League was primarily a social organization, holding group rides and annual conventions. The Second World War contributed to the success of the League through rationing of motor vehicle fuel and tires. Membership was 614 in 1945, with 200 honorary members in the armed services. However, in the late 1940s, the League went into decline. Factors included the increasing availability of motor vehicles; the "baby boom", which made for difficulties in pursuing recreational cycling; narrow highways; and conformist social attitudes, with a perception of bicycling as a children's activity. Membership was only 507 in 1950 and 238 in 1953. The League dissolved again in 1955.1965-present
The League reorganized once again in 1965. By this time, highways had improved, the Eisenhower Interstate Highway SystemInterstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
had drained traffic from many of them, and new interest in recreational cycling was spurred by the promotion of sports bicycles with derailleur gearing by the Schwinn Bicycle Company
Schwinn Bicycle Company
The Schwinn Bicycle Company was founded by German-born mechanical engineer Ignaz Schwinn in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century and today it is a sub-brand of Pacific Cycle, owned by the multi-national conglomerate, Dorel...
and others. Increasing awareness of the importance of physical fitness also contributed to the popularity of bicycling.
Through the end of the 20th century, the League existed as a national clearinghouse for cycling advocacy, but more so as a social organization, holding three or more rallies each year, centered on college campuses in various parts of the USA, with mapped rides of various lengths. At their peak, rallies would each attract as many as 2,000 cyclists.
With increasing popularity of bicycling, however, various other organizations adopted functions which the League dropped or did not pursue—most prominently, Bikecentennial
Bikecentennial
Bikecentennial '76 was a bicycle tour across the United States in the summer of 1976, in commemoration of the bicentennial of America's Declaration of Independence. The route crossed ten states and 112 counties in either direction between Reedsport, OR, and Yorktown, VA, a distance of about...
(later renamed as the Adventure Cycling Association
Adventure Cycling Association
The Adventure Cycling Association is a national cycling association in the United States which provides services for cycle-tourists, publishes maps and campaigns for better cycling facilities. Its headquarters are in Missoula, Montana...
), which maps touring routes and provides services for touring bicyclists; the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is an American nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that works with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into rail trails within the United States of America...
, which promotes conversion of abandoned rail lines to trails; and the Alliance for Biking and Walking (formerly Thunderhead Alliance), a loosely-organized consortium of state and local advocacy organizations which maintains communication over the Internet.
In the late 20th century, the League was criticized for its name: League of American Wheelmen. Also, the term Wheelmen was becoming increasingly obscure. In response, the League began doing business as the League of American Bicyclists in 1994.
The League reached a peak of 24,000 paid memberships in 1997, then declined to around 20,000, where it has remained since (as of 2009), though it is able to cite larger numbers by using a multiplier for family memberships and counting the approximately 300,000 members of affiliated bicycle clubs and advocacy organizations.
The League's rallies became less successful as bicyclists became able to find similar events closer to home. Beginning in 2003, the League would no longer organize its own rallies, but rather, would designate an existing event in one part of the country or another as its National Rally.
A major change in the direction of the League occurred in 1997 when it moved its offices from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington, DC and focused increasingly on advocacy at the Federal level. The League has shed most of the services it once provided to individual members, other than its magazine, and now is primarily an advocacy organization. Its major annual event is now the National Bicycle Summit (which see, under Advocacy, below).
The League has continued to play a leading role in cycling issues into the 21st century. One example is the certification of cycling instructors, since the 1970s. The League's education program concentrates on practical bicycle handling and traffic skills, and has more than 1,000 active instructors as of 2009. The League's Bicycle Friendly America program distributes awards to communities which have adopted measures to accommodate and encourage bicycle use. The League manages liability insurance programs for its instructors and for bicycle clubs, an invaluable service to them.
Advocacy
LAB is the voice for cyclists at the national level, and organizes an annual National Bike Summit to bring professionals and advocates in Washington, D.C., together with government representatives. A major supporter of the event is the Bikes Belong Coalition (BBC), a §501(c)(6) trade association for the bicycle industryBicycle Industry
The Bicycle Industry or Cycling Industry can broadly be defined as the industry concerned with bicycles and cycling. It includes at least bicycle manufacturers, part or component manufacturers, and accessory manufacturers...
which lobbies Congress for funds to build bicycle usage in the U.S. The Summit has attracted around 500 attendees in recent years (as of 2009).
In addition to BBC, LAB works in partnership with other organizations such as America Bikes ("leveraging federal transportation dollars for bicycling", primarily with BBC money), the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking (lobbies for government money to encourage bicycle usage while receiving substantial industry funding), Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, part of the Department of Transportation...
(NHTSA), NCUTCD and NCUTLO in order to "create a more bicycle-friendly America".
Education
The League offers cycling education for adults and children in many locations across the U.S. Originally the education consisted of a single Effective CyclingEffective Cycling
Effective Cycling is a trademarked cycling educational program designed by John Forester, which was the national education program of the League of American Wheelmen for a number of years until Forester withdrew permission for them to use the name...
(EC) course developed by John Forester and given to the League in 1976. Later, citing poor attendance and blaming the 30-hour length of the EC course, the League developed a curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
consisting of multiple shorter courses. Forester did not agree with some of the changes to the program and withdrew permission for the League to use the EC name. The name of the League's program was then changed to "Bike Ed". In 2008, the program was renamed "Smart Cycling".
In addition to sponsoring the biennial "Bicycle Education Leaders Conference", the League is active in "Safe Routes to School" programs at a national level.
Bicycle Friendly Communities
, the League has formally recognized 190 communities across 46 states as bicycle-friendlyBicycle-friendly
The term bicycle-friendly describes policies and practices which may help some people feel more comfortable about traveling by bicycle with other traffic...
communities for "providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation." These are the communities:
See also
- Coalition of Arizona BicyclistsCoalition of Arizona BicyclistsThe Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is a bicycling advocacy group which seeks to promote efforts that improve bicycling usage and bicycling safety within the state of Arizona...
- San Francisco Bicycle CoalitionSan Francisco Bicycle CoalitionThe San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is a California 501 nonprofit public benefit corporation established to "transform San Francisco's streets and neighborhoods into more livable and safe places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation." Founded in 1971, dormant through much of the...
- Sacramento Area Bicycle AdvocatesSacramento Area Bicycle AdvocatesThe Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates is a nonprofit bicycle advocacy organization serving the Sacramento, California area. SABA was formed in 1991, and was incorporated as a 501 nonprofit organization in 2003. SABA has more than 1,400 members in the counties served by the Sacramento Area Council...
- LAB Reform
External links
- LAB website
- Bicycle Friendly Communities, another LAB website
- wbgu.org WBGU-PBS local documentary "Bicycling Through The Past"