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.

History

Founded in Newport, Rhode Island on May 30, 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen, it soon became the leading national membership organization for cyclists in the United States. The League was also governing body for bicycle racing in the U.S. during the late 1800s. Membership peaked at 103,000 in 1898.

The League was a prominent advocacy group for the improvement of roads and highways in the United States long before the invention of the automobile. The Good Roads Movement in the late 19th century was founded and led by the League, which began publishing Good Roads magazine in 1892 (10 years before the founding of the American Automobile Association).

In 1894, the League voted to prohibit membership by black people. Since the League was the governing body for bicycle racing at that time, the League's action effectively banned blacks from most races in the United States. In 1999, the League disavowed the 1894 action.

The League continued to play a leading role in cycling issues into the 20th century. One example was the promotion and distribution of John Forester's Effective Cycling education program to clubs and educational institutions across the United States from the 1970s through the 1990s.

In the late 20th century, the organization was criticized for its name: League of American Wheelmen. Also, the term Wheelmen was becoming an increasing obscure term. In response, the League began doing business as the League of American Bicyclists in 1994.

Advocacy

LAB claims to serve as 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 industry which lobbies Congress for funds to build bicycle usage in the U.S.

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), Thunderhead Alliance (lobbies for government money to encourage bicycle usage while receiving substantial industry funding), FHWA, 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 Cycling (EC) course developed by John Forester and given to the League in 1976. Later, citing poor attendence 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.

LAB Reform

Some members of League are concerned with various decisions made by the Board of Directors in recent years, and have formed a group calling for reforms. The stated goals of LAB Reform are:

1. Regain control of the League for members by allowing them to elect ALL directors
2. Restore access to the ballot and Bylaws via the petition and referendum
3. Remove the veil of secrecy over the actions of the board and staff
4. Allow members a reasonable process to remove unethical directors
5. Promote the best and safest practices of cycling
6. Protect the rights of cyclists
7. Revive member services

Bicycle-friendly communities

As of September 2008, the League has formally recognized 96 communities across 32 states as bicycle-friendly communities for "providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation. These are the cities:

References

See also

• Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists
• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
• Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates

External links

• LAB website
• Bicycle Friendly Communities, another LAB website
• Bicycle Friendly Communities, A Misdirected Program, a LAB Reform website
• wbgu.org WBGU-PBS local documentary "Bicycling Through The Past"