Chester R. Jourdan, Jr., Executive Director of MORPC, officially unveiled the long-awaited Columbus metro-area bike usability maps during Bike to Work Week. The reception from cyclists has been positive. You can find these maps (for free) at local area bike shops, libraries, park and recreation centers, hotels, MORPC, and online. Thanks to everyone who took part in process.

Next step? - Let’s help advocate to turn the red and yellow lines into green lines.

Consider Biking was proud to represent the League of American Bicyclists while presenting Mayor Coleman and the City of Columbus with the Bicycle Friendly Community Award, Bronze level, at the Bike to Work Week Kickoff event. Columbus is the first city in Ohio to receive this designation. The designation demonstrates the importance of the Bicentennial Bikeways Plan as the foundation for future development. Andy Clark, Executive Director of the LAB, said, "Columbus is a breath of fresh air in the heartland of America." We’re honored.

As spring approaches, excitement builds as we re-discover the joy of bicycling. Sure, many have been riding all winter… some “Winter Warriors” were even commuting to work by bicycle every day! For most riders, however, April is the month we oil the chain, run an abc quick check, and finally start putting in the miles.

Winter saw Consider Biking busy with initiatives. We’ve been focusing on legislative advocacy work, developing our educational curriculums, making inroads into the major corporations and workplaces in town, prioritizing our organization’s initiatives for the coming year, and so much more. Of course, we are proud to have played a significant role in the development of the long-awaited Bicycle Usability Map. It’s at the printer, and will be released by May 1st!    Continue reading →

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Consider Biking, we’d like to welcome to our new web page! Thank you for your patience during our organization’s brief absence from the web. We are busy developing a resource intensive and engaging site to meet the needs of ALL cyclists in Central Ohio. Please stay tuned in February and March 2009, as we enhance the site and introduce functionality.

What else are we working on?

Consider Biking is building on the great momentum and successes of past years. We are convening key stakeholders in the cycling community to help us develop a Strategic Plan in early March. The outcome of this weekend retreat will help us prioritize our goals, and bring focus and clarity to our work.

In the meantime, we’ll be:

• finishing the long-awaited Bicycle Usability Map,
• developing "toolkits" to introduce to workplaces to encourage cycling to work,
• applying on behalf of Columbus as a "Bicycle Friendly Community,
• working with Columbus to unveil a "Share the Road" campaign on High Street,
• planning our Bike to Work Week Celebration event,
• planning the Tour of Columbus with Mayor Coleman,
• planning the 6^th annual Ride of Silence for May 20^th,
• extending our reach and influence to surrounding communities like Hilliard, Delaware, and Lancaster,
• and attending the League of Bicyclists’ Summit in D.C. to advocate our cause to Ohio’s elected officials.

If you love bicycling, and would like to help, please contact us!
Otherwise…stay tuned!