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| Bikes Belong Coalition | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bikes Belong Coalition |
| Formation | 2001 |
| Type | Nonprofit coalition |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | United States |
Bikes Belong Coalition is a United States-based nonprofit coalition founded to increase bicycling and build better places for people who bike. The coalition has worked with a range of partners to influence transportation policy, funding, and infrastructure, engaging with organizations, agencies, and events across North America. Its activities intersect with urban planning debates, federal legislation, and advocacy networks.
The coalition was formed in 2001 amid debates over transportation funding and active transportation advocacy connected to projects and policies influenced by Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (United States), and state departments such as the California Department of Transportation and New York State Department of Transportation. Early alliances included organizations like League of American Bicyclists, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, PeopleForBikes, and local organizations involved in projects in cities such as Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and New York City. The group engaged with national campaigns contemporaneous with events like the passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and later reauthorization debates around the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. Its history reflects interactions with foundations, municipal initiatives in Chicago, Boston, and Seattle, and advocacy during mayoral administrations and legislative sessions in capitals such as Washington, D.C..
The coalition’s mission emphasized increasing bicycling, improving safety, and expanding access through collaboration with entities like National Conference of State Legislatures, American Public Transportation Association, Institute of Transportation Engineers, and local advocacy groups tied to projects in Los Angeles County, King County, and Cook County. Activities included strategic communications, research partnerships with institutions such as Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley, and capacity-building for groups engaged in campaigns similar to those run by Transport for London and municipal programs in Copenhagen and Amsterdam. The coalition routinely interacted with federal grant programs administered by Federal Transit Administration and state grant programs in jurisdictions including Colorado and Oregon.
Programs ranged from national marketing campaigns to technical assistance akin to initiatives run by National Park Service partners and urban design projects in collaboration with planning bodies like the American Planning Association. Campaigns promoted bicycle-friendly policies in cities such as Philadelphia, Denver, Austin, Texas, and Madison, Wisconsin, and supported events like Bike to Work Day, municipal open streets programs modeled on Ciclovía in Bogotá, and demonstration projects similar to pop-up lanes implemented in Barcelona and Paris. The coalition also developed toolkits informed by research from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies and safety guidelines paralleling work by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The coalition partnered with philanthropic entities, corporate sponsors, and nonprofit organizations including foundations active in urban policy debates like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Surdna Foundation, and corporate partners engaged in mobility markets such as bicycle manufacturers and retailers represented by trade groups like the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association. Funding streams combined grants from philanthropic foundations, sponsorships linked to events in cities like Philadelphia and Chicago, and collaborations with municipal governments participating in federal programs such as those run by the Environmental Protection Agency and Economic Development Administration.
Advocacy efforts focused on influencing congressional staff and committees such as the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, contributing to debates on multimodal transportation funding that involved organizations like the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and Smart Growth America. Measured impacts included support for increased investments in bike lanes in municipalities including San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Cleveland, and contributing to policy dialogues with metropolitan planning organizations in regions like Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (California). The coalition’s campaigns intersected with public health initiatives involving Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and urban design research at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The coalition operated as a networked nonprofit with a board drawn from member organizations including advocacy groups, trade associations, and foundations similar to governance models used by entities like Trust for Public Land and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Staff roles included communications, policy, and program directors who worked with consultants and regional coordinators engaging with local governments such as county and city councils in Los Angeles County, King County, and Maricopa County. Internal operations mirrored nonprofit practices found in organizations like Urban Land Institute and Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
Critiques of the coalition reflected broader debates within urban planning and transportation advocacy, with commentators from local activist groups and media outlets in cities like New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle questioning priorities, funding sources, and relationships with corporate partners. Some critics aligned with public forums involving City Council (San Francisco) or New York City Council hearings argued about project equity and neighborhood impacts, paralleling controversies seen in debates over protected lanes in Minneapolis and curb space allocation in Los Angeles. Discussions sometimes referenced tensions similar to those involving other national advocacy coalitions and municipal administrations.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States