The League of American Bicyclists needs to reconsider their strategy and be more diligent with
fact-checking.
Some of us looked forward to the new Bicycle-Friendly State (BFS)
application and
webinar. It was disappointing, therefore, to see
inaccuracy in the section about Delaware’s progress towards becoming
bike-friendly. Not only is it a simplistic portrayal that ignores all
efforts outside of Bike Delaware’s
Walkable Bikeable Delaware
initiative, but the history of rankings that support this portrait
are inaccurate. Delaware was ranked
31st in 2008,
not in 2010. We rose to
9th place in 2009, in good part due to the
Complete Streets policy and
the Bike Summit. We fell to
10th place in 2010, and then to
18th place
in 2011. After that we rose to
10th for 2012 and now
5th for 2013 (TBA), in agreement with
the webinar/power point.
 |
| This page from the webinar, found on You Tube HERE,
is not the reality. It became obvious when we pulled the magazine archives
and checked. For one, Delaware ranked #31 in 2008, not 2010. |
There is no doubt that Walkable Bikeable Delaware has had a substantial impact, but the more accurate history of
the State’s rankings below illustrates a much different sequence of events
than the presentation leads us to believe. Delaware made the initial 22 point leap based in good part upon Complete Streets and other on-road improvements, and Delaware’s first bike summit. This was before Walkable Bikeable Delaware.
 |
| 2008: Ranked #31 |
Common sense tells us that the road to becoming bike-friendly is not as
simple and easy as the Delaware presentation implies. Even with our
bike-friendly Governor Jack Markell, it is not a smooth downhill coast, but a long,
winding, rocky road full of ups and downs. As with all efforts towards
progress, that is the reality. And it has been and will continue to be
true in Delaware as well as in other states over the years to come. Most
of us, therefore, look to the LAB, a venerable
organization with much experience, to guide us through these bumps and
not to provide us with an unrealistic impression that is bound to
disappoint.
LAB should promote an upbeat, you-can-do it attitude and serve as a
cheerleader for advocates who are making an effort in
all 5 Es. It is possible
 |
| 2009: Ranked #9 |
to accomplish this while maintaining a realistic and inclusive
approach. Not only cyclists, but non-cyclists who are in a position of
responsibility, look to the LAB for guidance. In Delaware, these folks
are well aware of the specifics of the Walkable Bikeable initiative
which has centered almost exclusively on off-road bike path facilities.
Unfortunately, most do not have the bicycling experience to recognize
that such a simplistic vision is incomplete.
It’s true that Delaware is behind a number of other States in the
construction of off-alignment pathways, and therefore, it’s very nice to
see us making up ground. Some wonderful projects are underway, and Delaware has a number of realistic and progressive people
in government agencies and organizations throughout the State. We don’t need to promote the notion, however, that a State can become bike-friendly
 |
| 2010: Ranked #10 |
solely through funding of
off-road projects.
Although combined efforts continue to help our State move forward and we
are making progress in most areas, without support it becomes an uphill battle to work on other areas that are necessary to make a
state truly bike friendly, including: On-road infrastructure, education,
legislation, enforcement, and encouragement. By promoting a misleading
impression of our efforts and progress, the LAB makes it that much more
difficult for the rest of us Advocates in Delaware (and perhaps in other
states as well) to continue to pursue improvement in all of the other
necessary areas.
 |
| 2011: Ranked #18 |
There is no question that the
Trails and Pathways initiative - and thus
a more Walkable Bikeable Delaware - is worth supporting. However,
off-road paved bike paths are the most expensive, highest hanging fruit of all when it
comes to time and money well spent. The recent workshop and tremendous turnout
surrounding the
Newark-Wilmington Pathway is very encouraging, however,
I give this project 15-20 years to complete - and that relies on
future administration's support and preservation of its funding. The
Pomeroy Trail in Newark, under 2 miles in length, took over 10 years to
complete, despite most of its ROW readily in tact. Now up and running for almost 10 years, and very popular indeed, it becomes immediately apparent that our
existing roads are still necessary to reach our final destination, hence
the
Newark Bicycle Plan - all inclusive.
 |
| 2012: Ranked #10 |
While serving on the Board at Bike Delaware for 5 years, I received numerous inquiries about a fully marked on-road bike route with well
designed bike lanes between the two cities. I had few suggestions to offer,
other than watch for repave/rehab activity in coming years, and
consider joining forces in Advocacy. Only then could our Complete Streets policy be encouraged, perhaps on a direct connect like Kirkwood Highway, some of which was already scheduled for 2013 (we will soon report what we know about DelDOT's pave & rehab schedule for 2014.)
As the Wilmington-Newark pathway and others like it crawl forward in
future years, or decades, there remains no additional funding set aside
for even the lowest hanging fruit, which could include road re-striping for
the purpose of traffic calming and bicycle safety measures in the
present. But with a passive President, a Vice President that abhors bike lanes and shoulders, and an Executive Director that openly quotes
bike pocket lanes (through intersections with right turn-only lanes) as human meat grinders, don't count on
Bike Delaware for support. It is their ED's opinion that bike lanes are
especially dangerous and inappropriate on the very higher speed arterial
roads on which most of us depend - and has even written letters and
emails to that effect.
So now the question becomes, is Bike Delaware an all inclusive, full
service (as in the 5 Es) advocacy organization as found in
other high ranking BFS states? Sadly, LAB appears to
think so.
- Frank Warnock has been an award winning Advocate, Ride Leader, and Event Director in multiple states since 1989.
