Registration Opens for Better Bike Share Conference

Stakeholders will gather in Philadelphia this summer to discuss bike share, equity and community

Boulder, CO (Feb. 29, 2016) — The Better Bike Share Conference will be held in Philadelphia, June 22-24, 2016. The event is a collaborative effort of the City of Philadelphia, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and PeopleForBikes. The conference and related work are made possible through a grant from The JPB Foundation.

These four organizations formed the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) in 2014 to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. To date, the BBSP has awarded nearly $375,000 in grants to cities and organizations across the country working to make bike share more accessible to underserved communities in select U.S. cities.

The Better Bike Share Conference will share lessons learned and spark conversations among city leaders, businesses, advocates, neighborhood leaders and social justice groups. The conference will help stakeholders understand how transportation in general and bike share in particular fits in the context of broader community needs such as access to jobs, better health and reducing violence.

“Bike share is a new and exciting tool. It’s a good option for short trips, it connects well with transit and gets people moving,” said Martha Roskowski, VP of Local Innovation at PeopleForBikes. “We look forward to convening a wide range of partners at the Conference as we work together to make bike share more useful to more people.”

Philadelphia was the first city to fully integrate equity into its bike share goals, strategies and implementation. The city’s leadership role in this grant-funded work has rooted the Better Bike Share Conference in the City of Brotherly Love.

“The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems is committed to ensuring equitable access to our Indego bike share system and all modes of transportation,” said Clarena Tolson, Deputy Managing Director of Transportation and Infrastructure. “As the leader of the Better Bike Share National Conference, we are excited to host bike share practitioners and their partners from across the country.”

Registration for the Better Bike Share Conference is now open. PeopleForBikes encourages anyone working in the bike share, city building, transportation, equity, and social justice fields to attend. To register, click here.

Updates on keynote speakers and workshops will be provided in future news announcements.  Learn more at www.bikeshareconference.org. 

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About PeopleForBikes

PeopleForBikes is uniting millions of individuals, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities to make better bike riding for everyone. Because when people ride bikes, great things happen. Join us at PeopleForBikes.org.

About NATCO

NACTO is an association of 45 cities in North America formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues.  Through their Bike Share Initiative, NACTO conducts research and works with cities to develop guidance for creating sustainable and equitable bike share systems.  As part of the Better Bike Share Partnership, NACTO works to define best practices for creating equitable bike share and establish metrics to evaluate and replicate equitable practices in bike share systems around the country.

About Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia advocates for a connected network of streets safe for walking and bicycling, making bicycling a safe and fun way for anyone to get around in the Philadelphia Area. As part of those efforts, Bicycle Coalition staff support education and outreach efforts throughout Philadelphia as part of the Better Bike Share Partnership, including managing Youth and Adult Indego Bike Share Ambassador programs, teaching bike safety classes, and leading community group bike rides.

Media Contact:Lauren Fallertlfallert@verdepr.com970-259-3555