We were lucky enough to talk with Joan Harrold of peopleforbikes.org and bikesbelong.org. We asked her about the vision behind People For Bikes, what a perfect biking world might look like and how we as a biking community can help make that happen by uniting a million voices to improve the future of biking!

Peopleforbikes.org is a movement initiated by the Bikes Belong Foundation, the national nonprofit focusing on bicycling safety and working to put more people on bicycles more often. They are dedicated to channeling that passion to improve the future of bicycling. Their goal is to gather a million names of support, to speak with one, powerful voice. To make bicycling safer, more convenient and appealing for everyone.

Three B – what was your main focus when you decided to start peopleforbikes.org?

Joan Harrold – We started Peopleforbikes.org to unify all of the people that love to ride bikes, but have never before taken a stand in support of it. We wanted to make it easy for Americans to show that they care about bicycling and want it to become safer, more accessible, and more fun for anyone who wants to ride. That’s why we created the pledge (http://www.peopleforbikes.org/pages/pledge). It’s an easy way to support bicycling that doesn’t come with the intimidation, costs and commitments of other bike advocacy efforts.

3B – What does a donation of say, 20$ do for peopleforbikes.org?

JH – Supporting Peopleforbikes.org with a donation allows us to continue to work for better bicycling infrastructure, increased funding for bike initiatives, and more. Every dollar you contribute to the movement is tax-deductible and will go toward improving biking in our country.

3B – What are some of the challenges you face as a group when trying to put into place new bike initiatives? and how can we as a biking community help?

JH – The biggest challenge for bicycling right now is getting the financial backing on the federal level that we need in order to create a widespread bike network that will make riding a safe option for anyone. The largest single source of funding for bicycling comes from the federal transportation bill, which is renewed every 5-6 years. Right now, we’re waiting on the next renewal, but things are slow in Washington with other priorities and a historically large national deficit. Cost-effective investments in bicycling boost our economy, help individuals and government agencies save money, and directly address key societal challenges such as obesity and road congestion. They benefit individuals, communities, and our nation. In these tough economic times, our federal government can only afford to invest in solutions that solve multiple problems. Bicycling fits the bill!
The bicycling community can help by spreading the word about PFB and getting others to sign the pledge. The larger we can make our movement, the more clout we have when we go to Washington to tell our leaders that bicycling is an answer. The bicycling community can also help by sending an email to state and national representatives about timely issues when we ask. We will never cry wolf — we will only ask for the community’s support at key moments. And, we’ll always provide a template letter and an easy way to email your representatives straight from our website.

3B – Story time. When did you first realize you had such a passion for bicycling?

JH – Like everyone who works for Bikes Belong, I love to ride. Most of my riding consists of weekend cruiser rides to the park with my husband, and riding from the bus station to my office on the Boulder Creek Path. Of all of the memories I have of riding bikes, probably the one that stands out the most is teaching my little brother how to ride. He’s 12 years younger than me, so it was a real way that we could connect in a time when I was busy thinking about boys and he was more interested in squirt guns and video games. I can remember very clearly the moment when riding a bike clicked for him — when he figured out the balance and the speed, and just rode away. I think that same part of bicycling — sharing it with others and helping them to ride more often — is what brought me to Bikes Belong and the Peopleforbikes.org movement.

3B – What would be your perfect biking world?

JH – Imagine a place where one bike lane leads to the next. Where trails, bridges and underpasses lead safely to exactly where you want to go. And regardless of your bicycling experience or fitness, you can pedal smoothly across the street, across town or even across the country. The PFB campaign is working to make this vision a reality.

The great part about Peopleforbikes.org is that we’re trying to unite ANYONE who rides a bike EVER. So, it doesn’t matter if you ride a bike once a day or once a year… whether you’re a commuter, a roadie, a mountain biker or just a casual rider. By uniting your voice with a million others, you can help build a national movement to improve bicycling in our country. For my part, I stick mostly to commuting and cruising, but we’ve got every type of rider represented on the PFB team.

3B – Finish this sentence… a world without bikes…

JH – Is a world I’d never want to live in.

We here at Three B Zine would like to say Thank You to Joan and People For Bikes for sharing their ideas and visions with us! Please visit peopleforbikes.org and bikesbelong.org . While there please sign the pledge to help unite a million voices to improve the biking world! Change begins with YOU! www.peopleforbikes.org/pages/pledge

Joan Harrold is the marketing and communications manager for Bikes Belong and the Peopleforbikes.org (PFB) movement. Joan has been leading PFB since it’s launch in early 2010 and has been working for Bikes Belong for two years.

 
Special Thanks to Joan Harrold and all the wonderful people at peopleforbikes.org. Pictures used by permission courtesy of peopleforbikes.org.