Cyclist Friendly Communities Award

Overview

Many of the most important things you can do cost very little.  The greatest need is to understand how to drive a bicycle as a vehicle, use this knowledge to carry out your civic duties and teach your citizens.  We offer much of the information you need right here.  Please contact us for help.

The first communities that have earned the award are the city of Vandalia, near Dayton and NASA Glenn Research Center, near Cleveland.

Reference Material Toolkit:

The Toolkit can help you improve conditions in your community.  It covers policy & planning, ordinances, education, signal detectors and parking.

Disclaimer:  Some of the material shown here is from outside sources and is provided as a public service.  The Ohio Bicycle Federation does not control these sources and is not responsible for their content.

Bicycle Transportation Policy Statement (pdf file).  Ohio Bicycle Fed. guidelines for planners and city officials.

Improving the Cycling Environment, an illustrated article by Fred Oswald that gives tips on fixing road hazards, proper shoulder width, appropriate facilities, dealing with problems, sidewalk issues, etc.

Ohio Bicycle Traffic Law Digest.  Excerpts from Ohio traffic laws with explanations for what they mean to cyclists.

Guide for Bicycle Traffic Ordinances.  Guidelines for local ordinances that are fair, uniform and promote safety.

Model Local Bicycle Code.  A model package of local bicycle laws that promote safe practices and are consistent with Ohio traffic law.

Ohio Cycling Instructors.  List of certified BikeEd instructors from Ohio including contact information.  Use these people to review your plans and teach cycling classes, including training seminars for law enforcement or city officials.

Cycling Education.  Links for many more articles on education, including presentations, handouts, videos and a photo gallery.

Bicycle Blunders by Fred Oswald.  Illustrated article discusses common blunders (serious mistakes) related to bicycle use, education, advocacy, engineering, and traffic laws.  These blunders make cycling more difficult, more dangerous and threaten our right to use the roads.  Article concludes with "Getting beyond the Blunders" -- how to avoid repeating these mistakes.

Let's Stop Miseducating Society About Cycling.  Much of what we were taught as kids is wrong and some is dangerous.  This article explains why and how this happened and how to stop the circle of misinformation.

Dilemmas of Bicycle Planning by Paul Schimek, An excellent discussion of issues that should be understood by every bicycle planner.

National Police Bicycle Awareness Curriculum, a new program developed through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For information, contact the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition.

The International Police Mountain Bike Assoc. runs classes for police bicycle patrols.

Getting Vehicle Detectors to Detect Bicycles 2-page illustrated flyer by Fred Oswald.
Re-Evaluating Signal Detector Loops article by Alan Wachtel
Detection of Bicycles by Quadrapole Loops at Demand-Actuated Traffic Signals article by Steven Goodridge.

MassBike Bicycle Parking Reference.  Links to many pages of information, including city ordinances, guidance on devices (racks & lockers), manufacturers, etc.

Cycling Educational Materials

We have several flyers below as pdf files.  These are available as a public service at no charge except your cost to duplicate.  Download the file, and print to make a master that you can then photocopy.  A laser printer may give best results.  (Some flyers have tight margins so they may not print properly on an ink jet printer.)

Bicycle Driving Seminar slideshow