Community Bicycle Congress
Exploring transportation alternatives for Boise State University and beyond!
About "Us" – A Reasonably Complete Story of the Bicycle Congress
“We” are a grassroots initiative currently being facilitated by George C. Knight, faculty member in the Department of Philosophy at Boise State. Professor Knight began staging “bike to work/bike to school” events in May of 2004, encouraging Boise State University students, faculty and staff to commute by bicycle. Coincidentally, Boise State President Bob Kustra and Boise City Mayor Dave Bieter convened a press conference at the foot of Friendship Bridge, to announce formation of a Boise State University/City of Boise Working Group through which the university could collaborate with city government on measures to promote (among other things) the use of alternative transportation. Mayor Bieter, reading his proclamation that city government could benefit from the university’s resources, stood just 50 yards from the university’s main quadrangle where, as part of the university’s “bike to work week,” Boise State students, faculty and staff were bringing bicycles for mechanical inspection and repair.
At that moment was born the idea of a "Community Bicycle Congress" that would be both a point of encouragement for individuals learning to commute by bicycle, and a node of engagement between the university and its community - an open forum where local concerns could meet global knowledge.
Communities around the world have become interested in replacing automobile commute trips with bicycle trips. A growing body of research, much of it current and awaiting publication, exists on the subject of bicycle-oriented urban planning. Unpublished current research is locally of interest to planners, engineers and policymakers who, with workloads which deny time for travel to far-away conferences or conventions, would benefit directly from a Community Bicycle Congress bringing global knowledge to Boise.
Or so it was concluded, in 2004. Subsequently, the conclusion has been confirmed.
In 2005 A Community Bicycle Congress began inviting, to a symposium held in May, professional practitioners whose work in bicycle transportation planning is current and cutting-edge. Panelists in 2005 included the bicycle program manager for the City of San Francisco; a member of Portland State University's faculty, and a faculty member from the University of Minnesota. Also on the 2005 panel was a consultant who practices travel demand management both in the United States and in Canada. Attending the conference were Boise State University students, staff and faculty, as well as professional planners from local and state government and from the private sector. A member of then-Governor Kempthorne’s advisory staff was present, as were representatives from the City of Coeur d’Alene.
In May of 2006, the second Community Bicycle Congress brought researchers from Iowa State University, from the University of Minnesota, and from Texas A & M University. A professional planner based in Portland, Oregon presented her current research. Audience members once again included faculty, staff and students of Boise State University; professional planners from local and state government; interested citizens from the Treasure Valley; and members of the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance. Representatives returned from Coeur d’Alene, and were joined by a planner from Spokane, Washington. To see details of both Congresses, follow this link http://www.boisestate.edu/bicyclecongress/conference.shtml
Annual symposia have been made possible through a combination of gifts and grants from outside Boise State University, along with a small supplemental fund from the University itself. Contributors’ gifts also have made possible the development and maintenance of this web site and, in 2006, videotaping of conference presentations. Videos aired weekly during August and September, 2006 on the public access television station (TVTV) and on Boise State University Television Productions’ cable network. Thanks to all these efforts, the Community Bicycle Congress can claim a regionally solid base of interest.
The Bicycle Congress also enjoys a high profile within Boise State University. Each annual symposium has been surrounded by events and activities to encourage bicycle commuting. In May of 2005, the university campus came alive with outdoor exhibits and displays stressing the importance of bicycling as alternative transportation, and stressing the health benefits of active transportation. Outdoor booths were provided for bicycle registration, and there were outdoor stations where students, faculty and staff could bring bicycles for mechanical inspection with simple repairs. There were displays of gear and equipment to suit the bicycle commuter, and each morning there were organized rides to campus, following routes designed and mapped especially for commuters to Boise State University. For routes, follow this link http://www.boisestate.edu/bicyclecongress/routes/
Organized rides were again a centerpiece of activities during the second Bicycle Congress in May of 2006, with a new emphasis. Whereas the rides of 2005 attempted to gather inbound bicycle commuters, the 2006 rides endeavored to interest those outbound by offering three evening rides, each with a different destination. Riders (and others) convened each evening under a canopy on the main campus quadrangle, for a social hour featuring healthy snacks and drinks. After visiting and fueling up, riders departed for destinations that included the “Fettucine Forum” in downtown Boise; a meeting of Ada County Highway District’s Bicycle Advisory Committee; and, just for fun, the Eighth Street district of downtown Boise.
In 2007, when the regional “May in Motion” incentive changed its calendar by moving “Bike to Work Week” into the third week of May, the Bicycle Congress responded with its own calendar changes. First, activities to encourage commuting by bicycle became part of a semester-long, campus-wide promotion sponsored jointly by the Bicycle Congress, the Department of Kinesiology, Campus Recreation, and Health, Wellness and Counseling Services. Second, the Bicycle Congress community symposium was moved into the month of April.
These patterns will hold true in 2008 and beyond. Wellness Services and Campus Recreation continue to promote commuting by bicycle as part of an active lifestyle. Visit their web sites to learn of activities and incentives. The Bicycle Congress continues to offer a community symposium in which planners and policymakers may convene and ask, “how can our transportation systems best incorporate the bicycle—a non-polluting, healthful mode of travel? How can we foster communities whose citizens ride their bikes?”