Bicycle Advocacy and Education

"Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles"

- John Forester

Bicycle Education Resources

Below are links to useful Bicycle Education resources available on the internet.

League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling Program Education has been a core activity of the League's since the late 1970‘s when John Forester created the Effective Cycling program. The League ran the program for more than 20 years, before evolving the education program into today's Smart Cycling program — following basically the same principles — with a significant growth in the number of instructors. This site includes online educational videos: https://www.bikeleague.org/content/ride-smart-0.

Cycling Education from LAB Reform - Bicycle Education materials form League Cycling Instructors: https://www.labreform.org/education/index.html.

Cycling Savvy - Cycling Savvy is a new traffic cycling curriculum from Florida Bicycle Association (FBA). It was developed by former League Cycling Instructors Keri Caffrey and Mighk Wilson: https://cyclingsavvy.org

Bicycle Education from the City of Albuquerque - The Parks and Recreation Department offers two bicycle safety courses: Bicycle Commuting Essentials and Advanced Bicycle Mechanics: https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/programs-lessons/recreation/bicycle-safety

New Mexico Bicycle Advocacy News

Albuquerque 50 Mile Loop. See the latest information on the proposed 50 mile recreational loop around Albuquerque. https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/priorities-and- initiatives/initiatives/abq-the-plan/50-mile-loop

NMTS Policy on Obeying Traffic Laws

The NMTS Board of Directors has promulgated this policy in November 2001. The New Mexico Touring Society encourages and expects its members to obey all state and municipal traffic laws. The State of New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque require bicyclists to obey all traffic laws that apply to motor vehicles. Also NMTS is a member of the League of American Bicyclists, which advocates that bicyclists obey traffic laws. The Albuquerque Traffic Code Subsection 16.5 states the traffic regulations that apply to persons riding bicycles:

Operators of bicycles have the same rights a operators of automobiles in the use of streets, highways, and roadways within the City of Albuquerque, except as otherwise specifically provided herein. Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be subject to all duties applicable to the drivers of motor vehicles, except otherwise expressly provided in this article and except which by their nature can have no applications of this article to which a motorist is subject.

Area Bicycle Laws

Albuquerque Traffic Ordinance (City Ordinances Website) - Requires motorists give bicycles 5 ft. clearance (8-3-3-11), ... https://www.amlegal.com/albuquerque_nm/
Arizona Bike Laws - (Arizona State Website): https://www.pagnet.org/bikemap/Bike_laws.html

Los Alamos County Ordinances (Ch 38-541) - Requires motorists give cyclists a five foot overtaking clearance (38-545). Helmets required for children (<18). Similar to the state ordinances but more detailed: https://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=13397&sid=31

New Mexico State Bicycle Laws - See sections 66-3-(701 - 707): NM State Bicycle Laws

Note that the New Mexico mandatory side path law was repealed in 1997. Also note that bicycles are permitted on I-10, I-25 and I-40 in rural areas of New Mexico (outside Albuquerque and Las Cruces).

Rio Rancho - Article VIII: Operation of Bicycles: Modified in March 2012 to make it more in line with Albuquerque. Now requires motorists give bicycles 5 ft. clearance: https://www. codepublishing.com/nm/riorancho/

Bicycle Laws in the rest of the U.S - MassBike: https://www.massbike.org/bikelaw/

New Mexico Bicycle Advocacy Organizations

BikeABQ - An advocacy group for bicycle commuters and bicyclists of all kinds in Albuquerque: https://www.bikeabq.org/

New Mexico Bicycle Educators - Their mission is to encourage, promote, support and provide quality bicycle education to children, youth, and adults throughout New Mexico: https://nmbikeed.org

New Mexico Touring Society - Recreational bicycling club for riders of all abilities, from beginners to experts. Club members plan and lead one-day and multi-day road and mountain bike rides. https://www.NMTS.org

Trail Partners - Central NM affiliate of IMBA ( International Mountain Bicycling Association ) that works with local land agencies (US Forest Service, City of Albquerque, NPS etc.) to preserve and expand NM's trail network for mountain bikers. They host monthly trail projects from March through October each season. Everyone is welcome. If you've been riding in the foothills or east Mountain Area you've riding on trails build and maintained by Trail Partners. They are working with the US Forest Service to design and build replacement trails for those lost in the Otero Canyon area due to DOD boundary fence. Information available at Two Wheel Drive Bicycle shop, 1706 Central SE Alb. NM 87106 or 243-8443, e-mail: bicycles@twowheeldrive.com

Duke City Wheelmen Ghost bikes and more

Bicycle Advocacy Links

America Bikes - A new national coalition of cyclists to mobilize cyclists to contact legislators: https://www.americabikes.org/

Bikes Belong Coalition - Founded by bicycle industry leaders with the mission of "putting more people on bikes more often." https://bikesbelong.org/site/index.cfm

Bicycle Colorado - Colorado bicycling advocacy in Denver: https://www.bicyclecolo.org/

BicycleLaw.com - Bicyclelaw.com is a web site that offers bicycling accident advice for cyclists including those injured by motorists, unsafe conditions and defective cycling products. Injured cyclists will find information about what to do after an accident to best protect their rights. Contact information and cycling links of interest are also provided.I You may find informative and sometimes entertaining articles of interest to cyclists. https://www.bicyclelaw.com/

BicyclingInfo.org - A clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement, access and mobility: https://www.bicyclinginfo.org/

Bicycle Transportation Alliance - A non-profit bicycle advocacy organization based in Portland, Oregon: https://www.bta4bikes.org/

BikeDFW - Bicycle Advocacy in North Texas: https://www.bikedfw.org/

Chainguard Online - A major Bicycle Advocacy Site: https://chainguard.org/

Chicago Bicycle Federation: https://www.chibikefed.org/

Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists - A nonprofit organization devoted to advancing bicycling as a sport and mode of transportation through cooperation with local and state governments: https://www.cazbike.com/

John Allen's Bicycling Research and Information: https://www.bikexprt.com/

John Forester - Effective Cycling and Highway Issues. "The Effects of Bikelane System Design on Cyclists' Traffic Errors". https://www.johnforester.com/

League of American Bicyclists (LAB) - Bicycle advocacy, events, training, online tips, links to LAB affiliates, and news: https://www.bikeleague.org/

Marin County Bicycle Coalition: https://www.marinbike.org/

People For Bikes: https://www.peopleforbikes.org

Ohio Bicycle Federation - Involved in UVC updates: https://www.ohiobike.org/

Safe Routes to Schools - https://www.saferoutestoschools.org/

Surface Transportation Policy Project - A non-profit organization working to ensure a diversified transportation system emphasizing the needs of people, rather than vehicles: https://www.transact.org/

Texas Bicycle Coalition - Led the effort to stop a state law to ban bicycles from rural Texas highways in 2001: https://www.biketexas.org/

Alliance for Biking and Walking - National Coalition of state and local bicycle advocacy organizations: https://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org