Bikes Belong is an orgnization that has taken on the the simple yet daughnting goal of increasing the number of bikers by supporting groups throughout the country that want to increase bikability in their area. I thought this was really great and wanted to highlight a local project in Jersey that has worked with Bikes Belong. However, when I went to the Bikes Belong Grant Page and looked at the map of previous grant recipients, the S-shaped which most call New Jersey, and I call home, was void of any grant recipients. The most densly populated, and arguably the most heavily trafficked, state in the nation has not had a single project to increase its bike ridership. I hope that in the coming months one of the organizations I am working with, or another brave bike crew along the NJ Turnpike, will take the lead and put New Jersey bicycling on the map!

To read more about Bikes Belog click here

To view the map of Bikes Belong Grant recipients click here

Good news for all those Jersey organizations that are in need of some funding to help make their schools more bike and walk friendly. The Safe Route To School (SRTS) deadline has been extended to May 2nd. For application info click here.

Three wonderful organizations, REI, Bikes Belong, and League of American Bicyclists (LAB), have joined forces to help promote bicycle friendly communities throughout the country by giving thousands of dollars in grant money to organizations dedicated to creating bike friendly communities. Bike friendly communities are defined by the LAB as displaying “the 5 E’s”:

Engineering – what has been built to promote cycling in the community

Education – teaching cyclists of all ages how to ride safely in any area for multi-use paths to congested city streets as well as teaching motorists how to share the road safely with cyclists

Encouragment – how the community promotes and encourages bicycling

Enforcement – measure the connections between the cycling and law enforcement

Evaluation and Planning – the systems that they have in place to evaluate current programs and plan for the future

So far, money has been given to organizations in Chicago (Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) and New York (Transportation Alternatives)to promote cycling within these major metropolises. For more information on the REI/Bicycle Friendly Communities Grant Program click here.

The Safe Route to School Program provides local governments and organizations with the resources for making biking and walking to school more accessible for kids. Projects like creating bike and walk paths, fixing dangerous roads or intersections, and providing educational resources for pedestrians, bikes, and drivers are all projects that have and can be funded by SRTS. For more information about applying for funding, check out the Steps to Creating a Safe Routes to School Program. For information about statewide funding, contact your state SRTS representative.

The Bikes Belong Coalition is an organization whose mission is simply, yet profound, improve communities by putting more people on bikes. Sponsored through funding by various organizations throughout the biking community, Bikes Belong provides funding for non-profit organizations to increase bike-ability in  their local communities. Since 1999, Bikes Belong has given $1.3 million dollars to local organizations seeking funding. Before you apply for funding, check out the Grant Seeker’s Guide, which tells you who is eligible, who has received funding in the pass, and how to go about applying for funding. Also if you are looking to be part of an organization who really understands the potential of biking as a means of improving communities, you should join Bikes Belong today!