MISSOULA, Mont. (BRAIN) — Adventure Cycling hopes to raise $125,000 this month for the U.S. Bicycle Route System, a plan to map and designate bike-friendly corridors across the country.
Adventure Cycling has raised $270,000 for the USBRS with Bike Month campaigns over the last four years. So far, 5,973 miles of U.S. Bicycle Routes have been designated.
"Last fall, we celebrated with our partners as new U.S. Bicycle Routes were designated in Tennessee and Maryland," said Adventure Cycling's executive director, Jim Sayer. "The momentum from those designations has inspired other states to pursue USBR development." More than 40 states are working on U.S. Bicycle Routes.
The route system is a project of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
"Cycling is a wonderful way to discover America, get to work, and promote physical fitness," said Bud Wright, executive director of AASHTO. "The goal of the USBRS is to connect communities of all types — urban, suburban, and rural — through a network of cycling facilities that everyone can use. We're proud of this effort. This marks the fifth consecutive year that AASHTO has supported the U.S. Bicycle Route System's annual fundraising campaign."
This year, foundation and individual donors have pledged $40,000 in matching funds to encourage first-time and past donors to support work on the U.S. Bicycle Route System.
The 2014 Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign is sponsored by Planet Bike, Primal Wear, Ortlieb USA, Bike Tours Direct, Sun Bicycles, and Team Estrogen. In-kind sponsors include Beer & Bike Tours, Bike2Power, BikeFlights, Bike Touring News, Cygolite, Detours, Growler Cage, Nutcase, Osprey Packs, Park Tool, Thunder Island Brewing, and Velo Orange.
The U.S. Bicycle Route System is supported in part by grants from the Tawani Foundation, Lazar Foundation, the SRAM Cycling Fund, and Climate Ride.
More information: adventurecycling.org/beapartofit.
