MADISON, Wis. (BRAIN) — The United States Conference of Mayors Bike Summit kicked off Wednesday night in Madison, Wisconsin. Some 15 mayors from cities in Indiana, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska and New Jersey are attending the first-ever conference this week at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace Hotel to talk bike infrastructure and best practices and what cycling does for communities.
Panels and presentations Thursday and Friday include cycling success stories from the mayors of Madison, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Duluth, Green Bay, Bellevue, Carmel, Piscataway and Sheboygan.
Tim Blumenthal, president of PeopleForBikes, is one of the speakers set to talk about how bicycling can boost city economies through job creation and taxes from suppliers and retailers and through tourism.
"Mayors are so important to bicycling, particularly now as support for cycling in Congress is mixed," Blumenthal said. "Mayors really get it. So this is a really good place for us to be sharing success stories and ideas, and also telling mayors how the bike industry and PeopleForBikes can help."
Martha Roskowski, vice president of local innovation for PFB, also is one of the presenters and will talk about the rise of protected bike lanes.
Also attending and speaking is Chris Fortune, president and CEO of Saris Cycling Group, and representatives from BCycle including Bob Burns, the bike sharing program's president and legal counsel for Trek Bicycle.
PeopleForBikes put together a video on how mayors view cycling and its impact in local communities:
