Public policy and advocacy contribute to bicycle safety in many ways. The League of Michigan Bicyclists is active in setting this policy, and in advocating for vulnerable roadway users. I met recently with LMB Executive Director John Lindenmayer to get an insight into how this all works.

John grew up in west Michigan, in Berrien County. He now lives in Lansing with his wife and 2 young boys. He’s been with the league for 15 years, and became Executive Director about 4 years ago.

The League is out to promote bicycling and the safety of all bicyclists on Michigan roadways. That’s a pretty broad statement, so I asked John how he prioritizes his activities to meet the mission.

His reply: “Well, the way I see it, there are two big facets of that mission. The first is that we promote bicycling in Michigan. That’s pretty open-ended, which gives us a lot of leeway and a lot of fun. It allows us to stretch a little bit and branch out, anything that encourages people to ride bikes.”

“The second part of our mission is safety driven. We’re focused on road cycling. We work with other groups who focus more on trails and mountain biking. Road cycling is our niche, in terms of advocacy, education, and safety.”

Last year was a high water mark for the League. Seven different public acts, each pushed by the League, were signed into law. Electric bikes are now recognized as bicycles (not mopeds), and you can no longer get a ticket if your bike rack obstructs the license plate.

More important, Michigan took major steps to promote safety. Motorists are now required to have at least three feet clear when passing a bicycle. In addition, driver training courses must add time teaching about non-motorized road users, and how to safely navigate around them in a motor vehicle.

Passing the new laws doesn’t mean the hard work is over. Education is a priority, according to John: “We’re going to have to do a fair amount of public engagement and be creative. We’ll have to find community partners who can help get this message out to the drivers.”

The driver’s education curriculum has to be developed. “We’re working on it right now. We’re partnering with the Department of State who oversees the driver training education curriculum. We want to walk young drivers through some common scenarios they’ll see on the roads. How do you (new driver) drive around those (bicycles and bike lanes)? How do you safely interact with bicycles?”

What is on the agenda for new safety initiatives? Good stuff.

“Distracted driving” said John, “seems to be the issue that really resonates with the cycling community, and to a much broader community as well. We think there might be some opportunities for coalition building.”

This issue affects everyone, so identifying partners is key. John continued:

“There’s a host of groups working on this. The auto industry, the insurance industry, to other groups like us who represent vulnerable roadway users- bicyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities.  I think we can pull a real diverse group of stakeholders together. It’s pretty much common sense. We just have to break this addiction of screens to faces, especially while driving .

You’ve seen ‘Bikes May Use Full Lane’ signs in other states, but they’re not allowed in Michigan. MDOT has given an indication they may like a change, especially since the ‘Share The Road’ signs seem to be directed at no one in particular. The League will push this issue forward so that it has a chance to become part of the code.

I asked John about the board, and his interaction with them. There are 12 members on the board, and they are diverse in their makeup. The board sets the annual budget, and oversees his position as director. “The board is very high-level. They adopt a long range plan every 3 to 5 years, giving staff direction on where to prioritize our limited resources. They help recruit supporters, and help with fundraising.”

“We have a great board right now. They provide guidance, but leave it to me and my staff to administer the goals and make it happen.”

John is modest about his impact on the organization, but he has overseen a doubling of the staff since becoming director. I asked him to name an instance where the board followed his lead on an issue. His answer:

“So since I took the Executive Director position, there’s two new projects I’ve added which I’m really excited about. One is the Micro Grant program. We’re giving funds out for projects which meet our mission, and which help under served populations bicycle more. We’ve done two year’s of these grants, and we’re excited to do our third round this year.”

“The other thing the board was excited about is our one-day event called HUB-Fest. We wanted to host a celebration (for all bicyclists). It’s really four events in one, with a big after-party.”

HubFest will include some road rides, a gravel grinder ride, a wine tasting event, and a family-friendly ride. There’s 3 bands at the party, too. You can read more about it  here.

The League of Michigan Bicyclists has a great structure, and it allows for everyday folks to participate on different levels. Guests on their tours contribute to the micro grant programs. The Lucinda Means Advocacy Day allows you and I to become bicycle experts for a day, meeting with the legislature to improve roadway safety. The results of these concentrated efforts benefit all roadway users.

If you live in Michigan and ride a bicycle, please join and support the  League of Michigan Bicyclists.

Our fourth safety blog post focuses on Eleanor McMahon, former member of the Ontario parliament, and founder of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition. She overcame the devastating loss of her husband to a cycling crash by turning it into motivation to change the culture and the traffic laws in Ontario. Stay tuned!

The post Safety at the state level; an interview with John Lindenmayer appeared first on Bike Tour Vacations.