Posted 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Cyclist and UWL historian James Longhurst will tackle the question of why most American cities are still ill-prepared to handle bicycles as transportation.
Cyclist and UW-La Crosse historian James Longhurst will tackle the question of why most American cities are still ill-prepared to handle bicycles during a keynote address at a statewide bike summit in La Crosse.
The 2016 Wisconsin Bike Summit, organized by the Wisconsin Bike Fed, will be 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at the Radisson Hotel, La Crosse. The summit is scheduled to complement the Midwest Active Transportation Conference being held May 20, at UWL. Find more information on the Active Transportation Conference here: http://news.uwlax.edu/no-car-required/
At the bike summit, Longhurst will present “Bike Battles: Wisconsin and the Sidepath Network that Doesn't Exist” at noon. Lunch begins at 11:45 a.m. and Longhurst’s presentation will be over lunch.
Across the nation it is politically difficult to talk about adding bicycle lanes and paths partly because people have forgotten bicycle history, says Longhurst. In the 1890s an entire bicycle transportation network existed, promoted by the "sidepath" movement. This history shows the importance of a series of forgotten legal and policy decisions that constrain present-day choices about bicycles as transportation, he says.
Longhurst, an associate professor of history at UWL, is author of “Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road” where he brings together traditional policy research with pop culture to give a deeper account of the history of sharing the road in America. More information about Longhurst’s book is at http://bikebattles.net/
La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat will give the opening remarks at the summit. Learn more and register at http://www.wisconsinbikefed.org/events/bike-summit/
If you go—
What: 2016 Wisconsin Bike Summit
Where: Radisson Hotel, La Crosse
When: Saturday, May 21
Admission: General public: $45. With a valid student ID: $25. Lunch only option featuring a keynote presentation by James Longhurst: $25. Discounted membership: $25.
Learn more and register: http://www.wisconsinbikefed.org/events/bike-summit/
At the bike summit, Longhurst will present “Bike Battles: Wisconsin and the Sidepath Network that Doesn't Exist” at noon. Lunch begins at 11:45 a.m. and Longhurst’s presentation will be over lunch.
Across the nation it is politically difficult to talk about adding bicycle lanes and paths partly because people have forgotten bicycle history, says Longhurst. In the 1890s an entire bicycle transportation network existed, promoted by the "sidepath" movement. This history shows the importance of a series of forgotten legal and policy decisions that constrain present-day choices about bicycles as transportation, he says.
Longhurst, an associate professor of history at UWL, is author of “Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road” where he brings together traditional policy research with pop culture to give a deeper account of the history of sharing the road in America. More information about Longhurst’s book is at http://bikebattles.net/
La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat will give the opening remarks at the summit. Learn more and register at http://www.wisconsinbikefed.org/events/bike-summit/
If you go—
What: 2016 Wisconsin Bike Summit
Where: Radisson Hotel, La Crosse
When: Saturday, May 21
Admission: General public: $45. With a valid student ID: $25. Lunch only option featuring a keynote presentation by James Longhurst: $25. Discounted membership: $25.
Learn more and register: http://www.wisconsinbikefed.org/events/bike-summit/