Campus Connection

UW-La Crosse Associate Professor James Longhurst wants to pave the way for campus to be safer for bicycles and pedestrians. The History Department faculty member is recruiting volunteers this fall to help collect data to apply for national League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly University recognition. This is the first time UW-L will apply to the new, national program that recognizes universities planning for and encouraging alternative transportation. Only four state universities have earned bicycle-friendly status so far: UW Madison, with a silver award; and UW-Eau Claire, UW-Milwaukee and Carroll University, all bronze awards. With support from the UW-L Foundation, Longhurst is launching the “UW-L ON THE GO” project, which will conduct opinion surveys, focus groups, interviews and counts of bikers and pedestrians. Data gathered will help shape a safe and sustainable bicycle/pedestrian plan for campus and a first-time application for national recognition as a “Bicycle Friendly University.” The application requires documenting what the campus is doing to promote alternative modes of transportation and plans for the future. UW-L has a few biking initiatives, but no coordination of these efforts or plan, says Longhurst. [caption id="attachment_36101" align="alignleft" width="350"] UW-La Crosse Associate Professor James Longhurst.[/caption] “My goal is not to immediately achieve bicycle friendly university status. We likely won’t get that right away,” says Longhurst. “The hope is to create a plan; but receiving recognition on our first application would be great." Volunteers who join Longhurst will help him take the first steps toward that plan. They’ll count bicycles and pedestrians in designated areas on campus Sept. 24, and Oct. 21. They can sign up for timeslots from 1-5 hours. Sign up now. The “UW-L On The Go,” project will also involve conducting surveys and focus groups to find out how students, faculty and staff walk and ride to campus, and what their concerns and goals are for the future of safely walking and biking to work. Longhurst received a $1,400 grant from the UW-L Foundation to do the bike advocacy work during his sabbatical in 2014-15.

Riding a national bike boom

Bike popularity on campus is part of a surge in bicycling nationally over the last decade from bike share in New York City to Cyclovia events in Los Angeles. The national increase was fueled by an economic downturn that left many young people looking for transportation more affordable than cars. Also, urban planners have been working to accommodate a growing interest in more “walkable cities” as opposed to suburban life and hour-long commutes, notes Longhurst. The City of La Crosse is already one of 13 Wisconsin communities with bicycle-friendly status. In 2012 La Crosse renewed its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which calls for more steps to make biking and walking safer, and more inviting to city residents. The plan has many initiatives, including a bicycle sharing program and “bicycle boulevards” where cars and bikes are encouraged to share the street. Longhurst’s work this academic year will focus on how the campus will fit into the city’s master plan. For instance, the city’s bike boulevards are designated on streets that traverse and surround the campus. “There a lot of things happening and I think students and employees on campus can benefit from these changes,” notes Longhurst. Ultimately, more effort to incorporate all modes of transportation will make the campus safer for all, including drivers, he says. Longhurst already has a steering committee of faculty, staff and community leaders. He is excited to invite student volunteers and other supporters to join him. The Wisconsin Bicycle Federation, city and county government, and neighborhood associations all will be involved. Email Longhurst at jlonghurst@uwlax.edu for more information. Visit the website.

A new book on bike history

Longhurst is author of the book “Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road,” which will be released this spring by University of Washington Press. In the book Longhurst explores a long history of choosing one type of transportation over another, which has left people today with difficulty finding places to walk or bike safely in their communities. Longhurst has also published other research on history and bicycling, including a 2013 article in the Journal of Policy History. He will also contribute a chapter on bicycle paths of the Twin Cities of the 1890s to a book, “Two Cities, One Hinterland: An Environmental History of the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota,” forthcoming in 2015. Learn more about making biking accessible and safe on the Wisconsin Bike Fed website.