Wisconsin Bike Summit 2012

Wisconsin Bike Summit Celebratory Reception

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin describes the Bike Summit as "an inspiring and informative day that brings our bicycling community together."  The summit facilitated discussion on the current status of cycling in Wisconsin and goals for continuing to make the state a great place to bike.

Legislative meetings were arranged to give cycling enthusiasts the opportunity to tell legislators why cycling is important and to ask them to support the passage of vulnerable user legislation, as well as to create a dedicated and consistent funding source for bicycle infrastructure.  

There were sessions throughout the day focusing on creating bicycle infrastructure, tools for bicycle advocacy, using stats and info to educate leaders, resources to support mountain biking, as well as on the topic of health and active transportation.  Presenters from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota brought their enthusiasm and expertise to the sessions.  

Steve Clark of Transit for Livable Communities gave the keynote speech at the closing session of the summit.  He told the story of how Minneapolis became one of the best places to bike in the country.

The summit ended with a standing ovation honoring Congressman Tom Petri for his efforts to protect funding for bicycle infrastructure.  A reception followed upstairs in a room with a beautiful view of the state capitol. 

More details on the event including the full program, as well as PDFs of presentations, notes and resources, can be found at http://bfw.org/events/wisconsin-bike-summit/.