Dr. Susan Handy
UC Davis
Melissa Torres
Facebook Seattle
Jackie Craver
Nintendo of America
Teri Smith
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
About
Bikes Make Life Better organizes this annual event for the world’s best organizations to learn effective methods for integrating bikes into a healthy, sustainable transportation program.
Come meet your peers, share best practices (and lessons learned) and take back great ideas you can implement right away.
Program
Changing Behavior: The Power of Fun
Dr. Susan Handy, UC Davis
Many of us remember how fun it was to ride our bikes as kids. Could that impact how we think about biking – and if we’re open to riding – as adults? Studies show that the way an individual feels about bicycling – the degree to which they like it – is an important predictor of whether or not they ride. But why do some people like bicycling and others don’t? More Info
Susan Handy, professor of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis and director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation, will share with us her research exploring the factors that influence an individual’s attitudes toward bicycling. Understanding the positive influences (and potential determinants) of bicycling can help provide direction for the development of policies and programs for getting more people on bikes. Playing up the fun factor may help us change behavior. Come find out more.
Rain or Shine: How Seattle Empowers Employees to Ride
Teri Smith, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Jackie Craver, Nintendo of America | Melissa Torres, Facebook Seattle
Metro Seattle – and its large employers – have made a major commitment to getting employees out of their cars and onto bikes. The results are impressive, especially when you consider that it rains half the year! What’s their secret? More Info
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, located in downtown Seattle, uses cash incentives, peer collaboration, and a popular TDM platform to track and encourage all non-SOV commuting, including bikes. True to their mission, they also use charitable giving as a motivator.
Nintendo of America, located in Redmond (Bicycle Capital of the Northwest), uses a unique combination of top-level support and grass-roots encouragement. With executives saying “it’s the right thing to do,” Nintendo has bike facilities and policies in place. But the real magic happens with a large and active group of avid bike commuters. These informal bike ambassadors help to make a real difference in getting new folks on bikes. No surprise, Nintendo finds ways to make riding in the rain fun.
Facebook, also downtown, in popular South Lake Union, has enviable end-of-trip bike facilities, including a full-service bike shop, first-floor secure bike room with best-in-class double-decker racks, adjacent showers and lockers, and a marine-quality drying system for wet commute gear. Their education, outreach and internal marketing programs help spread the word and encourage greater participation. We’d expect nothing less from the social networking behemoth.
Come learn from these leading organizations and take back techniques you can try within your own program – rain (snow!) or shine.
Tour of Facebook’s Bike Infrastructure
At this year’s Bike Forum, you’ll have the opportunity to see Facebook’s Platinum-level bike friendly infrastructure. Our walking tour will include their flagship bike shop, a central transit stop, interior and exterior bike parking, and a tunnel under a major highway that connects the campus by way of the Bay Trail. Seeing for yourself how these pieces support Facebook’s robust transportation program will be a highlight of the day!
Using Technology to Streamline and Scale a Commuter Bike Program
Lucy Tice, Google | Dan Smedley, Google
Google knows a thing or two about how to positively affect our lives with technology. They also know how to get their employees out of their cars. With one of the best corporate bike programs in the country and a bike commute mode split of 6%, they’re continuously learning and improving. More Info
Come hear how Google uses software platforms to manage their robust loaner bike program (including 500 e-bikes), target and communicate with employees who live close to work, incentivize bike commuting, track employee behavior and make continuous improvement. Their goal is to be fully automated on one platform by the end of this year. We can all learn from their work!
Building Bike Culture Through Infrastructure, Programs and Engagement
Ben Pacho, LinkedIn
LinkedIn has an award-winning bike program, focused on helping employees ride to work, as well as around campus during the day. Awarded a Platinum certification by the League of American Bicyclists and recognized for its innovative “Blue Line” bike pathway by PeopleForBikes, they’re leading the way with its progressive corporate bike programs. More InfoLinkedIn’s bike program includes: GPS-enabled bike fleet (only one bike lost in two years!); a large and active Bike Champs program; collaborative partnerships with its Wellness and Sustainability teams; ongoing employee engagement with a regular schedule of classes, rides, events and communications; and continuous work with the City of Sunnyvale to improve local infrastructure. Learn how all these elements work together to create a vibrant bike culture.
Location & Time
Facebook HQ, Menlo Park, CA
Wednesday, June 12
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Map | Hotel Recommendations
Registration
Registration for the 2019 Bike Forum is now closed. If you have any questions, please contact Petrice Espinosa at petrice@bikesmakelifebetter.com
This event is by invitation only. If you would like to invite a colleague, please email petrice@bikesmakelifebetter.com
Protecting your information is essential to us. We may contact you to qualify your needs and interest in Bikes Make Life Better, but we will never share contact details or related information with third parties.
“Bikes Make Life Better put on an inspiring event. The forum was a great opportunity to learn from other organizations with robust bike programs and get a better sense of the challenges and opportunities organizations face in the world of employer bike programs.”
Drew Dresman, Transportation Planner, Seattle Children’s Hospital
“Bikes Make Life Better was so welcoming and made an effort to connect attendees. So much of the important things you learn come from that.”
Brie Fulton, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
“The Forum was full of great ideas, passionate people, and very well-organized.”
Sadie Chanlett-Avery, Clif Bar
