Miller is president and chief executive officer of D.C.-based Alliance for Biking and Walking, an organization of cycling and pedestrian advocacy groups across North America. The alliance was founded in 1996.
Tell me a little bit about the Alliance for Biking and Walking.
Our mission is to help create, strengthen and unite these state and local organizations, and to help people who care about biking and walking focus on really making their community a better place to bike and walk.
Is D.C. a bike-friendly town?
It is a bike-friendly town. Certainly the addition of the 15th Street protected bike lane, the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes, which we’re very excited about, and the Smartbike system as well as the launching of Capital Bikeshare — those are all very substantial improvements that we’ve seen in just the past few years. But I think there are definitely opportunities for [more] improvement.
How does the District compare to other U.S. cities?
We’ve pulled together a lot of research in a report comparing all 50 states and the 51 largest cities in the U.S. in terms of biking and walking levels, of policies, of funding that’s spent and so forth. D.C. ranks seventh of the 51 largest cities for bike trips to work. … D.C. is doing a great job.
Is the popularity of biking increasing or decreasing in the U.S.?
As far as bike trips for all purposes, particularly transportation and commuting purposes, we’re definitely seeing a lot of increases.
What are some areas of concern for your organization?
Biking and walking account for nearly 10 percent of all trips, but they also account for nearly 13 percent of fatalities and serious crashes. Yet only 1 percent of transportation safety dollars go toward addressing the issues of biking and walking safety. So there’s not a fair share of transportation funding going toward those safety issues.
– Markham Heid
