FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20 , 2008
Contact: Jim Sayer
800-755-2453 x201

Pro Walk/Pro Bike events to cover route network development worldwide & emerging plans for U.S. system

Missoula, Montana—At this year's Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference in Seattle (September 2-5, 2008) two presentations will explore the potential for development of a U.S. Bicycle Route System, a system that could become the largest cycling network in the world.

The Explosion in National and International Cycle Networks – a progress report on building large cycling networks for health, transportation, and the environment
Wednesday, September 3, 10:15am - Westin Seattle
In the last twenty years, there has been an explosion of activity to create national and international cycling networks: The North Sea Cycle Network was just completed. Quebec's La Route Verte was unveiled last year. Major progress is being made on Britain's National Cycle Network and an emerging plan for a U.S. Bicycle Route System. This panel presentation will highlight the development of cycling networks worldwide and discuss the similarities and differences in creating a U.S. system. Expert panelists will include Jim Sayer, executive director of Adventure Cycling Association, Malcolm Shepherd, the new chief executive of Sustrans, Jean François Pronovost, executive director of Vélo Québec Association, and Richard C. Moeur, traffic design manager for the Northern Region of the Arizona Department of Transportation and chairman of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes (an AASHTO committee made up of individuals representing various transportation agencies and bicycling organizations).

U.S. Bicycle Route System – a National Corridor Plan
Thursday, September 4, 9:30-10:15am and 3:15-4pm - Westin Seattle
Steps toward creating a U.S. Bicycle Route System are already underway. This poster session will explore the process that AASHTO's Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes undertook to create a corridor-level plan for the development of future interstate bicycle routes. This session will also provide information on AASHTO's role and interest in developing a national bicycle route system and explore how attendees can develop interstate routes in their own states. Expert panelists will include Ginny Sullivan, new routes coordinator for Adventure Cycling Association, Richard C. Moeur, traffic design manager for the Northern Region of the Arizona Department of Transportation and chairman of the AASHTO Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes, and Gabe Rousseau, US DOT bicycle and pedestrian program manager.

Richard C. Moeur is the traffic design manager for the Northern Region of the Arizona Department of Transportation, responsible for design & operations on thousands of miles of state highways. Richard has over 20 years experience in traffic engineering, including design, construction, operations, and management. He serves as a voting member of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD), and is the chair of the Bicycle Technical Committee of NCUTCD. Richard is the chairman of the AASHTO Task Force on US Bicycle Routes, and also assisted AASHTO with the 1999 edition of the their Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities. He authored a chapter of the 2001 ITE Traffic Control Devices Handbook, and is on the executive board of the ITE Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. He is also the owner of the Manual of Traffic Signs website, and is certified as a League of American Bicyclists cycling education instructor.

Jean François Pronovost is executive director of Vélo Québec Association since 1989. In 1992, he was the chief organizer of Conférence Vélo Mondiale • Pro Bike • Velo City in Montreal. Among the many technical publications he has edited are the Technical Handbook of Bikeway Design (1992, 2003) and Les Sentiers du 21e siècle (1995), a Canadian adaptation of Trails for the Twenty-First Century, from Rails-To-Trails Conservancy. He is currently the head of Québec's Route Verte development, a 4 000-kilometer bike network across Québec which was officially open in August of 2007. Trained as a biologist, Jean François has worked as a nature guide, journalist and television commentator. He has authored numerous books on hiking, cycling, and science. Over the last 20 years, he has spoken to many audiences in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Gabe Rousseau is the US DOT bicycle and pedestrian program manager and he has been in this position for a year. He spent the prior 5 years working for FHWA on bicycle and pedestrian safety research and outreach. His background is in human factors research and he is an avid bicycle commuter.

Jim Sayer is executive director of Adventure Cycling Association, America's largest bicycling non-profit. Adventure Cycling's mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. Jim has directed other non-profits involved in smart growth and transportation, including Greenbelt Alliance and the Sierra Business Council. He also served as senior legislative assistant to Senator Tim Wirth (D-Colo.) and Director of External Affairs for the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (Pacific Southwest Region). He did his undergraduate work at UC Santa Barbara and the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and his master's work at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts and Harvard universities.

Malcolm Shepherd became the new CEO of Sustrans on June 14, 2008. He took over for founding CEO John Grimshaw. Previously, Shepherd served as Sustrans' operations director. He has been with the organization for 12 years. Sustrans is the United Kingdom’s leading sustainable transportation non-profit. Its vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. Sustrans' flagship project, the National Cycle Network, is now around 12,000 miles and runs within one mile of over half the UK population. During 2006, over 338 million trips were made on the Network. It is maintained by a team of 2,400 volunteer Rangers.

Ginny Sullivan is the new routes coordinator for Adventure Cycling Association, the nation's largest nonprofit bicycling organization. Adventure Cycling Association has over 38,000 mapped miles of bicycle routes. Ginny coordinates projects and outreach associated with Adventure Cycling's growing network. Ginny is also a representative on the U.S. Bicycle Route System Task Force and has served as staff support for the project since June of 2005. She received a B.A. in Communication from Montana State University in 1987.

Adventure Cycling Association is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with over 44,000 members. A nonprofit organization, its mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. It produces routes and maps for cycling in North America, organizes more than 40 tours annually, and publishes the best bicycle travel information anywhere, including Adventure Cyclist magazine and The Cyclists' Yellow Pages. With 38,158 meticulously mapped miles in the Adventure Cycling Route Network, Adventure Cycling gives cyclists the tools and confidence to create their own bike travel adventures. Contact the office at (800) 755-BIKE (2453), info@adventurecycling.org, or visit www.adventurecycling.org.