LAB recognizes several local businesses as Bicycle Friendly

As part of the League of American Bicyclists bicycle friendly businesses program, several local businesses were recognized. This includes

• The Bike Rack in Washington, DC - Silver
• The Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC - Bronze
• Deloitte, LLP Arlington, VA - Bronze
• Gibbs & Cox, Inc in Arlington, VA - Bronze
• The Nature Conservancy in Arlington, VA - Bronze
• The American Wind Energy Association in Washington, DC - Honorable Mention
• REI Rockville - Honorable Mention
• 55 Hundred in Arlington, VA - Honorable Mention
• Airlines Reporting Corporation in Arlington, VA - Honorable Mention
• Hobson's in Arlington, VA - Honorable Mention

So Arlington pretty much wins. 

Comments

[Wilbur]

YAY! FCC! This is model management support for staff cyclists! A great agency!

[Dan_ator]

Isn't it sort of obvious that a bicycle store (the bike rack) would be bicycle friendly? Is this like having an award for the cleanest bar of soap?

[Jonathan Krall]

Dan, The world (or at least the US) is hip deep in bicycle shops that have no provision for bicycle parking. When I travel I bring a bicycle (a Bike Friday) and often visit bike shops, usually in search of a local bike map (I do this less since Google Maps added a bicycle layer). By this method, I run into non-bike-friendly bike shops all the time.

[MM]

@Dan

This past weekend I rode out to Bailey's Crossroads to pick some things up at REI and Performance Bike...it's a decent distance ride, both stores are located close together, and they each have a broader selection of gear than my neighborhood shops. So being apparently naive and only somewhat familiar with that particular area, I thought "why not?". Anyway, Bailey's is one of the worst areas I've had the displeasure of biking in....just terrible. It's so terrible, in fact, that the Performance shop there doesn't even have a bike rack! I had to lock my bike up to a sign in one of those concrete curb shrubbery island things that separates parking from the main driveway. REI was only slightly better, with one of those wavy style racks that could hold maybe 3 bikes. So yeah, bike shops are not, by definition, bike friendly.

[Dan_ator]

@ MM and Jonathan: I suppose you are right. I usually bring my bike into the store, even if there is bike parking, figuring that it is less likely to be stolen and if any store would allow that, it would be a bike store.

Anyways, if this is the case, why would BicycleSpace not top bike rack? I mean, bike rack has one rack outside, at least as of the last time I was there. BicycleSpace has that, plus one of those red bike stand things with attached tools so you can work on your bike. In Georgetown, both Bicycle Pro Shop and Revolution have racks outside. So I still do not see what makes Bike Rack any better than these.

[Eric_W.]

@Dan_ator: Of course, you have to play to win. If the other bike shops have not submitted an application, then they cannot receive a LAB certification.

[Jonathan Krall]

What Eric W said. LAB's program is a good way to engage businesses on the topic of bicycling. Even in Europe, business owners severely underestimate the number of people who shop by bicycle (see page 6 of http://copenhagenize.eu/dox/Commerce_and_Bicycles-Thomas_Krag.pdf , caveat: the figure I refer to is from 1995).

In the US, the perception is that virtually no one shops by bicycle, especially at grocery stores. Fighting that is an uphill battle.

[Wilbur]

Re BFB Bike Stores - yup. Check out Big Wheel Bikes at Lyon Village Arlington on the Custis Trail - the shopping center is down right hostile to cyclists - with "NO BIKE TRAIL PARKING" everywhere. Compare that to Shirlington where half the patrons are cyclists, the other half are dog owners, and everyone is having a great time (spending money). BFB is a darn good way to become a destination for weekend rides - I love my weekend rides to Shirlington.