Bicycle Retailer magazine is reporting a recent “historic” meeting with presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Barack Obama, in a private 20-minute meeting with members of the Bikes Belong board of directors, told them if he were elected president he would increase funding for cycling and pedestrian projects. And the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee also said he would support Safe Routes to Schools programs.

He also told them he seldom makes promises on what he would do if elected president, but that this was a promise he would keep. Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong, laid out the industry’s position on boosting funding for cycling-related projects and for Safe Routes to Schools at the meeting.

Stan Day, SRAM’s president, said that Obama “gets it.” He pointed out that Obama understands that bicycles can be part of a solution to issues as diverse as health care, obesity, energy and environmental policy.

On a less serious note, Obama recently went biking with his kids in Chicago. He commented that he looked like Urkel (see photo) in the media’s photographs. On the bright side, he’s apparently better at biking than bowling, but has a ways to go to catch up with President Bush.

The bike industry is hoping to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate John McCain.

Today’s Detroit News has an article on road users switching modes from cars and trucks to cycles — both motorized and not.

Local shops say customers also are dusting off the bikes and cycles they own, fueling a significant increase in demand for tune-ups and repairs.

“We’re seeing bikes that haven’t seen the light of day in years,” said Liz Szewczyk, an employee at Continental Bicycle Shop in Hazel Park. Not only is the maintenance and repair business booming, she said, but also the sale of commuter bikes — those that come with fenders, lights and other safety features for longer commutes.

“When gas was $3.50 (a gallon), customers started trickling in,” Szewczyk said. “Then it hit $4 and (business) went poof.”

The Detroit Free Press also ran a similar piece yesterday.  It includes an interview with Andy Staub from Beat the Train:

Andy Staub, 42, also relies more on his bike, but for commuting 12 miles from his Dearborn Heights home to his job as a slitter operator at Olympic Steel in Detroit.

He used to bike mainly for sport a couple of days a week. But due to gas prices, he’s added a third day and is considering a fourth.

The commute takes him about 50 minutes by bike, compared with 25 minutes when he drives his 1998 Jeep Cherokee.

Ferndale’s bike network was largely initiated with strong support from former City Manager Tom Barwin. The network’s bike lanes were some of the first properly designed lanes in the motor city.

That given, it should be of little surprise that he’s receiving kudos on a Chicago bike blog. Tom is now the Village Manager for Oak Park, Illinois:

The Village of Oak Park, which has already earned recognition for such environmental accomplishments as building the state’s first green public works facility, has added bicycles to its fleet of more than100 vehicles powered by alternative fuels. Two bikes have been refurbished, equipped with panniers and locks, and have been made available for use by employees in the Department of Public Works. Owen Read, the Oak Park Pedestrian and Bicycle Ambassador, yesterday visited the Oak Park DPW for an hour-long information session touching on reasons to ride, bicycle safety, and rules of the road. A number of Public Works employees, from experienced cycle commuters to eager novices, showed up to ask questions and share their own experiences.

Kryptonite just released their Top 10 Worst Cities for Bike Theft and Detroit is not on the list. While I’ve not experienced any theft or attempted theft, others have. Nonetheless, here’s the list:

1. Philadelphia, PA
2. Chicago, IL
3. New York City, NY
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Tucson, AZ (tie)
Portland, OR (tie)
7. Denver, CO
8. New Haven, CT
9. Cambridge, MA
10. Austin, TX

As we noted earlier, American’s drove less in January. While February showed a modest increase, March dropped sharply. In fact it was the sharpest monthly drop in 66 years of reporting.

High gas prices and this continued downward trend (which began in 2006) only reinforces the fact that we need to provide more transportation options for Americans, including public transit and bicycling facilities.

Here is the complete press release from the Federal Highway Administation: (more…)