The mission of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) is to grow the pedestrian and bicycle profession and its influence by facilitating the exchange of professional and technical knowledge, elevating practitioners’ skills and defining the field.

Launched in 1994 at the ProBike Conference in Portland, Oregon, APBP grew out of conversations that began at the 1992 Velo-Mondiale Conference and the first U.S. DOT meeting of state Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinators in 1993. A core group of visionaries identified the need for an information exchange among the people working on bicycle and pedestrian transportation in different parts of the country and around the world. Before that time, organizers did not see enough demand for a formal organization.

APBP was founded before the Internet became widely used. Its initial membership comprised a few dozen state and local bicycle and pedestrian coordinators, consultants and advocates. APBP’s first list serve was developed by a professor and an IT staffer at Indiana State University through APBP’s e-mail address at the university. This information exchange blossomed into a formal organization with paying members in 1995, hosted initially by the Bicycle Federation of America (BFA; later the National Center for Biking and Walking). At an organizing meeting in Washington, D.C., Barbara McMillan of the Federal Highway Administration, Andy Clarke and Charlie Gandy of BFA, and Jeff Olson from New York State DOT sketched out the acronym "APBP.”

The association’s Articles of Incorporation, filed July 2, 1998, were signed by Mia Birk, Dan Burden, Andy Clarke, Ben Gomberg, Ann Gordon, Barbara McMillen, Phil Miller, Tim Oliver, Jeff Olson, Arthur Ross, Dennis Scott, Rick Waring and Craig Williams. The first executive director, Andy Clarke, was hired in 1999 and served until 2003. After Andy’s departure, an association management company took over responsibilities for APBP’s day-to-day operation. In 2006, the Board determined the need for a dedicated professional to serve as Executive Director. Kit Keller, an attorney and public policy consultant with a passion for bicycling and walking, was hired and continues in this role. Her work is supported by part-time staff and consultants.

From a handful of members in 1995, the organization has grown to include 1,200 members in the United States and Canada. APBP members work at all levels of government, in manufacturing, and as consultants, advocates, researchers, and students in a wide range of disciplines: transportation planning and engineering, urban design, landscape architecture, public health, active living, and Safe Routes to School. APBP offers technical training and resources to build capacity for sustainable transportation, including a monthly webinar series, the biennial Professional Development Seminar, Complete Streets and pedestrian accessibility workshops, and the respected Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2^nd Edition.

Read APBP's Articles of Incorporation