Alliance releases new Guide to Complete
Streets Campaigns
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 In the past
four years, the national push for complete streets has caught fire,
spreading rapidly from coast to coast. Since 2006, more than 100 state
and local jurisdictions have adopted new policies that require
transportation projects include safe
accommodations for all users, including bicyclists and pedestrians. To
add fuel to this quickly advancing movement, the
Alliance for
Biking & Walking has released a new edition of its Guide to Complete Streets Campaigns.
The 117-page book updates and expands on the 2006 edition, with new complete
streets policy examples, samples from current campaigns, and resources
for
advocates pursuing complete streets. In many cases, Alliance
organizations have led the charge, winning complete streets policies in
their states and cities. Jeff Miller, Alliance president/CEO, says this
new manual could be a catalyst for groups to kick-start or super-charge a
successful campaign in their area. "This
updated guide is a key resource for grassroots advocates pursuing
complete
streets policies for their states and cities," Miller says. "This
compilation shares the step-by-step actions and lessons
learned from peers across the country, making it the most up-to-date and
on-the-ground advice for winning complete streets." The updated Guide to Complete
Streets Campaigns was made possible by the generous support of Planet Bike and with assistance from the National Complete Streets Coalition. The Guide is
available for purchase through the Alliance's website and is available as a
free download to leaders of Alliance member organizations via the Alliance's Online Resource Library. The Alliance for Biking &
Walking Guide to Complete Streets Campaigns is part of
a series of Alliance Guides, which aim to build the capacity of bicycle and
pedestrian advocacy organizations. To purchase the guide online visit our publications page. |
Take the 2 Mile Challenge and help the Alliance earn $25,000!
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 Bolstered by a $25,000 grant from CLIF BAR, the Alliance for Biking & Walking is playing a key role in a national
effort to replace short car trips with bike travel. The 2 Mile Challenge was inspired by a
little-recognized fact: 40 percent of urban trips are less than two miles. Ryan
Mayo, Brand Experience Manager for CLIF BAR, said the energy bar company was
staggered by that statistic. So it came up with a creative competition to
encourage consumers to stop driving and start cycling. To lead the charge in the 2 Mile
Challenge, CLIF BAR selected three nonprofit organizations that work to advance
sustainable transportation options. Each nonprofit was awarded $25,000 and assigned to
represent one of three national teams: Gold, Blue, or Red. The Alliance for Biking & Walking is
going for the Gold - and we need your pedal-powered movement to earn another $25,000! Sign up for the 2 Mile Challenge and
pledge your support to the Gold Team. If you're an organization leader, encourage your members to get involved, too! As you park your car and hop on your
bicycle, log your travel online. Each trip on a bicycle will add to the point
total for their team. At the end of October, an additional $25,000 grant will
be awarded to the team with the most logged miles. The Alliance will use the $25,000 grant
from CLIF BAR to support its Winning Campaigns Trainings and also assist in the
development and launch of the Guide to Funding Biking and Walking Projects, an
upcoming Alliance publication. Support the Alliance, take the
challenge and join the Gold Team at http://www.2milechallenge.com.
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Alliance members get NEW discount on event kits
| Alliance organizations are now eligible to
receive a special discount on outdoor and indoor event signage. Thanks to a new
partnership between the Alliance for Biking & Walking and Visual Marketing Products (VMP), grassroots biking and walking
advocacy organizations across North America can boost their impact at events
for less. The 2010 Benchmarking Report revealed that nearly
25 percent of all revenues of Alliance organizations come from events, making
events an important category for development. VMP provides products like
portable fabric signage and portable canopies that make an impact anywhere you
need to get noticed. Jennifer Klausner, executive director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, recommends VMP's products. Whenever the LACBC
hosts an event or bike valet they display their name on flags and tablecloths
from VMP. "Visual Marketing Products understood our need to establish logo
recognition with a bold but simple approach," Klausner says. "VMP was great to
work with and I hope more organizations can take advantage of this great
resource." VMP products are freestanding, lightweight, and
easy to set up and reposition. "We help organizations launch
successful promotions and be more visible when involved in sponsoring, hosting
or simply participating in an event," says Fiona Tanous of VMP. "We
have a strong emphasis on outdoor event marketing and can provide guidance on
product selection and event marketing strategy." Learn more and see
mock-ups of VMP products on the Alliance Discounts page. |
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Register now to save $55 on your Leadership Retreat registration
|
 Early registration ends
June 30 for the 2010 Alliance Leadership Retreat, happening September 10-13 in Chattanooga. The event will recharge and inspire bike/ped advocacy leaders
through a weekend of networking, strategic discussions, and training sessions.
This year's leadership retreat will explore subjects such as
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Increasing fundraising
capacity through opportunities and partnerships;
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Building organizational
capacity, hiring that next staff person, and strengthening the board
relationship;
- Working with local and
state governments, engaging new communities, and capitalizing on the national
agenda; and,
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Engaging volunteers, diversifying your members,
and growing your membership.
The retreat will also give
you, and other leaders on your staff, a chance to connect with bicycle and
pedestrian advocacy leaders from across North America and allow you to draw
upon best practices to boost your organization to the next level. Not to mention, Chattanooga has plenty to offer: a walkable downtown, trails for biking and the Tennessee Aquarium. Check out our Flickr page to preview photos of the city and the conference hotel.
Early registration ends June 30, so register soon to save
$55 per person. All the details, including the draft agenda, limited
scholarship opportunities, up-to-date workshop descriptions, and registration
are available at www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org/Retreat.
Stay tuned for the final agenda and workshop descriptions by the
middle of July.
Interested in sharing your knowledge at a retreat workshop?
Contact Jeremy Grandstaff by June 15.
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Start your next winning campaign in Vermont this summer
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 This July, hang out in one of the healthiest cities in the nation and strategize with Alliance experts to craft your next successful campaign. Burlington, Vermont, is a vibrant, bike-friendly town, with
a downtown pedestrian mall, a unique mix of
urban life, and diverse recreation options, including the world-renowned Island Line Trail, a 14-mile path along Lake Champlain. So plan on joining your bike/ped peers, July 9-11, for the Alliance's next Winning Campaigns Training hosted by Local Motion. The proven curriculum will help you identify your next campaign, choose tactics to shift power brokers to your side, communicate your message to the media, and raise money to strengthen your organization. A mix of peer-to-peer activities and break-out sessions, the workshop also fosters communication and collaboration among organizations.  At the end of the weekend, you'll go home with a Campaign Blueprint that guides your next steps in promoting better
conditions for biking and walking in your local community. Plus, with a Saturday bike ride and time to kick back with fellow bike/ped advocates, you'll leave inspired! Can't make it to Burlington?
There are three
other Winning Campaigns Trainings that will be offered across the continent this year.
- Columbus, OH: Aug 6-8 (Hosted by
Bike! Walk! Ohio and Consider Biking)
-
Oakland, CA: October 15-17
(Hosted by Walk Oakland Bike Oakland)
- Asheville,
NC: November 5-7 (Hosted by Asheville Bicycle
Coalition).
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A luxurious incentive
to host and FILL a Winning Campaigns Training in your city
|
 Thanks
to a generous donation from VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, member
organizations that host Winning Campaigns Trainings have a big-ticket incentive
to pack their event with participants. Among
VBT's most popular tours is a cycling excursion to the coast of Italy. The
value of the 10-day trip is more than $3,500, but VBT has donated a Tuscan vacation to the Alliance to create some friendly competition and boost
participation in the Winning Campaigns Trainings. The
free trip, which includes airfare from the East Coast, will be given to the
bike/ped advocacy organization that draws the most attendees to its training.
An ideal raffle prize or silent auction item, the Tuscany trip then can be used
by that organization to fundraise for its local campaigns. But the hosts of the 2010 trainings aren't the only groups that get a
chance at the prize. VBT has committed to a second Tuscany trip for the 2011
trainings, too. Something to remember when
we open the application process for 2011 training hosts!
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Step up in Chattanooga: Help launch a National Walking Strategy
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Every person walks. It is
the most fundamental form of physical activity and the most popular form of
outdoor recreation. A key mobility choice, walking comprises 11 percent of all
transportation trips, leading to healthier people, vibrant economies, and
environmental sustainability.
However, pedestrian dangers and poor walking access plague many
American cities and towns. Less than 1 percent of federal
transportation funds are spent on walking projects. Street design that
discourages walking exacerbates the problem. These
inequities persist because there is no coherent national walking
campaign to reverse these trends.
America Walks, a
national non-profit organization, is
addressing this void with Equal Footing:
Launching the National Walking Strategy®, a summit to rally and coordinate diverse organizations,
businesses and individuals to speak
with one voice to improve walkability in America. In 2010, the
campaign's steering committee will develop a National Walking Strategy and action
plan that will provide the foundation to put walking on truly equal footing.
The Equal Footing Summit will be held on September 16, 2010 in Chattanooga,
Tennessee. That's just a few days after the Alliance Leadership Retreat and directly following the Pro Walk / Pro Bike® conference.
Be
part of this movement. Sign up to attend the Equal Footing Summit either when
registering for Pro Walk / Pro Bike® conference or at the America Walks website.
You can also support
the campaign by signing on as a partner organization or event sponsor. Email Scott Bricker to get involved.
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Alliance adds new faces to board of directors
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Just this week, the Alliance welcomed several new members to its board of directors. To fill the shoes of Eric Gilliland, who stepped down to take a job at NACTO, and Leah Shahum, who's taking a sabbatical from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, several new advocates were elected on Tuesday.  After nearly three decades working for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Parks & Trails Council, Dorian Grilley took the reins of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota in 2008. But he was no stranger to advocacy, having been a dedicated volunteer for the organization and a long-time bike commuter and racer. With his election to the Alliance board, Grilley says he's eager to share his non-profit experience and work with Alliance members "to make it safe, easy, fun and cool for more people to bicycle more often."  Adolfo Hernandez joined Chicago's Active Transportation Alliance in 2007 at its Community Liaison to
the Latino Community. Now the Director of Advocacy, Hernandez organizes and leads campaigns
addressing transportation safety, accessibility and equity throughout
the city and suburbs, while also serving on the mayor's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Council. "It is an exciting opportunity and honor to join the Alliance's board," Hernandez says. "I'm looking forward to helping the Alliance reach it's goals while sharing experiences and learnings from our advocacy work in the Chicagoland region."  Growing up in San Francisco, Terry Preston jokes that he did, indeed, walk up-hill both ways to school. "I learned to love the freedom, the fresh air and low overhead of
walking," he says. "Every child and every adult should have the same opportunity." Now the Complete Streets Coordinator for WALKSacramento, he works to make
roadways accessible to pedestrians of all ages and brings a fresh voice for walking to the Alliance board of directors. |
Welcome to our summer interns!
|
 In the last edition of Streetside, we thanked Adam Levine, our spring intern, for his work in member services. We spoke our gratitude too soon! Levine decided to stick around for a second tour of intern duty, to add to his arsenal of bike/ped knowledge before he ships off to graduate school. Over the coming months, Levine will continue his work with the Alliance, researching rumble strip construction and assisting with trainings and grants programs.
 Tony Golan-Vilella joined the Alliance as the Technology/Database Intern in May 2010. He has studied at the University of St. Andrews and Haverford College. Some of his resume highlights include working in the Mayor's Office of Sustainability in Philadelphia and at IntuitSolutions. Emerging from a Quaker school, a Jewish background, and a Puerto Rican family, his finely tuned and genetically predisposed civil-rights radar drew him to human-powered mobility movement as a fun and healthy force in the fight for social equality and environmental justice. Tony will be assisting the Alliance with achieving our goal of one database and file sharing system by the end of this summer. Jacob Knight begins his Members Services internship with the Alliance in June. He is currently a graduate
student in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana
University. He's interested in
sustainable development, transportation policy, and food/agriculture policy. Before returning to grad school, Jacob
worked as a teacher, a Peace Corps volunteer, and in a nonprofit organization
in Indianapolis. He enjoys playing
music, cooking, gardening, commuting by bike, and exploring our nation's
capital on foot. You may hear from Jacob throughout the summer as he works to close some data collection gaps, program Mutual Aid calls, or performs further outreach for the Alliance Leadership Retreat. |
| Alliance Member News |
Be sure to check out what Alliance members have been up to in the right column of this e-newsletter and on our People Powered Blog. | |
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Toronto Cyclists Union rescues public bike
share program
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Toronto's public bike share program was headed towards extinction. That is,
until the Toronto Cyclists Union jumped in to preserve it. "Toronto's Public
Bike Share Program was near death and the bike union rescued it with behind the
scenes work and action alerts to our members and supporters, which motivated
500 unique e-mails," she say. "We're very excited
to see this come together and know the role of our collective efforts!"
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MassBike PSAs heard by
thousands on public transit platforms |
For
decades, the leaders at MassBike have been pressing officials at the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for better bike access to
Boston-area buses, trains and ferries. Earlier this year, at the first Boston
Bike Safety Summit, the MBTA committed to new public service announcements
about bicycling. Lasting at least through the summer, bike-promoting PSAs
featuring David Watson, MassBike's executive director, are now being heard by thousands of public transit users. |
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Virginia
Bicycling Federation president talks trails on PBS
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When an abandoned rail line
near Richmond became an illegal dumping ground, the Virginia Bicycling Federation pitched in to clean up the trash. The PBS show, Virginia Currents,
was rolling tape as volunteers hauled garbage bags and old furniture out of the
woods. Soon, the debris-strewn area will be transformed into a 2.3-mile trail,
luring joggers, walkers and cyclists. In the 10-minute segment, the host spoke
with Champe Burnley, president of VBF. Watch the video here. |
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Bicycle Coalition of Maine launches bicycle safety media campaign
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According to a press
release issued by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, "The Bicycle Coalition
of Maine has produced two bicycle safety public service announcements (PSAs) that will air on Maine television stations during the spring and summer. The
Maine Bureau of Highway Safety provided about $16,000 for production costs and
purchase of airtime. One ad educates motorists about the Maine law requiring
them to give at least three feet of clearance when passing cyclists. The other
ad stresses the importance of cyclists wearing bicycle helmets.
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Philly coalition helps
advance dramatic increase in marked bike lane |
The
City of Philadelphia has started final touches on a new bicycle network that
will roughly double the number of marked bike lanes, bringing the total mileage
to more than 400 miles. Sarah Clark
Stuart, campaign manager for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia,
says the group has been very involved in the creation of the plan. Read more here.
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Missouri Bicycle Federation fights to save the Tour
of Missouri
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To save a professional
bicycle race that could bring Lance Armstrong to the Show-Me State, bicycle advocates in Missouri leaned hard on Democratic Governor Jay Nixon last month. In
the span of a few weeks, more than 2,200 supporters signed an online petition
urging Nixon to maintain the state's $1 million commitment to the Tour. That
was in addition to the nearly 9,000 Facebook fans on the "Support the Tour of Missouri"
page. Learn more about Tour of Missouri-gate here.
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Columbus
CEOs partner with Consider Biking for commuter initiative
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With the backing of
more than 70 CEOs from across central Ohio, Consider Biking rolled out its new "2 BY 2012" campaign last month. The initiative aims to nearly triple bicycle
commuting in Columbus by engaging and encouraging employees in the cities
largest workplaces. "Bicycle commuting two days per month would make Columbus
the greenest city in the country," said Jeff Stephens, executive director of
Consider Biking. Learn more about the campaign here. |
| San Francisco rolls out the
green pavement for Bike to Work Day |
According to a press
release issued by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, "Hundreds of thousands
of people, including members of the Board of Supervisors, community leaders,
and other first- and long-time bike commuters, will pedal to work as part of
the 16th Annual Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 13. This year's event is a
celebration of the city's first fully-separated, green bike lane on Market
Street and other innovations and additions that are improving streets all
across the city." Read more here. |
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Iowa Bicycle Coalition
celebrates new bike lanes on Des Moines thoroughfare
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The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is celebrating brand-new bike lanes in downtown Des
Moines. Last month, the City of Des Moines added new
bike lanes on Ingersoll Avenue, a main strip for shopping and dining in Iowa's
capital. This transformation will turn a busy four-lane artery into an accessible
two-lane road, with bike lanes on either side. Watch a video, that includes helmet footage from cycling advocate Carl Voss, here.
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Arizona advocates erect first ghost bike in Tempe
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When a 24-year-old student
at Arizona State University was killed
in a collision with an SUV, local cycling advocates, including members of the Tempe Bicycle Action Group, reached out to
the victim's family and, in short order, created a striking display calling
attention to the tragedy. The eye-catching memorial erected last month was the
first Ghost Bike in the Tempe
area. See it here.
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Savannah Bicycle Campaign kicks off city's first Kids' Ciclovia
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In May, Savannah, Georgia, hosted its first Kids' Ciclovia, opening the block around
Tiedman Park to bike and pedestrian traffic only. The event was
particularly festive thanks to members of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign, who launched a new education initiative backed by a significant grant from Specialized Bikes. Read more on SBC's blog.
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Cyclists deliver letter of support to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
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Last month, the Alliance staff joined several dozen advocates from America Bikes to pedal a
poster-sized thank-you card to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The
letter, expressing support for LaHood's recent policy statement on biking and walking,
was signed by organizations in all 50 states - including many Alliance
members. But, when the Secretary took the podium, he turned the tables. He
wanted to say thank you to all the bike-ped organizations that, he said,
are changing opinions on the Hill. Read what he said here.
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We're super-charging the People Powered Blog - and want to spotlight your successes!
| Bike lanes were striped on major streets in Des Moines and Boston. A complete streets bill was signed by the governor of Minnesota and an anti-harassment law was passed in tiny Greenwood, Missouri. Bike-safety public service announcements starting airing in Maine and flashing on movie screens in Chicago.
And none of it would have happened without Alliance member organizations leading the way.
We want to showcase your successes and make the People Powered Blog a place to see, on a daily basis, how the bike/ped movement is making waves from coast to coast.
If you've got victories to share, let us know! Call Carolyn at (816) 509-0774.
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