|
Alliance Awards $103,000 in Advocacy Advance Grants
|
With $103,000 in direct
funding, the Alliance for Biking & Walking is galvanizing state and
local bicycle and pedestrian organizations with its latest award of Advocacy Advance Grants.
After a highly competitive selection process, the
Alliance has chosen four organizations that are strategically poised to
increase biking and walking in their regions and advance innovative
campaigns that can be replicated in communities across the country.
"This round of Advocacy Advance Grant recipients spans the spectrum,"
Jeffrey Miller, Alliance President / CEO, says. "From rural to urban
communities, from the coast to the Heartland, the organizations will
leverage these dollars to propel dramatic progress in their communities.
The insight these advocates gain will not only enhance their individual
organizational capacity, but build a stronger, more effective national movement."
This round of grants includes the following recipients and projects:
 Bicycle Coalition of Maine
The Bicycle Coalition of Maine will receive an $18,000
Innovation Grant for its Community Spokes Program, which leverages the
expertise of BCM staff, board members and local relationships of rural citizen
advocates to generate improvements in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and
policy statewide. This project will serve as a model for rural communities that
face challenges with advocacy capacity, bicycle funding and infrastructure.
 California Bicycle Coalition Education Fund
The California Bicycle Coalition Education Fund will receive
a $30,000 matching Startup/Capacity Grant to reenergize CBCEF and aid in the
hiring of a new Executive Director. The new Executive Director will work to create
and lead a traffic justice campaign; advocate for a high-speed rail system with
on-board bicycle accommodations and secure bike parking; and develop a
statewide recreational bicycle route to promote bicycle tourism.
 Livable Memphis
The Community Development Council of Greater Memphis' Livable Memphis Program will receive a $25,000 Innovation Grant to create a 1.7
mile bike-walk artway - a combination on-road bicycle facilities and in-park
greenway that completes the connection between two key areas of the City of
Memphis. The project will increase advocacy for public investments in
bicycle infrastructure, unite isolated, low-income neighborhoods with public
amenities, and exemplify how street re-programming increases pedestrian
traffic.
 Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking
The Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking will receive
a $30,000 matching Startup/Capacity Grant to create a Kansas City metro area
bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization. The new subsidiary will work to
extend the Katy Trail; seek to receive five Bicycle Friendly Communities in the
Kansas City metro region; and achieve a coordinated regional funding system for
trails and bike routes.
Click here to read the full press release. Learn more about the Advocacy Advance Grants at www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org/Grants.
|
|
Ohio Advocates Launch Eight New Winning Campaigns
| In less than two years, Alliance member organizations and
their leaders have launched more than 50 campaigns to increase biking and walking
across the United States and Canada. August added eight more to that
growing list, as 17 bike and pedestrian advocates - representing three states
and nine organizations - joined Ron Milam and Jeremy Grandstaff for the third
2010 Winning Campaigns Training in Columbus, Ohio. Just a few of the campaigns that came out of the three-day workshop included efforts that will: - Complete a bicycle and pedestrian
bridge that connects Kentucky and Indiana
-
Strengthen
building codes to include bicycle provisions
Bring Loraine Avenue - a
Columbus thoroughfare that once bustled with activity - back to life. Win sharrows and new bike lanes on major roads and
Increase the number of residents biking to work.
In addition to the workshop, attendees enjoyed the chance to socialize with their bike-ped peers, pedaling together on a group bike ride, strolling through Gallery Hop, and grabbing dinner out on the town. Lois Moss, from Cleveland, told us that, not only did the
facilitators read the group well and keep them moving forward. The training also
"helped our budding organization solidify our mission and enabled us to
create a winnable campaign that we'll be able to begin working towards
implementing immediately." Thank you to all of our training participants for a
wonderful weekend. And a special thank you to our 2010 training sponsors:
Planet Bike, SRAM, Bikes Belong, AARP, VBT Bicycling Vacations, CLIF Bar
2MileChallenge, and Breezer. |
|
Three Chances To Kick Start Your Winning Campaign This Fall
|
 Did you know that the very first Bike to Work Day was started by a handful of advocates in Oakland, California, way back in 1984? Will Oakland be the birthplace of your next successful campaign? If you take advantage of the Winning Campaigns Training, it could be the beginning of an effort bound for the history books! From October 15-17, the Alliance is bringing it's Winning Campaigns Training to Oakland. During the three-day workshop, you'll learn all the tactics to become an effective
strategist, organizer, fundraiser and media source. After direct
consultation with Alliance staff and longtime leaders in the bicycle and
pedestrian movement, you'll walk away with a detailed blueprint for
your next campaign. Outside the classroom, Oakland has plenty to offer, too. "With an average daily temperature that hovers around 68 degrees for most of the year, it's a wonderful place to walk or bike," says Shannon Tracey, Outreach Committee Co-Director for Walk Oakland Bike Oakland. "There are incredible options for nature, history, and straight-up tourism - enjoying the view of San Francisco from the Bay Trail; sampling ethnic restaurants in Chinatown or classy eateries in the Uptown neighborhood; exploring redwood groves in the East Bay Regional Parks District's hilltop preserves; or checking out the hipster art scene on your fixie or scraper bike." Live on the East Coast? No need to travel all the way to California. Escape for a weekend of spectacular fall foliage and interactive learning in Vermont. From October 22-24, Local Motion will host the Alliance for a Winning Campaigns Training in Burlington. Then, we're heading south for the last training of 2010. From November 5-7, a coalition of budding organizers in North Carolina are welcoming our expert facilitators for a Winning Campaigns Training in Asheville. Don't let the year slip away without a road map for betting biking and walking in your community. Sign up for Oakland, Burlington or Asheville today! |
Apply to Host a Winning Campaigns Training in 2011
|
 A new grant for Safe Routes to School. A three-foot passing bill picking up steam in the state legislature. A soon-to-be-launched Complete Streets campaign and a search for its first, full-time executive director. Things sure are going strong at the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition. It's no coincidence. In June, NJBWC hosted a Winning Campaigns Training in Edison, NJ. "We applied for a Winning Campaigns Training in 2010 for two reasons," says Jim Nicholson (pictured, left), the organization's president. "First, we wanted the training, and second, we didn't want to travel to the ends of the earth to get it!" "The weekend was intense but very rewarding," he says. "Our trainers helped us organize our ideas and formulate campaigns that were structured, concise, and winnable. Also valuable was the diversity of the attendees, with participants from other regions with different problems and different ideas. By the end of the weekend, the cross-fertilization of ideas helped everyone's campaigns. The NJBWC recommends the experience highly!" Now is your chance to bring that experience to your city or state. The Alliance is currently seeking applications for organizations interested in hosting a Winning Campaigns Training in 2011. Your members will be energized by this three-day workshop - but that's not all. The Alliance awards a $1,000 stipend to each host organization, and thanks to a generous donation from VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, the host organization that enrolls the most participants in its Winning Campaigns Training in 2011 will receive a free 10-day cycling trip in Tuscany, Italy valued at $3,500. Click here for to carefully read the host requirements and submit your group's proposal. Applications are due September 24th. |
Musician Ben Sollee Took the 2 Mile Challenge- Have You?
|
 For Ben Sollee, the call of the open road had dulled to a ragged
whisper.
As a hardscrabble
musician, the Kentucky native sprinted from town to town, taking
advantage of every opportunity to play his cello and showcase his songwriting talent for audiences across the nation. But, instead of
savoring the lifestyle, Sollee could barely remember the communities he
visited, the people he met. It was time for a change. "So, in early 2009, when I saw a commercial for an Xtracycle cargo bike,
my mind spun into fantasy: the road, a bike, my cello and music to
play," Sollee wrote in American Bicyclist this
summer. "At that moment I saw the bike as an offering of limitations, a
tool to re-humanize the pace of touring." It didn't take long for Sollee to fall in love with touring by bicycle, pedaling his 60-pound cello from city to city. This summer he stepped it up from regional gigs to an all-out transcontinental tour on two wheels - and he's helping the Alliance along the way. Sollee took the 2 Mile Challenge and he's logging his trips, all the way from California to Washington DC, for the Gold Team. T  he 2 Mile Challenge is a national competition created by CLIF BAR to encourage people to replace short car trips with bicycle travel. The competition is between three teams, each headed by a national nonprofit. The Alliance has been selected to lead the Gold Team. The top team will win $25,000 for its organization. The Alliance is within striking distance of the first-place team - but we need your help to pull out the victory! To take the challenge, you simply sign up for a team and log each time you take a trip by bicycle. The competition wraps up at the end of October and we need YOU to help us recruit more team members. Don't forget the incentive, valued at more than $1,000, that we announced last month: - If you're an Alliance member organization, keep track of each time you plug the 2 Mile Challenge and the Alliance team, whether it's on Facebook or in your newsletter.
- At the end of October, we'll ask you to send us a list of your promotional efforts.
- For each message you broadcast to recruit more Gold Team members, we'll enter your name in a hat.
- We'll draw a name at random and that organization will receive: Five complimentary copies of the upcoming Guide to Funding Biking & Walking Projects, slated for publication next spring, and two full scholarships to the Alliance's national fundraising training, to be announced, in 2011.
Help the Alliance win $25,000! Get your members and friends to join the Challenge and pedal for the Gold Team. And if you're not logging YOUR trips yet, sign up today! |
New Benefit: Complimentary Memberships for Adventure Cycling
|  The Adventure Cycling Association wants to
introduce more cyclists to the joys of bicycle travel and benefit your
organization. The ACA is offering a limited number of
complimentary memberships to each Alliance member organization.
It's one small way to thank you for all you do to promote cycling as a fun,
healthful, and green activity. It's also a great way for cyclists to find out
more about bicycle travel and the resources Adventure Cycling has
to offer. Adventure Cycling member
benefits include: - Nine issues of Adventure Cyclist magazine
- Discounts on bicycle touring maps
around the U.S.
- Support for the creation of a U.S.
Bicycle Route System
Here are two ways to access this
program: - You can join: If your
organization is not already a member of Adventure Cycling
Association, you can sign
up on-line right now for a 1-year trial membership.
- You can share these memberships with others: We'll send
you five free Adventure Cycling membership
vouchers in the mail. Contact Amy Corbin and include "Alliance Vouchers" in the
subject line. Give us your mailing address, and let
us know how you plan to use them.
There are plenty of ways to use these memberships: - Recognize a stellar volunteer
- Use them in a drawing or auction them
at one of your events
- Offer them out in one of your electronic newsletters
- Hand them out to the first five folks
at a work party
The only things we ask are
that they go to a U.S. mailing address and that they are given to someone who is
not currently a member. If they are already a current member of
Adventure Cycling Association, they are free to pass them on to
someone else who would enjoy learning more about bicycle travel. Thanks again
for your support of Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel in the US! |
A Big Thank You to our Summer Interns
|
We just celebrated the first year of our internship program and owe a a big thank you to all of the interns that helped us this summer.  Adam Levine, our summer Program Intern, helped with the planning and organization of our Winning Campaigns Trainings, and provided administrative assistance for the Advocacy Advance Grants program. He also help with research and writing on the issue of climate change and rumble strips. We wish Adam the best as he pursues a masters degree in urban and regional planning at the University of Wisconsin this fall.  Tony Golan-Vilella, our summer Technology Development Intern, helped the Alliance streamline our data collection tools, perfect
our internal operations, perform important data migrating, and
develop our Web site. We thank him for his hard work and wish him the
best in the pre-Medicine program at George Washington University.  Jacob Knight, our summer Member Services Intern, performed significant
outreach for the Alliance, including planning logistics and securing panelists
for the upcoming Leadership Retreat and Mutual Aid Calls; updating parts of the Web site; analyzing results from our Resources Survey; and assisting
with membership and coaching services. "Working with the Alliance over the summer has helped me
understand the network of bike/ped organizations and also the contributions of
each group to the larger social movement," Jake said. We wish him the best as he
continues pursuit of his graduate degree in Public and Environmental
Affairs at
Indiana University. But first, Jake's interest in sustainable development, transportation
policy, and desire to get involved with the Bloomington Community Bike
Project
is bringing him to the Leadership Retreat this weekend - so be sure to
say hello
if you're joining us in Chattanooga! It is because our
interns are so helpful that the Alliance staff are able to more successfully
assist our organizations and their leaders. Look for upcoming internship
opportunities at the Alliance in November on our Job Board. |
| 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. | |
|
|
|
New Space for Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
| 
In 2008, students at Georgia Tech and advocates from the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition created the Starter
Bikes initiative, a program that refurbishs old or abandoned bikes and sells them at low-cost for entry-level riders. The program took off, but there was one problem: ABC didn't have space to store the donated
bikes. Well, problem solved. In August, ABC moved into a new office on a main drag of downtown Atlanta. In addition to expanded digs for the Starter
Bike program, the new office will create an inviting space for the diverse bicycle
communities of Atlanta to gather, plan and learn. "ABC will use
the new space to bring greater visibility to the group's advocacy
efforts, offer additional classes and continue our mission to make
bicycling safer and easier throughout Atlanta," says ABC's Ali Mangkang. Read more here.
|
|
San Francisco Finally Free of Bike Plan Injunction |
After four long years, the legal injunction barring the City of San Francisco from moving forward with its Bicycle Plan was finally lifted in early August. Thanks to the advocacy efforts of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the number of bicycling resident grew by more than 50 percent during that time, even though there was little improvement to bicycle infrastructure. Now that the legal brakes are off, SFBC is getting ready for a surge in bicycle ridership. "We are celebrating San Francisco's freedom to once again make streets
safer for everyone and look forward to real improvements on streets in a
matter of days," Renée Rivera, Acting Executive Director of the SFBC
said. "This is the first time in San Francisco's history
that this many bike lane projects are approved and ready to be striped." Read more here.
|
|
Key Bike Lanes Striped in Marin County
|
For more than a decade, Mark Birnbaum's daily commute was edged with
anxiety. The Novato, California, resident and member of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition biked 16 miles
to his job in San Rafael and, every day, braved a narrow stretch on
Alameda del Prado.
Well, Birnbaum's ride got a lot more comfortable in August, as advocates celebrated new bike lanes along that dangerous stretch. More than three dozen
advocates showed up to christen the 4-foot bike lanes stretching along
both sides of Alameda del Prado. Not only do the new facilities make a
dicey stretch more passable for cyclists, but they also connect the
existing bicycle lanes on Ignacio Boulevard to the Pacheco Pathway,
closing a key one-mile gap in the North/South Bikeway. Read more here.
|
|
Tulsa Hub Teaches Students about Biking | 
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, students are learning that biking and walking are
fun, easy ways to get to school. Thanks to a recent Safe Routes to School grant, Tulsa Hub is
teaching bike-skills workshops in five elementary schools throughout the
city. Over the course of the six-week class, students learn safe cycling
skills such as helmet fitting, tire repair, signaling, and riding
techniques. Taught by League Cycling Instructors, these classes leave
the students with a brand new bicycle, helmet, and lock to get them on
their way. Click here to watch a short video about the program.
|
|
Bike Texas Proves Again that Cycling is Bipartisan |
The Lone Star State may be a Republican stronghold but BikeTexas proved
once again that cycling crosses party lines.
In mid-August, a fleet of bicyclists from both sides of the
political spectrum departed the National Conference
of State Legislatures' Annual Summit in Louisville for a scenic,
eight-mile tour through the Kentucky city.
The 6th Annual Bipartisan Ride included 23 senators
and representatives from eight states. Bike Texas inaugurated the ride in 2005 and, because the conference moves each year, they partner
with a local organization in the host city. This year, Bicycling for Louisville made the event bigger than ever, not only planning the route
but also rallying more than a dozen expert cyclists to marshal the ride.
Read more here.
|
|
Smart Trips Packs the House for Greenway | 
When a federal judge ruled that Canadian Pacific Railway had no
obligation to give up land for the St. Paul Greenway, the trail easily
could have been declared dead. But local advocates aren't letting the
ambitious plan flat line just yet. St. Paul Smart Trips recently packed a gymnasium with more than 100 people for a visioning
session that breathed new life into the Greenway concept - an off-road
path for cyclists and pedestrians that would connect the Twin Cities. "They encouraged us to keep at it and continue to build support for the
project," Laura Baum, Smart Trips' residential outreach coordinator said of the event. "The legal setback was a disappointment,
but we're energized by the enthusiasm we continue to hear from people
and will keep working to get a world-class biking and walking
facility built in this corridor." Read more here.
|
Missouri Advocates Roll Out the BikeMobile
| 
Get ready for the BikeMobile! Thanks to funding from a Safe Routes to School grant, the
Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation is
outfitting a donated truck, school bus, or maybe an old ambulance to carry bikes and safety instructors to elementary students. "The BikeMobile's maiden voyage will be this fall when we begin our
Bicycle Lesson and Safety Training (BLAST) in the Kansas City area,"
says Eric Bunch, the federation's program coordinator. "BLAST is a
three-hour, in-class, on-bike skills and safety training for 5th and 6th
graders. Thanks to a MoDOT Safe Routes to School grant, MoBikeFed has a target of hitting 10
schools in the KC metro area with BLAST... The ultimate goal is to take the BikeMobile around the state putting on
bike rodeos and providing BLAST to thousands of students." Read more about the program here.
|
|
Missoula in Motion Hosts PEDal Fest |
Two-wheeling tricksters flew through the air, kids raced around cones
and adults charged each other with duct-taped battering rams. Last month, for one Sunday, downtown Missoula turned into a bike-ped bonanza.
Now in its third year, the PEDal Festival raises funds for a trio of
Montana organizations: Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula, Missoula in Motion and Free Cycles. This year, Missoula in Motion was the
ringleader. Jennifer Thompson, the group's new program specialist, says the
goal was clear: "The idea is to celebrate the joys of walking and biking
in Missoula." Read more about the bike-ped party here.
|
|
Happy Birthday to Bike Walk Tennessee
|
"Time goes by fast
when you're very busy or having fun," Pat Clements marvels.
"It seems like last week that the Alliance came to Tennessee to help
organize a group of highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals into a
cohesive team." Believe it or not, Bike Walk Tennessee is already blowing out the candle on
its first birthday. But, even in its infancy, the group has
plenty to celebrate. "We've tested our capacity on a variety of issues, established
relationships with influentials and built our base membership," says
Clements, the group's president. "We've laid the groundwork for an
organization that is well positioned to unite the state in promoting
walking and biking to a new level." Read more here.
|
|
Cascade Bicycle Club Converts Commuters |
Now in its second year, the Cascade Bicycle Club's Green Bikes Program aims to convert commuters from car trips to bicycle travel. In May, the Seattle advocates recruited a few newbie cyclists for the Green Bikes
initiative, providing them with bicycles, locks and
helmets. They schooled the amateur commuters on road safety and
basic mechanics and extended a challenge: Commute on two wheels
for 50 percent of your travel and that shiny new bicycle is yours to
keep.
And it worked! "This is an incredible result," Chuck Ayers, executive director of the
Cascade Bicycle Club, said last month. "In only three months, we've
helped more than 30 people new to bike commuting become comfortable,
confident, and competent cyclists. I don't know of many other programs that can boast an 86 percent
success rate." Read more here.
|
|
Are you on Facebook?
|
The Alliance is and we want you to "Like" us! Facebook is an easy way to get updates from the People Powered Blog and a friendly heads-up about our Mutual Aid calls, training opportunities, Action Alerts and grant deadlines.
Click here to connect with us on Facebook.
|
|
|
