The moment we've been preparing for is now just weeks, if not days, away.  

Soon, the U.S. Congress will decide how to spend billions of dollars in the next federal transportation bill. And, if we don't act as soon as the first bill is introduced, dedicated funding for biking and walking programs may be written out of our transportation system for the next six years. 

We can't stress the urgency and importance enough: We need you to be ready for action!  

Here are two ways you can make sure you're prepared:  

1. Register now for our next Federal Policy Call on June 9 at 2 p.m. EDT. We'll be joined by our partners at America Bikes who will have up-to-the-minute information from Capitol Hill and will be able to share key strategies for when the bill drops.  
2. Remain on high alert for e-mails from the Alliance and our America Bikes partners. We expect a bill will be introduced in the House or Senate as early as mid-June. Once the language is released, the Alliance will send out an alert to provide a timeline and give you a heads-up. America Bikes and its partners will quickly analyze the bill and, within 24 hours, the Alliance will host a Federal Policy Call to give you the critical information you need to take action. There will be only a 72-hour window before a possible vote on that bill in committee, so we'll need to mobilize a huge grassroots response in a matter of hours.   

Thank you in advance for your attention to this critical issue.

by Jeff Miller, Alliance President / CEO

If Susie Stephens were still with us, she'd be beaming from ear to ear.

The tireless bicycle advocate from Washington state would be making phone calls and sending e-mails. Heck, she'd be writing catchy lyrics for a campfire sing-a-long to trumpet the news: The Alliance for Biking & Walking is 15 years old and growing faster than we ever dreamed!

Honor Susie and celebrate with us. Help us raise $15,000 to mark our 15th anniversary by pledging your personal support for the Alliance today!

I met Susie in 1996, when I was among the small handful of bicycle and pedestrian advocates who gathered at the Thunderhead Ranch. We traveled to a remote site in Wyoming to share our individual experiences as local, grassroots leaders but discovered a collective movement that stretched across the continent. We made professional connections that advanced our work, but, because of visionaries like Susie, that gathering became much more than a simple networking session.

As a co-founder of the Alliance, Susie knew that we needed to create an organization that would serve local and state leaders with training, networking and resources to grow and strengthen their organizations. She felt so passionately about the importance of that grassroots network that she was the first to line up to lead the organization. "This bicycle stuff is my passion," Susie wrote in a letter to Randy Neufeld in 1999. "That simple and efficient little machine represents everything I believe in: sustainable living, a cleaner earth, egalitarianism and community. Also, I can think of no finer group of people to call my peers and mentors."

As our first paid staff, Susie helped this critical network of bike/ped advocates take root and branch out. Her magnetic enthusiasm and boundless energy were the engines of our People Powered Movement in those critical early stages. In 2002, Susie was tragically struck and killed by a bus, while leading a pedestrian safety workshop. But her inspiration has continued to propel us forward.  

Building on Susie's work, the Alliance has made incredible strides in its first 15 years:  

• Grown from 12 to 170+ member organizations in 48 U.S states and 4 Canadian provinces
• Hosted dozens of Winning Campaigns Trainings that have launched hundreds of bike/ped campaigns and Leadership Retreats that have connected and energized advocates across the continent
• Produced biennial Benchmarking Reports that have been hailed as a "Bike-Ped State of the Union"
• Awarded more than $500,000 in direct grants, research and technical assistance through our Advocacy Advance program - a dynamic partnership with the League of American Bicyclists
• Assisted dozens of organizations with one-on-one coaching and strategic planning assistance, and connected advocates through Mutual Aid Calls, an interactive listserv and more!

We need your support to continue and expand that work. Please make your own personal pledge to the Alliance today so we can meet our goal of $15,000 by our 15th anniversary this June 30th. Donate at the $1,000 level and Nancy MacKerrow, Susie's mother, will plant a memorial Susie Tree in your honor. Donate at the $100 level and you'll received an Alliance commemorative Frisbee. Donate at ANY LEVEL and you'll get a $200 discount on any trip from VBT Walking and Bicycling Vacations.  

In just a few weeks a small group of us will return to the Thunderhead Ranch in Wyoming to both reflect on our incredible successes and identify concrete steps to accelerate that momentum to mainstream biking and walking across North America. Yes, we still face significant challenges, but Susie was right: There is no finer group of people than our People Powered Movement. I know we can count on you to make sure we have the resources to put that vision into action.  

Please donate today! 

The 2 Mile Challenge is CLIF BAR's innovative, online effort to fight climate change by encouraging bicycle travel for short trips. In the U.S., 40 percent of all urban trips are two miles or less, but 90 percent of those short distances are made by automobile. For this year's Challenge, CLIF BAR aims to replace 100,000 car trips - while donating $100,000 to bicycle advocacy and climate protection.  

Three nonprofits have been selected as team leaders: Alliance for Biking & Walking, Safe Routes to School National Partnership and 350[.]org. The first place team will earn a $35,000 grant, so sign up for the Gold Team and start pedaling for the Alliance today!  

Participants will earn points for themselves and their teams by riding their bikes, logging their miles, challenging friends and sharing their progress through social media. In 2010, the Alliance Gold Team came in second place, logging more than 18,000 bike trips that traveled nearly 167,000 miles and saved 153,000 tons of global-warming carbon dioxide. This year we have our sights set even higher and, in just the first couple of weeks, we've logged more than 19,000 miles! 

Because the Advocacy Advance team appreciates the hard work advocates put into Bike to Work celebrations last month, the deadline for Action2020 Workshop applications has been extended to Friday, June 10. 

Advocacy Advance is a partnership of the Alliance and the League of American Bicyclists with an aim to double federal funding for biking and walking by 2013. Action2020 Workshops are day-long sessions designed to ensure advocates, agency staff, and elected officials have the knowledge, skills and resources to access untapped or under-utilized federal funding sources at the state, regional and local level to build bicycling and walking infrastructure and programs.

Visit the Advocacy Advance trainings page to learn more. If you have any questions about Action2020 Workshops, e-mail info@advocacyadvance.org.  

Despite your busy schedules during National Bike Month, we had a great turnout for our May Mutual Aid Calls on growing your organization with interns and bringing more women into the bike/ped movement.  

The summer is heating up, but we're not slowing down. Join us for two great calls this month:

• June 4, 2011- Cultivating an Active, Involved Membership: Whether your organization serves bicyclists, pedestrians or both, your members support your mission with their hard-earned money. But that's just the first step in their relationship with your organization. Members are vital to growing your political clout and advancing your campaigns - but only if you provide the opportunity for them to get engaged and feel involved in a meaningful way. How do you build that base of active members and volunteers? Get tips from fellow Alliance leaders on how they're successfully engaging their members in their work. Bring your questions, challenges, expertise, and ideas to share.

• June 22, 2011- Fundraising with License Plates : Several states have created "Share the Road" license plates where a cut of license plate fees are directed to educational programs, and in some cases, directly to statewide organizations. Bike Texas has taken this funding source to a higher level with three license plates that help fund better biking in Texas. Come hear their success stories, reasons and tips for setting up your own state to do such a program. Also, come discuss ways to market these specialty plates for increased "sales."

All calls start at 2 p.m. Eastern and run for one hour. As always, be sure to register, so you'll receive the agenda and speakers' talking points before you dial in.  

Fyxation is best known for its colorful and durable line of urban cycling parts and accessories. The Bikes Are Better initiative is the company's first foray into soft goods and currently includes a branded T-shirt, messenger bag and pedal strap. Product partners include Rickshaw Bagworks out of San Francisco, which worked with Fyxation to develop a custom "Bikes Are Better" Zero Messenger bag, and Hold Fast out of Baltimore, which developed the "Bikes Are Better" FRS (foot retention system).

The goal of the Bikes Are Better initiative is to help advance national and local bicycle advocacy projects. "We are all avid cyclists here and recognize the importance of local and national groups that promote cycling as a means of transportation," says Nick Ginster, Founder and General Manager of Fyxation. "We plan to continue to expand the breadth of the Bikes Are Better line and our goal is to donate the proceeds to a new non-profit every month."

Also in May, Missouri added to its burgeoning reputation as a Complete Streets leader, too. In April, the Show Me State had several policies highlighted as model measures in a new analysis from the National Complete Streets Coalition - and last month advocates celebrated a complete streets resolution at the state level, as well. That wasn't the only progress in Missouri this session. Advocates also declared victory in long-running campaigns for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Holiday Observances bill, SB 180, which officially adds Bike Week/Month and Walk to School Day/Week/Month to the state holidays calendar, and committee approval for the "Same Roads-Same Rights" specialty bicycle license plate, which should be on sale as early as this summer. Read more here.

After a year in the making, the Safe Streets Save Lives collaboration launched last month with a series of new, educational PSAs and the stories of lives cut tragically short by bicycle crashes. The South Carolina initiative was the result of an innovative partnership between the advocates at Palmetto Cycling Coalition and the attorneys at MyBikeLaw.com. The Safe Streets concept got its start back in 2008, after the PCC successfully campaigned for the reform to SC's bicycle traffic laws. That victory led the advocates to partner with Charleston-based attorney, Peter Wilborn, of MyBikeLaw.com, in leading more than a dozen bicycle safety workshops for law enforcement and implementing other efforts around the state. In 2010, the two organizations set their sights on a long-term strategic bicycle safety campaign for South Carolina. Read more here.

On May 2nd, advocates at the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) launched the second annual fundraising campaign for the U. S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS), a proposed national network of bicycle routes, spanning multiple states. Thirty states are currently working on the USBRS, and on May 11th, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved six new USBRS bicycle routes, the first to be established since 1982. Driven by the success of the 2010 campaign, which raised more than $27,000 for the effort, ACA aims to raise $30,000 with the 2011 Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign. ACA is not alone in its efforts: This year, several Alliance member organizations are teaming with the campaign as state partners. These advocacy organizations act as allies to ACA's fundraising efforts by promoting and raising money for the campaign. To gain some insight on our members' involvement with the campaign, we spoke with the San Dakota Bicycle Coalition (SDBC). Read the full story here.

Over the past two years, the advocates at the Community Cycling Center have been snapping portraits of residents who ride, documenting in quick visual fashion why and how Portlanders use their bicycles. Now, with a grant from Kaiser Permanente, the CCC is putting those faces and stories on bus benches in key communities. According to the CCC: "To broaden access to bicycling and its benefits, change must be initiated on multiple levels. Through campaigns like "I ride", the Community Cycling Center is working to raise awareness and to affect individual behavior choices. Health behavior research shows that the more people see individuals like themselves engaging in healthy activities, the more likely they are to try to adopt those behaviors." Last week, the CCC announced 15 new bus benches that will be located in and feature residents from the Hacienda CDC and New Columbia. The eye-catching, blue ads include residents like Muna, a Somali native who just learned how to ride a bicycle this summer with the help of a CCC volunteer, and Jorge Solo, who uses his bicycle for exercise and to spend time with his children. Read more here.