| Alliance Events at the National Bike Summit | |
Are you attending the 2012 National Bike Summit? Don't miss these important, inspirational and FUN events hosted by the Alliance!
National Women Cycling Forum
Tues, March 20, 2 - 4 p.m., Grant Hyatt
 Hosted by the Alliance and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, the National Women Cycling Forum will include a keynote address from Sue Macy, author of Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) and a diverse panel discussion featuring women from bicycle advocacy, engineering, and industry. It will foster collective discussion about best practices, creative ideas and potential next steps in addressing the gender cycling gap at a national and local level. Space is limited: Register here!
2012 Alliance Advocacy Awards Reception
Tues, March 20, 8:30 - 10:30 p.m., Harriet's Restaurant
 Since 2009, the Alliance has recognized individuals, organizations and business leaders who exemplify excellence in the bicycle and pedestrian movement. Join us in honoring the winners of the 2012 Advocacy Awards at a free, public reception - with title sponsorship and complimentary beer from New Belgium Brewing Company - on Tuesday, March 20 from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Harriet's Restaurant (432 11th Street NW, Washington, DC).
Women Cycling Social
Wed, March 21, 6 - 8 p.m., Busboys and Poets
C ontinue the conversations you started at the National Women Cycling Forum. Meet and mingle with fellow female cycling advocates in the loft of one of DC's most popular neighborhood hangouts -- Busboys and Poets (5th and K St NW). Come early for free food and drink! Hosted by the Alliance and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.
Community Bike Shop GatheringThurs, March 22, 7:30 - 9 p.m., Teaism Restaurant
 While community bike shops play a critical role in getting more people on bikes, and engaging people and communities whose needs are often not addressed by traditional advocacy groups, there has not been a clear avenue for community bike shops to engage with national advocacy groups. This forum will be an interactive conversation among leaders of community bike shops and Alliance staff to examine how the Alliance can better serve community bike shops across the country. Space is limited: Register here. (Questions? Contact Mike Samuelson: Mike@PeoplePoweredMovement.org.)
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| Winners Announced for 2011 People Powered Movement Photo Contest |  Thank you to the hundreds of photographers who collectively submitted more than 1,700 photos to the 2011 People Powered Movement Photo Contest -- we were truly impressed and inspired by the quality and creativity of the images.
After a public voting period and evaluation by our panel of judges, we're pleased to announce the winners.
- Rachel Schell, a photographer from Spokane, WA, won the overall grand prize for "Flying" (above) and will receive an all-expenses-paid, 10-day bike trip to Tuscany, Italy, from VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations.
- Liv Ames from San Jose, CA, won second place overall for her photo "Vancouver Foot Traffic."
- Russell Roca of Corvallis, OR, took third place overall for his "Biking Family" image.
Partnering with the Alliance to share these images with a wider audience, Momentum magazine is featuring an array of the winning photographs in its March/April 2012 issue. Click here to read the full press release. |
| New National Plan to Transform Bicycling |  The leadership of the Alliance for Biking & Walking, Bikes Belong, and the League of American Bicyclists has agreed that uniting the three organizations would dramatically improve their effectiveness in increasing bicycle use in U.S. communities.
"Our enthusiasm to take this momentous step for the movement is matched by a commitment to do this right," Noah Budnick, Alliance Board Chair, said in the recent announcement. The boards of all three organizations must ratify the agreement. Once (and if) that occurs, the transition team will work with a variety of board, staff, partners and advisors to determine the initial programs, membership structure, and staff needs of the new organization. "Changes will be implemented carefully and respectfully over time," Budnick continued, "and all existing contractual agreements will be honored and the continuity of existing memberships is assured."
"It is important for our supporters and members to know that each of our organizations came together from a position of strength and vision," said Jeff Miller, Alliance President/CEO. "The Alliance's important programs, from capacity building to the Benchmarking Project, will continue forward, but we will be working more closely with our partners as one team."
Click here to read the full announcement and FAQs specifically tailored to address Alliance membership.
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Alliance Partnership Launches Open Streets Project Website and Guide
|  To foster the growth and development of open streets initiatives across North America, the Alliance and Street Plans Collaborative have launched two new resources: the Open Streets Project website and the Open Streets Guide.
The website showcases more than 70 current initiatives across the continent and allows municipalities and advocacy organizations to share information and resources on their open streets initiatives as they evolve and expand. Learn more and browse examples in your region at www.OpenStreetsProject.org. The Open Streets Guide features best practices from 67 initiatives in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and serves as a tool for cities looking to start or grow an open streets initiative. Click here to download the free electronic copy of the guide. A print version will be available on March 21, 2012 at www.OpenStreetsProject.org. If your city or organization has information to share about an open streets initiative, contact Mike Samuelson, Alliance Member Services and Open Streets Coordinator at mike@PeoplePoweredMovement.org.
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Grant Applications Due This Week!
 Advocacy Advance is offering $25,000 in Capacity Building Grants to Alliance member organizations in 2012.
These matching grants, funded by Planet Bike, support the development and professionalization of state and local advocacy organizations to increase rates of biking and walking. Inquiry applications are available online and are due this Friday, March 9.
In addition, Advocacy Advance has $35,000 in Rapid Response Grants to help state and local organizations take advantage of unexpected opportunities to win, increase, or preserve funding for biking and walking in 2012. Applications, available online, are accepted on a rolling basis.
For more information, contact Brighid O'Keane, Advocacy Advance Program Manager, at brighid@PeoplePoweredMovement.org. |
Registration Open for 2012 Leadership Retreat 
On September 7-10, the Alliance will hold its 2012 Leadership Retreat in Long Beach, CA, at the Queen Mary. This signature event will inspire and connect Alliance leaders with:
- The sharing of best practices and techniques;
- Discussion of cutting-edge campaigns;
- Tools to increase leadership and improve organization efficiency;
- Ways to conquer internal and external challenges; and,
- Opportunities to increase and diversify the pedestrian and bicycling movement.
With both beginner and advanced instruction, workshops addressing the needs of different staff positions, and opportunities to dive more specifically into issues facing start-up, advanced, statewide, walking-only, and community bike shop organizations, this is a must-attend event for all Alliance leaders.
Registration is now open. Sign up by June 15 to take advantage of the early rate of just $425, which includes all meals (except Friday night), lodging, and all retreat programming. A limited number of scholarships are available for the Leadership Retreat and for ProWalk/ProBike; application deadline is April 30. See the website for all details and application instructions.
Do you have a workshop idea or information to share that may benefit participants? E-mail Jeremy@PeoplePoweredMovement.org with your thoughts by April 15 to ensure your ideas are incorporated into the agenda.
Find all the latest details, including the latest draft agenda and logistics information, at PeoplePoweredMovement.org/retreat
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Benchmarking Report Making an Impact
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 In just the first month since its release, more than 5,000 copies of Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report have been downloaded or distributed.
This essential resource compiles data on biking and walking from all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities, including participation, funding, policies, infrastructure, economic impact, public health and more. Click here to download your free e-copy or purchase a print edition.
What's the press saying about the Benchmarking Report? Browse stories from news outlets like Grist, GOOD, Fast Company, Bicycle Times, Maine Public Radio, The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Observer and more on our Benchmarking Media Hits page.
Most importantly, though, the Benchmarking Report is playing a key role in the campaign to preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking in the next federal transportation bill. Among the key conclusions of the 2012 Benchmarking Report: While biking and walking represent more than 12 percent of trips and 14 percent of fatalities, these modes get less than 2 percent of federal transportation dollars.
Thank you to the many organizations that have used the Benchmarking Report and cited this important statistic in local press releases. If you haven't already, we invite you to use the report as fuel to make the case for biking and walking as the debate heats up on Capitol Hill.
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Winning Campaigns Training Coming to Boston
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Put your efforts on the fast track to victory. Attend the Alliance's next Winning Campaigns Training, April 27-29, 2012, in Boston.
The Alliance Winning Campaigns Training will give you the skills, strategies and advice you need to craft and manage powerful campaigns to increase biking and walking in your community.
Led by longtime advocates and national experts, the training will teach you how to focus in on a winnable campaign, identify key decision makers, rally community members and the media, fundraise for the effort and much more. With guidance from facilitators and your peers -- including our host organization, LivableStreets Alliance -- you'll leave the training with a detailed Campaign Blueprint that outlines each step to your ultimate victory.
But the Winning Campaigns Training is more than a workshop. It's a fun, interactive, inspiring experience that fosters collaboration and connection among your region's advocates.
Register for the Boston training by March 30 to get the early-bird rate of just $75 for Alliance members and $125 for the general public. Sign up today!
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Next Federal Policy Webinar March 27
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 After months and months of stops and starts, the federal transportation bill is moving in earnest in the U.S. House and Senate. We are entering a truly critical period in the coming weeks and we need advocates across the country to be ready for action.
Save the date for our next Federal Policy Webinar on Tuesday, March 27 at 2 p.m. Eastern, hosted by the Alliance and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.
We'll be joined by our partners at America Bikes who will have up-to-the-minute information from Capitol Hill and insight on collective strategies to preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking in the next federal transportation bill.
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Seeks YOUR Questions
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 In preparation for his next "On the Go" question-and-answer webisode, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is inviting Alliance members to submit their transportation questions. The Secretary will select a few of them to answer in his episode, and he'll answer a few more just for us in a People Powered Blog post.
If you've got something on your mind now is the time to ask the Secretary! E-mail your questions to Carolyn@PeoplePoweredMovement.org or post them directly on Secretary LaHood's Facebook page or Twitter feed (@RayLaHood, using the #q4ray hashtag) -- making sure to mention you're with the Alliance. Questions are due by Wed, March 7, at 3 p.m. Eastern.
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Upcoming Mutual Aid Calls
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The 400+ attendees for our Mutual Aid Calls in 2011 can't be wrong: These conference calls are an ideal forum to gain insight from your Alliance peers on the specific issues and topics that are important to your organization. All calls begin at 2 p.m. Eastern and run for one hour.
This month:
- March 7: Commuter Challenges: Bikes and Beyond: There's nothing like a little competition- and recognition - to get folks motivated to make a change in their lives. Commuter challenges entice and reward residents for replacing car trips with active transportation, whether that's riding their bike, traveling by foot or taking public transit. Many advocacy organizations have created successful challenges that have engaged and enlarged their membership base and collectively eliminated millions of miles of car travel. Attend this call to learn best practices, upcoming innovations and how to create a truly inclusive commuter challenge in your community. Register here.
- March 14: Engaging Pedestrians in the Planning Process: Especially when it comes to transportation issues, the public process often attracts a small cadre of usual suspects: Those who have a zeal for community activism and an understanding of transportation issues. Often missing is input from pedestrians who don't identify as an interest group, residents who are not comfortable speaking up at meetings, and folks who do not speak English as a first language. But there are emerging models in how to shift this paradigm. In this call, learn from WalkBoston and other advocates, as we discuss how to add voices to the planning process and engage more pedestrians in these critical issues. Register here.
Registration open:
Do you have a call idea? Contact jeremy@PeoplePoweredMovement.org.
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Alliance Seeks Communications Fellow
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The Alliance is seeking a Communications Fellow to raise the profile of our work and the work of our member organizations. Based out of the Alliance's office in Washington, DC, the job will involve working closely with our coalition of more than 200 state and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations and several national partners.
Under the supervision of the Alliance President, the fellow will coordinate multiple components of the Alliance's communications. This is a tremendous opportunity for someone with a lot of initiative to take on significant responsibility, while learning about transportation reform issues and working directly with a variety of well-known leaders and organizations both nationally and in communities across North America. Applications are due March 15. Click here to read the full job description.
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Biking Benefits Exceed $450 Million in Iowa: With a nationally renowned event like RAGBRAI, it's no secret that biking is big in the Hawkeye State. But a new study from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition puts a dollar figure on that enthusiasm. According to "Economic and Health Benefits of Bicycling," the spending of recreational cyclists generates $364.8 million in direct and indirect impacts to the State of Iowa. And that's just the economic aspect. When it comes to health, bicycling saves the state $73.9 million in healthcare costs for those who cycle recreationally, while bicycle commuters cash in on another $13.2 million in health care cost savings. The findings were so impressive they surprised even Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition: "The return on investment was much larger than expected." Read more.
BikeWalkKC Helps Launch Bike Share KC:
Last month, the City of Kansas City passed a resolution permitting the establishment of BikeShareKC and committing to increase the number of bike lanes along BikeShareKC routes. The new B-cycle system is a joint effort of BikeWalkKC and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City . The partnership aims to have 20 stations with 200 bikes up and running by summer 2012. Bikes will be available nine months of the year, with annual memberships that entitle users to unlimited 30-45 minute trips around the city. The stations will even be equipped with a smartphone app that will allow riders to determine the availability of bikes anywhere in the system. Read more.
Seattle Advocates Win Bike Boulevards: A successful campaign to increase walking and biking sometimes takes years, but the right amount of perseverance, skill and timing can lead to a quick win. That's exactly what happened for Neighborhood Greenways in Seattle. The group advocates for a citywide network of low-traffic streets that limit cut-through cars and are safe for biking and walking. Only a few months after forming, the group celebrated its first victory, in no small part thanks to the tips they learned at the Alliance's Winning Campaigns Training in Seattle. Read more.
Silicon Valley Advocates Get Facebook to "Like" Bike Trails: Last month, volunteers working with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition announced that the social network giant Facebook agreed to provide the funding for bike trails around its new office park in Silicon Valley. Many of Facebook's employees are young and transplanted from areas with excellent cycling. In fact, nearly half of Facebook's employees use alternative transportation to get to work. Yet, when Facebook moved into the new space in Palo Alto, the company didn't realize the difficulties in biking to the campus. Newer cyclists, they realized, might be intimidated by the need to cross highways and ride in traffic. Andrew Boone, a member of the SVBC, and a team of fellow volunteers met with Facebook regularly to encourage them to make changes. Read more.
CA Advocates Launch Effort to "Double Number of Women and Girls Who Ride Bikes": The state of California has nearly 37 million residents -- and scores of League Cycling Instructors. But how many of those certified bike educators are women? Melissa Balmer of Women on Bikes SoCal in Long Beach did some digging and discovered, in Southern California, there are just 20 female LCIs. This week, her organization launched an effort to change that. Launched in November 2012 with the aim to encourage, engage and empower women to bicycle, Women on Bikes SoCal is a collaboration of Bikeable Communities, Bikestation, Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal of Long Beach and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Still in its early stages, WoBSoCal charged out of the gate with a bold agenda and innovative inaugural campaign: Let's double the number of women and girls riding bikes by 2017. Read more.
Michigan Advocates Petition Amtrak to Accommodate Bikes: Last year, the League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) worked to ensure that the new Michigan State Rail Plan included bike-friendly provisions for traveling cyclists -- and won. The new plan recommends that two- (or three-) wheeling travelers be allowed to bring their bikes aboard trains chugging through the Great Lakes State. But there's a hitch: It's a recommendation, not a mandate. Now, the LMB is using the rail plan momentum to convince Amtrak to do the right thing for cyclists. "LMB added bikes on trains as one of our advocacy priorities last year," says John Lindenmayer, LMB's Advocacy and Policy Director. "Cyclists, however, have been clamoring for sometime for the right to travel with their bikes on Michigan Amtrak lines. Since Amtrak has implemented roll-on bike service in other states, we decided to launch this petition drive to ensure that Amtrak hears directly from the Michigan cycling community." Read more.
Rapid Response Grant to Support Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota SRTS Innovation: Last month, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota started a campaign to include a $3 million appropriation in the 2012 Minnesota Bonding Bill to launch a statewide Safe Routes to School grant program. Advocacy Advance has awarded BikeMN a $3,000 Rapid Response grant to support their efforts. Their idea has spurred the interest and involvement of the Minnesota Safe Kids Coalition, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Minnesota Childhood Obesity Legislative Working Group and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, and this grant will help them carry out their lead role. The $3,000 will be used to hire a lobbyist and have a professional presence at the state capitol during the process. Read more.
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Register for the National Bike Summit: Register now for the 2012 National Bike Summit to be held March 20-22, 2012. Hosted by the League of American Bicyclists in Washington, DC, the summit is a key opportunity to meet fellow advocates and defend critical federal funding programs for biking and walking. Sign up TODAY!
New Report from the National Complete Streets Coalition: Last week, the National Complete Streets Coalition released "It's a Safe Decision: Complete Streets in California." The report details the success of the Complete Streets approach across the Golden State. Read more and download the report.
Early Registration Open for Velo-City: Velo-city Global is the world's premier international cycling planning conference -- and it's coming to Vancouver, Canada, June 26-29, 2012. Spread out over four days, it will provide delegates from around the world an opportunity to share best practices for planning, creating, and sustaining cycling-friendly cities. By recognizing bicycles as an important part of daily life for people of all ages, it will serve to not only promote cycling as a viable, and efficient, mode of transport, but as an integral component in fostering greener, healthier communities, and more liveable urban centers overall. Register by March 31 to save several hundred dollars on your attendance. Click here to learn more and register.
Registration Open for Pro Walk Pro Bike: Registration is now open for Pro Walk / Pro Bike, September 10-13 in Long Beach, CA. Click here to register or for more information. A limited number of scholarships are available for Alliance members. Visit the Leadership Retreat webpage for application details.
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