| Happy Bike Month! | 
Make this May the best Bike Month ever! We know this is a busy time of year for all of our bike advocates, so be sure to check out the Alliance Resources Library for examples of effective Bike Month events and communications. Why reinvent the wheel?
Last month we hosted a Mutual Aid Call on Bike to Work Events with three great panelists from Alliance member organizations, and the tip sheet from the call has some great ideas and advice. Additionally, in the Resources Library there are sample resolutions, recruitment guides and marketing and sponsorship materials.
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Register for the 2012 Alliance Leadership Retreat in Long Beach, California
The 2012 Alliance Leadership Retreat will take place from September 7-10 in Long Beach, CA, on the Queen Mary. Be sure to register for the Alliance's signature event. The biennial retreat inspires and connects leaders from across the continent, and features workshops on issues important to your organization, led by your peer advocate and outside experts. We'll highlight established best practices as well as innovative ideas, with plenty of workshop options that focus on your organization's needs.
This year's retreat will include:
- 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.
Register by June 15 to take advantage of the reduced rate of just $425, which includes all meals (except Friday night), lodging for three nights, swag from our sponsors and all retreat materials and programming.
For the latest information on the 2012 Leadership Retreat, be sure to visit PeoplePoweredMovement.org/retreat, and if you have questions, contact Jeremy (Jeremy@PeoplePoweredMovement.org).
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Get Ready for the Next Winning Campaigns Training in Houston, June 8-10
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This past weekend at the Winning Campaigns Training in Boston, advocates from seven different organizations planned eight new campaigns to improve walking and biking in their communities. The planned campaigns included:
- Creating a network of green trails in Boston
- Creating an open streets initiative in Boston
- Installing a cycle track on a busy street in Baltimore, MD
- Creating signage to link a trail with a business center
- Connecting transit with national park land in Historic Boston
Coming away from the Boston training with new ideas and great energy, we are already looking forward to our next Winning Campaigns Training in Houston, Texas, from June 8-10.
 At our signature Winning Campaigns Training, you will learn how to plan and execute a focused effort to increase biking and walking in your community. Advocates and national experts will be on hand to guide you through the process of developing a winnable campaign, identifying stakeholders and decision makers, engaging community members, funding the endeavor, and much more. You'll leave the training with a detailed Campaign Blueprint that outlines each step you'll take to achieve your goal. The Winning Campaigns Training is not just a workshop. It's a fun, interactive, inspiring experience that fosters collaboration and connection among your region's advocates. Register for the Houston training, and get ready to increase the impact of your advocacy. Registration is $100 for Alliance members and $150 for non-members. Register before May 11, and receive $25 off. Sign up today!
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Advocacy Advance Update
 Advocacy Advance will announce this year's Startup/Capacity Building grantees in June, so be sure to check in on the blog for details about the awardees and their proposals.
Startup/Capacity Building grants make a difference. In fall 2010, Advocacy Advance awarded a Capacity Building Grant to Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation to help found BikeWalkKC. In just a year and a half, BikeWalkKC has grown to include over 200 members, a strong education program, and many advocacy successes. In partnership with local agencies, health care providers and schools, BikeWalkKC has provided myriad opportunities for safe cycling education and has helped bring about a bike share program. This organization has certainly hit the ground running.
The recipient of an 2010 Advocacy Advance Innovation Grant, Bicycle Coalition of Maine leveraged funds to provide one-day Community Spokes trainings to local advocates. Modeled after Alliance Winning Campaigns Trainings, Community Spokes spur local leaders in biking and walking to push for change in their communities. To see what grantees are up to, and for more success stories, visit the Advocacy Advance blog.
We have funds available 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. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition, for example, recently received a $3,000 grant to support their One Billion for Bikes campaign targeting dedicated bike/ped funding to the tune of $883 million over 30 years.
Applications for Rapid Response Grants are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information and to apply, visit the Advocacy Advance grants page. If you have questions about the Advocacy Advance program, contact Brighid O'Keane, Advocacy Advance Program Manager, at brighid@PeoplePoweredMovement.org. |
Support Jeff Miller and Team Alliance on the
2012 Climate Ride
 This May, Alliance president Jeff Miller will ride 300 miles from New York City to Washington, DC, in five days to support biking and walking! Climate Ride, the nation's largest environmental cycling event, raises awareness about and directs funds to groups that promote a clean energy future and green transportation infrastructure.
Jeff will join over 150 other riders to promote sustainable initiatives and bicycle advocacy. Climate Ride supports the Alliance as well as our member organizations -- Transportation Alternatives, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Active Transportation Alliance, Walk San Francisco and several others. Click here to support Jeff and team Alliance on the upcoming NYC-DC Climate Ride, May 19-23!
Interested in riding? This year's NYC-DC ride is full, but you can still sign up for the fall 2012 California ride (September 9-13). |
Upcoming Mutual Aid Calls
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Our Mutual Aid conference calls are a great 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:
A key challenge for walking advocates is building interest and excitement around making communities more walkable for everyone. This mutual aid call will highlight successful efforts that range from small-scale guerrilla marketing to coordinated community campaigns that have effectively raised awareness and helped make changes to improve walking. Register here.
Upcoming calls:
What would you like to discuss on a Mutual Aid call? Contact Jeremy (jeremy@PeoplePoweredMovement.org) with your ideas!
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Federal Policy Briefing and Action |
 For those unable to tune in on May 1 for our Federal Policy Webinar, we'd like to loop you in on recent developments. Caron Whitaker from America Bikes shared updates on federal transportation legislation going to conference in the U.S. Congress.
Conference committee members have been selected from the House and Senate, and on May 2, congressional staffers started negotiations. On May 8, all conference committee members will make public statements of position. Regardless of whether your representative is a conferee, now is a great time to hold "Show Congress" events to demonstrate the importance of dedicated funding for biking and walking.
The Alliance and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals will schedule the next federal policy webinar in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for the latest information concerning the federal policy climate.
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CityCampKC Develops New BikeWalkKC App: This past weekend, programmers, government officials and citizens came together to make biking and walking in Kansas City easier and safer. Sponsored by BikeWalkKC, the CityCampKC event culminated in a Hack-a-Thon which developed a new mobile device app that helps bikers and walkers find good routes and report issues. Read more here. LACBC Releases New Bike Safety PSAs: This past month, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition unveiled their new Spanish-language bike safety campaign, Bus stops around the city feature their family-friendly posters. The message, crafted by City of Lights program volunteers from the Latino community, states, "PRECAUCIÓN: Tu familia también usa la bicicleta" ("CAUTION: Your family also rides bicycles"). LACBC is seeking to air the accompanying video PSA as well. With an outpouring of volunteer support and through their partnership with R.E.I. and the LA Department of Transportation, LACBC is getting their message out to more people than ever before. Read more on the LACBC blog.
New Family Biking Guide from San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: Biking is healthy family fun, and San Francisco Bicycle Coalition just released their Family Biking Guide with tons of information for biking parents and kids. For helpful advice for expecting moms and dads and tips on how to keep kids happy and safe on their own bikes, download a copy today. Read more from the SFBC here.
Velo-Talk Advocacy Session in Vancouver:
HUB: Your Cycling Connection (formerly Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition) will host the first ever Velo-Talk on June 25, 2012. This interactive advocacy workshop is a gathering space for advocates to share successes and challenges, and network to continue supporting each other after the conference. The keynote speaker, Jeff Miller, CEO of the Alliance for Biking & Walking, the exciting Pecha Kucha stories from around the world, and the small working sessions will send you home with more energy, information and resources to move cycling forward. Space is limited. See the agenda and register here.
Boston Bike to Market Ramps Up: The Boston Cyclists Union is expanding their targeted outreach at farmers' markets. In its third season, the Bike to Market program will continue to help put more people on bikes. At Bike to Market events, people who bike can gather to discuss ways to improve cycling in their communities, and, at the same time, tune up their own bikes. Read more here.
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Bike Month and New Bicycle Friendly Businesses:
Additionally, on April 18, the League recog-nized 67 new Bicycle Friendly Businesses. Now nearly 500 Bicycle Friendly Businesses across the country are working to encourage a bicycle-friendly atmo-sphere for employees and customers. For updates and more information, visit the League's Bicycle Friendly America page.
Green Lane Project Cities Announced:
On April 3, Bikes Belong revealed the six cities selected to become part of the Green Lane Project, an effort to promote the installation of world-class bicycling facilities on city streets. The cities participating in the first wave of this project are:
Velo-City Global 2012: Velo-city Global, the world's premier cycling planning conference, will be in Vancouver, Canada, June 26-29, 2012. The conference provides delegates from around the world four full days of programming and a chance to share best practices for planning, creating, and sustaining cycling-friendly cities. With valuable sessions and remarkable keynote speakers, Velo-city 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.
Click here to register!
Pro Walk/Pro Bike in Long Beach: Pro Walk/Pro Bike will be held September 10-13 in Long Beach, CA. The theme of this year's conference is ProWalk/ProBike: ProPlace. Over 1,000 biking and walking professionals from across North America will gather for four days of poster presentations, panel discussions and plenary sessions to learn how communities around the world are using biking and walking as tools to build better places to live and work. Register for Pro Walk/Pro Bike here!
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