December 3, 2012
Greetings!

If you like the work we do, there are three ways you can show your support this holiday season. For the first, all you have to do is ride your bike! Join me and sign up for the Clif Bar 2-Mile Challenge and log all your trips... think of it as winter training for the National Bike Challenge in 2013! Second, sign up for the National Bike Summit in March. We need your voice on Capitol Hill. Finally, please consider a year-end donation to the League to help us continue our advocacy for bicyclists everywhere. With your help, we'll ride into 2013 stronger than ever.

Sincerely,  

 


Andy Clarke

League President
League News 

Take the 2 Mile Challenge - Help the League Win $10K  

 

You already bike to work or ride to the store. Why not use those trips to help the League win a $10,000 grant? CLIF Bar has chosen the League to be the beneficiary of the 2 Mile Challenge for December - and we need your pedal power to get us to that $10,000 grant. Participating in the 2 Mile Challenge couldn't be easier -- or more fun. You simply sign up and log each time you take a trip by bicycle. All we need is 5,000 trips to earn $10,000. Read more and sign up today!   

Register for the Summit and SAVE $50!     

The National Bike Summit is the premier advocacy event of the year, bringing together more than 800 advocates, government staff, and cycling enthusiasts of all types to tell Congress about the benefits of bicycling. The 2013 Summit is coming up on March 4-6 -- and it pays to register NOW! The first 100 registrants will save $50 by using the promo code 50BUCKS. Don't fall behind: Be part of the century of savings! Click here to register today.  

Call for Proposals: Present at the National Bike Summit    


We need your knowledge and expertise to show Congress and the nation that Bicycling Means Business. We're looking for the very best speakers to present their insight and expertise at the 2013 National Bike Summit. We're also accepting proposals for sessions at the Women Mean Business event, hosted by the League's new Women Bike program, on March 4 -- immediately preceding the start of the Summit. Click here to learn more and submit your idea.        
LAST WEEK TO APPLY: League Communications Manager

 

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The League is seeking a Communications Manager to implement the League's communications strategy and create and manage content for print and Web. The position will manage web publishing (including writing and editing blog posts), social media, brand management, and promotional materials. This person will also work on the bi-monthly League magazine, and will lead media and public relations. Read more.
Navigating MAP-21 Webinar: MPOs and Bike-Ped Funding
 
The new federal transportation law gives Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) far more power. MPOs serving areas with more than 200,000 residents will use a competitive process to select projects for funding through the Transportation Alternatives (TA) program. Join our next webinar on December 18 at 2 p.m. EASTERN to learn best practices from Advocacy Advance's Bike-Ped Friendly MPO Working Group to effectively integrate bicycling and walking needs into the MPO planning and funding process under MAP-21. Register here.
Moving People or Vehicles: How Do We Grade Our Roads?

 

Whose streets work better: Atlanta or Chicago? According to the most common assessment tool for (the Travel Time Index), the answer is Atlanta. But do our current standards -- our performance measures -- consider the right data when determining how well our roads work? The new federal transportation bill, MAP-21, brings urgency to getting this right. Unless the U.S. Department of Transportation sets appropriate performance measures, state DOTs will treat many roads that cut through neighborhoods essentially the same way they treat interstate highways: prioritizing speed over other factors. Read more.  

Club Leadership Webinar: Insurance Review

 

Join us for our next Club Leadership webinar -- our annual insurance review -- on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern. We need your feedback on the 2012 insurance program as we build the 2013 package. Register here.

 

Partner News   
Nominations Open for Alliance Advocacy Awards


Every year at the National Bike Summit, the Alliance for Biking & Walking presents its annual Advocacy Awards. Now is your chance to nominate the advocates and organizations that make your community a better place to bike and walk! Anyone can submit one nomination in each of the five categories. Nominations will be accepted until December 18, 2012. Learn more.  

Webinar: MPOs and Safe Routes to School 

In the new MAP-21 landscape, understanding Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) is especially critical to keeping Safe Routes to School at the forefront. Learn what you need to know to build Safe Routes to School into your regional game plan on the first "New Funding, New Players, New Game 101" webinar hosted by the Safe Routes National Partnership on December 6 at 2 p.m. EASTERN. Click here to register.

Bicycle Urbanism Symposium: Call for Abstracts      

 

The International Bicycle Urbanism Symposium, to be held at the University of Washington in Seattle from June 19-22, 2013, has opened its call for abstracts. Intended participants include planning and design professionals, researchers, bicycle advocates, and public officials. Click here to read the full guidelines and make your submission by February 1, 2013. 

Save the Date: Youth Bike Summit     

 

Mark your calendars for the 2013 Youth Bike Summit hosted by Recycle-A-BicycleFebruary 15-17, in New York City. Now in its third year, This national conference brings together people from different disciplines to explore, network, and learn how bicycling can be a legitimate and safe form of transportation for today's youth. Learn more.

 State and Local Advocacy  
All-Female LCI Training in Long Beach a Huge Success

Last month, Women on Bikes SoCal hosted the first, all-female League Cycling Instructor training in Long Beach, Calif. The innovative idea to provide scholarships for nine women from diverse neighborhoods resulted in a new crop of energized bicycle educators. "The all-female group created a very social dynamic," said Maria Sipin (pictured). "Aside from the 'girl talk' (gushing about our pets, partners, milestones, and hygiene advice), we had serious conversations about advocacy challenges and experiences with peers, cycling groups, and law enforcement." Read more.     

Protect Us All Campaign Gears Up in Sonoma County

 

The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition has responded to an incident of road rage by focusing attention on bicyclist harassment and working to pass an ordinance to protect harassed bicyclists. This summer, bicyclist Toraj Soltani was chased onto a golf course by a motorist with a history of moving violations. This incident, and others, prompted the group to campaign for a vulnerable road user law through its "Protect Us All" campaign. Building on laws passed in Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Sunnyvale, California; as well as Washington D.C., the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition drafted an ordinance and campaigned for its adoption by in Sonoma County. Read more.
Local Workshops = Millions for Bike-Ped Projects

500 participants. Eight communities. $10 million for biking and walking. Talk about an impressive year for Advocacy Advance! Over the past 11 months, the Advocacy Advance team has been out in the field, hosting Navigating MAP-21 workshops. From Atlanta, Ga., to Anchorage, AK, those workshops have had a huge impact, leading to more than $10 million in new funding for bike/ped projects in local communities. Read more

Just for Fun!  
Everyday Bicycling now Available

Elly Blue was among the engaging speakers at the National Women's Bicycling Summit and now you can read more of her unique insight in her new book. In Everyday Bicycling: How to Ride a Bike for Transportation (Whatever your Lifestyle), Blue provides a positive, practical approach on often overlooked topics, like bike shopping, dressing professionally, and carrying everything from groceries to children to furniture. Perfect for anyone on your gift list that is bike-curious -- and seasoned advocates who want a fresh perspective on how to encourage cycling in their communities! Read more.   

Buy a Candle, Benefit the League

 

Rebecca Brookson, founder of Bicyclette, has a gift idea to make your holidays merry, bright AND bike-friendly. Teaming up with the artisans at MAME Soy Candles, she's created a signature candle -- the Path Less Traveled -- and all the proceeds will benefit the League. Scented with Gardenia + Grass, the eight-ounce candles are made from 100 percent soy wax, pure essential oils and cotton wicks. Learn more and order today!   

 


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Share this American Bicyclist Update with your cycling friends and fellow bike commuters. The generous support from the League's members make publications like this possible. Join the League today.

The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of America's 57 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org.
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Header photo credits from left: John Luton, Richard Masoner, Nona Varnado, Allan Crawford
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