Building the People Powered Movement
Member NewsBicycle and pedestrian advocacy news from Alliance organizations across North America.
05/22/2012 -- 2012 Bicycle Friendly State Rankings Just Announced
05/22/2012 -- Bikes, Tourists, and all that Jazz
Last week, the Louisiana State Legislature drafted a bill that would create $40 million in new revenue to invest in infrastructure improvements in New Orleans’ “Hospitality Zone” (The French Quarter and Central Business District). The bill would allow a citywide election on tourist tax increases that are estimated to bring in over $12 million per year. The timing is aligned with the 2013 Super Bowl, which will be held in NOLA. The Department of Public Works has been asked to start designing these projects that include resurfacing projects and on-street bike parking infrastructure in NOLA’s historic district. “The good news is that several improvements are being considered for pedestrian crossings such as pedestrian heads, new medians, pedestrian sanctuaries and tree plantings to calm traffic,” says Jamie Wine, Executive Director of Bike Easy. “However, only a few will have the minimum in bicycle facilities (shared-lane markings) and minimal way-finding signage, even though there is room on the street for much more progressive treatments such as cycle tracks and bicycle lanes.” Currently, a traffic study is required to eliminate a lane of traffic or parking. Bike Easy has been awarded a $3,000 Advocacy Advance Rapid Response Grant to support their advocacy efforts to include bicycle infrastructure in these improvements. They will use funds to conduct a grassroots campaign and to lobby elected officials and Department of Public Works planners and engineers to allocate money for traffic studies. In the long-term, these critical corridors are important to connect the Mississippi River Trail across the downtown core with bike lanes, boulevards and separated facilities. Using new state funding sources to improve bicycle facilities on these roads will also demonstrate implementation of Louisiana’s Complete Streets Policy, passed last July and encourage a change in agency culture to include bicycles by default in road projects. Advocacy Advance will be in NOLA in November for an Action 2020 Workshop to further work with advocates, agency staff and elected officials to identify opportunities to increase federal transportation funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects in New Orleans and Louisiana. 05/21/2012 -- San Francisco Implements 15-mph School Zones
Local law enforcement pledged to ensure enforcement of the 15-mile-per-hour speed limits. Walk San Francisco has worked with the Municipal Transit Agency and police department on a systematic enforcement plan, whereby police will issue warnings and then tickets in the school zones. This win is part of Walk San Francisco’s larger campaign around pedestrian safety, and they have worked with local parents, media, elected officials and city agencies to draft goals to improve safety. The campaign is helping the city reach its established targets of a 50 percent reduction in serious and fatal pedestrian injuries by 2021, and it is making San Francisco more walkable in general. “These school zones will help kids walk to school safely,” said Elizabeth Stampe, Executive Director of Walk San Francisco. “They’ll also calm traffic in neighborhoods throughout the city, making streets more inviting for walking. This is a big step forward for everyone who walks in San Francisco.” To read more, visit the Walk San Francisco website here. 05/11/2012 -- Apply to Become a Walk Friendly Community
In April, the number of Walk Friendly Communities grew to 24 as PBIC announced the addition of three new cities. Similar to the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program, Walk Friendly Communities rates the levels of pedestrian engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation and planning in communities that apply for recognition. For more information, and to apply, visit the Walk Friendly Communities website. 05/11/2012 -- Alliance Releases Part One of New Guide to Fundraising Today we released part one of the Alliance Guide to Fundraising, an evolving series focused on one of the great challenges of starting and sustaining an organization — finding and retaining sources of funding. The Alliance has been developing this resource in the past few months, and we are excited to offer it to our members through our Resources Library. “Creating and Implementing an Effective Fundraising Plan” details the process of setting goals and timelines, choosing among various funding sources and developing a plan that fits each organization’s mission, budget and opportunities. With insights and examples from Alliance members and fundraising experts, the first installment of the series offers an in-depth approach for setting your organization on the path to fundraising success. Later installments of the Guide to Fundraising will discuss such topics as:
05/10/2012 -- BikeTexas Continues Innovation Streak with Groupon Grassroots
On Earth Day, the online daily deal site Groupon marshaled its resources to promote community benefits and re-launched their support of nonprofit initiatives in Groupon Grassroots. As with other Groupon deals, once enough participants partake in the deal, the offer is valid. Through Groupon Grassroots, BikeTexas accepted donations to meet a target of $400 ($10 from 40 donors), which they quickly surpassed. As part of the launch of its grassroots initiative, Groupon is also providing a $1,000 grant to BikeTexas. From the Groupon deal, BikeTexas was able to raise over $1,700 in donations to provide 200 sets of front and back bike lights to Texas riders. These funds will help BikeTexas extend their “Be Safe & Be Bright” campaign to light up more bikes across Texas. “BikeTexas was honored to be chosen as one of the 50 nonprofits throughout the U.S. for Groupon’s new national grassroots campaign,” said Leslie Luciano, Director of Communications at BikeTexas. “‘Be safe and be bright’ is a theme BikeTexas is carrying throughout the state.” Read more about BikeTexas’ work in their blog here and check out their Groupon Grassroots campaign here. 05/09/2012 -- America Bikes Releases 2012 Survey Results Senator Durbin (D-IL) speaks in support of federal bike/ped funding.This morning at a press conference on Capitol Hill, America Bikes announced the findings of a recent Princeton survey, which shows that more than 80 percent of Americans favor maintaining or increasing federal funding for sidewalks and bike lanes. The survey results are astounding - and bipartisan:
At the event, Senators Cardin (D-MD) and Durbin (D-IL), Representatives Petri (R-WI) and Blumenauer (D-OR), and the staff of Senator Snowe (R-ME) expressed their support of federal funding for biking and walking infrastructure. “This is how you connect people,” said Senator Cardin at the press conference. “People would rather be able to use their bikes and use their feet than to use their cars, which are more costly, more dangerous to our environment, and part of a different lifestyle than we really want to have.” For more information on the survey and to download the results, visit the America Bikes website. 05/08/2012 -- New Reports and More from Transportation Alternatives
For more information and inspiration, visit the Transportation Alternatives site. 05/02/2012 -- Advocates Launch Eight New Campaigns at Boston Training
The event brought together 16 advocates, all but one from the Boston area, and was hosted by LivableStreets Alliance. “The training was the best three days of learning I’ve had in a long time,” said LivableStreets Alliance member Stephen Nutter, who worked on a campaign that aims to reconnect neighborhoods divided by an urban highway. While Winning Campaigns Trainings are a great way to engage new advocates in the campaign planning process, this training saw many experienced advocates attend and use the training to set aside dedicated time for planning, as well as to re-energize their work. Seasoned advocates included several members of the Boston Cyclists Union, who crafted a campaign to connect the city using a network of cycle tracks. “We’re extremely busy and often overworked at our organization,” said Noël Twigg of the Boston Cyclists Union. “The training was a great opportunity to engage with fellow bike enthusiasts and left me feeling energized and ready to move forward!” Other campaigns launched at the training include:
05/02/2012 -- BikeWalkKC Engages Tech Experts at CityCampKC
The event culminated in a Hack-a-Thon, where creative community members donated their time and technical expertise to brainstorm systems for better government and increased economic opportunity. During the Hack-a-Thon, participants collaborated to generate a new mobile device app for users to find safe and convenient places to walk or bike, report hazards and provide up-to-date information and feedback to local officials and planners. Particularly focused on information sharing and reporting, the CityCampKC event worked on leveraging technology to connect citizens with officials and make public service delivery more efficient. Both Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James and Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Joe Reardon spoke at the event about future collaboration opportunities. At the end of the event, participants came away with tons of information about how technology can continue to improve the way their city works. Also, planners, programmers and citizens worked with BikeWalkKC to develop a mobile device app based on Shareabouts, an online mapping tool that gathers information about different locations. For more information about CityCampKC happenings, click here. 04/25/2012 -- Inviting Congress to Your Bike Month Event
The basic concept of a ‘Show Congress’ event is to connect a member of Congress with bicycling by arranging their participation in a trail opening, ribbon-cutting ceremony, or community bike event in a way that is visual, public, and fun. Your request should begin with a phone call to your Representative’s office to let them know that a formal invitation letter is on its way. Send in a letter by fax or email using the resource below. Approximately a week after you have submitted your scheduling request, call the scheduler to follow-up on your request. America Bikes has a great toolkit for your organization to use when inviting and hosting your Representative for your event:
Participating in an event like this also means you meet staffers, both DC‐based and those who work in a district office. These connections always prove to be beneficial. 04/24/2012 -- Community Bike Shop Leaders Discuss the Business of Running a ShopCommunity bike shops work as advocates in their communities by putting more people on bikes. In their unique role, they face issues similar to both nonprofit organizations and for-profit bike shops. On April 18, 2012, Mutual Aid panelists Jonathan Morrison of Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective, Jason Tanzman from Cycles for Change, and Pasqualina Azzarello of Recycle-A-Bicycle discussed the common challenges and opportunities associated with starting up, managing and finding funding for community bike shops. The call also offered other leaders to discuss challenges they have faced as well as possible solutions. If you didn’t have a chance to join the call, you can download the call recording and view the call tip sheet. 04/24/2012 -- BikeWalkKC Completes Advocacy Advance Grant
Kansas City is dedicating $500,000 per year for five years for its share of the regional Katy Trail, a corridor that is part of the Jackson County Commuter Rail-with-Trail plan. In 2011, Kansas City achieved Bronze status from the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Communities program and its City Council adopted a Complete Streets Resolution, along with nine other communities covering 48% of the metro population. BikeWalkKC launched a Regional Funding Cooperation campaign and is working with a coalition of regional Parks and Recs directors on enabling state legislation to fund regional trails and bike routes. Additionally, a Blue Cross and Blue Shield-sponsored bike share program will start in Kansas City this summer and the organization’s CMAQ-funded Education program has served over 2,000 people in eight monthly classes with LCI instruction, school programs in low income and minority neighborhoods, and corporate lunch-and-learns. BikeWalkKC certainly hit the ground running. Ongoing support from a statewide organization, working off of a clear, collaborative vision, addressing the technical steps for starting a new advocacy organization, and building local partnerships are the recipe for success in Kansas City – one that many Alliance member organizations have and can continue to learn from. 04/23/2012 -- Family Biking Guide Launched in San FranciscoThis week, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition announced the release of their Family Biking Guide. Are you curious how long through your pregnancy you can safely ride? How to choose from your carrier options? When to buy your child’s first bike? How to teach your child to bike, and tips for biking to school? From biking while pregnant to choosing the best gear for your young cyclist, this comprehensive, how-to manual is a must-have resource for your family in San Francisco and beyond. Download the manual for free at sfbike.org/family_guide.
04/20/2012 -- Idaho Moves Forward with Texting Ban
According to the Idaho Transportation Department, distracted driving contributed to 192 fatalities and 1,534 injuries in Idaho from 2008 to 2010. In the past several years, the Idaho state legislature has introduced distracted driving bills but had failed to pass them. Cynthia Gibson of the Idaho Pedestrian & Bicycle Alliance cites that, in addition to keeping members informed at every step in the legislative process, forming partnerships with non-biking/walking organizations was a key to success. “We met with organizations who want safer streets,” said Gibson, “including AAA, the Mayor’s Youth Task Force, and insurance companies.” With the passage of this law, Gibson says Idaho Pedestrian & Bicycle Alliance can begin to focus on its other campaigns. “Our next focus is finding local examples of economic benefits of biking and walking,” she said. “We would use this information at the city and state level.” |
Invest in biking and walking advocacy where it matters most... on the ground!
Creating Walkable Communities on a Budget --Call on May 16
Making the Equity Case: Working with Transit --Call on June 06
Winning Campaigns Training: Houston, Texas
June 08 through June 10, 2012
05/22/2012 - 2012 Bicycle Friendly State Rankings Just Announced
05/22/2012 - Bikes, Tourists, and all that Jazz
05/21/2012 - San Francisco Implements 15-mph School Zones
05/11/2012 - Apply to Become a Walk Friendly Community
This morning, the League of American Bicyclists 
When you think of New Orleans, what comes to mind? The tragic reminds us of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that followed it and still remains. The celebratory conjures up images of parades, trombones, and music flowing into the streets. Those streets – destroyed, recovering, or flourishing with jazz – are the focus of 
As we head into National Bike Month, members of Congress head back to their home districts – a perfect time to invite them to your local Bike Month Event. The House is out of session May 1-4 and May 20-29, and some Representatives may also be home for Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 18.
