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Advocacy Awards

Congratulations to the Winners of the Alliance’s 2010 Advocacy Awards!

Alliance for Biking and Walking has announced the 2010 winners of our Advocacy Awards.

Toronto Cyclists Union-Newcomer Cycling Project
Toronto Cyclists Union has been honored with the 2010 Innovation of the Year Award for their Newcomer Cycling Project in Toronto, Ontario. This award goes to the organization that has implemented the most creative and innovative campaign promoting bicycling and walking in their community.  The Newcomer Cycling Project promotes bicycling in an inclusive and friendly manner by speaking to recent immigrants in their own language. In partnership with CultureLink, Toronto Cyclists Union has produced promotional posters in the 15 most commonly spoken languages, produced a bi-lingual bicycling handbook, and is providing mentorship to groups in various cities in hopes of delivering similar programs. Learn more about the Newcomer Cycling Project.

Active Transportation Alliance
Chicago-based Active Transportation Alliance has been honored with the 2010 Best Practices Award for their outstanding efforts and results in regards to program growth, policy, and advocacy. This Best Practice Award is given to an organization that exemplifies successful day-to-day operations and therefore serves as a model for other bicycling and walking organizations. As the largest biking and walking advocacy organization in the nation, Active Trans sets the bar high for other agencies to model. Active Trans holds transparency and good business practices at a premium demonstrating that through operating professionally and responsibly, you can more effectively build a movement around biking, walking and transit. Active Trans has been instrumental in establishing peer-to-peer relationships within the Alliance and providing mentoring to smaller organizations. Their leadership and sharing of best practices is helping other organizations grow and succeed and is building a more effective movement nationally Learn more about Active Transportation Alliance.

Paul LeFrancois
Paul LeFrancois, President and a founding board member of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, has been honored with the 2010 Advocate of the Year Award. This award goes to an individual who has shown tireless commitment to promoting bicycling and walking in his community and serves as a role model for other advocates in the region and in North America. Paul has gone above and beyond the call of duty to transform South Carolina into a better place for biking and walking. Among his many accomplishments, Paul created and secured passage of a SC Share the Road license plate (one of the first in the U.S.), has coordinated bicycling legislative events in cities throughout South Carolina, and has assisted communities throughout the state in securing bicycle-friendly designation from the League of American Bicyclists. With his leadership the PCC had its most significant success passing major reforms to South Carolina’s bicycle traffic safety laws in 2008. Paul’s knowledge, creativity, and commitment are the highest standard of excellence making him a role model in the Palmetto State and for biking and walking advocates. 

SRAM
SRAM has been honored with the 2010 Business Advocate of the Year Award for its dedication to promoting bicycling advocacy in the U.S. (as well as Europe and Taiwan). This award goes to a business or corporation that has constantly championed bicycling and walking advocacy by committing time, money, and energy. The new SRAM Cycling Fund has dedicated $10 million over five years to bicycle advocacy. In addition to making it fully possible for the Alliance for Biking & Walking to launch the new Advocacy Advance Grants program in 2009 SRAM’s commitment has boosted efforts of the League of American Bicyclists, IMBA, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, and several other organizations. Learn more about the SRAM Cycling Fund.

Kate McCarthy
Kate McCarthy, of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC), has been honored with the 2010 Susie Stephens Joyful Enthusiasm Award for her innovation and tireless enthusiasm to harness the powerful of individuals to better bicycling. This award goes to an individual who carries on Susie’s passion for advocating for bicycling as a fun and economical way of transport as well as creating a safe biking and walking environment for all. Kate directs the membership and volunteer program at SFBC which provides 60 percent of the organization’s budget and reduces administrative costs through valuable volunteer labor. SFBC volunteers contributed 16,000 hours in 2009, roughly equivalent to eight full time staff. Kate generously shares what she knows with peers across North America, In 2009 she volunteered as co-trainer of the Alliance’s Membership Development Training where she also conducted one-on-one coaching sessions with peer advocacy leaders.  With so much love at the foundation of her work, Kate is an inspiration to all.

Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland- Bikes on Broadway Campaign
Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland (WOBO) has been honored with the 2010 Winning Campaign Award for its Bike Broadway campaign. This award goes to an organization for a successful campaign, in the last year, which has had the biggest impact for bicycling and walking in their community. With no safe, convenient, quick way for bicyclists to get downtown to or from North Oakland, WOBO launched a campaign to get bike lanes on Broadway, Franklin and Webster Streets. The campaign goal was to create a contiguous north-south bike route from Downtown to Northern Oakland. WOBO’s efforts led to over 80 small business owners along the Broadway/ Franklin/ Webster corridor endorsing the campaign with letters of support, nearly 200 Oakland residents signing a petition of support for the campaign, and the collection of bike trip data on Broadway. WOBO is celebrating a victory with the planned installation of Bike lanes on Franklin and Webster streets this summer. The Bike Broadway campaign is shifting the way that biking and walking are considered in Oakland. Learn more about the Bikes on Broadway Campaign. Learn more about the Bikes on Broadway Campaign.

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) has been honored with the 2010 Advocacy Organization of the Year for its outstanding contributions in creating a more bicycle-friendly Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This award is given to an organization who, in the past year, has made significant progress in regards to the strength and stability of their organization, and efforts towards biking and walking issues in their community, state, or province. A small struggling organization just a few years ago, BCGP has successfully orchestrated a major positive shift of both attitude and policy favorable to bicyclists, culminating with the recent decision to permanently provide bicyclist-only travel lanes on two very busy cross town roads in downtown Philadelphia. The BCGP’s leaders have worked tirelessly together to grow and strengthen their organization and fulfill their mission. Since 2005, they have grown from 1.5 staff to over 14 and their income has increased 287% percent, from $155,000 to $600,000 last year.Some of their recent accomplishments include:
• “Bike the Strike” campaign during region’s bus and subway strike that significantly increasing bicyclist commuter riding.
• Launched a new coalition and campaign to Complete the Schuylkill River Trail in Greater Philadelphia, which now has over 3600 petition signers and unanimous support among all elected officials.
• Worked with the city to hire a full time bicycle-pedestrian coordinator
• Launched Philadelphia’s first Bicycle Ambassador program, reaching over 20,000 adults during its first season with bicycle education and safety tips
• Encouraged Philadelphia to retrofit 1,600 parking meter poles into bike racks
• Led the effort to get Philadelphia City Council to pass an ordinance requiring new construction to install bicycle parking
• Held its third Bike Philly, a family-friendly ride with 20 miles of closed streets, with over 3,000 smiling participants.
Learn more about the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Congratulations to the Winners of the Alliance’s 2009 Advocacy Awards!

Alliance for Biking and Walking announced the 2009 winners of our Advocacy Awards in March, 2009.

About the Advocacy Awards

The Alliance for Biking & Walking launched an annual awards program for excellence in bicycling and walking advocacy in 2009. Nominations for the 2011 Advocacy Awards will be accepted in the fall of 2010. Stay tuned for updates from the Alliance to nominate your favorite advocate, business, or organization.

Check out the 2009 Advocacy Award winners here.

See the new 2010 Advocacy Award winners here (to be announced March 9, 2010).