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2010 Alliance Sponsorship OpportunitiesPosted: 05/09/2010 Your sponsorship will help grow the bicycling and walking movement and your business! Pick a sponsorship that will work for you and make a difference for all! Five Alliance projects and event packages are available for you to sponsor:
You can sponsor all five, or choose the one(s) that makes the most sense for you to maximize your marketing potential and return on investment. (see below for more details) Members Home PagePosted: 04/01/2009
The Alliance for Biking & Walking has over 160 member organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. We provide the following services to our members:
ResourcesOur Online Resource Library provides over 750 resources to Alliance members. Resources include template bylaws, workplans, budgets, and fundraising letters. You'll also find sample PSAs, annual reports, membership brochures, and a wealth of research on biking and walking issues. Search by keyword or category to find what you need. Trainings and RetreatsWe host six Winning Campaigns trainings a year and a biannual Leadership Retreat in different North American cities. Our trainings are geared specifically for leaders of biking and walking advocacy organizations and are great opportunities for networking and resource sharing. Mutual Aid Conference CallsOur Mutual Aid series brings at least 12 free educational conference calls a year to advocacy leaders. Call topics include capacity building for bike/ped advocacy organizations and topics of specific interest to biking and walking groups. Calls are facilitated by an Alliance staff member, last one hour, and typically draw 6-20 Alliance leaders. Coaching and ConsultingAlliance members have access to on-call coaching and consulting services from qualified Alliance staff. Need help with a campaign? Want advice on growing your organization's membership? Need help navigating a tricky board situation? Contact our staff for assistance. Special consulting services such as strategic planning and meeting facilitation are also available to members at special rates. BenchmarkingThe Alliance Benchmarking Project collects, analyzes, and reports on bicycling and walking data for the 50 U.S. states and at least the 50 most-populous U.S. cities. The project provides vital data for advocates, planners, and researchers to evaluate progress and measure results of efforts to increase biking and walking. Job BoardAlliance members can post their job opportunities for free on the Alliance Job Board. We highlight our job board in our monthly e-newsletter, Streetside. PublicationsAlliance publications are geared towards helping grassroots bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations thrive. Alliance members receive discounts on all Alliance publications. GrantsAdvocacy Advance Grants are available to Alliance member organizations through a competitive application process twice a year. Grants fund start-up organizations, capacity building, and innovative programs to increase biking and walking. Action CenterAlliance members are kept plugged into national issues affecting bicycling and walking through our Action Center. From federal legislation like the Transportation Bill and Economic Stimulus Bill to Safe Routes to School, the Alliance plugs grassroots advocates into the national issues that matter most to them. DiscountsAlliance members receive discounts on the following
And Contact an Alliance staff member for more details on these discounts. Welcome MembersPosted: 05/19/2008
And be sure to check out our upcoming events, recent member news, and latest job postings below:WelcomePosted: 09/18/2007 The Alliance for Biking and Walking, formerly known as Thunderhead Alliance, is the coalition of grassroots advocacy organizations working together to promote bicycling and walking in North American communities. Alliance organizations come together to help each other grow their organizations and become more effective by sharing best practices and innovations. Welcome to the Bike & Ped Advocacy Resource Library!Posted: 01/18/2007 Here you will find the latest resources for bicycle and pedestrian advocates. Over 500 resources in this library include sample documents and publications from Alliance member organizations, research and data on bicycling and walking issues, educational resources, public service announcements, models for organizing successful events, and more. Feel free to browse the categories for resources of interest, or enter key words into the search tool to find exactly what you need. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Submit a request for a resource by clicking the button at the top of each page. You can also submit resources you would like to share with other bicycle and pedestrian advocacy leaders. Most of these documents and resources are password protected for the benefit of our member organizations and supporters. If you would like your non-profit state or local bicycle and/pedestrian advocacy organization to become an Alliance member organization, or if you would like to become one of our valued supporters, please Georgia Gears Up for First Statewide Bike SummitPosted: 09/02/2010
In March, a group of bicycle advocates from Georgia traveled to Washington, DC for the 10th annual networking and lobbying event hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. They didn’t just meet their bike-ped peers from across the country; they also recognized a need within their own state borders. “When the dust settled after a hectic schedule of running the halls of both the Senate and the House, there was a general consensus among the Georgia delegates that once a year just ‘ain’t enough,’” Ali Mangkang of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition wrote last month. “From there, an idea took shape, though mentioned casually at first, that Georgia should aim for its own statewide summit — a meeting of enthusiasts, retailers, advocates and policymakers representing Georgia’s many bicycling communities.” Well, the folks at Savannah Bicycle Campaign found a venue in their fair city and Georgia Bikes took the lead in organizing the agenda. Joe Seconder, a board member for Georgia Bikes, had the wind at his back from the start. “Here in Georgia there has been an up swelling of grassroots efforts through individuals and organizations to encourage greater bicycle accommodations in a holistic and systemic fashion,” he says. The summit on October 9th isn’t exclusive the grassroots organizers, though. In addition to the advocacy track, the event has workshops targeted to government officials and trail riders. “Advocates, elected and public officials, business leaders and concerned bicyclists will come together in a forum; setting the stage for statewide bicycling gains,” Seconder says. “We’ll network, collaborate, educate and empower advocates and attendees, identifying common issues in our local communities and setting priorities for the statewide efforts of Georgia Bikes in 2011.” If other events are any indication, the gathering could mean big gains for the southern state. “Georgia joins a growing list of states that are holding their own statewide bike summits, in addition to participating in the national summit,” Mangkang wrote. “Most notably, Oregon and Wisconsin have produced highly successful models for state bike summits. Both states also rank among the most bicycle-friendly states in the country. States with far lower rankings have seen the benefits of holding a statewide summit, too. In 2008, West Virginia ranked last in the LAB annual survey of bicycle friendly states. After holding a statewide symposium their ranking increased by eight spots in the 2009 survey.” Read more or register for the event here. Madison’s Open Streets Draw Massive CrowdsPosted: 09/01/2010
The third time? Off the charts. In June 2009, the City of Madison hosted the inaugural Ride the Drive, with lead sponsorship from Trek and plenty of help from the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. Closing off major roads for car-free fun, the open streets extravaganza drew 10,000 participants. A year later, in June 2010, the second event turned out nearly 25,000 bicyclists and pedestrians. So what happens when you add Lance Armstrong to the mix? An eye-popping crowd of more than 50,000 riders. “Every time we hold it, it doubles or triples,” says Amanda White, the Ride the Drive coordinator for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. This past Sunday, the cycling celebrity addressed the gigantic crowd and led a loop on the six-mile course through the heart of Madison. Dressed in gym clothes, Armstrong mingled with the thousands of bicyclists. “I led a bike parade after the big ride with Lance and he stopped by and signed our Feet in the Street, where kids were stenciling their feet with sidewalk chalk,” White says. But the Tour de France champion isn’t the only reason the Bike Fed’s open streets events have taken off. According to White: “The messaging for the event is very inclusive: ’Come out with your kids, with your friends. Whether you want to wear spandex or blue jeans, come out and enjoy the day.’” “And we’re very focused on a more mainstream crowd,” she adds. “We have a lot of unique activities along the route. We have kite flying. We have a bike parade. We have the wheelmen group with huge old bikes, and an art bike group with all these beautifully decorated bikes. And there are different areas along the route, like the Family Drive area, which is a little festival in itself directed at families.” A well-chosen course has also enticed participants. “The roads we have closed off — or, as the mayor says, have opened up — for bicyclists are six-lane streets with very heavy traffic volumes,” White says. “They’re streets most people would never think to bike on, so to be able to bike on those streets is such an amazing thing.” Click here to check out some amazing pictures from the University of Wisconsin cycling team. Cascade Bicycle Club Converts Commuters With Green BikesPosted: 08/31/2010
The folks at the Cascade Bicycle Club tweaked that idea with a cycling perspective. Organize a ride and a Seattle resident may pedal for a day; give that resident her own wheels and she’ll commute forever. Now in its second year, the Green Bike Program aims to do just that — get car commuters to replace auto trips with bicycle travel. And it’s reeling in results. Turns out, getting people to give up their beloved automobiles can be as easy as baiting the hook with equipment and education. Back in May, Cascade recruited a few newbie cyclists for the Green Bike initiative, providing willing participants with bicycles, locks and helmets. Next, they schooled the amateur commuters on road safety and basic mechanics. Then, they extended a challenge: Commute on two wheels for 50 percent of your travel and that shiny new bicycle is yours to keep. Sound like wishful thinking? Not by a long shot. An impressive 86 percent of participants are now proud owners of Green Bikes. “This is an incredible result,” Chuck Ayers, executive director of the Cascade Bicycle Club, said in a statement. “In only three months, we’ve helped more than 30 people new to bike commuting become comfortable, confident, and competent cyclists. I don’t know of many other programs that can boast an 86 percent success rate.” Among those new cyclists is Alex Fuentes, a teacher at Odyssey High School who converted her 25-mile commute from automobile to open-air. Last week, she joined other green bicyclists at a celebration led by Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. The look on her face (pictured) says it all: Fuentes is hooked. “I love riding my bike to work,” she said, “and plan to keep it up the rest of my life.” Click here to read more about the Green Bike program. Bike-Touring Musician Joins the Alliance Gold TeamPosted: 08/27/2010 As a hardscrabble musician, the Kentucky native sprinted from town to town, taking advantage of every opportunity to play his cello and showcase his incredible songwriting talent for audiences across the nation. But traveling at faster-than-human pace left Sollee disoriented. Instead of savoring the lifestyle, he could barely remember the communities he visited, the people he met. It was time for a change. Instead of focusing on the destinations, Sollee decided to reclaim the journey. “So, in early 2009, when I saw a commercial for an Xtracycle cargo bike, my mind spun into fantasy: the road, a bike, my cello and music to play,” Sollee wrote in American Bicyclist this summer. “At that moment I saw the bike as an offering of limitations, a tool to re-humanize the pace of touring. And, with my 60 pounds of gear loaded onto a 40-pound bike, there were plenty of limitations.” Not the least of which was the fact that Sollee was a bike rider, but not a serious cyclist. During the first leg of his two-wheeling tour — a 350-mile jaunt to the Bonnaroo Music Festival — pedaling 50 miles a day was taxing. But cruising on backcountry roads, a cool breeze blowing away his touring stress, Sollee got hooked. A few months later, in December, he planned a more ambitious bike tour from North Carolina down through Florida. That’s when he shifted from an experimenting artist to a budding bicycle advocate, promoting not only his music but local bike-ped organizations. “We found what would become our model event in Savannah, Georgia,” Sollee wrote in the article. “We teamed up with the Savannah Bicycle Campaign [an Alliance member organization] to host an open-door fundraiser and show at a local bicycle hotspot, kicking the event off with an amazing night ride through the historic streets. We were able to become a vehicle for the bike group’s message, helping drive membership and getting great coverage in the Savannah Morning News. This event bridged what seemed like a magical mix of advocacy, community engagement and shared arts.”
“The weather has been terrific and the people are inspiring,” Sollee wrote on the blog this week. “But we’ve only just begun. And we’ve decided to put all these miles to good use as part of CLIF Bar’s 2 Mile Challenge.” “The 2 Mile Challenge is a response to a staggering statistic that 40 percent of trips in the U.S. are within two miles of peoples house and 90 percent of those trips utilize a car,” he explained. “We hope that this bike tour and riding for the challenge will inspire other folks to take up the charge. We’ve signed up to ride for the Gold Team, which will benefit the Alliance for Biking & Walking. Go team!” Have you stepped up to the Challenge yet? It only takes a few minutes to sign up. It only takes a few seconds to log all your bike trips online each day. But the payoff is huge: If our Gold Team logs the most points by the end of October, the Alliance will win a $25,000 grant from CLIF Bar. Join Sollee in taking the Challenge — then find a tour date in your area and pedal out to meet the bike-touring musician in person. We’ve already go his September 25 show in Washington, DC circled on our calendars! Happy Birthday to Bike Walk Tennessee!Posted: 08/26/2010
Pat Clements doesn’t know where the days went. “Time goes by fast when you’re very busy or having fun,” the Nashville resident marvels. “It seems like last week that the Alliance came to Tennessee to help organize a group of highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals into a cohesive team.” Believe it or not, Bike Walk Tennessee is already blowing out the candle on its first birthday. But, even in their infancy, the organization has plenty to celebrate. “We’ve tested our capacity on a variety of issues, started establishing relationships with influentials and built our base membership,” says Clements, the group’s president. “We’ve laid the groundwork for an organization that is well positioned to unite the state and promote walking and biking to a new level for Tennesseans.” This week, Bike Walk Tennessee released its first annual report, packed with highlights like: - The application of safety rumble strips to roads is an extremely hot item for bicyclists. With Tom Evans’ leadership we have worked constructively with TDOT to advance one of the most bicycle-friendly specifications in the country. Although many miles of bike-able road shoulder have been compromised by rumbling, we shouldn’t see seemingly arbitrary or irresponsible rumbling on any stretch of Tennessee highway going forward. - Jonell Johnson, Mark Hicks, and others have spent countless hours examining traffic accident reports in order to identify ways injury to bicyclists could have been avoided. When necessary, they have provided local District Attorneys with information regarding traffic and bicycle laws to insure justice for victims. - This year, the General Assembly passed the “stop light bill.” After initiation by State Senator Jamie Woodson of Knoxville, Bike Walk Tennessee promoted the bill and encouraged other legislators to co-sponsor it. The bill allows bicyclists to proceed though traffic signals with automatic detection after they have stopped and determined the signal has not recognized them. To share their successes and strategize for the next 365, Bike Walk Tennessee leaders came up with an interesting means of engaging their members. Instead of holing up behind closed doors, the board will webstream its annual meeting next month. Already, Clements has plenty of people to thank: a visionary group of founders, an engaged board of directors and a growing base of members across the states. “It is a tough but rewarding undertaking,” Clements says. “Organizing an effective grass roots organization seems like a near impossible task. It is indeed fraught with challenges, but we had plenty of help.” Read more about Bike Walk Tennessee on their blog. Why Do We Support Complete Streets?Posted: 08/25/2010 The Alliance is a proud member of the steering committee for the National Complete Streets Coalition. Our friends at the Coalition asked us to summarize why the Alliance — and our more than 160 member organizations — support complete streets. Check out the Coalition’s blog for our post, or read it below!
From that small retreat, the Alliance for Biking & Walking was born (originally known as the Thunderhead Alliance). It didn’t fit the standard mold. Inspired and empowered by their collective experiences as on-the-ground advocates, the founding group envisioned a new kind of organization — not one that lobbied Congress for federal funds or fought for bike lanes in specific communities, but one that existed solely to serve and strengthen grassroots leaders. In its first year, the Alliance had just 12 member organizations, but the idea took off fast. By training, assisting, and funding grassroots advocates, the Alliance supported new organizations and spurred the growth of established groups. In little more than a decade, our ranks have swelled to more than 160 local, state, and provincial advocacy organizations across North America. Now, nearly fifteen years since that gathering in Wyoming, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy is no longer a fringe issue advanced by a handful of activists scattered across the country. We’ve matured into a professional, engaged movement that speaks with authority and stretches from coast to coast. Like the Alliance, the concept of Complete Streets was born and raised by grassroots leaders. A decade ago, local advocates pressed their government officials and city planners for “routine accommodation” of cyclists and pedestrians. While it sounded somewhat clumsy, routine accommodation was a transformative idea. It represented a holistic approach, ensuring all transportation projects were built or redesigned with facilities for users of all ages and abilities. But the term was uninspiring to decision makers. Worse, it was stale jargon to community members. To make meaningful progress, everyone knew we needed a vibrant phrase that captured the spirit of our vision. Positive and pro-active, “complete streets” became the new rallying cry — and caught fire fast. The Alliance is a proud partner of the National Complete Streets Coalition because we share a common vision — streets that invite active transportation because they are safe, accessible and enjoyable for bicyclists and pedestrians. We rely on the Coalition to highlight best practices, centralize key resources, and lead the charge for complete streets at a federal level. We work closely with the Coalition, because we recognize Complete Streets campaigns are one of the most powerful tools for grassroots advocates to transform their communities and build their organization’s capacity. It may not be a silver bullet, but, simply put, a well-written and enforced Complete Streets policy makes the advocate’s job easier. Instead of fighting for accommodation on each and every road construction or redesign, grassroots leaders have an avenue to shape the vision for their community and partner with their transportation officials to make it a reality. Complete streets help grassroots advocates build partnerships, too. Health care professionals and environmental activists recognize the role of incomplete streets in fueling climate change and feeding an epidemic of obesity. Groups that advocate for students, seniors, and those with disabilities understand that complete streets liberate and empower citizens of all ages and abilities. So it’s no surprise that complete streets is often the hottest topic at the Alliance’s Winning Campaigns Trainings. Participants are eager to use the three-day workshop to jumpstart a complete streets campaign in their community. They’re fired up to make their streets safer, rally more members, and build new relationships. And, thanks to the National Complete Streets Coalition, they know they’re part of an exciting, growing movement that spans the globe. PEDal Fest Flies High in MissoulaPosted: 08/25/2010
Now in its third year, the PEDal Festival raises funds for a trio of Montana organizations: Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula, Missoula in Motion and Free Cycles. Each year, one of the three takes the lead on the outdoor extravaganza. This year, Missoula in Motion was the ringleader. Jennifer Thompson, the organization’s new program specialist, says the goal is clear: “The idea is to celebrate the joys of walking and biking in Missoula.” The celebration featured live music, food vendors and even a high-flying demonstration of bike jumps. “We had walkers and cyclists take off from Caras Park in full costume regalia for a two- mile tour of the heart of Missoula,” Thompson says. “Upon their return, children took part in three-legged races, sack races and other picnic games. Throughout the afternoon, there was an obstacle course for cyclists to test their skills, which culminated in a ‘Paperboy Challenge,’ where they competed to accurately deliver their newspapers to boxes and doorsteps while avoiding hazards such as flowers, water, and each other.” Things got a little medieval, too. “We brought back a crowd favorite from previous years — bike jousting — to resounding success (pictured),” Thompson says. “More folks than ever took a turn to try to dismount their opponent. There were some bumps and bruises, but more to participants’ pride than their bodies.” For Missoula in Motion, the turnout and enthusiasm was a shot in the arm. “We’re already planning and looking forward to next year,” Thompson says. Read more about PEDal Fest here. Missouri Advocates Get Ready to Roll in their BikeMobilePosted: 08/24/2010
The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation is tweaking the roving library concept and tailoring it to serve students in the Show Me State. Get ready for the BikeMobile. Thanks to funding from a Safe Routes to School grant, the Missouri advocates are outfitting a box truck, school bus, or maybe even an old ambulance to carry bikes and safety instructors to elementary students. “The BikeMobile’s maiden voyage will be this fall when we begin our Bicycle Lesson and Safety Training (BLAST) in the Kansas City area,” says Eric Bunch, the federation’s program coordinator. “BLAST is a three-hour, in-class, on-bike skills and safety training for 5th and 6th graders. Thanks to a MoDOT [Missouri Department of Transportation] Safe Routes to School grant, MoBikeFed has a target of hitting 10 schools in the KC metro area with BLAST. We have funding for instructors, a coordinator, equipment, bikes and helmets. We just need the truck to complete the puzzle!” Once they’ve secured their ride, they’ll take their ambitious plan on the road throughout the state. “The ultimate goal is to take the BikeMobile around the state putting on bike rodeos and providing BLAST to thousands of students,” Bunch says. “Our next round of SRTS funding will hopefully fund a statewide train-the-trainer model by which we will teach PE teachers the ways of BLAST. Our Missouri SRTS State Network is working hard on this concept as we speak. Additionally, it is our hope that the BikeMobile will be as recognizable to Missourians as its inspiration, the Bookmobile.” Read more about BLAST or donate a few bucks towards the BikeMobile on MoBikeFed’s website. Smart Trips Advocates Pack the House for St. Paul GreenwayPosted: 08/19/2010
Late last month, St. Paul Smart Trips packed a gymnasium for a visioning session that breathed new life into the Greenway concept — an off-road path for cyclists and pedestrians that would connect the Twin Cities. The air buzzed with energy and excitement as a crowd of more than 120 listened to presentations from Laura Baum, Smart Trip’s residential outreach specialist, and then broke off into smaller groups to get their vision down on paper. Baum says the participation sent a loud and clear message that residents want the greenway built, no matter how long it takes. And Smart Trips is taking the mantle to make sure it happens. “They encouraged us to keep at it and continue to build support for the project,” she says. “The legal setback was certainly a disappointment, but we’re energized by the enthusiasm we continue to hear from people and plan to keep working to get a world-class biking and walking facility built in this corridor.” With just one meeting Smart Trips added another 50 signatures to its petition and rallied residents for monthly meetings to maintain the momentum. Read more from Smart Trips about the Greenway project. Alliance Code for APBP WebinarsPosted: 08/18/2010 The third Wednesday of every month, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals provides concise, one-hour webinars on timely issues and state-of-the-art developments that affect biking and walking. These webinars are a great way to connect with government officials, professionals and fellow advocates to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, challenges and best practices in the bike-ped movement. With the following code, Alliance members receive a $25 discount on the cost of the webinars. |
Invest in biking and walking advocacy where it matters most... on the ground!
06/02/2010 - Alliance Releases New Guide to Complete Streets Campaigns
05/11/2010 - Alliance and Clif Bar Partner in National Competition to Energize Bike Travel
04/30/2010 - Brewery Support Boosts Grassroots Bicycle Advocacy
Georgia Gears Up for First Statewide Bike Summit
Sep 02, 2010
Madison’s Open Streets Draw Massive Crowds
Sep 01, 2010
Cascade Bicycle Club Converts Commuters With Green Bikes
Aug 31, 2010
Address: PO Box 65150, Washington, DC , 20035 Stop by the DC Office: 1612 K. Street, Suite 802, Washington, DC 20006P: (202) 449-9692 | F: (202) 223-3477
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Attending the 
The first time was impressive. The second time was gigantic. 
The logic is like that old proverb. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he’ll eat forever. 
For Ben Sollee, the call of the open road had dulled to a ragged whisper. 
For his current tour, Sollee took the mantle of an all-out activist. And he’s not just promoting the benefits of bicycling by partnering with local advocates; he’s also helping the Alliance. 
In 1996, two dozen bicycle and pedestrian advocacy leaders from across the nation met at the Thunderhead Ranch in Wyoming to share their experiences and strategize ways to build a powerful national movement. 
Two-wheeling tricksters flew through the air, kids raced around cones and adults charged each other with duct-taped battering rams. This past Sunday, downtown Missoula turned into a bike-ped bonanza. 
As early as 1904, a public library in South Carolina started loading books onto mule-drawn wagons to bring knowledge to the rural masses. Now Bookmobiles are a common feature of many libraries, taking the institutions’ wealth of resources to the streets. 
When a federal judge ruled that Canadian Pacific Railway had no obligation to give up land for the St. Paul Greenway, the trail easily could have been declared dead. But local advocates aren’t letting the ambitious plan flat line just yet.