| August Photo Contest: Biking and Walking Summer Celebration | Show us how you celebrate summer on two feet or on two wheels, and you could win a Tern Link Uno folding bike!  In partnership with Tern Bicycles, the Alliance is excited to announce the August "Biking and Walking Summer Celebration" photo contest. Here's how it works: - Snap a photo of summer biking and walking. Bonus points for similing faces, inspirational content and diversity.
- Join the Summer Walk + Bike Photo Contest Flickr group, and upload your photos to the group with the tag "WinATern."
- You can submit up to 3 photos!
- The contest closes at midnight on August 31.
This contest is open to everyone -- both Alliance members and non-members -- over the age of 18. Check out the full rules » |
| New Advocacy Advance Reports: Working with MPOs to Boost Biking and Walking Funding | Attention advocates in cities or suburbs: do you know your MPO? Under MAP-21, Metropolitan Planning Organizations are now in charge of distributing active transportation funds. This means new responsibilities for MPO staff - and for advocates who want to build great places to bike, walk and live.  To help maximize available funding for biking and walking, Advocacy Advance -- a partnership between the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists -- has released two new reports to guide MPO staff and advocates through the new process.
Check out the new reports for MPO staff and advocates » |
| Partnering with Transit to Win Ballot Measures | Faced with stagnant federal funding for transportation, local governments are increasingly turning to the ballot box to raise money for crucial transportation improvement funds. On a recent Mutual Aid Call, advocates from around the United States discussed partnering with transit advocates to win funding for local transportation. |
| Advocates Gear Up for Fundraising Rides | Bicycling organizations across the nation are busily cranking out their rides, pedaling en masse and bringing people together for social events that also raise money to strengthen the all powerful bike lobby. |
| Managing Volunteers for Open Streets Events Without volunteers, Open Streets initiatives cannot happen. Organizers must coordinate a small army of volunteers before, during and after the event -- and that takes know-how and skill.  If you're looking to learn volunteer organizing from the experts, check out the tip sheet and recording from the Alliance's recent call on managing volunteers for successful Open Streets initiatives. View notes and listen to a recording here » |
| Effective Storytelling for Advocacy One of the best ways to incite action -- whether action means donating, contacting an elected official, or sharing something on Facebook -- is to create an emotional connection through a real-life story.  On a recent Alliance Mutual Aid Call, expert communications consultant Molly Haigh and expert advocate M.J. Kelly discussed the best ways to collect and tell stories for great advocacy. Check out the notes and a recording here. |
| Biking & Walking Advocacy 101 Getting started in the world of biking and walking advocacy can be a daunting prospect. When you have a loosely organized group of interested volunteers, where's the best place to start and what are the most efficient ways to spend your time?  If you're new to the biking and walking field, check out notes and a recording from the Alliance's recent Mutual Aid Call on Bike/Ped 101. Veteran advocates shared advice on the basic steps of starting, sustaining, and growing a strong organization. Check out our blog for a full recap » |
| Upcoming Mutual Aid Calls
| 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. Additionally, Advocacy Advance has been hosting a series of calls to help you direct funding sources toward investments in biking and walking.
All calls begin at 2 PM eastern time. -
- Bike share systems bring a big boost to ridership in a city or town, but getting a new system started in your city or town can be a tricky process. Join this call to hear from advocates who have gone through the process and will soon have new stations in the ground. Panelists will include:
- Shane Farthing, Executive Director, Washington Area Bicyclist Association
- Ron Burke, Executive Director, Active Transportation Alliance
- Eric Rogers, Executive Director, BikeWalkKC
- August 14, 2:00 - 3:00 PM eastern: Safe Routes for All: Thinking Beyond the School
- Making our streets safer for everyone is a top priority for state and local biking and walking advocacy organizations. Advocates increasingly focus on building safe routes for seniors and for people of varying physical abilities. Join this call to hear from practitioners around the country who are working to make our streets safer for senior citizens and for people of all abilities.
- August 21, 2:00 - 3:00 PM eastern: Facebook 101
- Facebook is far and away the most popular social network. And while sharing photos and updating your friends on your lunch choice can be fun, Facebook is an immense resource to build an advocacy network. This webinar -- the first in a series held by the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists -- will break down the basics of using Facebook as an advocacy tool.
- August 28, 2:00 - 3:00 PM eastern: Creating Bike Friendly Business Districts
- Encouraging visitors to shop and dine by bike often starts with helping businesses create commercial districts that are accessible on two wheels. Join this call to hear from top advocates about how to create a bike-friendly business district in your area.
September calls:- September 11: Boosting Advocacy with Health Impact Assessments
- September 25: Forming Complete Streets Coalitions
| What would you like to discuss on a Mutual Aid Call? Does your organization have expertise to share with peer organizations and other advocates? Email Mary Lauran with your ideas! |
| Alliance Welcomes Megan Odett |  | | Megan Odett |
The Alliance is pleased to welcome Megan Odett as our new Member Services Coordinator. Megan comes to the Alliance with significant experience in member services organizations and in local transportation advocacy. She starts on our staff as Mike Samuelson, the Alliance's previous member services coordinator, transitions to graduate school. Megan previously worked with the Alliance for Community Trees and the Theatre Communications Group, where she played a key role in supporting member organizations in community improvement campaigns, maintaining and building database tools, and donor development. She also founded the Washington, DC branch of Kidical Mass, a national movement that seeks to encourage parents to bicycle with their children. Learn more about Megan and her passion for biking and walking advocacy on our blog » |
| | Pennsylvania Misses the Mark on Bike/Ped Funding Lawmakers in the PA House failed to pass a new $2.5 billion transportation funding plan before their summer recess, causing the state to miss out on an estimated 50,000 new transportation jobs during the critical summer construction season. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and PA Walks & Bikes will continue to advocate for a good bill in the fall. Read more » Oregon Kids Walk and Bike to School in Record Numbers For the month of May, 140 schools across Oregon eagerly took to the annual Walk + Bike to School Challenge and competed to see who could log the most active trips. Led by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Oregon Safe Routes to School, this annual statewide initiative has been encouraging more kids to walk and bike to school since its inception in 2008. Local Motion's Executive Director Moves to Public Works Department Local Motion's executive director, Chapin Spencer, will soon start at Public Works Director for the city of Burlington. As Local Motion's founding director, Chapin leaves behind a strong organization working to improve active transportation in Greater Burlington. Read more »
Chicago Launches "Divvy" Bike Share Program Chicago's new bike sharing program, dubbed Divvy, is in full swing. The Windy City currently has 700 bikes circulating around 70 stations. To celebrate, the Active Transportation Alliance interviewed riders about how they're using the new system. Read more » |
Register Early for National Walking Summit Early bird registration closes August 12 for the National Walking Summit! Register now for October 1 - 3 summit at a discounted $150 registration fee. This gathering will bring together the best and brightest minds on walkability -- and will help participants strengthen advocacy in key areas. Register now » Study Finds Car Drivers Prefer Separated Bike Lanes, Too Bike lanes don't just make bike riders safer -- they also make drivers more comfortable. According to a new study, the vast majority of urban car drivers prefer physically separated bike lanes like the "green lanes" popping up in cities across North America. Learn more from People for Bikes » National Coalition Celebrates 500th Complete Streets Policy House Leadership Punts Transportation Appropriations Advocates were on high alert just before August congressional recess as the House and Senate debated transportation appropriations. A series of anti-biking and walking amendments could have stripped funding, but both chambers chose to deter debate until the fall. Get the full rundown from the League of American Bicyclists » |
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