New Advocacy Advance Report: Winning Bicycle and Pedestrian Ballot Measures
| Ballot measures have become an integral part of transportation finance. With a 79 percent victory rate in 2012, voters are telling their governments that transportation matters -- and they're willing to pay for it. In response, biking and walking advocacy organizations around the United States are looking to the ballot box to improve transportation choices and investments. For insight into planning and winning transportation ballot campaigns, check out Advocacy Advance's new report, "Success at the Ballot Box: Winning Bicycle and Pedestrian Ballot Measures." |
| Photo Contest: Vote for Back to School Winner | | |
| 80+ Advocacy Organizations Ask USDOT for Better Biking and Walking Plans | Last month, the US Department of Transportation released their draft strategic plan, a document that will determine how the agency will manage the United States' transportation over the next five years. But there was a slight problem: the plan lacked vision for bicycling and walking. State and local biking and walking advocacy organizations in the United States kicked into high gear. With policy assistance from our friends at the League of American Bicyclists and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, over 80 organizations asked the US DOT to incorporate real strategic reforms for better biking and walking in the U.S. |
| Big Sky Advocates Plan Winning Campaigns | This past month, Montana advocates traveled to attend the Alliance's most recent Winning Campaigns Training in Helena, and left inspired and prepared to improve walking and biking in communities around the state.  Workshop participants created campaign plans for a large trail extension, a university curriculum, a regional growth plan update and a dedicated state funding source for biking and walking projects. Check out Brighid's recap of the training » |
| Using Health Impact Assessments for Advocacy | Health impact assessments (HIAs) can be important tools when planning for transportation. HIAs bring public health issues to the forefront so that planners and policymakers outside the public health world can incorporate everyday wellness into the built environment. On a recent Alliance Mutual Aid Call, planners and health practitioners discussed how advocates and officials can use health impact assessments to boost biking and walking. |
| Climate Ride Supports Bike & Walk Advocacy | Riders on the fifth annual east coast Climate Ride arrived in Washington, DC last week after pedaling for five days from New York City to raise money for a sustainable transportation future. When people participate in Climate Ride, their fundraising dollars go towards supporting great causes. Six riders chose to support the Alliance for Biking & Walking, and this year's two overall top fundraising Climate Ride teams were Alliance members: the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. |
| Alliance Leaders Featured in Bicycling Mag | Have you heard? Bike advocacy is cool. And bike advocates are REALLY cool. For a recent Bicycling Magazine spread on changemakers in the biking world, we couldn't be happier to see several leaders from Alliance member organizations share the spotlight. |
| Welcome, Christy! |  The Alliance is thrilled to announce that Christy Kwan has joined our staff as the new Advocacy Advance Outreach Coordinator. In her new role, Christy will focus on walking and making new connections with the public health community. Christy has past experience in working with diverse stakeholders to increase healthy food access in underserved communities and promoted sustainability and environmental conservation near military bases. Christy studied sociology and gender studies at the University of California San Diego. She earned her Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was recognized for her leadership and team work. She is an avid walker and currently learning how to ride a bike in the city. |
| 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. -
- Tune in to hear from Caron Whitaker, Vice President of Government Relations for the League of American Bicyclists. On this month's federal policy webinar, we'll discuss how the government shutdown affects transportation. We'll also talk about movements on safety and Transportation Alternatives for the next transportation bill. Presented by the League of American Bicyclists, Alliance for Biking & Walking and Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.
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- Biking- and walking-friendly laws are important, but legal protections for bikers and walkers is only as effective as the enforcement of those laws. How can biking and walking advocates work with police departments to ensure that all people receive fair, lawful, and safe protection on community streets? Join this call to hear from advocates who have implemented innovative ways to work with police departments for smart law enforcement for active transportation.
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- As a social network that captures over 20% of active global internet users, Twitter can be an important tool for biking and walking advocacy. But if you're stuck scratching your head about retweeting, hashtagging, and following, an introductory online course might be in order. This webinar -- the second in a series held by the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists -- will break down the basics of tweeting for advocacy. Join this webinar if you'd like to get started with using Twitter for your organization, and want a beginner's overview on how to really dig in.
- October 23, 2:00 - 3:00 PM eastern: Boosting Capacity with Temporary Staff
- Sometimes, biking and walking advocacy organizations need a few extra minds and bodies to push through busy times. Join this call to hear from biking and walking advocates who have successfully brought on temporary staff to get through especially busy times.
November calls: | 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 Megan with your ideas! |
| | Poll Shows New Yorkers Support Safer Streets In the wake of New York City's mayoral primary, a new poll released by Transportation Alternatives shows that 67 percent of voters support "bringing protected bike lanes and pedestrian islands" to their neighborhoods. The poll spells a clear direction for the city's future mayor, Bill de Blasio. Read more » Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition Hires Ethan Fawley as Founding Executive Director After operating for four years through the efforts of volunteers, the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition has hired board president Ethan Fawley as its first staff member and Director. Read more » Divvy Bike Share Fully Operational Divvy, Chicago's bike sharing program, is now fully up and running with over 30,000 trips taken, more than 6,200 annual members, and over 680,000 miles traveled. The Active Transportation Alliance has a full rundown on the new system's operations. Read more » Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin Hires New Executive Director Last month, the Wisconsin Bike Fed welcomed Dave Cieslewicz as the organization's new executive director. Dave brings significant experience to the role, including two terms as Madison's mayor and leadership at the Nature Conservancy. Learn more » California Increases Active Transportation Funding California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill to restructure existing pedestrian, bicycle, trails, and Safe Routes to School programs into a comprehensive $129.5 million Active Transportation Program (ATP), spelling a 35% boost in dedicated state funding for walking and biking. Read more » |
Adventure Cycling Releases US Bicycle Routes Best Practices Guide Our friends at the Adventure Cycling Association are proud to announce, in conjunction with Toole Design Group, the brand new U.S. Bicycle Route System Best Practices Guide. This guide provides planning, designation, and promotion models developed using the lessons learned from over eight years of system implementation and feedback. Learn more » Complete Streets Book Now in Print Hot off the presses! Barbara McCann, founding Executive Director of the Complete Streets Coalition, took a break from advocacy to write a comprehensive text on how communities can transition their streets to safe and accessible transportation networks for everybody. For 20% off the list price, use the special discount code 4STREETS. Learn more » Register for Shared Use Mobility Conference October 10 - 11 As the bikesharing industry grows along side carsharing and ridesharing, connecting, learning, and exchanging ideas is more important than ever. The inaugural Shared-Use Mobility Summit will address bikesharing and shared-used transportation this month in San Francisco. PeopleForBikes Announces Major Expansion The Bikes Belong Coalition and Bikes Belong Foundation have been renamed the PeopleForBikes Coalition and the PeopleForBikes Foundation. Along with the new name comes a great new look and online identify. Check it out » |
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