| Register for the 2014 Leadership Retreat | Join us at the 2014 Leadership Retreat, September 5 - 8 at Antiochian Village Conference Center, an hour outside Pittsburgh, PA. Advocates are working hard to make our communities safer and more accessible for everybody - but we still have a long way to go. To become an even stronger, larger, more sophisticated movement, we need to help the best ideas rise to the top and empower the next generation of leaders. That's where the Alliance Leadership Retreat comes in. This biennial meeting of the minds is a great opportunity for biking and walking advocacy leaders to reconnect and share what really works. We are also accepting session proposals and offering scholarships. |
8 Fascinating Facts about Biking & Walking
| Biking and walking are on the rise. There is safety in numbers. People are less likely to have diabetes in states where more people bike and walk. These are a few of the most interesting facts from the 2014 Alliance Benchmarking Report. Hard copies are now available through our website and through Island Press. Purchase your hard copy today.  The report -- a biennial study of biking and walking in the United States -- was released on April 16 in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Community Design Initiative, with sponsorship by AARP and APTA. Download the 2014 Benchmarking Report, purchase a hard copy, and see all 8 fascinating facts » |
| Open Streets Summit Draws Organizers from 16 States, 6 Countries | At the Alliance for Biking & Walking, we're committed to spreading Open Streets to more communities. That's why we work with the Street Plans Collaborative on the Open Streets Project to spread best practices and lessons for putting on great car-free biking and walking initiatives. Last month, we had the opportunity to convene community leaders at the first ever National Open Streets Summit. 
The Summit featured two days of energizing discussions on how to plan Open Streets, featuring expert input from organizers. On the final day, the whole group attended CicLAvia and got a V.I.P. behind the scenes tour of the initiative. |
Advocacy Advance Trains Hawaii Advocates on Maximizing Biking & Walking Funds
| In April, the Advocacy Advance team joined the Hawaii Bicycling League and the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization for a Navigating MAP-21 Workshop in Honolulu. These workshops bring advocates and public officials together to set their communities up to maximize public funding for biking and walking under the current federal transportation bill. 
Nearly 80 people from advocacy groups, state and local agencies, local bike businesses, neighborhood boards, and elected officials' offices gathered for the workshop at the Hawaii State Capitol. Attendees resolved to increase biking and walking safety funding and facilitate greater cooperation between agencies and citizens. Learn more and see welcome speeches from U.S. Senators Hirono and Schatz » |
| Advocates Plan for Protected Bike Lanes at Baltimore Winning Campaigns Training | The Alliance recently traveled to Baltimore, MD to lead a Winning Campaigns Training. It was a successful training: 20 advocates from around the eastern seaboard plotted out efforts to make biking and walking better in their communities. Our major takeaway? Mid-Atlantic cities should get ready for more protected bike lanes. Here's more about two campaigns that came out of the training: |
| Youth Engagement and Family Biking | When it comes to teaching kids how to ride bikes, nearly every advocacy organization offers programming like bike rodeos, skills classes or helmet fittings. But there are more innovative ways to engage children -- and their parents -- in cycling safely and confidently. On a recent Mutual Aid webinar, advocates discussed options for engaging the whole family in cycling. We learned about three different but equally exciting approaches to engaging parents and kids in bicycling. |
| Incorporating Walking into Bike Advocacy | Building a better world for active transportation doesn't just mean making bicycling safe and comfortable - it also means making our neighborhoods better for walking and for getting around with mobility assistance devices. On a recent Mutual Aid Call, we facilitated a discussion among biking and walking advocates about the needs, opportunities, and barriers on including walking and rolling in a world more attuned to bicycling advocacy. |
Webinar Recap: Going Multimodal at the
Ballot Box | As the federal funding landscape changes, more states, regions and cities are looking for local sources of critical transportation dollars. For some communities, pairing transit with pedestrian and bicycle projects or roadways are the best way to achieve success at the ballot box. On a recent webinar, Advocacy Advance partnered with the Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE) and the National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates on a webinar designed to provide advocates with the necessary tools to take a transportation ballot measure from an idea to a winning measure. |
| Biking and Walking Advocacy Fans: Get the Alliance's Weekly Tipsheet | If you're an advocate, a reporter, or just a fan of progress for biking and walking, we've got an email tipsheet for you. Every week, the Alliance's communications director pours over the blogs of our member organizations. The most interesting tidbits go into a weekly blog post and an email list. The email list was top secret -- until now. Try it out for yourself - register for the Alliance weekly news roundup » |
| Upcoming Webinars and Mutual Aid Calls
| Our Mutual Aid webinars and conference calls are great forums to gain insight from peers and colleagues on the most important issues in biking and walking advocacy today. -
- Tune in for a briefing on the latest developments in US federal transportation policy and legislation. This webinar is jointly presented by the League of American Bicyclists, the Alliance for Biking & Walking, and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.
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- Walk audits are a great way to engage a community - everyone from local residents, agency staff, local elected officials, and businesses - to better identify barriers and opportunities to improve our built environment. On this webinar, learn how advocates have used walk audits to create safe walking environments to better connect to other modes of transportation and to improve a community's health.
| What would you like to discuss on a Mutual Aid Call or Webinar? Does your organization have expertise to share? Email Megan with your ideas! |
| | Calgary Approves Downtown Cycle Track Network Congratulations to advocates from Bike Calgary, who worked hard on a successful campaign to approve a network of protected bike lanes in the city's downtown. Read more » Bike Pittsburgh Funds Drive with Care Campaign Kudos, too, to Bike Pittsburgh for successfully crowdfunding their advertising campaign featuring photos of everyday people riding bikes. Since the ad campaign first appeared on city streets, the images have repeatedly gained traction online. Huzzah! » 400+ NYC Companies to Compete on Bike to Work Day More than 400 companies in New York City have signed up for Transportation Alternatives' Bike to Work Challenge. A winner will be named in each workplace size category, and top riders will earn sweet goodies. See the press release » Active Trans Staffer Honored by State Attorney's Office Jason Jenkins of Chicago's Active Transportation Alliance received a 2014 Victim Service Award from the Cook County State's Attorney's Office for his work on the case of Hector Avalos, who was killed by a driver while riding his bike home from work last December. Learn more » San Juan, TX Holds First Open Streets Over 200 residents of San Juan turned out to enjoy a car-free stroll, run, ride, or play through town. This was the city's first Open Streets initiative. Learn more » MA Advocates Begin Work on Planned Urban Interchange Massachusetts advocates are drumming up support for biking and walking infrastructure in a massive, $260 million interchange project scheduled for 2017. Learn more » Trailnet Wins Complete Streets Policy for St. Louis With support from an Advocacy Advance Rapid Response Grant, Trailnet undertook a campaign to urge St. Louis County Council to adopt a countywide Complete Streets Policy. See how they won » | Dangerous By Design 2014 Release Set for May 20 On Tuesday, May 20, Smart Growth America will release the newest edition of Dangerous by Design, a report that examines pedestrian deaths across the country. The report ranks 51 major metro areas and the states on a Pedestrian Danger Index, and state-specific versions will also be available. All are invited to a webinar at 11 AM eastern on 5/20. Register here » League of American Bicyclists Releases 2014 Bicycle Friendly State Rankings The League annually ranks all 50 states on how bikeable they are. The ranking looks at five categories: Legislation & Enforcement, Policies & Programs, Infrastructure & Funding, Education & Encouragement, and Evaluation & Planning. See the 2014 rankings »
Aetna Foundation Grants Available The Aetna Foundation is now accepting grant applications for initiatives that create a better understanding of the factors that contribute to health population and weight loss, including neighborhood design and the built environment.
A Tribute to Congressman Jim Oberstar |
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