| Register for the National Open Streets Training | Kick-start an Open Streets event in your community! The Open Streets Project is excited to partner with the American College of Sports Medicine to announce the first ever National Open Streets Training in Minneapolis, August 9th - 11th.  Join advocates, local government officials and business groups to learn how to start your planning process on the right foot. The training will discuss the key elements of successful Open Streets, including coalition-building, outreach to key stakeholders, marketing and branding, choosing a successful route and more. Plus, you'll get to explore an Open Streets initiative in action: the training will overlap with Open Streets Minneapolis, and local organizers will be on hand to offer their expertise and answer questions. |
| Snap a Photo, Win a Cargo Bike for Your Group | Want to win a cargo bike for your state or local advocacy organization? Enter the Alliance's first monthlong "Advocates in Action" photo contest!  Partnering with Yuba Bicycles, the Alliance is proud to offer Alliance member organizations the chance to win one of two Yuba Mundo cargo bicycles. What'll it take for your organization to start pedaling off with one of these amazing bikes? Simple. Show us how you currently haul your way to cycling advocacy and why a Yuba Monda cargo bicycle would make your on-the-ground advocacy so much better. Learn more and enter » |
| Join the Movement at the 2013 Walking Summit | When we build safe, accessible walking environments, people will choose to get around on foot more. More walking means more economically resilient communities, safer streets, increased physical activity and lower levels of diseases associated with lack of inactivity. To learn how to strengthen the national "movement about movement," please join the National Walking Summit on October 1 - 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. The Alliance is collaborating with America Walks and other national partners to promote the Every Body Walk! Collaborative, the organizing entity behind the summit. |
| Support the Alliance on the Climate Ride | There are just a few spots left on the Climate Ride from New York City to Washington, DC this September. Join the ride and fundraise for active transportation organizations, including the Alliance! The Climate Ride is an amazing multi-day bike trip from the heart of New York City to the Capitol steps in Washington, DC September 21 - 25. All riders choose which organizations their contributions support, so you can designate the Alliance and a number of Alliance member organizations as beneficiaries. Join Alliance Communications Manager Mary Lauran Hall and other members of Team Alliance! Ride with us on Team Alliance for Biking & Walking. Learn more and register today! |
| Lessons from a Mutual Aid Call: Spearheading an Online Fundraising Initiative Effective fundraising to support advocacy efforts is vitally important for a well-run advocacy organization. From testing smart email campaigns to leveraging social media to employing new crowdfunding tools, Alliance organizations can use many methods and approaches to boost online fundraising.  On a recent Alliance Mutual Aid Call, experts in online fundraising recommended great methods and digital tools to fund biking and walking advocacy organizations' work and projects. Missed the call? View notes and listen to a recording here. |
| Lessons from a Mutual Aid Call: Lobbying & Elections for Biking & Walking Advocacy While the biking and walking lobby is far from "all powerful," representing the interests of people who bike and walk in the political process is one of the most important things that organizations in our movement do. Whether through a public candidate survey, a ribbon-cutting event for local media, or working behind the scenes with elected officials, active transportation advocates use a variety of successful tactics to heighten their political clout and improve street safety.  This past month, expert advocates in our movement discussed best practices and tips on lobbying and participating in elections. Check out our blog for a call recording and tip sheet with takeaway points. |
| Upcoming Mutual Aid Calls and Advocacy Advance Webinars
| 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. This month: -
- Getting started in the world of biking and walking advocacy? Join this call to learn the basic ropes of starting, sustaining, and growing a biking and walking advocacy organization. We'll cover the basics on advocacy, best practices for winning organizations, and more. Panelists will include:
- Andy Hamilton, Board President, Walk San Diego
- Greg Billing, Advocacy Coordinator, Washington Area Bicyclist Association
- Ethan Fawley, Board President, Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition
- July 17, 2:00 - 3:00 PM eastern: Once Upon a Time: Effective Storytelling for Advocacy
- The best way 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. Join this call to learn how to tell effective stories in your organizational communications.
Panelists will include: - Molly Haigh, Director of Media Relations, Fitzgibbon Media
- Evan Manvel, Director of Policy, Planning and Government Affairs, Cascade Bicycle Club
- July 22, 2:00 - 3:00 PM eastern: One Year Later: Where We are on Transportation Alternatives
- One year after Congress passed a new transportation law, MAP-21, federal and state governments are making decisions on how the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) will be implemented. How is the policy working at the state and local level? How can agency staff and advocates best influence the process? Join this webinar to learn details of the new guidance, compare states' funding plans, hear about trends and tools for Metropolitan Planning Organizations and explore strategies to maximize valuable funds.
Panelists will include: - Brighid O'Keane, Advocacy & Programs Director, Alliance for Biking & Walking
- Caron Whitaker, Vice President of Government Relations and Darren Flusche, Policy Director, League of American Bicyclists
- Margo Pedroso, Deputy Director and Stephanie Weber, Regional Network Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
- July 24, 2:00 - 3:00 eastern: Working with Transit to Win Ballot Measures
- It's is a rising trend across the country: successful transportation funding ballot measures include bicycle and pedestrian projects. There is tremendous potential to build partnerships between transit, bicycle and pedestrian advocates at the local and state level. Join this call to hear from advocates about the work that is happening around the country. We'll also brainstorm ways to collaborate and strengthen ballot measures that improve transportation choices and investment. This call is brought to you by the Advocacy Advance partnership.
Panelists will include: - Andrew Austin, Founding Executive Director, Americans for Transit
- Dave Campbell, Program Director, East Bay Bicycle Coalition
- Allison Leach, Center for Transportation Excellence
- Rhonda Smythe, Policy & Advocacy Manager, Trailnet
- July 31, 2:00 - 3:30 eastern: Partnering with Education and Equity Groups
- A key step in building equity into our organizations is developing mutually beneficial partnerships with community allies. Join this call to hear about effective collaborations between active transportation, education and equity group, and how those relationships can develop into strengthened advocacy and programs.
August calls:- August 7: Bringing Bike Share to Your Streets
- August 14: Safe Routes for All: Thinking Beyond the School
- August 28: Creating Bike Friendly Business Districts
This past month: | 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! |
| | Multimodal Funding on the Line in Pennsylvania Thanks to innovative partnerships and hard work in Harrisonburg and throughout the state, advocates in Pennsylvania supported the passage of a transportation funding bill in the state Senate. As of this writing, the bill is undergoing consideration in the House, where several amendments threaten to undercut biking and walking funds. New York State Passes Speed Camera Legislation After a long campaign by advocates from New York City's Transportation Alternatives, the state legislature approved a bill that will allow the city to install speed cameras near schools. Speeding ranks as the number one cause of traffic deaths in the five boroughs, and installing cameras is an important step in addressing the problem. Delaware Increases Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding After hard work from advocates and an upswelling of public support, Delaware's general assembly voted to bolster the state's Transportation Enhancements program with additional funds. This year, the League of American Bicyclists ranked Delaware as the most bicycle-friendly state east of the Mississippi. Read more »
Centers for Disease Control Withdraw Outdated Helmet Claim In response to a claim filed by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, the federal government has officially withdrawn the claim that helmets prevent 85% of head injuries. The statistic was based on a 1989 study that has been debunked by subsequent research, but the factoid remains to garner citations in media stories and government documents. Read the details » |
Transportation for America Finds One in Nine Bridges Deficient A new analysis from Transportation for America finds that nearly 67,000 of the nation's 605,000 bridges are rated "structurally deficient" and are in need of substantial repair or replacement. Even as significant threats of bridge collapse loom, Congress has not identified an adequate funding steam to support bridge repair. Learn more » Complete Streets Bill Introduced in Congress A bill introduced by Rep. Doris Matsui and Rep. David Joyce would make Complete Streets a nationwide standard. Smart Growth America and the Complete Street Coalition are supporting the bipartisan bill. Learn more on the Smart Growth blog » Federal Highway Administration Releases Transportation Alternatives Guidance The federal government has released final guidance for Transportation Alternatives, the new multimodal program under the federal transportation bill. Caron Whitaker from the League of American Bicyclists has a full analysis of the rules. Learn more » |
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