Where do the Children Play?

Last summer, Bicycle Alliance staffer Seth Schromen-Wawrin created a digital story that recalls how wonderful it was to explore his neighborhood by bike as a child and asks why he doesn't see kids doing this today.  Seth made this video in a workshop for the Mapping Our Voices for Equality project in King County.  We think it will bring back fond memories for many folks so we'd like to share it.

   

Board News: Meet the Newest Members

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington is governed by a dedicated group of individuals from around the state who provide vision, leadership and organizational oversight.  We recently welcomed three new members to the board:

Marc Mims of Spokane Valley brings his experience in grassroots activism and social media marketing to the board.  You can read a past blog post about Marc’s successful effort to save a bike lane project.  An avid bicyclist, Marc sits on the Spokane Bikes committee and leads a weekly group ride for his local bike shop.  Some of you may have met Marc in March when he staffed a table for us at the Spokane Bike Swap.  When he’s not riding his bike or spoiling his granddaughter, Marc pays the mortgage as a freelance software developer.

John Pope of Anacortes is passionate about creating statewide bicycle routes and is eager to help the Bicycle Alliance with developing a northern route that would become a part of the US Bicycle Route System.  His community involvement is extensive and includes serving on the boards of Skagit Regional Transportation Planning Organization, the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce and Skagit Council of Governments/RTPO Active Communities Taskforce.  John works for Tesoro Refining and Marketing and also serves on our Legislative and Statewide Issues Committee.

John Vona is a lifelong bicyclist and a daily bike commuter since moving to Seattle in 2007.  He got the cycling bug as a teen riding on congested roads to shore points such as Asbury Park and Belmar—Bruce Springsteen’s theme of being “sprung from cages out on Highway 9” was more than a metaphor. Those formative years gave John an appreciation of the bike facilities available to cyclists in Washington and he wants to see that network grow.  John is a forester and works for Green Diamond Resource Company as a business planning manager.  He will serve as our board treasurer.

You can read bios on all of our board members here.

Sign up for the National Bike Challenge

Thanks to intern Scott Chilberg for preparing this blog post.

Here at the Bicycle Alliance, we are enthusiastic supporters of new and exciting ways to expand bike ridership and awareness, both locally and nationally. So when the 2012 Get Up & Ride National BikeChallenge was announced this year, we were happy to jump on board as the state representative.

The National Bike Challenge – a free nationwide competition meant to encourage biking for transportation and recreation - starts May 1 and runs through August 31, 2012, and gives individuals and teams the opportunity to log their miles and compete for prizes and award plaques on the local and national levels. The Challenge has already registered riders from all 50 states and DC.  This event is organized by the League of American Bicyclists, Bikes Belong, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and Endomondo.

Participation is easy and free of charge.  Just sign up online for the Challenge and create either a workplace team or your own team, join an existing team, or ride solo!  Here's a rundown on how to create an account:

Join the Challenge at:  www.endomondo.com/campaign/national
Process for individuals to join the Challenge:

·         Step 1. Click on the link above

·         Step 2. Click on the join button and register.

·         Step 3. Participants will have the option to continue to ride solo or join a team by:

o    a. Creating a new Team and becoming the Captain

o    b. Joining an existing Team

This challenge is free to join and is meant to be a fun and competitive way to increase bicycling across the U.S.  So, whether you participate on as an individual or on a team, we hope you’ll join – and pass this along to your friends!

Watch this how to video for more information about the Challenge, and click here for a complete list of prizes.

Thank you, and happy riding!

These April rides support a bicycle friendly Washington

Photo by Carla Gramlich

Spring has sprung and flowers are emerging from the earth in showy colors.  Why not enjoy the arrival of spring flowers with a couple of bike rides that celebrate daffodils and lilacs?

The 37^th Annual Daffodil Classic, organized by the Tacoma Wheelmen Bicycle Club, is on April 15 and over 200 riders are registered so far.  This ride winds its way through the beautiful Orting valley and surrounding hills.  There are four routes to choose from—enough to please families, recreational riders, and serious roadies.  And there’s strawberry shortcake waiting for you at the finish line!

Inland Northwest cyclists welcome spring with the Lilac Century & Family Fun Ride on April 29.  Organized by the Spokane Aurora Northwest Rotary Club, this 19-year ride offers a variety of fun, scenic and challenging tours for every level of rider.  There is also a tri-athlete’s bike/run “brick” option.  All participants can partake in the baked-potato feed at the finish.

The Daffodil and Lilac rides are not only great early season biking opportunities, they also support statewide bicycle safety education, Safe Routes to School programming, and complete streets efforts with a contribution to the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.  We all benefit when you sign up for these rides!

Over twenty event rides support our mission to grow bicycling statewide.  Check our Ride Calendar for other upcoming rides.

Get Ready for GiveBIG on May 2!

On Wednesday, May 2, friends and supporters of Bicycle Alliance of Washington will have the opportunity to support our important work through Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG campaign. GiveBIG is a one day online charitable giving event to inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our region a healthier and more vital place to live. 

Each donation made to Bicycle Alliance between midnight and midnight (Pacific Time) on May 2, 2012, will receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds ("stretch") pool. The amount of the "stretch" depends on the size of the stretch pool and how much is raised in total donations on GiveBIG day. For example, if a nonprofit receives 3% of the total donations during GiveBIG, then it will receive 3% of the stretch pool.

Another exciting facet of the GiveBIG campaign is the Golden Ticket. Throughout GiveBIG, donors will be chosen at random to have an additional $1,000 given to the charity that received their donation. Golden Ticket winners will also be eligible to win airline tickets, gift cards, and more! 

In order for your donation to qualify for the stretch pool and Golden Ticket, you must donate through Bicycle Alliance's profile page on Seattle Foundation's website. Anyone with an internet connection and a credit card can make a donation on GiveBIG day.

Keep in mind any donation Bicycle Alliance receives can be matched through an employer matching program and donors are encouraged to submit their donations to their employers for matching funds. Employer matches will not be applied in calculating the nonprofit's share of the GiveBIG stretch pool.

So mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 2, and support Bicycle Alliance of Washington's vital mission implementing bicycle education for kids and adults, improving bicyclist safety, advocating for better transportation options, and giving voice to bicyclists across the state. For 25 years we've worked to make Washington a more bicycle-friendly state where cycling is inclusive and accessible to everyone, from age 8 to 80. 

Your dollars will allow us to expand our highly successful Safe Routes to School program and grow our statewide outreach program, Hub and Spoke, in addition to other community-enriching initiatives.

To learn more, visit GiveBIG's FAQ page. We thank you in advance for your continued support!

Photographing the Tour de France

Join the Bicycle Alliance of Washington on April 11 for an evening of Tour de France images with photographer Mike Hone.  Mike has photographed the Tour de France for two years and will share his stories and insights of this venerable cycling event.  Several of his photos have been featured on the cover of Road Magazine, Peloton, and Velo News.

Mike is an Experience Designer for Adobe Systems and an avid bicyclist.  In addition to photographing the Tour de France, Mike is also an amateur Cat 1 racer and the owner/manager of the Audi Cycling Team.

A $5 donation at the door will benefit the Bicycle Alliance.  Doors open at 5:30 and the presentation begins at 6:00.  Beer, soda and snack will be available.

Special thanks to Adobe for hosting this event.

View Mike Hone’s Flickr photo stream.

Hub & Spoke Revamped: First Stop Wenatchee

pedbikeimages.org/T.Robins

This marks the third year that the Bicycle Alliance of Washington has conducted its Hub & Spoke outreach tour, so we decided to revamp the format a bit.  In addition to the popular bicycle meet up format, we added a half-day workshop – Growing Biking and Walking in Your Community.

We launched the 2012 tour with a visit to Wenatchee in March.  Community planners, school representatives, PTA members and citizen advocates joined us for the workshop.  We reviewed the characteristics of a livable community, then honed in on what makes a place inviting to bicyclists and pedestrians.  We examined challenges and how different solutions might be applied.

Photo by Andy Goulding

Patrick Walker, transportation planner for the Wenatchee Valley Transportation Council, led us on a walking tour of the business district.  He showed us an awkward trail connection and we discussed ways to improve it.  We looked at some challenging intersections and shared ideas on how to make them safer.  Patrick also showed us the spot in downtown where Wenatchee’s first on street bike corral will be installed.

We returned to our meeting room and shared ideas for encouraging people to bike and walk more.  These included Bike to Work Day, walking school buses for children, and open streets events.  We wrapped up the workshop with a discussion of tools and resources that communities can use to grow biking and walking.

After the workshop, we gathered at the Saddle Rock Pub for a bicycle social hour.  We were joined by members of the local bike club and bike advisory board, bike advocates, and members of the Transportation Improvement Board—who were holding a meeting nearby. Special thanks to Patrick Walker who helped us with logistics and planning for both events.

The Hub & Spoke tour continues with a visit to Vancouver in June.  Stay tuned to our blog, website or social media channels for details.