Refreshing Our Look

Barb Chamberlain introduces new logo.

Last week, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington held a small reception to introduce our new Executive Director Barb Chamberlain to donors, partners and friends.  We also used the event to mark our 25th anniversary as an advocate for bicyclists and unveil our new logo.

We’ve come a long way! 

When I joined the Bicycle Alliance in 1994, we were known as the Northwest Bicycle Federation (or NOWBike).  We were a staff of two back then and we lacked so many tools that are musts today:  high speed internet, social media sites, a website, e-newsletter, blog, and email service.  We didn’t even have a logo.

1998 was a landmark year for us.  We passed the Cooper Jones Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education Act.  It was also a year of leadership change with Barb Culp taking the reins as Executive Director.  And 1998 was the year we officially changed our name to Bicycle Alliance of Washington and we adopted our first logo, which was designed by a student volunteer.  Do you remember this one?

In 2001, we sought professional help.  Some tech-savvy folks built a website for us and a graphic designer created a new logo, and this identity has served us for ten years.

But 2012 is another milestone year for the Bicycle Alliance.  We are celebrating our 25th anniversary as an organization, moved our office to a new and better location, and we have a new leader with Barb Chamberlain. So it’s only fitting that we refresh our identity as we look forward to the next 25 years.

We have been working with a great team of creative minds (and bicyclists!) at SDM Marketing Group to develop our new look, and we will be rolling it out in coming days.  Stay tuned!

Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Local Stakeholders Reach Agreement with WSDOT on Hood Canal Bridge Safety Fixes for Bicycles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2012                                                              

Agreement paves way to begin Hood Canal Bridge bicycle safety improvements in 2012

  

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will make some much needed bicycle safety improvements on Hood Canal Bridge, thanks to an agreement struck between the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, local cycling groups, and WSDOT. The agreement, funded largely from a $1.3 million federal grant, allows the state to move forward on a package of safety improvements that will widen (from 3 feet to approximately 5 feet) and improve the bridge surface for bicycles.

Since the Hood Canal Bridge’s reconstruction in 2009, narrow metal plates over the bridge decking and oft-damaged plates covering bridge joints have led to numerous crashes by those on bicycle. These concerns have prompted the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and local cycling groups to advocate for safety improvements. The proposed bridge fixes, designed by WSDOT, aim to provide a more durable, wider, and non-skid riding surface for bicycle travel.

Senator Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge), who played a critical role in convening discussions with WSDOT noted, “I appreciate the work of staff at WSDOT – particularly those at the Olympic Region office – who were open to thinking creatively to make this project a reality. Despite the budget constraints facing the state, WSDOT sought out new approaches to address long-standing safety issues that affect mobility, tourism, and recreation between the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.”

“We are elated to see the state move forward on fixes that will improve safety and accessibility across the Hood Canal Bridge,” said Bicycle Alliance of Washington executive director Barbara Culp. “The Bicycle Alliance of Washington applauds WSDOT for their diligence in pursuing this fix. We believe this agreement represents a new chapter in WSDOT’s pursuit of incorporating safety and mobility for bicycles on Washington’s bridges and we look forward to working with WSDOT to make this happen.”

The stakeholders representing bicycle clubs and organizations including Squeaky Wheels (Bainbridge), West Sound Cycling Club (Kitsap), Port Townsend Bicycle Association, and Peninsula Trails Coalition (Olympic Peninsula) have used their local knowledge and technical expertise to collaborate with the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and WSDOT Olympic Region on crafting a pragmatic solution that addresses some of the vexing safety concerns of the 2009 bridge reconstruction project.

“This is all about safety for me and the West Sound Cycling Club,” said Lee Derror, former president of the West Sound Cycling Club. “Fixing the Hood Canal Bridge for bicycle use creates a safer link between Kitsap and the rest of the Olympic Peninsula – that’s something we can all support.”

WSDOT expects the contractor selection process to occur in August 2012. Once WSDOT selects the contractor, construction is expected to take approximately five months. Drivers and bicyclists can expect shoulder closures, lane closures and one-way alternating traffic throughout the project’s duration.

###

Contact: Blake Trask

Statewide Policy Director

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

206.310.4762

blake@bicyclealliance.org

Calling for auction donations!

It's a party with lots to celebrate!

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington is gearing up for its Annual Auction Gala and we have a lot to celebrate! We are marking our 25th anniversary as a leader in growing bicycling around the state, celebrating the success of Safe Routes to School, and looking ahead to a future when we can all safely ride our bikes whenever and wherever we please.
 
Please support our auction celebration with a donation.

We need a range of items that will generate spirited bidding and appeal to the whole wide world of bicycle supporters: unique getaways, active experiences, handcrafted items, gift baskets, recreation opportunities, and other enticing products. Popular offerings in the past include a Colorado Rocky Mountain getaway, a week at a Maui condo, a catered taco wagon party, ski & stay packages, gourmet meals, symphony and theater tickets, event ride entries, restaurant gift cards, handcrafted jewelry, quilts, private wine tastings, massage/spa packages and more. 

Not sure what to donate? Cash is always welcome.

Submitting your donation is easy.  Just use our online auction donation form!  You can also print out our donation form, complete it, and mail it in.

Donation questions?  Contact Louise McGrody.

This year's auction is slated for Saturday, November 3 -- again at Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion.  Be sure to check the Auction page on our website for more information and updates.

Barb Chamberlain tapped as new ED for Bicycle Alliance

The search is over. Our board has hired a new Executive Director and we are thrilled to announce that it is Barb Chamberlain of Spokane.

Barb currently serves as the Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Washington State University-Spokane campus, where she has built the communications staff from one person to a team of six. She is also a founding board member of the Empire Health Foundation, led a successful Spokane public school levy campaign, and served on the North Idaho College board of trustees.

With a passion for bicycling and active transportation, Barb worked with the Bicycle Alliance and a host of other groups when she volunteered to spearhead Spokane’s Bike to Work Week beginning in 2008. She was a member of the Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board and chaired the group in 2010-2011, and currently serves on the Transportation Advisory Committee for Spokane Regional Transportation Council. She is a daily bike commuter and launched the blog, Bike Style Spokane, as a way to encourage more women to try biking.

Barb has been a policy maker as well as a policy advocate. In 1990 she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Idaho state legislature, where she served as a state representative and senator for the Coeur d’Alene area. An Inland Northwest native, she welcomes the opportunity to apply her talents with a statewide organization.

“The Bicycle Alliance does great work that doesn’t get as much recognition as it deserves. With my experience in communications, marketing and branding I hope to position it for a clear understanding of its statewide role and importance,” Barb stated.

“It’s essential that we do that in partnership both with bike groups and with others working in this general arena, so another priority for me personally is to understand and assess all existing partnerships and look for opportunities to strengthen and to add to the overall network so it’s truly statewide,” she continued.

On the policy front, Barb wants to grow awareness both within the community of people who ride bikes and with leaders who work on tra nsportation policy and community and economic development of just how important bicycling is and why it deserves serious policy attention and consistent funding. She believes bike infrastructure and a fully multimodal transportation network in general will make critical contributions to improved health, to congestion mitigation, to air and water quality, and so many more problems we face.

"We have critical work to do given last week's congressional action on transportation and the Bicycle Alliance will work with partners at all levels to ensure our future transportation system reflects how America wants to travel, which is increasingly multimodal in scope," reflected Barb.

“It’s transportation for everyone, even for people who will never ride a bike because it helps them if others make that shift to cut down on traffic, parking, emissions, and wear and tear on the streets,” she elaborated. “With Washington named the #1 Bike-Friendly State for the fifth year in a row by the League of American Bicyclists, and with the attention biking is getting on many fronts, we need to grow as an organization to rise to the expectations and the opportunities we have before us. We can genuinely lead the nation and that’s where we need to be.”

Ted Inkley, president of the Bicycle Alliance board of directors, is looking forward to working with Barb to grow the organization and to achieve their mission of bringing cycling into the transportation mainstream.

“Barb has a great combination of skills, a long history of activism and political involvement, and a passion for cycling advocacy. I’m confident that her background as a professional communicator will serve us well in helping a broad segment of policymakers and the public to understand that getting more people on bikes will benefit everyone,” he remarked. “The goals we’ve set for ourselves as an organization are challenging, but with Barb’s leadership I know we’ll create and seize every opportunity we can to achieve them.”

Barb grew up in the Inland Northwest, first near Lewiston, Idaho, then in the Spokane Valley. She was a recreational rider until a bike lane was installed in front of her house. The new bike facility motivated her to try bike commuting and she’s been biking to work ever since.

She and husband Eric Abbott, who is a bike racer, have four children between them. They enjoy family bike rides, movies and board games. Barb loves to cook and bake bread using her pet sourdough starter. When time allows, she also practices yoga and knits.

Barb will take the reins as Executive Director in August. Outgoing director Barbara Culp announced her retirement earlier this year and will assist with the transition.

Going Strong at 25

When a dozen Seattle cyclists gathered in the fall of 1987 to create a new organization, email, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs were the realm of science fiction and fantasy. Those cyclists came together as the Northwest Bicycle Foundation and their vision was a 24/7 advocacy organization with “more people bicycling more often.”

To say that the world has changed drastically in the last 25 years would be a complete understatement. Indeed, many more people are biking, and millions of dollars are spent on bicycle facilities from trails to safe routes to school to cycle tracks. Today that fledgling group from 1987 is called Bicycle Alliance of Washington and we have grown from a few dozen Seattle advocates to an army of thousands across Washington – focused on growing bicycling statewide.

And what a quarter century it has been as we’ve grown from an attic office with a part time executive to our new headquarters in Pioneer Square with statewide program managers, and newly hired policy director and development manager. Notable achievements include:

• Passage of the Cooper Jones Act. Prompted by the death of Cooper Jones in Spokane, the Bicycle Alliance worked feverously with Cooper’s parents David and Martha Jones to pass this bill. It requires mandatory driver’s license retesting for drivers involved in fatal or serious injury collisions and created grant funding administered by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission . 

• Growing Safe Routes to School. In 2008, we launched SRTS as a pilot project in three schools and today 31 school districts around the state are offering bike safety education to students. This program has grown from $1,000,000 appropriation for infrastructure changes, to upwards of $10 million. 

• Creating the Share the Road license plate. With financial backing from life member Don Martin, we jumped through many hoops to be granted a Share the Road specialty license plate. Plate sales help fund bicycle safety education statewide and over 4765 plates have been sold to date. Use this link to purchase one today!

• Incorporating biking and walking info into motorist education. The Bicycle Alliance, assisted by super-volunteer Brian Faller, helped rewrite the Department of Licensing driver’s education manual bicycle/walking subsection which now includes test questions on the license exam. Share the Road license plate funds were used create an interactive curriculum for driver’s education courses that educates young drivers. 

• Making texting and hand held cell phone use while driving a primary offense. Working with the Distracted Driver’s Task Force, we helped to pass the Text-Talk-Ticket bill.

• Local area advocates are the key to our success. Beginning in 1993, we conducted six workshops around the state to teach bicyclists to be effective advocates and prepare them to serve on bike boards and committees. Our advocacy outreach was expanded in 2010 with a grant from the Alliance for Biking and Walking which created a series of community workshops we call Hub & Spoke: Growing Bicycling in Your Community.

To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we’re planning a fall anniversary celebration where we’ll launch our new website and unveil our new logo. You’ll get a chance to meet our new executive director, and say goodbye to outgoing ED Barbara Culp. Stay tuned for details!

Say hello to Elliott Bangs

Please welcome Elliott Bangs, who has joined the Bicycle Alliance staff as our Office and Membership Manager.  He is a lifelong resident of Puget Sound and previously served as the Membership and IT Coordinator at CityClub, a Seattle nonprofit which promotes civic engagement.

Elliott is delighted to be part of an organization that promotes the growth of bicycling in Washington.  He recently returned from a six-month, 6000-mile solo bicycle tour from Seattle to the Panama Canal.

"I dreamed of taking such a trip since the summer of 2006, when I first toured on the Pacific Coast.  That was the summer I truly fell in love with the bicycle," recalled Elliott.  "Having crossed the deserts of Mexico and the seemingly-endless mountain ranges of Guatemala, my daily cross-town commute might still be my proudest cycling accomplishment," he added.

When not at work, pedaling, eating or sleeping, Elliott is aspiring to be a fiction writer.

Hub and Spoke is Returning to Vancouver

Bicycle Alliance of Washington is returning to Vancouver with another Hub and Spoke event!  This time we’ve partnered with Bike Clark County to present a half-day workshop to discuss techniques and opportunities to grow bicycling in Vancouver and surrounding communities.

 

Hub and Spoke: Vancouver

Growing Bicycling in Your Community

June 21, 2012, 12:00-4:45pm

Public Service Center, 6^th floor, Hearing Room

1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver

In this interactive workshop, attendees will examine models from around the state and nationally, discuss opportunities to promote safety, expand Safe Routes to Schools, and learn how to engage your community to make riding a bike easier for everyone. discuss opportunities to promote safety and economic development locally, and develop tools for engaging with local and state governments to make riding a bike easier in their community.  We’ll also take a short bike tour, so be sure to bring your bike!

There is no charge for the workshop but space is limited, so please register using our online registration form.  Light refreshments will be provided.  The workshop will be followed by a Hub and Spoke Happy Hour.

Can’t attend the workshop but still interested in getting the lowdown on what’s happening for bicycling?  Join us for a post-workshop happy hour which will include a discussion with state and local advocates.  No RSVP is necessary for the Happy Hour.  Celebrate Bike to Work Week with us!

Hub and Spoke Social Hour

5-7 pm at Niche Wine Bar

1013 Main Street, Vancouver

Washington retains top ranking as most Bicycle Friendly State

For the fifth year in a row, Washington leads the nation as the most Bicycle Friendly State.  The 2012 ranking of Bicycle Friendly States was announced by the League of American Bicyclists in honor of National Bike Month.

“We’re encouraged to see significant progress in top states like Washington, Minnesota, Colorado and Massachusetts,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League.  “But, as the scores clearly highlight, there’s much work to be done in critical areas like infrastructure and funding.  Overall, we see states—and especially state Departments of Transportation and state legislatures—lagging behind cities and the expectations of local cyclists, despite the many well-documented benefits of a more active lifestyle.”

The 2012 Bicycle Friendly States Ranking marks the launch of an updated and improved evaluation process.  Throughout 2011, the League held Bicycle Friendly America listening sessions across the country to understand the successes and shortcomings of the program.  Based on public input, the Bicycle Friendly State survey was revised to give a clearer picture of a state’s accomplishments and next steps towards becoming more bike-friendly.

Even with a revised survey, Washington once again set a high bar in 2012.  The state scored 4’s and 5’s (5 is the highest score) on the League’s report card, receiving top scores for Education and Encouragement, and Evaluation and Planning.  The report also makes recommendations for improvement.  One recommendation for Washington includes developing a comprehensive strategy for working with law enforcement on bicycling issues, including training for officers and targeted enforcement of bike safety laws.  Other recommendations are to continue to increase bicycle ridership and to fully fund and implement the state bicycle plan, which was adopted in 2006.

Strong and active bicycle advocacy at the state and local levels contribute to Washington’s top ranking.  An improved distracted driving law and a vulnerable user law were passed due largely to the efforts of Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, and other bike groups. The Bicycle Alliance has also been instrumental in expanding bicycle skills training in schools around the state with its Safe Routes to School program. 

“Thanks to the League of American Bicyclists for this award. This honor comes with much responsibility for the state, bicycle advocates and others to continue to strive for complete streets ordinances in every community and Safe Routes to every school,” stated Barbara Culp, Executive Director for Bicycle Alliance of Washington.  “This is a call to anyone who rides a bike to hold your city, county and state officials accountable to an even more bike-friendly state.” 

The Bicycle Friendly State announcement was preceded last week by the League’s announcement of its latest Bicycle Friendly Community designations.  Tacoma and Snohomish are the newest Washington communities to receive this designation.  In all, ten Washington communities have earned a Bicycle Friendly Community designation.

Click here to see how Washington scored in the five evaluation categories.  Learn more about the League’s Bicycle Friendly State program at www.bikeleague.org/states.

Thank you to our Safety Education Trainers!

This blog post was submitted by our SRTS Training Coordinator Seth Schromen-Wawrin.

In mid April, our Safe Routes to School Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education Program finished the last training for our current grant. In the last 14 months, we conducted 25 trainings all over Washington State. This was possible due to the amazing talent and dedication of Eileen Hyatt and Katie Ferguson.

Eileen Hyatt

Eileen Hyatt has been a member of the Bike Alliance since the 1990s and is currently a board member. She lives in Spokane where she has pioneered teaching bicycle safety skills in schools in Washington State. Katie is a former Americorp intern for the Bike Alliance. She has an unfaltering enthusiasm for teaching bicycling skills. 

Together, this duo faired snowy mountain passes, long lonely drives to remote sections of the state, teaching outside in sleet and the blistering sun, and came back smiling. Teachers unanimously raved about their high quality teaching and knowledge. As one teacher said, “it is so great to have this training taught by someone experienced working with students.”

Katie Ferguson

The training is a two-day training on how to teach the Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education curriculum to middle school students. The training “opened up my eyes and will keep kids safe and having fun,” one participant commented.

Most of the participants in the trainings were physical education instructors, yet the proficiency with riding was very varied. Often participants would come back from a road ride stating that this was the first time they felt safe riding with traffic. Through the skill and dedication of Eileen and Katie, we are growing safe, confident, and comfortable bike riders all over the state.

They trained 141 physical education teachers at 27 districts in 18 counties. This first statewide class of Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education teachers will continue teaching the curriculum in the years to come. About 15,000 students will go through the curriculum every year. Fifteen thousand students from two trainers. That is an impact!

Bike to Work Day: Drop by our Energizer Station in Pioneer Square!

Friday, May 18 is Bike to Work Day and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington is hosting an energizer station from 7 – 9 AM for bike commuters in our Pioneer Square neighborhood.

Drop by to get your copy of the hot-off-the-press 2012 Seattle Bike Map, coffee courtesy of Zeitgeist, and some sweet treats thanks to Sugar Bakery & Cafe.  The good folks from Back Alley Bike Repair will be on hand to do bike safety checks, and we are generously giving out high fives and other goodies.

Look for our energizer table in front of our office at 314 First Avenue South.

GiveBIG=BigSUCCESS!!

Bicycle Alliance of Washington is delighted to announce our BigSUCCESS during the GiveBIG campaign. Our first year participating in the one day online philanthropic event we raised $6,720 from 63 donors, surpassing our goal of raising $4,000 from 40 donors! 

Our entire staff kept the momentum going as we updated our supporters on Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. Thank you to our staff and Board members for their generous contributions, many of which came in as challenges to raise more money from multiple Bicycle Alliance donors. We are still awaiting news from The Seattle Foundation about how many dollars we received from the “stretch” pool and from employer matching funds. 

We thank Seattle Foundation and all the sponsors of GiveBIG for supporting such a well-received charitable event.  Overall giving more than doubled from 2011 with a total $7.43 million in contributions raised and more than 37,800 individual online gifts. 

GiveBIG attracted donations from all 50 states and 23 foreign countries.

Farewell to my job at the Bicycle Alliance, but not Goodbye

After three years as our Office Manager and Membership Coordinator, Donna Govro is moving on.  She looks back on her time with the Bicycle Alliance with some fond memories.

I have decided to leave my job at the Bicycle Alliance to pursue other interests of an entrepreneurial nature.  It’s with mixed feelings that I say goodbye, as the Bicycle Alliance has not only been an employer to me but an organization that supports my views on bicycling as a way to promote a healthy lifestyle. 

From the very beginning, I knew that the Bicycle Alliance was not going to be a typical, quiet office job.  After only a few weeks on the job, I volunteered to participate in the Gay Pride parade and found myself in the office practicing the hand signals to the tune of the pop song “YMCA” and then bicycling down 2^nd Avenue next to my new boss on his folding bike dressed in a clown costume.  Then there was the Tour de Fat bicycle event where everyone donned zany costumes.   We had volunteers dressed as the “Lunch Ladies” serving beer and the President of the Bicycle Alliance wearing a beer tap vest and beer cap construction helmet as he carried the cash to the safe!  Or on a more serious time when everyone in the office pedaled to Golden Gardens park one brisk, sunny morning to plant a memorial Susie Tree.  There were many times that I traveled to various events during the work day or on weekends not by bus or car but by bicycle, giving me an even greater appreciation for our mission.

Looking back, I am sure that these are the things that I will miss the fun and quirky times.  I might even some day miss the administration and organization that it took to support them.   But most of all I think that I will miss my co-workers and the volunteers.  I also have to say thank you to everyone at the Bicycle Alliance, the staff, volunteers, members and the board.  Through my association with the Bicycle Alliance I have learned many things, but mostly that I can bicycle anywhere I please. 

Ale-Liance IPA: The Story Behind the Beer

May is the month that beer and bicycles share the stage.  It is National Bike Month, a time to celebrate all things bicycling – and we do it up in a big way in Washington.  May is also the month for Seattle Beer Week, a collection of events celebrating local beer culture.

Erinn and Barb sample some Ale-Liance IPA at Schooner Exact.

This year, the two cultures have come together in a unique and exciting way.  The Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Schooner Exact Brewing Company have partnered together to present Ale-Liance IPA.  This specially created beer celebrates bicycle advocacy in a popular Northwest way – the IPA.

The idea for such a beer was hatched one evening at a party hosted by Bicycle Alliance Executive Director Barbara Culp.  Some guests were discussing how there seemed to be a natural affinity between bikes and beer, and wouldn’t it be cool if a local brewery produced a special beer that promoted bicycle advocacy.

“I think I can make it happen!” exclaimed Erinn Hale and she promptly volunteered to take it on as a project.

Erinn was the perfect person for the assignment.  She combined her knowledge of the local beer culture with her creative marketing skills and interest in bicycling, and called upon the bike friendly folks at Schooner Exact.  Ale-Liance IPA was born!

Schooner Exact has produced 30 kegs of Ale-Liance IPA for Bike Month and launched the first keg at the Bicycle Alliance’s open house on May 3. Kegs of this limited edition beer will be available at select Puget Sound locations during the month of May, and a portion of every keg sold will benefit the Alliance’s work to grow bicycling statewide.  Serving locations will be posted on the Bicycle Alliance and Ale-Liance IPA Facebook pages.

Tour de Pints – a pub crawl on bikes – is also an opportunity to sample Ale-Liance IPA.  Three pubs on the route will feature the beer: Fiddler's Inn, Ravenna Alehouse, and Wurst Tavern. The Bicycle Alliance will be on hand at Pike Brewery - the start of the ride - with a $20 membership special that includes an Ale-Liance pint glass and beer!

Happy Bike Month and cheers!

May First Thursday Open House and Alley Party

May is Bike Month and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and our Nord Alley neighbors are kicking it off with an Open House and Alley Party on May 3 (First Thursday) from 5:30-7:30 pm. 

 

We’re highlighting the Tour de France photographic work of Mike Hone on our gallery walls.  Mike, an Experience Designer for Adobe, is also an amateur Cat 1 racer and the owner/manager of the Audi Cycling Team. Nord Alley will feature moss art palindromes and alley pallet vertical gardens.  Check here for more info on the Alley Party.

The good folks from Schooner Exact Brewing will be on hand to launch their limited edition Ale-Liance IPA.  This tasty beer was crafted especially for the Bicycle Alliance to celebrate Bike Month!

Thanks to our Nord Alley neighbors who are co-sponsoring this event:  ISI Seattle, Feet First and Back Alley Bike Repair.

May First Thursday Open House & Alley Party

May 3, 2012 – 5:30 to 7:30pm

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

314 First Ave S in Pioneer Square