The Alliance recently traveled to Baltimore to lead a Winning Campaigns Training with Bikemore. We’re taking a look at some of the most interesting campaigns that advocates planned at the training. Today, let’s take a look at a push to win bike funding in Richmond.

Max Hepp-Buchanan drove up to the Baltimore training from Richmond, VA, where he directs Bike Walk RVA at Richmond Sports Backers. Together with his colleague Brantley Tyndall, Max plotted out Connect RVA — a campaign to secure city funding for over 20 miles of on-street bicycle infrastructure in time for September 2015, when Richmond will host the UCI Road World Championships.

Richmond advocates are working to build out a sophisticated bike network in the city. Image: Richmond Sports Backers

“We’re lobbying city council to put in $3 million for on-street bike lanes and $3.5 million to fully find a bike bridge over the James River,” explained Max.

Those funds will be used for a mix of infrastructure from the city’s bicycle master plan, which is currently under development. “There are some protected bike lanes proposed for the downtown core, a big bicycle boulevard through one of our densest neighborhoods, and a bunch of standard and buffered bike lanes,” Max said.

The Connect RVA campaign is already up and rolling, and advocates have already benefitted from an injection of funding from Advocacy Advance. Sports Backers received a Rapid Response grant to make a pamphlet and postcard about Connect RVA.

The postcards double as an advocacy tactic: a supporter can write their address on a postcard, and Sports Backers staff send them to the appropriate council member. So far, city council has received over 70 postcards and 400 emails in support of increased bike infrastructure funding.

Richmond advocates created these tactical postcards with support from an Advocacy Advance Rapid Response grant. Image: Richmond Sport Backers

Max is no stranger to bike advocacy. Before moving to Richmond to work with Sports Backers, he served on the advocacy team at Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle. But even with years of advocacy under his belt, he found strategizing at the Winning Campaigns Training in Baltimore “really helpful.”

“Going through short, medium, and long, term goals is really important,” Max said. He appreciated “learning how to target key decision makers and not go after all city council members, but targeting tactics towards them.” After to the Training, Max and Brantley started focusing on the two city council members who could be champions for this policy.

Congrats on your new campaign plan, Max and Brantley! We look forward to seeing great things in Richmond.

People in Richmond love getting around by bike – and would like better routes on for biking. Image: Richmond Sports Backers