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BON VOYAGE, LEAH
After 17 years at the helm of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Leah Shahum is stepping down. Leah's most immediate next adventure will be a Fellowship to research Vision Zero successes in European cities.
Dave Snyder, currently executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, wrote about his fond memories of working with Leah back when he used to have her job:
"I met Leah Shahum in the late 1990s in Sacred Grounds, a neighborhood cafe, when she overheard a team of bike activists planning the next issue of our newsletter. She introduced herself, said she was trained as a journalist, and asked if she could help. We made her editor. ...
"When I was executive director of the SF Bicycle Coalition, it didn’t take long for me to recognize Ms. Shahum as a special talent. She hadn’t served long as our part-time Membership Manager before she was offered a full-time job in her chosen field of journalism. I didn’t want to let her go so I offered her a full-time job as our first ever 'program director.' I didn’t have the budget for it, but I stretched and the risk paid off. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done as a bike advocate. ...
"One of the marks of a great executive director is that they leave their organization in strong capable hands. She has done that."
In addition to serving as the executive director of one of the largest Alliance member organizations, Leah is a dedicated leader on the Alliance board. Thank you for your leadership and your service, Leah!
INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS
This summer, demo protected bike lanes have popped up in communities all over the United States.
As new businesses open in Dinkytown, MN, advocates work to ensure that the area has sufficient transportation options.
Grocery store customer boycotts due to lack of bicycle parking; grocery store installs bicycle parking.
DC bike commuter: "Where the protected bike lane ends ... is the absolute worse part of my entire commute."
Philadelphia's 22nd street is supposed to get a bike lane, but there have been a few complications.
Pittsburgh's Saline Street protected bike lane is almost finished!
THE BIG PICTURE
Congrats to Brownsville, TX for winning a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health prize.
Poorer areas have approximately double the pedestrian fatality rates of wealthier communities.
123 pedestrians aged 60 years and older were killed on Connecticut roads from 2003 through 2012.
A Pittsburgh paper assembled an interactive map of pedestrian related crashes.
ADVOCACY AVENUE
Well worth the listen: this CEO believes that bike share is a boon for Milwaukee's economy.
Indiana's first ever walking summit will take place August 27-28.
After Delaware contractors incorrectly installed and then fixed rumble strips, a Delaware rider looks to Colorado for best practices.
As a part of the city's new Vision Zero goals, San Francisco police will step up enforcement around 15 MPH school zones.
The Active Transportation Alliance encourages readers to report unsafe driving in commercial trucks to their parent companies.
Go vote in the state primaries, Wisconsinites!
93% of surveyed San Francisco residents are concerned about double parking in bike lanes.
LEGISLATION LANE
Advocacy Advance and Bike Texas held two successful Navigating MAP-21 workshops.
The Wisconsin Bike Fed clarifies the state's crosswalk laws.
It's a law! New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed the bill that will allow New York City to lower its default speed limit to 25 MPH.
California has announced grant recipients for Active Transportation Program funds, the state's only dedicated fund for walking and biking. The fund is so small that of the 772 applications, only 145 projects were selected.
- Bike East Bay was pleased that the East Bay Greenway received funding.
- In Silicon Valley, ATP funds will support a bicycle and pedestrian crossing over Highway 101.
Also in California: a set of proposed rules from the governor's office will edit the California Environmental Quality Act to say that a transportation project’s impact on car traffic should be analyzed on the basis of how many new miles of vehicle trips it causes instead of how many seconds of delay are caused by the project.
BikeWalkLee supports increased transit funding in Lee County, FL.
Pierce County, WA has adopted a Complete Streets policy.
Texans asked the state Department of Transportation to save funding for walking and biking. Now it's a waiting game.
PROGRAMMING
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association and The Bike House held their final summer mobile repair clinic at a local library.
And now WABA will hold a treasure hunt!
Here's a communications idea: ask members to tag their photos with a #SpecificHashtag and feature a member photo of the week. #blessed
GET A JOB
BikeWalkKC is hiring a Safe Routes to School Planner.
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hiring a DC regional policy manager.
We also hear that the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition might be hiring an executive director.
The state and local biking and walking advocacy movement is growing. Check out the Alliance for Biking & Walking job board for listings all over North America.
TRAILER
Robin Williams on riding a bike: it's the closest you can get to flying.
