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Our commitment to you: Changes on the horizon

Nine months ago, at our 2014 Leadership Retreat, nearly 200 advocates joined us in taking a clear-eyed look at whose needs and interests we’re serving in our work to create more walkable, bikeable, liveable communities — and who’s still on the margins of the biking and walking movement. From that gathering there was widespread consensus: We need to deepen our commitment and take tangible steps toward more inclusive engagement and, ultimately, more equitable advocacy outcomes.

Here at the Alliance we're engaged in an ongoing discussion internally about how we can better examplify principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in the way we operate and the programming we offer. You'll see that in the focus and content of our upcoming National Training (scholarship deadline is today!), the topics in our third quarter webinar schedule (TBA next week!) and the types of stories we share. 

So this week we're debuting a new section of the Roundup — Equity Intersection — to specifically lift up efforts that are building a diverse, inclusive movement and creating new projects and systems that point toward equitable transportation and recreation. Stay tuned for more changes in coming weeks and please share any feedback or potential Roundup links with This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Participants from the 2014 Leadership Retreat, a gathering that's inspired our work at the Alliance

Equity Intersection

We spoke with Tamika Butler, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition about Vision Zero, police enforcement and the LACBC's approach to bike equity. 

The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota is teaming up with AARP to offer a free Bike Basics for Boomers class in the Twin Cities.

The Cascade Bicycle Club announced a women's bike camping clinic and campout.

BikeTexas was featured in a new article from Momentum magazine highlighting successful efforts to increase bicycling and walking in Brownsville, Texas, a predominantly Latino town with high rates of poverty and health challenges, including diabetes and obesity.

Advocacy Avenue

Walk San Francisco was among the groups to applaud San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and several members of the Board of Supervisors for committing to travel by public transit over the next three weeks.

Thanks to a strong push from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Oregon Walks, the Mayor of Portland publicly committed to Vision Zero.

Minneapolis advocates reveled in the fact that they broke into the list of the "20 Most Bike Friendly Cities on the Planet" compiled by Copenhagenize.

Bike Durham is shoring up support for a road diet on the 15-501 business corridor by reaching out to establishments on that strip who have voiced opposition to the plan to slow speeds and install bike lanes.

With the closure of a bicycle-friendly causeway between Miami and Miami Beach, the Green Mobility Network is backing a petition to install protected barriers for riders on two other high-speed bridges connecting the city and the beach.

The League of Michigan Bicyclists was inspired by a ground-breaking idea from a university professor to create the world's longest bike trail along the banks of the Great Lakes.

Protests in Portland in the wake of several fatal and serious injury crashes helped prompt the city's mayor to publicly commit to Vision Zero. Photo by Jonathan Maus, via Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

Infrastructure Inlet

Bicycle Colorado and Community Cycles welcomed a "right-sizing" pilot project this summer that will reduce car lanes and expand bike lanes on several key thoroughfares in Boulder.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition celebrated the installation of bike lanes on Euclid Avenue, the result of a neighborhood push for slower speeds and a safer street.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is looking forward to the installation of new bike shelters at regional rail stations, thanks to $3 million in the transit authority's approved budget.

The Active Transportation Alliance is marking the opening of the 606, the Chicago region’s latest rails to trails success story, this weekend.

Bike Calgary celebrated the opening of the downtown 12th Avenue cycletrack, which saw nearly 900 trips in its first 16 hours.

Queen City Bike in Cincinnati celebrated a big step for the Wasson Way trail, "a 7.6-mile, mixed-use trail that would transform the idle corridor into a three-lane bike and pedestrian trail that would connect 10 local neighborhoods."

Bike East Bay helped dedicate a new segment of the Bay Trail in Richmond and said hello to new green, buffered bike lanes on Foothill Boulevard, filling a 1-mile bikeway gap between San Leandro and Castro Valley.

Bike Walk Dunwoody shared some awesome news: the promise from the Georgia DOT to construct a new trail through the I-285 interchange in the City of Sandy Springs.

BikePGH shared the news that an automatic counter on the Penn Avenue protected bike lane recorded more than 24,000 trips by bike during the month of May, with 26% of Avenue traffic on May 15 (Bike to Work Day) coming from cyclists.

Legislation Lane

A statewide mobilization galvanized by the California Bicycle Coalition succeeded in getting a $25 million increase to the Active Transportation Program into the proposed state budget. Next step: Making sure it sticks through the committee process.

The Wisconsin Bike Fed strongly backed a proposal by state rep Mike Rohrkaste (a Republican) to restore $1.5 million of the Governor's proposed $2 million cut to biking and walking funding.

Edmonton advocates in Canada applauded the passage of new laws in Ontario that "increase fines and demerits for drivers who 'door' cyclists, and require all drivers to maintain a minimum distance of one-metre when passing cyclists where possible."

Washington Bikes is urging its members to contact their state legislators to hold the line on a budget proposal that "sets a foundation for additional walking and biking investments at approximately $236 million over a 16-year timeframe."

Programming Promenade

Forget May: It's Bike Month now in Colorado!

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition got its members involved in previewing the route of the upcoming RAGBRAI event (tough job!).

Washington Bikes is getting friendly, promoting the #WaveBack Twitter concept conceived by Brian Fung.

BikePGH was thrilled by the more than 10,000 residents who turned out the city's first OpenStreetsPGH event.

Missoula in Motion is hoping residents take a break in one of the city's temporary parklets today.

Billings TrailNet in Montana released a new series of PSAs aimed at improving bicyclist-driver interactions.

Comings and Goings

Evren Sonmez is one of a number of Alliance member organization staff to receive a Walking College Fellowship from America Walks, which includes six months of online engagement, a local independent study project and attendance to the National Walking Summit. (The Alliance is proud to assist American Walks with this program!)

Zachary Rynew (pictured below left), also know as Mr. CiclaValley,  is joined the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition as its new Education and Volunteer Coordinator.

Trailer

Happy Pride month!