Blog

We mobilize for better communities all year round, but May is prime time for bicycle advocates. During National Bike Month our calendars are booked solid and the spotlight of the media and general public are upon us. We know you've already scheduled your events and outlined your outreach campaigns, but we want to help ensure you get the most out of the month that can do wonders to bolster your visibility and boost your membership.

Sure, we're a people powered movement but we're often transporting more than ourselves. Especially as biking and walking advocates we're often shuttling the tools of community change — maps and education materials, table cloths and t-shirts, registration and membership forms. The Alliance and Xtracycle want to help lighten your load. Today we kicked off our Xtracycle Cargo Bike Contest, giving Alliance member organizations the chance to win a new Edgerunner.

Speaking from experience, it can be #overwhelming: So many pieces of content, for so many different audiences, on so many distinct platforms. How do you make the puzzle of your efforts fit together in the most effective — and — way? Well that's exactly what we'll be delving into at our National Training on "Organizing, Leadership, and Digital Strategy for a Stronger Movement" this July.

This week in biking and walking advocacy: April Fools Day gave everyone an opportunity to play jokes and let their imaginations run wild, often into dystopian fantasies.

Congratulations to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, which just helped win about $32 million for walking and biking facilities! Last month, the city's residents overwhelmingly passed a bond measure to bring the streets into good repair and include more complete streets treatments while they're at it. I interviewed ABC Director Rebecca Serna to find out how they did it.

On Lisa Diaz Riegel's third week as BikeWalk NC's first-ever paid executive director, the North Carolina legislature introduced a bill that could be a threat to cyclists' rights. Can she grow the organization quickly enough to respond?

This week in biking and walking advocacy: Host a local challenge and let's ride 35 million miles this summer as part of the National Bike Challenge!

Learn how your organization can host a local challenge in coordination with the National Bike Challenge. There's a lot in it for your organization, including publicity, new members, and fundraising opportunities!

When you join forces with planners, public health group, public sector officials, and likeminded bike/ped groups, are you getting the most out of the collaboration? Or are you setting yourself up for failure?

This week in biking and walking advocacy: Coming down off the highs (and lows, and then more highs) of the National Bike Summit.