National Bike Summit
“Bikeyface” [bahyk-e-feys] noun 1.The face you make unconsciously when you bike. Bekka Wright coined the term, which came to be her bike-centric and hugely popular webcomic, in the summer of 2011. Wright’s background is in fine art painting — drawing cartoons was an after-thought, mostly a fun gift for family and friends. But not long after he move from Los Angeles to Boston, and her commitment to biking for transportation grew, Wright saw an opportunity. The artist will be presenting at the 2015 National Bike Summit. Her big idea? Laughter. I spoke with Wright last week about Bikeyface and the power of making someone smile.
We often divide the world of bicycling into three realms: the sport of racing, the business of the bike industry and the multi-faceted fronts of bicycle advocacy. With a pedal in all three areas, Karen Bliss is a leader with truly unique perspective. And we couldn’t be more excited to hear from her at the 2015 National Forum on Women & Bicycling on March 10. A former U.S. professional cyclist, Bliss earned the title “Winningest Cyclist in North America” during her career — and has continued to push for gender equity as a member of the USA Cycling and UCI women’s committees. A veteran of the bike industry, she’s currently the Vice President of Marketing for Advanced Sports International and sits on the board of the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition. And, as the chair of the new Philadelphia Bicycle Advocacy Board, she’s catalyzing efforts to make biking better in the City of Brotherly Love.
If we know anything about bicycling advocates, it’s that they’re an innovative bunch. At the National Bike Summit this year we are putting the spotlight on exciting new ideas for advocacy – our theme is Big Ideas. One of the ways we doing that is by collaborating with our partners at the crowdfunding platform ioby. ioby is a nation-wide, nonprofit crowdfunding platform that helps local leaders raise cash, in-kind donations, and volunteer power from their own communities.
In our September-October 2014 issue of American Bicyclist, we heard from the Cascade Bicycle Club on their innovative Advocacy Leadership Institute. Cascade will be presenting on the ALI in March at the 2015 National Bike Summit. Read more about their efforts below, and be sure to register for the Summit today!
During the 2014 National Bike Summit, we asked members of Congress to support a national goal to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities. And this weekend, we got it. That’s the power of face-to-face meetings with members AND their staff — and that’s why we need you at the 2015 Summit this March.
One annual feature of the National Forum on Women & Bicycling has been an opportunity to showcase women entrepreneurs in the bike industry. From makers with small Etsy shops to more established businesses corporations, we enjoy providing an opportunity to connect women business leaders to leaders in women bike advocacy. With the Forum just around the corner, we are now ready to accept proposals from vendors!
A major lesson learned from this year’s election was that picking the right candidate matters. Republicans had had the chance to win a majority in the both 2010 and 2012 but they didn’t always run the strongest candidates, or their campaigns made missteps along the way.
Our campaign for a national bicycle and pedestrian safety goal got an important boost last week in the House of Representatives, thanks to Congressman Mike Quigley of Illinois. Representative Quigley is not only a bike commuter in his hometown of Chicago and his adopted town of Washington, D.C., but he also sits on the important Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Committee.
Your comments and visits are making a difference on Capitol Hill. At the National Bike Summit this March and throughout the spring, you’ve helped to push the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a national goal to reduce bicyclist fatalities. If you’ve haven’t added your voice to this important campaign, please take action today!
Once again, bicyclists have been left out. This morning, the federal government released a traffic safety proposal that turns a blind eye to the rising number of bicyclist and pedestrians deaths. Please take action by asking your member of Congress to co-sponsor the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act.