BYKE BYTES: Bike More, Drive Less, Get Active

1. Transportation Lobby Day Set for February 6 in Olympia
2. Seattle Bicycle Master Plan
3. Blueprint for a Bikeable City -- January 5
4. White Center Open House -- January 9
5. Get Lit Washington
6. Twenty Years of Bicycle Advocacy!
7. Safe Routes Training in Mt Vernon -- February 2
8. Bike Expo -- Help Us Staff Our Booth!
9. Volunteer of the Month

Transportation Lobby Set for February 6 in Olympia

Transportation Lobby Day
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 9am
United Churches at 11th & Capitol Way in Olympia

Heads up, bicycle advocates! The Bicycle Alliance of Washington and other like-minded groups are organizing Transportation Lobby Day. Join us as we work to advance these legislative priorities:

1. Educating legislators about carbon assessments and the budget impacts of more autos. Lead by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the Sierra Club and Cascade Bicycle Club.
2. Mobility Education legislation. Driver's Education changed to include the Basics of Bicycling, Riding a Bus, and driving a car. Spearheaded by Feet First, and Representative Dave Upthegrove.
3. Revising Transportation Goals: moving people and goods not cars lead by Transportation Choices and others.
4. Additional revenue and policy changes for local bike lanes, sidewalks and transit. This is an umbrella for Complete Streets and will be lead by the Bicycle Alliance and others.
5. Additionally, we'll support anti-cell phone legislation and continue our other priorities like funding for Safe Routes to School.

Save the Date and then call your legislator for an appointment February 6th. Details about carpools, vanpools and house stays will be available after the 15th of January. We plan to invite the new House Transportation Chair Judy Clibborn, and Senate Transportation Chair Mary Margaret Haugen to speak.

Partial list of participating groups include Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Feet First, Transportation Choices Coalition, Futurewise, Cascade Bicycle Club, People for Puget Sound, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, American Lung Association of Washington, Washington Transit Association.

Seattle Bicycle Master Plan

A draft version of the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan is nearly ready for comments. This is your chance guide a city wide network of bike facilities. Visit the City of Seattle Bike Master Plan website to view and submit comments. The Bicycle Alliance of Washington has actively participated at the public outreach meetings and serves on the Citizens Advisory Committee. The plan is being written by Toole Design Group. Don't miss this opportunity to change the course of bicycling in Seattle for the next 20 years.

Blueprint for a Bikeable City -- January 5

Blueprint for a Bikeable City is the topic for the next monthly Green Film Series this Friday, January 5th. Films begin at 7:30pm at 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle and our co-host will be the Sierra Club Seattle Group. Playing along with the short film Easy Rollin' by filmmaker Hadas Levy, our feature film will be "We Aren't Blocking Traffic! We Are Traffic" about the evolution and history of the "Critical Mass" bicycle movement. Films will be followed by a panel discussion with representatives from the Cascade Bicycle Club, Transportation Choices Coalition, Feet First and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. For more information go to www.hazelfilm.org/greenfilms.html.

White Center Open House -- January 9

King County is asking for input on how to make SW 98th Street more inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists between the White Center business district and the new Greenbridge housing area.

The Road Services Division will host a public open house for the project on Tuesday, Jan. 9 from 7-9 p.m. at:

White Center Heights Elementary School
10015 Sixth Ave. SW, Seattle

Get more details at: King County website

Get Lit Washington

Lights are key to making a cyclist a visible and safe user of roads and paths after dark. Unfortunately, many bicyclists ride at night without them.

The Bicycle Alliance plans to launch Get Lit Washington this spring to directly address this problem, and we are currently seeking donations to help fund it. For every dollar raised until March 1 (up to $2500 in donations) the Bicycle Alliance will match dollar for dollar to fund this program. Checks payable to the Bicycle Alliance of Washington in any amount may be sent to:

Bicycle Alliance of Washington
Get Lit Program
PO Box 2904
Seattle, WA 98111

Get Lit Washington is inspired by the original Get Lit program in Portland, Oregon. Created by Jef Bernards, Get Lit provides inexpensive front and rear bike lights to unlit riders. Get Lit Washington will have an immediate positive effect on the night cycling safety of unlit riders, raise awareness of bikes as vehicles, and draw attention to the legal requirement that cyclists have lights.

Planet Bike has agreed to provide front and rear lights in bulk quantities at favorable prices. $2500 will help us equip 200 low-income cyclists with lights. We plan to introduce this program in Seattle, Spokane, Olympia and Bellingham.

To learn more about Get Lit Washington or to get involved, contact Kent Peterson, Commute Programs Manager, at 206.224.9252 or send Kent email.

Twenty Years of Bicycle Advocacy

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington; that's twenty years of education, advocacy, outreach and legislative successes. We're planning a series of anniversary parties around the state. Please call Barbara at (206) 224-9252 if you would like to host a party in your town.

Safe Routes Training in Mt Vernon -- February 2

The all day training is scheduled for February 2, 2007 in Mt. Vernon at the Skagit Valley Hospital. For more information, contact Dave Janis at 206.224.9252 or davej@bicyclealliance.org. Information is also posted at the Safe Routes website.

To register, contact:

Liz McNett Crowl
Skagit Valley Hospital
Mount Vernon
Phone: 360-428-2331
Fax: 360-428-8222
Email: LCrowl@skagitvalleyhospital.org

Bike Expo -- Help Us Staff Our Booth!

Save March 10th and 11th for the Greater Seattle Bike Expo and volunteer at the Bicycle Alliance Booth. We'll be sending out details like shift hours and focus of our materials later this month. Stay tuned.

To get on the volunteer list, please phone us 206.224.9252 or send us email.

Volunteer of the Month

There literally would not be a Bicycle Alliance of Washington without Amy Carlson. Amy helped found the organization in 1987 and has served on our Board ever since, taking on the role of President on several occasions. She is leaving the Board this year, but none of us can imagine this organization without her! Thank you, Amy!

The Bicycle Alliance is a non-profit VOLUNTEER POWERED organization. We work for you, but also, we NEED you. We have an ongoing need for office volunteers: data entry, filing and other tasks always need to get done. Our annual auction would not happen without over 100 people giving generously of their time. We need advocates in every corner of the state to work with government officials And there are always special tasks for special skills that can help the cause of bicycling throughout Washington.

The easiest way to get involved is to come to our monthly volunteer work PARTY. On the last Thursday of each month from 1pm to 8pm at our office in Seattle we have a workparty with lots and lots of yummy goodies (chocolate is a specialty), socializing and working to further bicycle advocacy in Washington. We would love to have you join us. Drop in on the last Thursday afternoon. We need your help. Call Mark at 206.224.9252 or send Mark email to RSVP, to get directions or to get more information.

Upcoming Workparties: January 25th and Feb 22nd.

Over 1700 Share the Road License Plates Sold!