Timeline
1987
- Founded as Northwest Bicycle Foundation (NowBike).
1992
- January: Don Bullard hired as the first Executive Director.
- May: Published first issue of the NowBike Memo, the predecessor to The Advocate newsletter.
1993
- NowBike organized and conducted six effective advocacy workshops in the communities of Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Wenatchee, Yakima and Vancouver.
1994
- July: Susie Stephens named Executive Director.
- September: Organized the Friends of Burke Gilman Trail.
- Fall: Merged with the Bicycle Federation of Washington and expanded scope of work statewide. Changed name to Northwest Bicycle Federation.
1995
- January: Put forth HB 1984 – Bicycle Safety Education Bill. Did not pass.
- Spring: Led a successful campaign to restore $5 million in the Transportation budget that was diverted away from bicycle projects.
- October: Organized Footprints & Bike Tracks conference, held in Bellevue, for bicycle and pedestrian advocates.
1996
- February: Hosted a meeting for bike clubs and bike advisory boards to discuss legislative issues.
- April: Organized Heels & Wheels Commuter Contest in King County.
- Summer: Executive Director Susie Stephens pedaled to several Washington communities, including Yakima, Ellensburg and Longview, to meet with bike advocates, civic groups and elected officials.
- Provided guidance and organizational assistance to Friends of the East Lake Sammamish Trail.
1997
- March: 250 advocates turned out for our first Bicycle & Transportation Alternatives Lobby Day in Olympia.
- May: Organized the second Heels & Wheels Commuter Contest.
- Summer: Teamed up with Alt-Trans (now Transportation Choices Coalition) to visit 13 Washington communities on the People Smart Transportation Tour.
1998
- March: Cooper Jones Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Education bill signed by Governor Gary Locke. The bill created a bicycle and pedestrian safety education program under the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
- August: Changed name to Bicycle Alliance of Washington.
- November: Barb Culp named Executive Director
1999
- March: Bicycle Alliance submitted an amicus brief in Pudmaroff v. Allen, arguing that a bicyclist in a crosswalk has the same rights, duties and obligations as a pedestrian. Supreme Court agreed.
- Summer: Worked with DOL to incorporate information about bicycling into the Driver’s Guide.
- December: Bicycle Alliance made a presentation before the House Transportation Committee.
2001
- Launched Bike Buddy commuter program.
- April: Led the effort to pass SB 5790, strengthening criminal sanctions against motorists whose dangerous driving severely injures others.
2002
- Spring/Summer: Worked with local bike groups to organize a series of Pedal with your Politician rides around the state.
- Testified before the Governor’s Taskforce on Reauthorization of TEA-21 and called for Routine Accommodation (now called Complete Streets).
2003
- Successfully opposed an attempt to require registration and licensing of bicycles in Washington.
- Adopted Safe Routes to School as a priority.
2004
2005
- Legislature approved Share the Road specialty license plate.
- Passed HB 1108, prohibiting passing when cyclists, pedestrians, farm equipment is in view and approaching from opposite direction (Ann Weatherill bill).
- Passage of SB 5186, requiring comprehensive plans to include an inventory of bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
2006
- January: Began managing the Seattle Bikestation facility.
- Successfully opposed a bill that would have prohibited bike trailers on roadways.
- Helped organize Fish Lake Trail Action Group in Spokane.
2007
- June: Gordon Black named Executive Director.
- Co-organized a Safe Routes to School Summit.
- Worked with DOL to incorporate into private Driver’s Ed programs a new curriculum that teaches motorists safe driving habits around bicyclists.
2008
- Washington named #1 Bicycle Friendly State in the US in first year League of American Bicyclists ranks states.
- Passed legislation that requires public school driver’s education programs to incorporate the safe driving around bicyclists and pedestrians module into their curriculum (HB 2564)
- May: Worked with local advocates to launch Bike to Work Week in Spokane (later to become Spokane Bikes).
2009
- Washington named #1 Bicycle Friendly State 2nd year in a row.
- January: Barb Culp returns as ED.
- Passed a bill requiring that all new traffic signals must be able to be triggered by bikes (SB 5482).
- Taught nearly 800 students in Moses Lake, Bainbridge Island and Oak Harbor school districts safe biking/walking skills under a pilot project through OSPI.
- Safe Routes to School program enacted into statute (SHB 1793).
2010
- Washington named #1 Bicycle Friendly State 3rd year in a row.
- Co-sponsored a series of Complete Streets workshops around the state.
- Helped pass a bill that makes texting/handheld cell use a primary offense (HB 2635/SB 6345).
- Reached over 4000 bicyclists through various outreach events around the state.
2011
- Washington named #1 Bicycle Friendly State 4th year in a row.
- Passed legislation that expands teaching drivers how to behave safely around bicyclists and pedestrians to traffic schools (HB 1129).
- Helped pass a bill that created Complete Streets grant program under WSDOT (ESB 1071).
- Trained teachers in 31 school districts how to instruct students on safe biking and walking skills.
2012
- Washington named #1 Bicycle Friendly State 5th year in a row.
- Barb Culp retired.
- August: Barb Chamberlain named Executive Director.
2013
2014
2015
2016
- The merger goes into effect. Washington Bikes is now headquartered at the Cascade Bicycling Center in northeast Seattle.
2017
- The state Legislature created the Cooper Jones Bicyclist Safety Advisory Council, in honor of the legacy of Cooper Jones, who was hit and killed by a car while riding his bicycle.
2018
- Led legisation to update the state e-bike law to allow Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes on shared paths.
- Strengthened the 2011 vulnerable road user law (HB 2900) to ensure that families of crash victims can seek justice.
2019
- Represented the interests of people who bike, walk, and roll statewide on the new Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council, which merged the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Councils.
- Passed the Safe Passing / Vulnerable User Law, which requires drivers to give people biking, walking, rolling, scooting, or otherwise vulnerable to cars a full lane when passing if possible, or at least three feet of space. The law also strengthened penalties for drivers.
- Endorsed and helped pass King County Prop 1 to increase trail funding at major trails such as Eastrail, East Lake Sammamish Trail, and the Lake to Sound Corridor.
- Washington was named the #1 Bike Friendly State for the 11th year running
2020
- Modeled after the Oregon scenic bikeways program, the state Legislature approved a Washington scenic bikeways program. The program will bring economic and tourism benefits to Washington state while celebrating the beauty of our beautiful rural communities.
- With a major win for people who bike, we passed the Safety Stop, similar to the Idaho Stop, to allow people biking to treat a stop sign as a yield if there is no oncoming traffic.
- We hosted our first virtual (and free) Bike, Wall, Roll Summit with more than 600 registrants.
2021