Vote with your wallet. Join us at Optimism Brewing in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood tonight, Thursday, June 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for a fundraiser for the Washington Bike PAC.

Now more than ever before, the priorities of our local and state leaders matter.

In Seattle, Olympia, Bellevue, Tacoma and other key races in the state, the Washington Bike PAC will this year take safe streets advocacy to a whole new level.

In 2017 the Washington Bike PAC (Political Action Committee) will work to elect candidates who will champion, through elected office, a vision of communities connected by bikes.

We need elected officials who will connect the dots between public health and safe access to walking and biking. Leaders will step up and put dollars behind building connected urban bike networks that get people where they need to go, and help reduce congestion. Leaders who will fund tourism-stimulating trails projects to bolster local rural economies. We need council members, mayors, and legislators who will advance policies that keep people safe – regardless of how they choose to get around.

Let me Count the Ways…

Our communities can no longer rely on Uncle Sam, and the carrot and stick of federal dollars and policy. Our immediate federal future holds an infrastructure package proposal focussing on highways, complete elimination of the federal TIGER transportation funding, a steady rollback of environmental regulations, and de-prioritization of EPA climate change and clean energy initiatives, including vehicle emissions.

In order to sidestep goings-on in “the other Washington”, local and state races will matter more. Our communities are ripe to advance to the next level.

There’s Another Way

The Washington Bike PAC is working in lockstep with the Washington Bikes to identify, endorse and financially support local and state candidates who are ready to build on hard work and momentum that advocates and our champions have started, and make it safe to walk and bike.

Join Us

The Seattle launch of the Washington Bike PAC is momentous. Come raise a glass – alongside others who share in this vision – to a community where biking is safe, easy and intuitive.

Can’t make it tonight to the Fundraiser? Donate to the Washington Bike PAC online, and let’s together make sure we elect future leaders who’ll work with the community and lead the charge.  

Media Contact: Diana Bryant
Communications & Marketing Specialist
(206) 939-4314 (office)
comms@wabikes.org

More than 15,000 expected to participate in the
annual trip tracking challenge

SEATTLE, Wash. April 26, 2017 –  Are you in? The Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge begins Monday, May 1 and runs through the end of the month. The Challenge is a fun, free online trip-tracking contest designed to encourage people to ride to work, school and everywhere else. The annual Challenge inspires thousands of people to start riding and encourages experienced riders to bike more. Riders can go solo or form a team of coworkers or friends and challenge each other to ride as much as possible throughout the month of May.

Learn more and sign up for the Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge at challenge.wabikes.org.
New this year:

With our improved leaderboard functions participants will be able to see how they stack up against others within their county, age range and level of riding experience.
Participants now earn points by encouraging others to ride. Winning individuals and teams will be selected based on a combination of points earned from miles ridden, days ridden and encouragement given.
To encourage new riders to join the Challenge we are awarding double points for anyone who has only ridden a few times in the last year.
The Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge is one of many fun bike challenges happening across the state throughout the month of May.

Find other Washington state bike challenges at wabikes.org/growing-bicycling/resources/bike-month-challenges-in-washington-state/.
Stats from the 2016 Challenge:

• 15,741 participants
• 1,730 teams
• 338,886 bike trips logged
• 1,563 new riders
• 30 percent of Challenge riders identified as a woman
• More than 700 organizations represented

Follow #BikeEverywhere on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for news and updates throughout the month.

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About Washington Bikes
Washington Bikes grows bicycling all across the state of Washington every day. We advocate for bicyclists’ rights, endorse political candidates and hold officials accountable at every level of government, working with them to shape the policies that will make bicycling a safe, accessible form of transportation, travel and recreation. Through our efforts we increase funding for bicycle facilities; provide tools for local advocates to improve their communities; and promote the health, safety and economic benefits of bicycling. Our work and that of our many partner organizations means more biking all across Washington, the #1 Bicycle Friendly State in America (eight years in a row)! To learn more, visit WAbikes.org.

People who bike make up a disproportionate number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries when compared to people that travel by other means. While experts across fields, from law enforcement to transportation planning to public health, are dedicated to eliminating this disparity, these sectors need a better way to collaborate.

That’s why Washington Bikes is celebrating the creation of the Cooper Jones Bicyclist Safety Advisory Council.

Senate bill 5402 passed the legislature on April 17, and Gov. Inslee will soon sign this legislation into law, forming the first interdisciplinary panel dedicated to examining causes of serious injury and death of people who bike in Washington. This means bicyclist safety will be treated with the same diligence as pedestrian safety as well as impaired driving, both of which already have their own dedicated panels.

Experts and advocates representing more than 10 disciplines and stakeholder groups will convene quarterly to review, analyze and share data; identify patterns in bicyclist injury and death; and identify points at which the transportation system can be improved.

Facilitating these practices puts us on the path to eliminate disparities in traffic injury and death for people who bike, and ultimately, to achieve Target Zero objectives.

What’s more, investing in bicyclist safety at the state level spurs action among counties and municipalities. When the state leads, local advocates and agencies follow suit, using vetted, trusted and evidence-based recommendations to advance policies in their own communities.

Advocating for the safety of people who bike is a core tenant of all that we do at Washington Bikes. With the creation of the Cooper Jones Bicyclist Safety Advisory Council, we are elevating the safety of some of the most vulnerable road users in a comprehensive statewide manner.

Washington Bikes would like to express gratitude to the family of Cooper Jones, who after the loss of their son, worked tirelessly to lay the groundwork for bicyclist and pedestrian safety legislation in Washington state. Also, we’d like to give a huge thanks to Senator Liias and Representative Kloba, the prime sponsors of the companion bills this year. Their leadership and commitment to making Washington’s communities safer for people who bike is greatly valued.

To stay engaged on this and other important bike issues, sign up for WA Bikes E-News.

Washington Bikes and Cascade Bicycle Club are looking to hire! We seek a bold, creative, experienced and visionary leader to serve as the next Executive Director. The next Executive Director will lead these dynamic, well-established and respected organizations by demonstrating  a passion for growing and expanding our influence and impact in pursuing Washington Bikes’ mission of ‘People Who Bike Make a Difference’ and Cascade’s mission of ‘Improving Lives Through Bicycling.’

The next Executive Director of WA Bikes and Cascade will have an opportunity to take the helm of a vibrant, growing and respected organization and build a lasting legacy for Washington state. The E.D. of both 501(c)4 Washington Bikes and 501(c)3 Cascade Bicycle Club will be the torchbearer; setting out immediately to build trust while creating a culture of “best practices” and embodying the values already set forth by the missions of the organizations. We are seeking the consummate manager of managers who is as comfortable in the budgeting process as they are working with key partners, political stakeholders and major donors.

The Washington Bikes & Cascade Bicycle Club Executive Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for fulfillment of WA Bikes’ 5-year strategic plan with a mission of being the statewide voice for people of all ages and abilities who ride bicycles for transportation, health, travel and recreation. WA Bikes works to elect, build relationships with, and hold accountable policymakers to improve the safety and accessibility of bicycling throughout Washington state thereby improving the health and prosperity of our communities. The Executive Director also oversees Cascade’s mission to improve lives through bicycling, teaching the joys of bicycling, advocating for safe places to ride and producing world-class rides.

Please review our Position Profile for more details. Annual salary is $110,000 – $150,000 based on experience and qualifications.

Cover letter and resumes should be submitted via email to Adam Forest (adam@theforestgroup.com). This announcement was originally posted on April 20, 2017. The position will remain open until filled. Applications reviewed on a frequent rolling basis.

SB 5402 and HB 1795 introduced in both the House and Senate target reversing the trend in fatalities and serious injuries of people on bikes throughout Washington’s transportation system.

Fatalities and serious injuries for people who bike make up 7.2% of all traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Washington state, yet only 0.9% of commute trips are made by those biking. In short, it’s riskier to bicycle than to drive a car, but why?

To answer this question, Washington Bikes has partnered with Sen. Liias and Rep. Kloba in efforts to better understand the causes of serious injuries and deaths in Washington state and find strategies improve safety for those biking on Washington’s streets and roads.

At its heart, SB 5402/HB 1795: establishes the Cooper Jones Bicyclist Safety Advisory Council to convene a panel of interdisciplinary professionals from law enforcement, multimodal transportation planners, public health representatives, municipalities, victim’s families, bicycle advocates and transportation researchers. The panel will meet quarterly to analyze bicyclist-involved collision data. This will be an opportunity to take a systemic look and gain a statewide understanding of what is taking place, where are the biggest weaknesses, and what solutions will curb the current, alarming trends. The council will submit an annual report to the legislature that includes recommendations for safety improvements.

Washington Bikes’ expects the recommendations of this panel to help inform and guide future policy and funding decisions made in Olympia and at the local level, leading to a reduction in deaths and serious injuries on Washington’s streets and roadways.

Cooper Jones

The legislation honors the heritage of The Cooper Jones Act of 1998 which set the foundation for bicycle safety legislation in Washington state. Named for 13-year-old Cooper Jones of Spokane, Wash., the Jones family worked relentlessly after the tragic loss of their son to strengthen safety laws for people who bike. Now, 20 years later, Washington still has a lot of work ahead to make streets and roads safe for people who bike. The Cooper Jones Bicyclist Safety Advisory Committee aims to honor the work of the Jones’ family while making much-needed transportation system safety improvements for those that bike.

SB 5402 was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 7. HB 1795 is scheduled for a hearing on Monday, Feb. 13 in the House Transportation Committee.

Let’s make Washington’s transportation system safe for ALL users. Keep in touch with us by signing up to Washington Bikes’ alerts to help us pass this important safety legislation.