2012 Annual Report - Alliance for Biking & Walking

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Letter from the President
State and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations are the frontline of our People Powered Movement, working
hard every day to transform communities into better and safer places to bike and walk. As I speak and work with
leaders across the continent, I am consistently awed by their commitment and passion for this work. With every ribbon
cutting for a new bike lane, trail, sidewalk or crossing, these remarkable organizations and their dedicated leaders are
transforming the safety, health, mobility options, and economic vitality in communities.
Advocates founded the Alliance to support and strengthen state and local advocacy organizations and their leaders.
Today, our commitment and capacity to fulfill this mission is stronger than ever. Our focus on promoting effective campaigns,
pushing for results and measuring our movement’s progress helps make biking and walking advocacy stronger in
states, regions and cities across North America.
The Alliance is now made up of well over 200 state and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations in the US,
Canada and Mexico. Half of our member organizations are now professionalized with paid staff, and I’m pleased to report
that state and local organizations now employ nearly 400 full-time equivalent staff.
Over the course of 2012, the Alliance grew our strongest programs and services. We published the 2012 Benchmarking
Report, strengthened the Open Streets Project with our new Open Streets Guide, expanded services and support for community
bike shops, hosted the Alliance’s largest Leadership Retreat yet and developed an increased focus on equity as we
work to expand and diversify our movement.
In 2012, we also held intensive discussions about merging with our closest partners – the League of American Bicyclists
and Bikes Belong. Together, we agreed to continue operating independently but to increase our collaboration as we work
towards better bicycling and walking. We continue to work in tight partnership with both organizations to boost and
elevate the work of state and local advocates.
2013 opens a new chapter for the Alliance. As we plan and implement a new strategic direction, we are excited to support
new innovations in biking and walking advocacy on the ground. This year, we will work with our largest and strongest
member organizations to spearhead nationally coordinated campaigns to boost biking and walking, and will create more
tools and resources to benefit all Alliance member organizations and our movement.
I am proud to share highlights of our accomplishments in 2012 and look forward to forging ahead with you. Thank you
for your support!
Jeffrey Miller
President/CEO