Join the “I bike, I buy stuff” campaign

In partnership with Ward 3 Bike Advocates

WABA and the Ward 3 Bicycle Advocates (W3BA) are teaming up to remind business owners on Connecticut Ave that many of their customers are people who bike. If you live, work, or regularly shop on Connecticut Avenue in Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Van Ness or Chevy Chase, join us in reminding businesses “I Bike, I Buy Stuff!”

Want to pitch in? Then, grab your bike, your wallet, and a phone and get shopping! Here’s how it works:

1. Pick up some “I bike, I buy stuff” business cards.

Drop us an email at advocacy@waba.org and we’ll get you some cards.

2. Buy Stuff by Bike

Grab your bike and head to a Connecticut Ave NW business between Woodley Park and Chevy Chase. Eat a meal, buy groceries, purchase a gift or take a class; be a customer.

3. Talk with Staff

While there, find an appropriate moment to share with staff that you came to their store by bike. Make it a quick, friendly interaction at the register or before paying your bill. Strapping your helmet to a bag makes for a helpful, illustrative prop.

4. Leave A Card

Before leaving, hand the staff member an “I Bike, I Buy Stuff” card. This might strike up a positive conversation. If it feels welcome, mention that traffic calming and protected bike lanes would help you and other customers get to their front door safely.

Remember that debate is not the goal. You are not there to make an ask or demand. You are a customer reminding a business that you patronize “I Bike, and I Buy Stuff”. Keep it positive and light. Be respectful that staff have a job to do, especially if things are busy.

5. Snap a Photo & Post

Take a photo, post to Social Media and tag the business.

Be sure that you, your bike, the stuff you bought, an “I Bike I Buy Stuff” card or the store you shopped at are in the frame.
Post the photos and a positive message to your favorite social media space
Tag the business so that they see it. You may want to look up their handle and where they are most active before you go.
Use the hashtag “#IBikeIBuyStuff”

6. Report Back

Finally, fill out this short form. This will help us see and show where we are having an impact. It is especially helpful if you have a positive interaction that deserves following up. Bookmark this link in your phone’s browser for easy access throughout the fall.

Questions? Email advocacy@waba.org.

More about Connecticut Ave NW

Connecticut Ave NW is a busy corridor that connects downtown DC to Bethesda, Maryland. It's a high-speed, multi-lane road without adequate infrastructure for safe biking and walking. In 2019 The District Department of Transportation began studying ways to make the corridor safer. Working with Ward 3 Bike Advocates and a host of grassroots volunteers, WABA organized broad support for a variety of safety improvements, including protected bike lanes from Woodley Park to the Maryland border. In December of 2021, Mayor Bowser announced that the District would move forward with a design concept that included protected bike lanes.

Despite this broad support, and the 2021 announcement, in the spring of 2024, DDOT announced that it would be moving forward with a bike-lane-free design for the corridor, apparently because of concerns about parking. WABA is working with local advocates, business owners, and the DC Council to move the project forward.

More about The DC Low Stress Network

Bike lanes are most effective when they connects to other bike lanes, protected bike lanes, even more so.

WABA works with teams of grassroots volunteers across the District to demand a network of low-stress places to bike. A network where you, your kids, nephews, nieces, or grandkids, can all get where you need to go safely, easily, happily on bikes.

More about Complete Streets

Complete Streets are streets designed to accommodate all users, and that prioritize historically underinvested modes of transportation like transit, walking, and biking. An incomplete street might lack adequate sidewalks, low-stress bike infrastructure, or safe and comfortable access to transit.

Effective Complete Streets policies change the way a jurisdiction plans and builds transportation infrastructure—sidewalks, low stress bike infrastructure, and transit should be included in any new or rebuilt street by default, rather than as an add-on when there's space or demand.

While most regional jurisdictions have a Complete Streets policy of some sort, they lack teeth and permit transportation departments to continue to build streets that put cars first and squeeze other modes into the margins.

More about Advocacy

WABA fights for a region where biking, walking and transit are the best ways to get around.

We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.