Wow.

January 3, 2018 | Greg Billing

This December, the WABA community stepped up like never before to build a more inclusive, better connected region. Thank you.

930 donors contributed $128,864 to build a more inclusive, better connected region. We are so grateful for their help making WABA stronger than ever. They surpassed even our stretch goal by almost $20,000. What an incredible, humbling thing to be part of and celebrate.

If you are one of those generous donors, thank you. We are so excited for what’s ahead for WABA in 2018 and beyond. We will ensure careful, intentional stewardship of your investment, and hope you see great progress towards more connected and bikeable region that we are committed to building together.

Thank you for helping us start the new year energized, grateful, and ready for anything.

Let’s Party For Better Bicycling

July 17, 2017December 12, 2018 | Michelle Cleveland

Tour de Fat is on Saturday! This beer + music + bike + lots of awesome people festival raises lots of money for WABA. Don’t miss it!

Get tickets

How does partying for better bicycling work?

WABA and four other rad bike non-profits in our region receive 100% of the proceeds from beer sales during the festival. And that really adds up. In 2015, the event raised more than $50,000. You’re making a big difference in funding our advocacy and outreach work.

WABA’s advocacy, community outreach and education efforts are all people-powered—it takes a lot of people’s time, expertise, and capacity to organize for new bike lanes, protected infrastructure, and better bike policies. Tour de Fat has the capacity to raise enough support for a full-time WABA staff person – that’s one more person tracking issues, devising campaigns, keeping you up-to-date, and implementing, implementing, implementing.

Who benefits from Tour de Fat?

In order to help spread the bike love, we’ve partnered with four other bicycle non-profit organizations in the region. Check out their cool work:

WABA (that’s us!) works in the greater D.C. area to get more people on bikes, make bicycling safe, and expand and enhance bike infrastructure. We want to make getting to places by bike easier and a more viable transportation option.

Black Women Bike DC is a rad group of women working to build community and support to inspire more black women to bike through education programs, advocacy, and rides.

Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling works to make bicycling an integral part of the transportation network in Fairfax County, VA. They sponsor social rides throughout Fairfax and work on a laundry list of advocacy campaigns to make bicycling more accessible.

Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts represents the area’s mountain biking community and works to maintain regional trails. MORE organizes hundreds of rides and events per year.

Phoenix Bikes is local bicycle co-op that supports youth in the D.C. metro area, providing a safe, nurturing, and educational environment that reinforces teamwork, hard work, and entrepreneurship through bike maintenance and education programs.

So don’t forget to get your tickets to the show!
When: Saturday, July 22nd, 2017 from 4-9pm
Location:136 N St SE, Washington, DC (exciting new venue!)

Learn More Get tickets

More fun for your buck:

Bring some friends and get cheaper tickets on Groupon, enter to win free tickets from Yelp, or volunteer for a shift and get free admission for you and a friend.

Be safe: please don’t drink and bike.

We realize we are a bike organization and are asking you, presumably someone who will be biking, to come out to a beer and music festival, drink beer, and help us raise support for WABA. And the more you drink, the more support we raise. But most importantly, we want you to have fun and to be safe. Please drink and act and bike responsibly.

Consider taking rideshare or public transportation. Tour de Fat is located next to the Nationals baseball stadium, so it is a three minute walk from the Navy Yard Metro Station. If you want to still bike, you should still bike! But if you enjoy a few craft brews, we encourage you to take the metro home. It will be off-peak hours, so you will be able to metro home with your bicycle.

Serve WABA on the Board of Directors

January 13, 2017 | Mark Blacknell

The WABA Board in 2016

WABA’s Board of Directors is looking for people with a passion to help make the Washington area a safer and more welcoming environment for people using bikes. To this end, the WABA Board Nominating Committee is searching for director candidates with strong leadership skills and experience in helping non-profit organizations execute strategy and development plans.

WABA continues to enjoy a growing base of loyal members and a diversifying funding base. As we did last year, we have a particular interest in candidates who can help us further expand our partnerships with a broader pool of private organizations and individuals who share and will support WABA’s goal of making the Washington area the most bicycle friendly in the world. The ability to connect WABA to the broader Washington area network of donors with missions that overlap with WABA’s is a plus. We are also looking for a candidate who can help us ensure that our financial monitoring and oversight mechanisms are robust and efficient.

WABA continues to look for board members and partners who can help us ensure that our mission and programming serves the needs of bicyclists in low-income, underserved or local immigrant communities. The WABA board’s commitment to diversity is real, and weight will be given to candidates that broaden the board’s views and experience.

WABA board members are volunteers who serve two year terms and are expected to participate in regularly scheduled board meetings (6-7 per year), serve on board committees as needed, provide counsel to WABA staff in their areas of expertise, and make WABA a significant part of their individual philanthropy.

WABA’s board also has a number of committees focused on areas that include advocacy, administration and finance, development, programming, and membership. Board membership is not required for membership on these committees, and some candidates may find service on these committees may be better suited to their time and interests. If you think that you might be interested in appointed (i.e., non-board member) service on these committees, please email mark@waba.org.

Candidates who are interested in exploring whether their skills and interests align with WABA’s are invited to make an initial expression of interest in board membership by filling out the form here. If you have previously filled out an expression of interest, and remain interested, please email me at mark@waba.org. While the search for director candidates is an ongoing one, the board expects to present a slate of candidates at the February 28th annual members’ meeting.

Mark Blacknell is the President of the WABA Board of Directors.

Biking is Resilient

December 27, 2016 | WABA Staff

What a year.

Bicycling has many victories to celebrate, and we hope you have the time and space to celebrate with us. We hope you take every opportunity to relax and ride your bicycle.

We hope you ride in a bike lane or along a trail and savor the moments we all share while pedaling: peace and solace, a clear sense of reliability and control, the benefits of a habit that’s practical and empowering and joyful.

Biking is resilient. And biking isn’t going anywhere. Donate to a better 2017.

The success of biking will continue because we have support from people like you. Your commitment to WABA is changing lives in your neighborhood. And you are leaving a lasting mark on our nation’s capital. Our trails stay paved. Our bike lanes stay painted. Our laws stay written. And you know what they say about riding a bike—the people we teach to ride never forget. This work has staying power.

Thank you for contributing to a hefty to-do list in 2016. Biking is only getting better.

We want everyone who lives and works in our region to have access to a safe, dedicated network of bike infrastructure within one mile of their homes by 2030. To build this network, we need to keep up our pace of planning, activism, and funding.

That dream network may seem far off, and our short-term wins may seem incremental. But don’t forget that just 45 years ago we had zero miles of bike trails. 20 years ago we had zero miles of bike lanes. Ten years ago most of us had never heard of bikeshare. Five years ago we had only one protected bike lane. And three years ago, WABA didn’t have a full-time staff person dedicated to advocacy.

Today we have hundreds of miles of bike infrastructure, thousands of bright red capital bikeshare bikes, each one an advertisement for the joy and convenience of biking, and a team of four full time advocacy staff. It doesn’t always feel like it, but our progress is real.

Please invest in a 2017 packed with more bike wins.

Our movement is growing in size, diversity, and moxie. Over the last five years our region has developed ambitious plans to expand the bike network. For example, Prince George’s County is mapping out more than 220 miles of priority trails, DC is planning 72 more miles of protected bike lanes, and Montgomery County is churning out a complete network of protected bike lanes in Silver Spring over the next three years. After our legislative victory in DC, conversations about fixing contributory negligence have begun in Maryland and Virginia.

We have this momentum because you and 6,500 WABA members like you are committed to the simple but powerful vision that biking around town should be as normal as driving around town. You know what biking can be, and you know we’re getting there.

Help raise $85,000 for better trails, better bike laws, better bike lanes and better bicyclists.

Over the next few days we’ll send you more information on our 2016 wins, our 2017 plans, and our vision for biking in the greater Washington region. Thanks to you, we have the power to make concrete improvements in our backyard.

Donate now and we won’t send you any more requests for a year-end gift. Instead, for a contribution of $100 or more, we’ll send a complete set of four better biking postcards.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Donations to WABA are tax-deductible to fullest extent of the law. All donations postmarked before 12/31/16 can be claimed as a 2016 donation.

I Painted You A Picture

December 23, 2016 | Nelle Pierson

WABA asked me to paint a set of postcards and I jumped at the opportunity!

I’m thrilled to have this personal way to say thank you. You and WABA’s 6,500 members give so much. You read these emails, you monitor campaigns you care about, you learn about what other members care about, you come to events with a smile, refer friends to our classes, and you invest so much heart in this little local 44 year-old non-profit.

I tried to capture the spirit of biking in our region. And by extension, how important bike advocacy work is to ensuring greater joy. In all seasons. In all parts of the region. By all types of people. On all types of bikes.

If there’s one thing in my life I can point to that has given me so much– it’s my bicycle(s). And the people, places, and personal experiences I’ve cherished by bicycle. These paintings each depict particular aspects I find we all value most: time with friends and family out on our trails, quiet snowlit nights on a neighborhood street, the rush of being in a big group of people riding along the Potomac, and the last one– winning. Yes winning. For me, the bike advocate leaving the Annapolis Statehouse represents how much we’ve won in the last forty plus years.

I hope you find your own story in these prints. I hope you stick one to your refrigerator or your wall. I hope it’s an everyday reminder of the collective benefits of biking, and a reminder of all our concrete accomplishments– biking is only getting better.

If you haven’t already, please donate to WABA this holiday season. With a lot on the line, your contributions are especially critical this year. As a thank you, we’ll send you the complete set of four postcards for your contribution of $100 or more.

It’s been an incredible six years working for WABA. One thing I’ve learned is the importance of transparency. Behind the veil: If you donate now, we won’t send you anymore fundraising emails this holiday season!

(If you’re a poster buff, you’ll recognize the visual references in these paintings. They are a riff on the wonderful posters of the WPA era and Amtrak’s familiar retro poster campaign. We loved the idea of asserting bicycling’s role as part of Americana and part of the core of the nation’s transportation network, all in a sweet and playful way.)

So Long, 2016!

December 20, 2016December 20, 2016 | Nelle Pierson

Last week’s Holiday Party was a big celebration for little WABA. Thanks for letting us party with you! Thanks for celebrating our 2016 wins!

This year your support helped us:

Double our schedule of Adult Learn to Ride classes,
Host our second BikeCamp! where campers biked, volunteered, and adventured around DC,
Launch our first overnight bike camping tour,
Support the region’s first annual DC Bike Ride,
Build out our region-wide Vision Zero campaign, legal advocacy and crash victim support program,
Mobilize the region’s first trail coalition to build more trails, trails, trails, trails!
Secure funding for more bike lanes, advocate for more bike lanes, and celebrate more bike lanes!

Please celebrate these 2016 wins every time you get out on your bike, and please consider donating to better biking in 2017. Every dollar you contribute is a direct investment in every bike ride.

Donate $100 or more and you’ll receive a complete set of our Better Biking prints!

If you’d like to process your donation over the phone, give us a call at 202-518-0524 X 202. Checks can be made out to WABA and sent to 2599 Ontario Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Thank you EYA!

November 10, 2016November 9, 2016 | Michelle Cleveland

WABA would like to give a great big bicycle thank you to EYA for their support of better bicycling, their title sponsorship of The 2016 Cider Ride, and for bringing out an awesome EYA team to ride along with us last weekend on the Cider Ride.

EYA is WABA’s biggest signature ride event supporter. As the Title Sponsor of our fall community ride event for 2016, 2017, and 2018, EYA is making it possible for WABA to hold ride events that not only bring people together to celebrate bicycling, but also raise support for our on-going advocacy efforts to make bicycling better. EYA is a regional developer with a focus on bicycle and pedestrian friendly urban homes and communities.

Since 1992, EYA has earned recognition for introducing innovative and thoughtfully designed new homes in DC metro area neighborhoods that offer life within walking distance. They share a lot of common goals with WABA members to reduce dependence on cars and encourage new opportunities for more sustainable living.

Thank you so much EYA!

Yep, Over 2,000 Kids In 6 Months

September 9, 2016 | Nelle Pierson

Thank you for everything you do for WABA: the letter-writing, the petitions, testifying and staying in the know. Thank you for all your time and financial contributions over the years.

Your support is paying off. On Tuesday we sent out our big wins in 2016 (link), your big wins, a list of a dozen updates on everything from 100 miles of new bike trails you’ll get to enjoy to the first protected bike lane in Silver Spring.

Today we want to highlight the outreach and education metrics that shape your experiences on the road. And today we ask you to contribute to WABA this fall so that, in addition to infrastructure wins, we can continue our relentless work for better bicycling. We want to tell you about the award-winning programs you support (some of which have been replicated across the country and world).

They are built around our three shared goals:

Inspire more people to give biking a try.
Inform all road-users about vital rules and roadway etiquette.
Empower more people to create and grow biking in their communities.

Randle Highlands Elementary Bike Club

Your tax-deductible contributions to WABA are shaping the culture on your roads, creating more bike advocates in your communities, and introducing new generations to biking. Your donations fuel the programs, fill classes, fund the outreach, and foster the community that drives bicycle advocacy.

Here’s all the programming your contributions support:

Youth and family education: training up new generations in schools, workshops and rodeos, and our summer Bike Camp!
Adult education: teaching people how to bike confidently, legally, and respectfully through City Cycling classes, Adult Learn to Ride classes, and workplace Everyday Biking Seminars,
The DC Bike Ambassador and PAL Ambassadors: empowering volunteers to lead community-driven outreach,
Women & Bicycles: inspiring more women to bike, teach, engineer, plan, and advocate within the bike movement,
And the Trail Rangers: spreading care and caring for DC trails.

2016 Education By The Numbers

Adults taught how to ride a bicycle: 288
People taught to ride confidently, legally, and respectfully: 457
People taught how to bike to work: 330
Hours of teaching by WABA instructors: 541
Bike Camp! miles ridden by campers: 122
Kids taught to bike better: 2,145
Bike puns: [number redacted]

2016 Outreach By The Numbers:

Volunteer Ambassadors: 225
Miles ridden pulling our Bike PSA trailers: 284
Bags of debris collected by Trail Rangers: 223
Bells distributed on the trails: 100
Coffee distributed on the trails: 1,920 ounces
Days of the week the Rangers are out on trails: 7
One-on-one conversations at community events, fairs, and expos: 9,140 (yep, we count them!)

If you’ve already donated, thank you! Your bike rides improve when WABA succeeds. And we succeed because people like you choose to contribute your time and your hard-earned money to better bicycling. Please consider a mid-year tax-deductible donation to the persistent and critical action that will lead to a region that truly prioritizes bicycling.

Alexandria Bike Campus – We’re Halfway There!

April 15, 2016 | Nelle Pierson

Quick update: we’re 50% of the way to having enough money to build the Alexandria Bike Campus –thanks for helping us get this far!

Help the bike movement reach new heights at the Alexandria Bike Campus!

Quick rundown: here’s what makes the Alexandria Bike Campus awesome:

It’s the first of its kind in our region! Baltimore has one, Austin has one, Santa Monica has one. We deserve one!
Anyone can go learn, practice, teach, anytime, any day – especially the days we’re teaching classes.
The design is simple. It’s paint and instructional signage. And it’s a pilot. Over time we’ll try to build it out to a 3D streetscape!
We’re grateful to partner with National Park Service, and plan to get to work and launch this fall.
We’re grateful for any leads on other potential bike campus locations and partners. You know you want one in your neighborhood!

We need $20,000 to make the Alexandria Bike Campus a reality.

Join the WABA Board of Directors!

January 26, 2016 | Mark Blacknell

As part of its commitment to ensuring that WABA is able carry out its new 2020 Strategic Plan, WABA’s board of directors is once again looking for people with a passion to help make the Washington area a safer and more welcoming environment for people using bikes. To this end, WABA’s Board Nominating Committee is searching for director candidates with strong leadership skills and experience in helping non-profit organizations execute strategy and development plans.

WABA continues to enjoy a growing base of loyal members and a diversifying funding base. Still, we have a particular interest in candidates who can help us further expand our partnerships with a broader pool of private organizations and individuals who share and will support WABA’s goal of making the Washington area the most bicycle friendly in the world. Direct experience with membership development, institutional giving, and major gifts a plus.

We are also looking for a candidate to assist our existing Treasurer in ensuring that our financial monitoring and oversight mechanisms are robust and efficient.

WABA continues to look for board members and partners who can help us ensure that our mission and programming serves the needs of bicyclists in low-income, underserved or local immigrant communities.

WABA’s board also has a number of committees focused on areas such as advocacy, administration/finance, development, programming, and membership. Board membership is not required for membership on these committees, and some candidates may find service on these committees may be better suited to their time and interests. If you think that you might be interested in appointed (i.e., non-board member) service on these committees, please email mark@waba.org.

Mark Blacknell is the President of the WABA Board of Directors.