Get the support & training you need to win transportation changes in your community
You can make your community safer, more accessible, and greener by getting your local government to install bike lanes, bus lanes, better crosswalks, wider sidewalks, car-free plazas and other pedestrian safety improvements.
Winning those changes can feel daunting. Whether you are just getting started or you’ve been pushing for a while, it’s easy to feel stuck or lost --
But you can win and I’m here to help.
New Book
Published by Island Press, an imprint of Princeton University Press
Your transit and street safety dreams are within your reach. While challenging our dangerous car-centric systems can feel daunting, you can win, and this book is here to help. In If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight, transportation activist and advocacy consultant Carter Lavin provides a roadmap for transforming passion into political power.
Whether you are just starting out or have engaged in transportation advocacy for a while, the tools and insights in this book will help you develop, plan, and execute the transportation-related campaign of your choosing. Professionals in the transportation space will also discover how to be an effective advocate while working within the system.
Accessible and inspirational, If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight will be a game-changer for people who want our communities to prioritize people over cars.
Your transportation dreams are all possible. Are you ready to fight for them?
"A truly useful handbook for those who want to make change. It will be of great use to those working on transportation—but also for anyone trying to improve any part of our society. Politics isn't magic; it's work, and this will show you how to get it done most effectively."——Bill McKibben, author of 'Here Comes the Sun'
"Carter Lavin equips readers with the tools and tactics they need to rally their communities, build strong coalitions, and convince elected officials that a better world is possible. This should be required reading, whether you're new to the movement or, like me, a veteran in the war on cars."——Doug Gordon, coauthor of 'Life After Cars'
Here’s me delivering over 120,000 petition signatures to the Governor of California as part of a rally I co-organized.
Knowing how to wage and win a campaign is a learnable skill:
Hi, I’m Carter Lavin, a climate activist in Oakland, California. Nice to meet you! I help organizations and individuals build political power, hone strategy, and win campaigns on the local, regional, and state level.
For over 15 years I have helped businesses, non-profits, candidates, grassroots groups, and independent activists win campaigns and look forward to helping you do the same.
Whether you want to mobilize supporters, translate your idea into a campaign, get heard by a key decision-maker, build a coalition, map a path to victory, fundraise, manage event logistics, learn how to make & use petitions, lobby, improve your PR & media management, prep for public speaking, or if you’re just getting started (or even just plain stuck) -- I’ve been there and helped clients through it.
My experience includes:
Growing & mobilizing Bay Area transit & bike coalitions to reverse proposed transit funding cuts of $4B and win a $1B increase in transit funding
Leading a local anti-traffic violence campaign that won a 40% increase in safer street infrastructure spending in Oakland in the face of an historic city budget deficit
Passing bus lane legislation through the California State Senate
Training bike advocates, transit activists, and pedestrian safety advocates in over 36 states
Politically mobilizing the California solar industry
Serving as a core member of a city council campaign
Elected as a California Democratic Party Assembly District Delegate
References
“Carter is thoughtful, organized and super positive in motivating people to make change. You’ll want to get right out there after one of his trainings.”
“Carter was an extraordinary and essential force leading a broad coalition for Bay Area transit priority legislation. He has valuable skills and lessons to offer on how to be a proactive, strategic, and energizing team player. ”
“Carter gave us a new view on our local and state transportation advocacy plan. The whole team walked away with new energy and is excited to get cracking.”
“Carter led a fantastic training for BikePGH and our people are SO pumped as a result. Immediately afterwards, volunteers were sharing their excitement and gratitude on our Slack as they start preparing their own advocacy campaigns across the city. Such a joy to partner with Carter on this!”
“Carter is an enthusiastic and helpful organizer who can help organizations and volunteers take constructive and effective action for change.”
“Working with Carter was exactly what our group needed, and far more productive than I’d dared hoped for. In one hour, he helped us to not only identify multiple strategic opportunities we hadn’t explored, but also recognize our many strengths and renew our excitement about our mission. It was so refreshing to hear his enthusiastic, earnest, and insightful perspective! I highly recommend a consultation with Carter to other organizers.”
“Carter is very knowledgeable about the range of ways to advance community organizing and advocacy work. In our session with him he was engaged, positive and encouraging. Carter had lots of ideas to bring to the table. We enjoyed working with him.”
“Carter’s passion for community engagement and uplift through political empowerment is a gift that is demonstrated through his tireless advocacy. Having worked with him on two political campaigns, I can attest to his being an absolute delight and joy to work with. Whether it is managing statewide campaigns for environmentally-sound legislation or working on ways to improve local public transportation, Carter is skilled in strategizing collaborative approaches that are informed by a breadth of political knowledge and a history of winning campaigns. He knows his stuff and gets the job done.”
“Carter Lavin delivered a virtual keynote at our 2026 Wisconsin Healthy Communities Summit that was just as engaging and impactful as an in-person experience. With a dynamic speaking style, clear storytelling, and purposeful pacing, he held the audience’s attention throughout. His ability to connect was accomplished with straightforward local examples, practical insights, and thoughtful visuals. He made ideas accessible and actionable. Carter created a presentation that encouraged participation and reflection. Even in a remote setting, his energy, authenticity, and expertise translated well, and left our attendees informed, inspired, and ready to apply what they learned.”