All aboard for stronger transit & bike advocacy!
Helping train activists to win climate-friendly transportation changes
Millions of Americans walk, bike, and take transit everyday. And if those were the easiest and best options, millions more people would get around car-free. But decades of decisions by elected officials and those in power have made our communities ones where the default way to get around is dangerous, expensive, polluting, and isolating.
The great news is that these problematic systems were made by people-- which means people like us can dismantle and reimagine these systems and make our communities better.
The bad news is that it’ll take a lot of work and a lot of time to fix.
The good news is we are not alone, and the skills needed to do that dismantling and reimagining are learnable skills.
So let’s get to work!
For years I’ve launched, ran, won, and lost efforts to help implement climate solutions at the local and state level — and have helped others do the same. Whether you want a bike lane on your street, bus-only lanes in your city, bike parking at your school, wider sidewalks by your church, a better-funded transit system, more social bike rides in your area or any number of improvements to help make it easier to get around car-free in your community-- I am here to help you build the skills you need to win the changes you want to see. I’ll be publishing posts here with updates, tips, theory, etc.
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Know someone who wants to help make their community easier to bike, bus, or get around? Forward this to them!
How I'm putting theory into action this month:
In my hometown of Oakland, California our city government is planning steep budget cuts and the final vote on the budget is coming up. To help defend funding for street improvements like bike lanes, better sidewalks, and bus lanes, I’m working with a local group to launch and circulate a petition to increase funding for the Oakland Department of Transportation. You can see (and sign and share) the petition here. Stay tuned for details about the petition delivery!
(Don’t think petitions do anything? I don’t blame you; they can be a powerful tool when used properly…and they are also very easy to use poorly. Book a training session on how to effectively wield petitions to help get what you want.)
Upcoming Free Training-- “How to Overcome the Opposition and Win a Bike Lane.” Tuesday February 28th @ 5:30pm PT on Zoom. Register here.
About six months after hosting the training series “How you can get a bike lane in your community,” the time has come for the follow-up. Let’s talk about the opposition! (Why the six-month delay? Well October was a tad busy and December too.)
Action/activist of note: In response to the tragic death of Gloria San Miguel in Covington, Kentucky, Julia Keister got over 3,000 signers on a petition demanding protected bike lanes across the Covington and Newport communities (population ~55,000)--- and they recently won! A two-way protected bike lane on the stretch where Gloria was killed was recently approved. May Gloria’s memory be a blessing to her community, and hopefully Julia and the community continue to win improvements that make the region safer and more accessible for everyone to get around.
Meet your fellow transportation advocates at the February Open Discussion Zoom Happy Hour! Thursday February 23rd @ 5:30pm PT on Zoom.
This month’s topic: Organizing riders while on transit -- is it effective, weird, rude, smart, fun? Come share your thoughts, hear from allies, and make some friends. RSVP here to join the conversation on February 23rd.
Correction/lesson learned: Recently I tweeted a joke about digging the second Transbay Tube by hand. But I realize the first Transbay Tube wasn't exactly dug underground: It is mainly a sealed tub that rests on the floor of the Bay. Check out this neat historic video about it! Still-- let me know if California High Speed Rail’s Pacheco Pass Tunnelling team would like a hand.
Culture Corner: I recently tore through Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series and Monk & Robot novellas. If you’re interested in hopeful futures of diverse communities and collective liberation (plus sci-fi techy goodness)— I recommend giving it all a read! Let me know what you’re reading and what you’re recommending these days!
Thanks for reading, for forwarding this along, and thanks for working to make the world better!
Let’s get moving,
Carter Lavin
