CalBike Summit 2017 Takeaways and Inspiration

Fresh Ideas and New ConnectionsFor me, the best thing about being at the Summit is talking with other bike coalition staff members. We do the same work but in different ways, and there is so much to learn from each other. Other coalitions' members have different priorities, and therefore the coalition may spend more time working on their educational activities whereas another group spends more time on their co-op bike clinic or another on a particular advocacy campaign. I chatted with an outreach staffer from San Luis Obispo about membership and was fascinated by how differently they do it! I appreciated the chance to connect with our colleagues from across the state and hope these new relationships will help us think outside of the box and develop fresh approaches.-Lyndsey Marks, Development DirectorWhy Sacramento MattersOn the last day of CalBike Summit, I attended a bike tour of Sacramento Railyards, the nation’s largest urban infill project, led by Jim Brown, Executive Director of Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates. The redevelopment of the 244-acre site of the historic Southern Pacific Railyards’ proposed developments includes a new Kaiser Permanente hospital, 25,000 seat capacity for a soccer stadium for Sacramento’s minor league team, retail, a new bridge across the Sacramento River, and 6,000 new homes. I was born and raised three miles from the new development and was curious to learn how to better align active transportation with the maximum potential benefit for bicycles and pedestrians. Like every city, this plan is a work in progress. Sacramento is historically significant because legislators live in town for 60% of the year and what happens due to proximity effects the rest of the state. I strongly believe it takes all of us on the same page across all disciplines to leverage our power to make streets more complete and a multi-modal hub.-Mui Sam Le, Community Programs AdvocateWorking Together for ChangeI was really inspired by the “Allies for Social Justice” and “Rethinking Local Control for Transportation Justice and Regional Policy” sessions, which featured speakers from Fresno, San Francisco, and San Diego. The speakers were representatives of conventional bicycle advisory organizations and community groups focused on broader social justice issues. They discussed the partnerships that they’ve formed to achieve change in their communities.For example, Fresno County Bicycle Coalition (FCBC) and Cultiva La Salud have collaborated on Cumbia Bike Rides; two open streets events, CenCalVia; bike education programs; and the county’s new active transportation plan. Esther Postiglione, of Cultiva la Salud, summed up their success, “it’s a good combination of knowledge with the technical side of biking and bicycle education from FCBC and health, encouragement, and cultural knowledge from Cultiva La Salud. They both discussed how Cultiva La Salud brought more people to the public process of the transportation plan to say what they need in their community.Working across spheres is critical if we are going to achieve change that impacts everyone. This session reminded me of some coalition work that we are doing in San Mateo County around the potential transportation sales tax measure. We are working with groups that represent health, unions, affordable housing, senior citizens, transit, the environment, and more to determine common goals around transportation. This session inspired me to continue working with other organizations in our community so that we can reach a broader segment of the population and improve quality of life for everyone.-Emma Shlaes, Policy ManagerWe Can ALL Be Part of the FREE Marketing of Our Workplace“Help market our workplace!” – your boss tells you. But how do you do that quickly and on the fly? Doesn’t it take a Marketing Degree or a Techie? The Cal Bike Summit 2017 provided a good opportunity to see that ‘any man and his dog’ can undertake this task now with a few clicks of our mobile phones. You can use Facebook, Instagram, and etc to let your fans & customers know about your whereabouts. However, how do I make the posts interesting?The suggestions included specifically using photos or short video loops (available on iPhones & most androids) for your posts. Also, check out some of the FREE apps available now. Snapseed seemed to have the interest factor, where you can tweak the photo to add ‘cool’ words (with a background) or LiveCrop – allowing quick cropping of your photo. Pixabay had high-quality photos with bicycling themes! Or even Flickr for more photos, but be mindful some of these photos are free – some not. Most importantly, be not afraid anymore, be creative & have fun with it all!!-Kate Plant, Community Projects Coordinator