Bicycle Transportation Alliance expands focus to include walking, public transit
Bicycle Transportation Alliance, a Portland based nonprofit organization, works to improve biking conditions throughout the metropolitan region. For the past 25 years, we have worked in partnership with citizens, businesses, community groups, government agencies and elected officials to create communities where people can meet their daily transportation needs on a bike. We’re excited to announce that we’re expanding our mission to include walking and transit and will continue to be a strong voice for bicycling. Our new mission to advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit will strengthen our work to create safe, healthy and thriving communities for all.
We’re especially energized by restructuring our organization as part of this transition. Currently, the BTA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, but we will be adding a 501(c)4 and/or political action committee to allow us to be more engaged in issues and candidate elections and more directly influence the political process.
How will our new mission and structure improve our ability to advocate for safe and healthy communities?
Our advocacy staff breaks down how this reformation will enhance their ability to advocate for their communities, provide more traction for their campaigns, and ultimately create safe streets for all.
Our deputy director, Stephanie Noll, said: “Embracing a mission that’s bigger than the bike aligns with our evolution to work as part of broad coalitions to achieve funding and policy wins that are good for people walking, biking and accessing transit. Working in coalition with powerful community advocates like Oregon Walks, Community Cycling Center, Community Alliance of Tenants, and OPAL-Environmental Justice keeps us accountable to a broader base of community members and builds power in the movement for streets that are built around the mobility, health and safety of people, not just throughput of cars. I truly believe this coalition-based, people-centered approach is the way forward to building the kind of streets in all of our neighborhoods that are a joy to bike on, are safe for my kids to cross, and provide efficient transit service to cross the region.”
Through conversations we’ve heard concerns that, with this broader focus, bike issues will take a back seat to other matters. Our advocacy director, Gerik Kransky, addresses this concern and explains that by becoming a multi-modal organization, our campaigns will be more successful.
“Bicycle advocacy will always be our core work, and in that work we’ve found endless opportunities to win more victories by being more inclusive,” said Kransky. “Combining safe bicycle facilities with frequent and reliable transit service and complete networks of sidewalks and crosswalks is the only way we are going to provide people with real choices for how they get around. Our expansion will help make all types of transportation safe, affordable and accessible for everyone.”
The BTA’s equity manager and advocate focused on East Portland, Elizabeth Quiroz, is excited to better represent her community through this expansion: “I believe that expanding our mission to include walking and transit will help broaden and strengthen our existing partnerships in underserved areas like East Portland, where lack of infrastructure is a major challenge to walking, biking and taking transit.”
In recent years, the BTA has advocated for complete streets that include safe space for all road users. Many of our advocates believe that this mission expansion is more aligned with the work they have already been doing. LeeAnne Fergason, our Safe Routes to School director, explained: “My personal goal is to create a world where kids can be safe and healthy. Kids and families use all modes to get to school safely, walking one day, biking the next, and public bus for older students. There is a great need to make these options safe so that everyone can gain the health benefits of walking, biking and accessing transit. Expanding the BTA’s mission to include other modes will align our organizational vision with my personal vision and with our charge to create safe routes to school for every kid!”
Our advocate focused on Washington County, Lisa Frank, has also been working to make streets safe for everyone and sees this mission expansion as a natural progression for the BTA: “I’m excited for this opportunity to strengthen our work in Washington County, such as our Campaign for a Safer Tualatin Valley Highway. From day one this campaign has been about making TV Highway safer for everyone through improvements like protected bike lanes and safe crossings. Our new mission aligns with those goals and will get more people on board with the changes we seek.”
The BTA’s priorities will continue to be fighting for Vision Zero policies, growing Safe Routes to School, and building healthy streets for people who bike, walk and take transit throughout the region. We plan to spend the summer and fall on a strategic plan to implement the expanded mission.
Rob Sadowsky is the executive director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.
