Last weekend I was among the members of the STAR Team of Ozark Greenways who participated in bicycle advocacy training sponsored by the Alliance for Biking & Walking. The training took place in North Little Rock, Arkansas. About 40 advocates from states in the south-central region attended the training.
The purpose of the training was to help advocacy groups develop winnable, short-term campaigns by teaching a particular method of strategic planning.
I plan to write about the STAR Team campaign soon. So stay tuned for that.
I found the training academically interesting (as an aside) and valuable to our efforts to make Springfield a more bicycle-friendly community.
Word just came down that St. Louis has won the bronze award for bicycle-friendliness from the League of American Bicyclists. Congratulations! We now have two Missouri cities so honored. Columbia was first. The STAR Team intends Springfield to join the list soon.
The following it a short video I made of bicycle advocates on bikes in Little Rock.
ABW Group Ride in Little Rock from acline on Vimeo.
You’ll see three scenes — the first two along urban sections of the Arkansas River Trail and the third on top of the Big Dam Bridge. I was riding my Brompton for this one 
Comments 4
Golly, they’ve got Alliance training going on down here as well. The Blue Angels were flying around our building all day today at Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 7:50 pm ¶Does “advocacy” training include systematic understanding (education) on the rules of the road?
Posted 25 Oct 2009 at 7:44 am ¶danc… No. Perhaps it should.
Posted 26 Oct 2009 at 7:21 am ¶I think education first, then advocacy. Learning the “Rules of the road” can help advocates better articulate, understand cyclists problems. Advocating for something which is easily solved with simple, practical knowledge seems more rational!
Posted 27 Oct 2009 at 11:10 am ¶