Dear WOBO Supporter,
Happy New Year from the Walk Oakland Bike Oakland family! We consider ourselves lucky to live in a city where so many people are excited about human-powered transportation. Thanks to WOBO's ever-growing support base, 2008 was a banner year for us. And, yes, you were part of that success!
2008 Accomplishments
Just like you, we want to live in a city where biking and walking are safe, easy, accessible and fun (as well as well-funded). In 2008, we took some serious steps to move Oakland in that direction. Considering we've only been around two years, we're excited about how much we've managed to get done.
Like what, you say? Here's a sample of our accomplishments for 2008 – we: - got the City of Oakland to commit to hiring a new bicycle/pedestrian traffic engineer
- obtained new pedestrian-initiated signals and crosswalks
- got the city to prioritize bicycle routes in their repaving program
- successfully advocated for electronic bike lockers at area BART stations
and that's just a taste. With the momentum we've got going, we expect 2009 to be even bigger.
Give the Gift of a Better Oakland
Since 2000, Oakland bicycle trips have increased by 42% and pedestrian trips are up 16%. Over almost the same period, there were 2,113 car collisions involving a pedestrian or bicyclist in Oakland. The only way to make the environment safer for walking and biking is to keep pushing the city to plan and fund relevant projects, and that's what we do. Although our city has great Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, with the lack of leadership in implementing them they often get bypassed or overlooked (e.g. repaving streets without adding the bike lanes slated for them).
We've got a motivated staff, great allies (including groups like the SFBC and EBBC), enthusiastic volunteers, and a run of recent successes which indicate a bright future for WOBO and the state of walking and biking in Oakland. So, what more could we use? You.
Join WOBO as a member and not only will you be part of the movement to make Oakland a better place to walk and bike, you'll also get: - Discounts at select shoe & bicycle shops (5-15% off)
- WOBO's e-newsletter
- Special invitations to WOBO events, and
- A Walk Oakland Bike Oakland map
Plus, for a contribution of $50 or more, we'll send you a swanky WOBO t-shirt!
Whether for yourself or someone else, getting a WOBO membership is the gift of a better, safer, more bike-and-pedestrian-friendly Oakland. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
Another Way You Can Help
If you'd rather donate time than money (although we won't stop anyone from doing both), we'd love to get you involved in our big campaign advocating for bike lanes on Broadway, Franklin and Webster. We want to create a safe, convenient, speedy way for cyclists to travel between Downtown and North Oakland, because no such route currently exists.
There are numerous volunteer opportunities for both outreach (e.g. flyering, tabling at events, recruiting businesses to back the campaign, serving as liaison between WOBO and neighborhood groups) and research (e.g. inventorying neighborhood groups, businesses and schools along Broadway; locating local newsletters to carry campaign information, developing speaking points for local meetings and hearings).
Come to our next membership meeting on January 27th at 6:30pm (at Lohnes & Wright – 2101 Telegraph Avenue, Suite A) to learn about ways you can help, or contact Alicia Parker at (559) 285-8673.
May your new year be filled with health and happiness!
Sincerely,
The Walk Oakland Bike Oakland Family
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