How could I have been a nonprofit museum director and not known #givingtuesday was a thing??
Alirighty, then. Given that I’m now on the board of a nonprofit, the Nebraska Bicycling Alliance, I will use my bloggy powers for good today and encourage you, my readers, to help support Nebraska bicyclists by purchasing a membership with (or making a donation to) the Nebraska Bicycling Alliance on #givingtuesday.
NOTE: if you read this post after Tuesday, it’s certainly not too late to join or donate! All of the wonderful reasons to support NeBA will still apply!
ALSO NOTE: Because NeBA is a new organization just getting off the ground, you have the rare chance through the end of 2016 to get in as a “Founding Member.” See the “become a member” link for details.
Here are my Top Twelve Reasons to Support the Nebraska Bicycling Alliance. (NOTE: These are not necessarily in actual order of priority. This started as a list of seven and kept on growing. I would rearrange them, but in WordPress that’s difficult with captioned photos.)
12. Your Nebraska pride is hurt by the fact that your state clocks in at #47 in bicycle friendliness.
Ouch. We only beat Kansas, Kentucky and Alabama in the 2015 rankings. NeBA, just by its very existence, helped Nebraska to avoid the bottom slots. But we can do better! #huskerpride
11. You think encouraging bicycling makes sense from a public health perspective.
The U.S. Surgeon General recently released a call to action for communities to become friendlier to walking and biking, to encourage more Americans to use physically active forms of transportation to help address the obesity-related health crisis facing our nation. NeBA can serve as a resource for best practices to help Nebraska communities become friendlier for people who walk and roll. (Thanks to fellow Cycle Greater Yellowstone tandem stoker Jeanne for her demonstration of a strong, healthy cyclist.)
10. You think bicycling is awesome!
OK – that is clearly not a picture of bicycling in Nebraska. But if you are a Nebraska cyclist who rides in the mountains further west, you’re probably training on Nebraska roads a lot. NeBA is working to make that a safer ride for you.
9. You think bicycling in Nebraska is awesome!
There is some really great scenery to be seen from the saddle of a bike – particularly out here in western Nebraska. Joining NeBA is a way to connect with like-minded cyclists throughout the state.
8. You need a gift for a hard-to buy-for Nebraska cyclist.
Giving a cyclist a connection to a statewide cycling community and an opportunity to help improve the climate for cycling in the state? A NeBA membership is a no-brainer! (Thanks to the Western Nebraska Bicycling Club for this picture from the Gering Christmas parade.)
7. You would like to see scenes like this in Nebraska:
This was in front of a restaurant on a mild spring day in Malmö, Sweden. Bicycles are a well-accepted form of transport there. NeBA’s goal is to make conditions safer and more pleasant for cyclists to encourage more Nebraskans to bike.
6. Bicyclists get your goat.
OK, I will acknowledge that not everyone is thrilled with the idea of more bikes on the road. I believe that part of this reluctance has to do with the fact that Nebraskans who drive cars are not well-trained on how to move around bikes, and Nebraskans who ride bikes are not well-trained in best riding practices, either. Uncertainty about traffic laws and expectations create conflict. NeBA is working to make bicycling safer for everyone, which can include training for both drivers and cyclists on how to get around safely while sharing the road.
5. You think bicycling infrastructure in Nebraska doesn’t always get full consideration as a legitimate transportation mode.
An image from a couple of years ago. Street clear. Sidewalk mostly clear. Bike lane? Snow-covered. By joining together as a united voice, NeBA members can help remind officials and workers with our state, city and county governments that bicyclists need room to move, too.
4. You think bicycling has huge potential to bring tourism dollars to Nebraska.
It’s a bit hard to see, but those people out the ridgetop in the Wildcat Hills are cyclists. NeBA aims to be supportive of all types of cyclists, from the long-distance road tour-er or the mountain biker, many of whom contribute significantly to local economies with their spending. (Here’s a blurb about the economic benefits of bicycle touring in rural areas.)
3. You’ve seen the data on the positive impact bicycling can have on the economy.
More and more downtown districts are adding bicycling infrastructure, as in downtown Scottsbluff in this image, because study upon study shows the positive economic impact that can be had by shifting the focus of transportation down to a more human scale. A NeBA goal is to help share best practices for good bicycle infrastructure development and data on the economic impact of bicycling in Nebraska. (Further reading here, on peopleforbikes.org).
2. You need a tax deduction.
NeBA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your membership dollars and contributions are tax-deductible. (To the fullest extent allowed by law. I put that in there because everybody’s tax situation is different.) Source of the sweet image of the Jackson-in-a-helmet: thebicyclestory.com.
1. You think bicycle transportation is a social justice issue.
This is one of the biggest reasons why I personally want to improve bicycling in Nebraska. I got kind of angry when a Facebook friend recently shared a tongue-in-cheek job ad that listed all the reasons why people should not apply for that particular job, which included something like “if you have no car, or your car breaks down a lot.” OK, so if you are unemployed and can’t afford a reliable car, you can’t get a job to buy the car to get the job because you can’t get to the job? It’s a real problem for a lot of people in this state. In many of our communities, particularly rural ones with no public transportation options, if you don’t have a car (because you are young, poor, medically unable to drive, legally unable to drive), you will have a really hard time getting to work, getting to school, getting to the grocery store, etc. This makes me think of the hashtag #quaxing, created in a Twitter kerfuffle with an Australian politician who didn’t think anyone relied on public transportation or bicycles for everyday shopping trips. These are the “invisible cyclists” – not the ones wearing stretchy pants and neon colors bombing down the road, but perhaps like the man I saw leaving the Scottsbluff Home Deport with construction supplies balanced across the handlebars of his bike, or like the entrepreneur I saw biking through Terrytown, pulling a trailer filled with rakes and a lawn mower. NeBA seeks to be a voice for these “utility cyclists”, too – for people who rely on bicycles as a form of transportation.
So go on – support the Nebraska Bicycling Alliance and help achieve the vision:
A Nebraska where bicycling is a safe and enjoyable part of the Good Life.
Copyright 2015 by Katie Bradshaw, with exception a couple of images
