Harrisonburg Virginia Awarded a Chance to take Bicycling and Walking to the Next Level

The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition was awarded an Action 2020 Workshop through Advocacy Advance. Advocacy Advance is a dynamic partnership of the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists to boost local and state bicycle and pedestrian advocacy efforts. The Workshop is designed to provide knowledge, skills and resources to access untapped or under-utilized federal funding sources at the state, regional and local level to build bicycling and walking infrastructure programs. 


The SVBC and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) teamed up to apply for and will jointly host the workshop on September 21 in Harrisonburg, VA. We are excited about this opportunity to invite elected officials, city and county staff, advocates, and of course other local organizations and initiatives. Groups such as the Northend Greenway helped to demonstrate the grassroots support for bicycle and pedestrian initiatives and excited the Advocacy Advance team. 


Andy Clarke, president for the League of American Bicyclists, had this to say about Harrisonburg:
“Harrisonburg has all the attributes of a truly bicycle-friendly community – a college community, small town distances, an active cycling culture, a good climate, and a great destination for fine on- and off-road riding. With a modest investment in better bike infrastructure, Harrisonburg is poised for transformation; this workshop can be the spark that makes it happen.”


Harrisonburg will join cities such as Tucson, Houston, Hartford, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta in hosting an Action 2020 Workshop. If you know someone who we should invite to this workshop or are interested in attending yourself please let us know and help us continue to spread the good word about this incredible opportunity.

Meet the folks who will be coming to town:

Peter Lagerwey
Peter Lagerwey is the Regional Office Director for Toole Design Group in the Northwest. Peter has over 26 years managing high profile pedestrian and bicycle projects and programs with the City of Seattle and as a private consultant. Peter is a nationally known expert having worked on non-motorized projects and made presentations in over 200 states, counties and cities. He was the project manager for developing and implementing the widely acclaimed Seattle Bicycle Master Plan; and co-author of the FHWA manual and training course on “How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP). Peter has taught the PSAP course along with the FHWA’s designing for Pedestrian Safety (DPS) course in eleven states.

Brighid O’Keane
Advocacy Advance Program Manager
brighid at PeoplePoweredMovement dot org
202.621.5452
Brighid O’Keane is the Advocacy Advance Program Manager for the Alliance for Biking & Walking. Before joining the Alliance in February 2011, she opened a food cooperative market as the Program Director of the Berkeley Student Food Collective. An environmental policy graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder, she has worked in Colorado, California, Alaska, and Thailand on community organizing, organizational development and facilitation.

Matt Wempe
State and Local Advocacy Coordinator 
matt at bikeleague dot org
202.621.5445
Matt Wempe is the State and Local Advocacy Coordinator for the League of American Bicyclists. Prior to joining the League, he worked for three years as a transportation planner and Safe Routes to School Coordinator in Fort Collins, Colo. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.