improving lives through bicycling
Jerry Baker rides on p. 6-7 October 2015 / Vol. 45 No. 10
cascade.org
Board seeks your approval on Club bylaws changes By Cascade’s Board of Directors
As Cascade’s Board of Directors is getting ready for our annual elections, we would like to present the membership with revisions to the Club’s bylaws. Members will be asked to vote on these proposed changes during the December election. These revisions will appear collectively on the ballot along with this year’s candidates for the board of directors. Your board unanimously approved these changes and if the membership approves them, changes will become effective Jan. 1, 2016.
bylaws changes are to make Cascade Bicycle Club more inclusive, more efficient, more powerful and better able to serve the community. Furthermore, these changes will make it much simpler to run the organization. You may remember that when
these upcoming improvements to our articles of incorporation and bylaws were first proposed in March, there was a strong voice from members to make sure we preserved (and even grew) our political capital. Many members voiced that Cascade has built a strong role for itself in the region
Here's a brief overview of how the new structure will work:
• Free Group Rides
Proposed bylaws changes
Cascade Bikes (possibly Washington Bikes) (C4)
• Public school education
• Bike Month Challenge
The changes proposed are needed to implement the restructuring of the Club discussed with the membership earlier this year. Thanks to you and your efforts, Cascade has grown tremendously in the past decade. We are overdue in aligning our structure with our increased reach, membership and programs. Our purpose and intent with the restructuring and proposed
• Ma jor Taylor Project, diversity & inclusion programs
• Candidate endorsements & voting guides
• Bike Everywhere Breakfast Gala Event
• Local and regional advocacy
Cascade Bicycle Club (C3)
• Local and regional advocacy
• Seattle to Portland (STP)
• Charitable giving & tax-deductible annual membership • Most signature events, like Chilly Hilly and RSVP
as an influencer of transportation and related public policy and wanted to see those gains safeguarded for the future. The Board agrees that retaining our ability to do political work is important, and we will do that under the existing C4 organization. The Board recommends that most of the activities of the Club are served by a C3 charitable organization. Therefore, we are realigning the programs of the Club under our existing C3 and C4 organizations to achieve these goals. As you can see, the activities of the Club will remain largely unchanged, with the key difference being the move of candidate endorsements and political advocacy work into a separate organization from the other key programs of Cascade. We have restructured the C4 to continue Cascade’s existing legacy of strong political work with a reliable source of funding. If the proposed merger with Washington Bikes is successful, the C4 is well positioned Continued on page 2
Westlake protected bicycle lane moves forward
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
7787 62nd Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98115 www.cascade.org
TIME DATED MATERIAL
PRSRT STD US Postage Paid Seattle, WA PERMIT No. 2172
By Jeff Aken, Advocacy Director
We all agree on one thing: Seattle needs a safe route for bicyclists of all ages and abilities along Westlake, connecting the people who bike over the Fremont bridge to South Lake Union and downtown. During the Bicycle Master Plan update process, a protected bike lane along Westlake was voted the second most supported project in Seattle. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is moving forward on building the project and put it out to bid in early August. After years of hard work, Seattle is so close to building a safe, convenient protected bike lane in the Westlake corridor. But a few hurdles remain, and Cascade is committed to ensuring this protected bike lane delivers on the promises of safety and convenience for all who use the corridor. We appreciate the continued hard work of the Mayor’s office and SDOT to work out solutions and keep the project moving forward. Here is what we are working on to
Rendering of Westlake protected bike lane. Courtesy of Seattle Department of Transportation.
ensure this project delivers a first-class bicycle facility for the people who take more than a million trips across the Fremont bridge by bike: • Make sure city hall prioritizes Westlake. We’ll continue to meet with Mayor Murray’s administration and city council members to make sure the Westlake protected bike lane is built on time and in a way that does not reduce the safety of the design. • Ensure the Westlake protected bike lane meets National Association of City Transportation
Officials (NACTO) standards. • Continue to work with all stakeholders to find solutions that don’t compromise the capacity and safety of the protected bike lane. We know how to design and build world-class bicycle facilities in Seattle that work for all users regardless of mode. This facility is one of the most important links to downtown and Cascade is committed to ensuring its success. To get more involved, join Cascade’s Connect Lake Union team. Find out more at cascade.org/advocate/ connect-seattle/lakeunion.