Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail receive 501c3 non-profit status

Submitted by sjbuchtel on Mon, 07/20/2009 - 2:49pm

Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail receive 501c3 non-profit status

Fly, little bird:

Three years ago, Active Transportation Alliance enabled the creation of the Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail to accelerate the completion of the 32-mile multi-use connection between southeast suburban Burnham and southwest suburban Lemont. ActiveTrans served as financial agent while the Friends got its ducks in a row straight enough to apply for 501c3 non-profit status.

The letter came today. The Friends have left the nest, on wings born aloft by IRS approval of its application [and tortured metaphors].

Nick of time, too: the Friends are committed to providing the remaining $35,000 match for Cal-Sag communities awarded $268,000 by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.

Find out more about our plans at www.calsagtrail.org.

Tags:

Not true at all

Submitted by espotts on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 11:59am.

Tony,

We have one "Tony Adams" in our database and if that's you, we appreciate your long-time support as a member (since 2000).

I want to let you know that we are still, and will always be, the region's bike advocacy organization.

Our board promised that the expanded mission would not take away resources from bicycling but only add resources to bicycling by looking at the big picture.

Since the change last November, we've done more than ever for biking:

1. Bigger-than-ever Bike to Work Week celebration with more Commuter Stations and loads of free stuff for bike commuters.

2. More bike education outreach than ever before http://www.activetrans.org/education-specialist

3. More free, bike-focused member events (Wee Gees, Dutch Bike Company, Trek Store Highland Park).

4. More work with our members pushing legislation that will improve bicycling and create safer drivers.

5. Boulevard Lakefront Tour bike ride adds fourth route option.

6. Active Trans suburban coordinators are partnering with more bike clubs and municipalities around the region to work on bike plans and Complete Streets legislation (which is good for bikes).

Our strategic plan calls for 50% of all trips in Chicagoland to be made by biking, walking and transit.

We want 20% of all trips to be transit, currently it's about 17%. We want 15% of all trips to be by walking, currently it's about 12%.

We want 15% of all trips around the region to be by biking (30% in Chicago) and it's currently about 2%. Biking is where we need to do the most work and where we will continue to focus.

We want safer streets, more trails and less cars on the road...by focusing on improving biking, walking and transit together, we will be able to win bigger all around.

If you are Tony Adams, Active Trans member since 2000, I hope that when your membership expires on May, 31, 2010, you will feel great about the work Active Trans is doing for bikes along with pedestrians and transit users.

I am open to talking more with you about any concerns you have that we will not be supporting bikes or that our mission is watered down. Stories like the Calumet-Sag Trail are being written right now in the work we are currently doing.

Please feel free to call me directly at 312.427.3325x287.

Sincerely,

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans member since 2004, on staff since 2005

What Ethan and the ATA

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 2:42pm.

What Ethan and the ATA ignores is the conflict of interest in advocacting for three separate and distinct groups.

Walkers need their rights promoted above all others, including bicyclists and transit riders.

Transit riders need their rights promoted about all others, including walkers and bicyclists.

Bicyclists need their rights promoted above all others, including walkers and transit riders.

For example: if there is a proposed law that would give bicycle riders a presumption of nonliability in a bus-on-bicyclist accident, what side would the ATA promote? As an organization that supports both bicyclists and transit riders the ATA cannot promote the law at all without violating its duty to advance the rights of the other.

Another example: if there is a 30 minute time slot to speak with a politician about important funding requirements, who will the ATA talk about? As an organization that supports walkers, bicyclists and transportation riders the ATA must advocate for all three in that 30 minutes, and dilute its message, or promote one or two of the causes over the other. By ignoring the other causes the ATA is turning its back on the groups it has vowed to support.

This conflict of interest is the outcome of the unilateral and unrequested change in focus of the CBF to the ATA. It was a surprise for loyal CBF members to find out that our beloved organization changed without out input or voice at the whim of the board.

As a former CBF member I obviously care about bicycles. I don't care about walkers or transit riders. I don't care about CTA funding or safe routes to school. I care about funding for bicycle infrastructure, bicycle friendly laws, and I will only support an organization that shares my narrow focus. I had the CBF to advocate for me, but they changed without my input and kept my dues after becoming an entirely different entity.

- Someone who isn't renewing their membership or supporting the ATA in any way

Anon, Thanks for chiming in.

Submitted by Tony Adams on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 12:59pm.

Anon,
Thanks for chiming in. The part that bugs me the most is the "unilateral and unrequested change". The ATA continues to pretend that its membership supported the change because of the results of a pre-loaded survey they conducted early last year. Why could a change this significant not be put to a vote? Well the answer to that is simple. The proposal would have lost.

Of course walkers, transit riders and bikers have common interests. That is blindingly obvious, but the anon commenter here brings up a really great point: what about when those interests conflict? Why should I pay dues to an organization that may find itself at odds with its own multifarious mission?

And yes, I am the Tony Adams who was a member of CBF since 2000. Eight years of contributions, advocacy and volunteering and I only get to find out about this huge change after the fact. It is nothing short of an outrage. I had this idea initially that I'd get used to it, but as time passes I find myself moving from disappointment to something like rage. I feel totally dismayed and sickened by this appalling betrayal of trust.

Open to addressing concerns

Submitted by espotts on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 4:34pm.

Tony and anonymous,

We are open to addressing your concerns. From my understanding, you are concerned with two primary issues:

1. How does Active Trans prioritize its work when there are conflicting interests between bikers, walkers and transit users?

2. Anger with mission expansion and how it was handled.

As I mentioned before, our strategic plan (approved in 2006) calls for specific trip goals (see above). Bicycling is at 2 percent and we want 15 percent around the region with 30 percent of all trips by bike in Chicago.
The greatest need in shifting modes is bicycling and we will prioritize our work to achieve that goal.

When speaking to legislators, we are rarely asking about funding for a specific project (like a new bike lane). We have found that since the mission expansion, we’ve been able to get in front of legislators that wouldn’t talk to us in the past and down the road, that will help us be able to make bigger asks and push legislation in ways that weren’t possible. This goes back to the big picture making a bigger impact.

I recognize that the two of you and some others are upset by how the name changed happened. You felt that you weren’t directly consulted. While I cannot change the past and how the change was handled, I am sorry that you feel betrayed by this change.

Again, I am open to talking on the phone or meeting with you in person if you wish. I hope you will continue to support our work. We need your membership to be an effective advocate for a bikable Chicagoland.

Sincerely,

Ethan Spotts 312.427.3325x287

Does ATA have walker members?

Submitted by anon (not verified) on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 7:34am.

I'm curious if any walkers or transit riders have purchased memberships to ATA.

Member who bikes, walks, takes transit and car shares...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 6:41am.

I'm an ATA member who gets around by bike, walking, train, bus and I-Go once or twice a month.

three years ago?

Submitted by Tony Adams on Thu, 07/23/2009 - 1:30pm.

Three years ago there was no Active Transportation Alliance. Three years ago we had a bicycling advocacy organization. Now we have an "alliance" whose mission is so watered down that it will be a huge surprise if we get to read any such stories three years hence.