Cascade Bicycle Club

Cascade Bicycle Club
Formation 1970 (1970)
Type NGO
Legal status 501(c)(3)
Purpose Bicycling recreation, education and advocacy
Headquarters Seattle, Washington
Location
  • 7787 62nd Ave. NE, Seattle WA
Coordinates 47°41'17.3"N 122°15'53.4"W
Region served
Washington State
Membership
17,000
Executive Director
 Richard Smith
Staff
36
Volunteers
1,000
Website www.cascade.org
Commuter outreach booth
Helmet promotion event
The Cascade Bicycle Club training series

The Cascade Bicycle Club is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community organization based in Seattle, Washington in the United States. It is the largest statewide bicycling nonprofit in the United States with more than 17,000 members. It is run by a volunteer board of directors, 36 professional staff and more than 1,000 volunteers.[1]

Major events

Cascade hosts several major riding events every year including Chilly Hilly, Seattle Bike-n-Brews, Ride for Major Taylor, Flying Wheels Summer Century, Woodinville Wine Ride, Seattle Night Ride, the Red-Bell 100, Seattle to Portland (STP), Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party (RSVP), Ride Around Washington (RAW), High Pass Challenge (HPC), and Kitsap Color Classic (KCC).

Cascade also organizes off-bike events including a Presentation & Film Series and the annual Bike Swap.

Rides and tours

Cascade volunteer ride leaders lead more than 2,000 free group rides a year. The club also leads regional tours. Cascade rides are open to anyone wearing a helmet.

Advocacy

In addition to producing material for the public on bicycling the Cascade Bicycle Club lobbies local government on behalf of people who ride bikes. Advocacy staff produced a paper titled "Left by the Side of the Road" asserting the shortfall of safe, effective bicycle routes in the region.

From 2009-2011 the club successfully lobbied for a law to increase penalties for negligent drivers who injured or killed vulnerable users of the road, including bicyclists and pedestrians. The club found that under state law, drivers were fined as low as $42. A version of the Vulnerable User Bill passed in 2011 with wide bipartisan support. The bill increased mandatory fines, but allowed the fines to be reduced by a judge, who could proscribe driver safety education and community service.

The Cascade Bicycle lobbies have petitioned for extending and building trails along the Burke-Gilman Trail through the industrial waterfront of Ballard. After local businesses obstructed progress of the project, the club joined the City of Seattle in a lawsuit to move trail construction forward.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ http://cascade.org/About/membership.cfm - retrieved 17 Jan, 2008
  2. ↑ Emily Heffter. "Politics, friction reshape influential Cascade Bicycle Club". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2011-01-04.
  3. ↑ Bob Young. "A turf war over the Burke-Gilman Trail's missing link becomes a standoff". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2010-09-14.
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