Make Your Town More Bike-Friendly: Community Spokes Toolkit

The Community Spokes Program is the Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s effort to create a statewide network of bicycle and pedestrian advocates at the local level.  The Community Spokes expand the reach of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine into more regions of the state and provide more community mobilization in support of bicycle and pedestrian culture. 

This toolkit is intended to help you conduct a bike/walk promotional campaign yourself or to provide technical assistance to others. It provides the information needed so you can function as a grassroots representative of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. It also seeks to develop and exercise your skills in coordinating or assisting with a campaign to promote bicycle and pedestrian facilities, policies or programs in your community. 

This resource was developed with funding from the Alliance for Biking & Walking, Cumberland County Government, and the Morton-Kelly Foundation of York County. 

This toolkit is an introduction to the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and the processes of bike/ped advocacy, and is not intended to be comprehensive or better than direct advice. Please feel free to contact the Bicycle Coalition of Maine any time for more information about us or for suggestions on the advocacy process.

For more information about the Community Spokes program, please contact us at info@bikemaine.org. 

The Community Spokes Toolkit Edition 1

Parts I-III, including Appendices 1-4 

Community Spokes Toolkit Appendix 5: “Process and Design Guides”

2012 Advocacy Toolkit

2012 Benchmarking Report - Part 1

2012 Benchmarking Report - Part 2

MaineDOT, The Processes to Improve Your Community, August 2011

Community Spoke Maine & SRTS Handout

Safe Routes to School Possibilities for Maine Schools

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling. Guide for Reviewing Public Road Design and Bicycling Accommodations 2010

Bicycle and Pedestrian Information Center Resources Walkability Assessment Tools

Bicycle and Pedestrian Information Center Resources  Bikeability Assessment Tools

Alliance for Biking and Walking Campaign Worksheet

Tips for Meeting with Elected Officials

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, 3rd Edition, 1999 

NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide

The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)—Bicycle Facilities Signage

Prompts for Pedestrian Road Safety Audits

Prompts for Bicycle Road Safety Audits

Complete Streets:  Policy Basics

Active Community Environments (ACEs) Resource Kit to Prevent Obesity (Wisconsin)

Sensible Transportation - Maine DOT - June 2008

Bicycling Means Business: The Economic Benefits of Bicycle Infrastructure

Are you looking for someone who can help guide you in your community about where/how to begin promoting bicycle and pedestrian culture? Want a bike/ped perspective at a community event or meeting? You might drop a note to one of these dedicated community volunteers.