Barb Culp, executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, is retiring. After years at the helm of the statewide bike advocacy organization, Culp said she wants to spend more time with her family.

Culp left the Bicycle Alliance in 2007, but returned in 2010 because she missed being involved in bike advocacy. From Culp’s post at the Bicycle Alliance blog:

What has changed since I returned in 2010?  What’s changed is me and my priorities!  My daughter is expecting; she lives in Portland with her husband, and I want to spend a lot of time there.

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More travel is in my future: my husband Andy and I absolutely love long distance bike touring and will combine train and bikes to see more of the  national parks.  We’ll help with outreach along the US Bicycle Route System.  I’ll spend more time gardening, more time with friends, more time reading, and of course, I’ll have a grandchild to teach about the joys of bicycling!

I’m super excited about the direction the Bicycle Alliance is moving with outreach, legislation, and programs around the state.   We have a great staff, and a wonderful board of directors sprinkled all across the state.  Check our website for the job posting, apply or forward it to a great candidate.

This isn’t  “so long”;  it’s more like  “I’m rolling along down the road in search of another adventure!”

See the BAW website for information on their search for a new Executive Director.

The Bicycle Alliance has seen some big changes in the past year and a half. The organization hired Bicycle Advisory Board chair Blake Trask as its new policy director last year. Trask played a central role in moving legislation like HB 1700, which allows Washington municipalities to use modern road design guidelines. The governor signed the bill into law March 23. Trask was also a key voice behind HB 1217, which would have allowed municipalities to set neighborhood street speeds at 20 mph. HB 1217 died at the last second after the Senate devolved into a budget standoff (it had bipartisan support and seemed to be on a winning track).

The Bicycle Alliance also released a new strategic plan recently. They also changed headquarters, moving to the heart of Pioneer Square along with Back Alley Bike Repair. The two have partnered on several events and seem to be quite a team, raising the profile of urban cycling in the city’s oldest neighborhood.

The Bicycle Alliance and Back Alley are holding another party next week along with the Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk. Details:

May is Bike Month and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and its Nord Alley neighbors are kicking it off with an Open House and Alley Party on May 3 (First Thursday) from 5:30-7:30 pm.

We’re highlighting the Tour de France photographic work of Mike Hone on our gallery walls. Mike, an Experience Designer for Adobe, is also an amateur Cat 1 racer and the owner/manager of the Audi Cycling Team. Nord Alley will feature moss art palindromes and alley pallet vertical gardens. Check here for more info on the Alley Party: http://alleynetworkproject.com/?p=680

The good folks from Schooner Exact Brewing will be on hand to launch their limited edition Ale-Liance IPA. This tasty beer was crafted especially for the Bicycle Alliance to celebrate Bike Month!