Established 2018

“Wheels and Feet On Every Street”

2023 Summary Annual Report

New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation

December 2023

NCAT Mission Statement

The New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NCAT) promotes walking, biking, and all active forms of transportation as healthy, safe, and environmentally friendly.

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NCAT believes education should be free, widely available, and include all forms of active transportation to meet the needs of school students, residents, employees, public safety officials, and visitors in the City of New Haven.

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NCAT 2023 History and Growth

NCAT was founded in 2018 when it grew out of Mayor Toni Harp’s Task Force on Bike Education.

In November of 2022 NCAT hired Leiyanie (Lee) Osorio as the organization’s first Executive Director.

Having a Director to manage staff, events, volunteers, and miscellaneous organizational needs helped NCAT greatly increase educational offerings, in-school programs, community event participation, partnerships, and communications.

Lee is a League Cycling Instructor and directly taught and ran some programs. Additionally, Lee is bilingual in Spanish, which provided important connections to New Haven’s Latinx residents.

NCAT TEAM!

Active Transportation Education & Community Events

Communications, Development, and Advocacy

Executive Director

NCAT Board Members

Board Members and Team Link

2023: Year in Review

2023: Year in Review (1) - Growth

• Our Team Grew - NCAT grew to include an Executive Director, Bike Education Coordinator, five paid League Cycling Instructors, and Communications Consultant
• Learn to Ride and Skill Classes - 48 classes and 95 registrants in 2023, a strong 64% increase over 2022 with 31 classes and 58 registrants
• School Programs at Saint Martin de Porres and Clinton Avenue Schools
• League Cycling Instructors Certified - 6 trained and 2 from New Haven at the October LCI Seminar taught by Board Member Leta Highsmith
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2023: Year in Review (2) - Events, Rides, & Outreach

• NCAT Bike Path Rides for Beginners
• The Street Project Movie and Community Discussion
• Edgewood Youth Day Block Party - Bike Rodeo and helmets
• Rock to Rock Ride - April
• May Bike Month Events
• Local Bike Shop Breakfast Meetups - June & July
• June Pride Ride
• Folk Fest - Bike Rodeo and helmets

• Statewide Bus Riders Convention (Waterbury)
• Free Bike Lights on the Farmington Canal Trail
• November World Day of Remembrance (Hartford)
• And Many More…

2023: Year in Review (3) - Advocacy & Communications

• Vision Zero Bill - With support from NCAT and organizations across the state, the Vision Zero Bill (HB5917) passed the state legislature in June 2023.
• NCAT Newsletter and Communications - Twelve e-mail newsletters sent and we grew our contacts to 1,170. You can subscribe here.
• Complete Streets Communications - Throughout the year, NCAT included project updates and public comment opportunities in our newsletters and blog posts.
• NCAT Website and Social Media - The website was kept up to date and activated with regular blog posts. Social media posts at Facebook shared class information, events, and advocacy opportunities.
• Website Blog Posts → 32 in 2023, many cross posted to Facebook
• FB Followers → 235 (actively posting)
• Twitter Followers → 156 (rarely posting)
• Linkedin Followers → 21 (no posting)
• Instagram Followers → No active NCAT account

NCAT has a lot of room to increase social media followers & impact

2023: Year in Review (4) - Partnerships

• New Partnerships - with Community Placemaking Engagement Network (CPEN), Bikes for Kids, Dominate the Day Foundation, and Can'd Aid
• Albertus Magnus College Programs - Supported with LCI training, program administration, bike library, and bike safety education

• E-Bike Program, Petition for Improvements - NCAT coordinated with statewide partners and People for Bikes to recommend improvements to the Connecticut e-bike incentive program and circulate a petition. The petition and recommendations will be shared with CT DEEP and the CHEAPR EV Rebate Board in Dec 2023.

2023: Year in Review (5) - Building a New Haven Coalition

• First Annual Coalition Networking Dinner - Nov 8th, 2023 with 70 attendees. This gathering laid the groundwork for more effective advocacy, policy work, and community engagement with partner organizations and local leaders.

Video Link and Combined Slides

League Cycling Instructors Trained

Throughout the year NCAT runs learn-to-ride and bicycle skill courses that are led by certified League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).

The instructors also develop school-based programs and train teachers that get more youth on bicycles in our community. Each instructor has hundreds of hours of experience on road & teaching. Beyond teaching, they support NCAT active transportation advocacy, community events, and policy work.

Gio Santos

Laura Brown

The Oct 13-15th League Cycling Instructor Seminar certified six new instructors, including two New Haven residents. Gio Santos is a newly certified LCI working with NCAT.

Looking Forward to 2024

Growing the Coalition

2024 Events

• Rock to Rock (April)
• National Bike Month (May)
• CTtransit Rider Census (Spring)
• Arts & Ideas Festival Ride (June)
• Bike Rodeos
• Walk Audits (Summer)
• Pride Ride (June)
• New Haven Bike Tour
• Youth Program Graduation Ride(s)
• LCI Training Seminar (Summer)
• Annual Coalition Dinner (Fall)
• World Remembrance Day (Nov)

Advocacy & Policy

• Community Connectivity / Complete Streets funding
• Community engagement on automated enforcement
• e-Bike voucher program changes
• Amending Pedestrian Zone language
• Parking Cashout and State Parking Cost Study

Expanding Bike Education

• Safe Cycling programming added to high schools
• Offer a free bike, helmet, & lock to all NCAT students
• Provide bike safety classes in the greater New Haven Area
• Update the NCAT bike trailer
• Bike Path Rides
• Walking and fitness classes
• Offer more advanced classes

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In 2024, NCAT is planning for partnerships & sustainability

2023 Grants & Revenue Highlights

$10,000 - Dominate the Day Foundation

$10,000 - Helen and William Mazer Foundation

$5,000 - Graustein Family Office

$1,500 - Second Century Fund

$1,000 - Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, Bike Month Grant

$1,000 - SLR, Corporate Grant

$500 - Family Fund, Anonymous

$500 - Greater New Haven Green Fund - Street Project

$150 - Albertus Magnus, Corporate Grant

$1,105 - Rock to Rock Fundraising

$500 - Great Give Fundraising

$1,918 - Other individual donations

Total = $33,173

*January through end of November

2023 Staff, Overhead, & Expenses

$24,794 - Executive Director Salary

$4,250 - Bike Education League Cycling Instructors

$1,725 - Communication

$3,025 - Events

$558 - Computer/Web

$326 - Other Services

$63 - Payroll Tax

$1,440 - Insurance

$481 - Payroll Service

$493 - Other

$1,036 - Transportation/Storage

Total = $39,535

$75 - Membership Fees

$1,270 - LCI Seminar

*January through end of November

2024 Challenges & Opportunity

Lee Osorio left NCAT in Nov 2023 to take a position at the City of New Haven. Congratulations to Lee!

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The NCAT Board is meeting in December 2023 to determine the organization’s next steps for staffing, fundraising, and coalition partnerships.

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There are several small groups operating in the bicycle and pedestrian advocacy space in New Haven. NCAT Board Members have been having informal discussions about deepening partnerships that could sustain staff and achieve shared education, policy, and infrastructure goals.

Thank You for your interest in the

New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation

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Contact us at

info@ncat-ct.org

Or

www.ncat-ct.org

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