Thanks to you, the City of Savannah appears to be putting the brakes on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit people 12 and older from riding bikes anywhere in Forsyth Park. After our Forsyth for All ride arrived at the Civic Center at 6 p.m. on Jan. 14, dividers were removed to expand the room and accommodate the crowd, which was clearly much larger than officials had expected.
We appreciate everyone who attended the meeting to show support for safe cycling in Forsyth Park and everywhere else in Savannah. Of the dozens who offered comments, only three expressed support for the ordinance. We have not yet completed a thorough review of the comments submitted through the city’s website, which were provided to us on Jan. 13, but an initial evaluation indicates only a small fraction of the more than 400 comments received were in favor of the bike ban.
The meeting was covered by the Savannah Morning News (Opposition rolls out against Savannah’s Forsyth Park bike ban proposal), WTOC-TV (Battle of the Bikes: Meeting held to discuss proposed ban at Forsyth Park and WJCL-TV (Cyclists fight proposed bike ban).
By the end of the meeting, officials reframed the meeting and ordinance as the beginning of discussions about how to improve safety and access. City officials heard loud and clear what those who ride know all too well: Savannah’s bicycle infrastructure has not kept pace with demand and conditions are not safe for many residents and visitors who ride for recreation and transportation. Our city has the highest bike commuting rate in Georgia and is becoming a major bicycle tourism destination, yet of the nearly 700 miles of streets within the city limits, fewer than 20 are equipped with bicycle lanes that meet current standards. The creation of a city bicycle and pedestrian coordinator position, which was mentioned by Citizen Office Director Susan Broker, would be one positive step toward improving conditions for walking and bicycling in Savannah.
It’s too early to declare victory as city staff could still recommend the ordinance for approval by the mayor and city council. We will continue to monitor the situation closely as a report is prepared for the city manager. Your Savannah Bicycle Campaign remains committed to working with city officials, neighborhood organizations, businesses and other institutions to develop and implement sensible strategies for making our streets and other public spaces safe, friendly and accessible to everyone.
Thank you to Susan Broker for facilitating the meeting, and to Savannah city council members Carol Bell, Bill Durrence, Brian Foster, Van Johnson and Julian Miller for attending. And thank you to everyone who demonstrated that Savannah’s cycling community is organized, informed, engaged and insistent on improving and expanding our active transportation network for the benefit of everyone in our city. If you are not already, please become a member today. Your support is critical to our mission of making Savannah better for bikes.