History
We’ve made notable progress toward our goal of making Savannah safe, friendly and convenient for people who ride bikes and walk, including:
2024: City of Savannah approves Truman Linear Park Trail Phase II-B funding, begins construction work. Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization adopts new Non-Motorized Plan. Other ongoing work: Design phase of Middleground Road, work on REACH, Springfield Canal, and Vision Zero.
2023: Continued work with City of Savannah on implementation of Vision Zero. New bike lane striped on Windsor Rd., and historic investments made in traffic calming and sidewalk construction. Hotel Motel Tax increase adopted by City of Savannah, leading to more than $20 million in funding for bicycle and pedestrian connections, including portions of Tide to Town.
2022: City of Savannah adopts Vision Zero Resolution, committing to zero deaths and zero serious injuries by 2027, and releases Vision Zero Implementation Plan.
2021: Police Memorial Trail reconstruction is completed.
2020: Truman Linear Park Trail Phase 2A is completed. Opened up our New Standard Cycles Program to work directly with individuals, providing more than 100 bikes for adults.
Liberty St/Wheaton St bike lane construction completed.
2019: Worked with the City of Savannah to implement upgrades on Lincoln St and Price St bike lanes. Broke ground on the long-awaited Truman Linear Park Trail. Secured $1 million in SPLOST funding for Tide To Town. Provided a record number of bikes to children for the holidays and to adults throughout the year. Distributed a Candidate Questionnaire and Mobility Handbook to ensure that all elected officials were on the same page.
2018: Participated in tactical urbanism projects that transformed the pedestrian experience in the Starland District, and assisted neighborhoods in performing bike and walk audits. Transitioned from Savannah Bicycle Campaign to Bike Walk Savannah.
2017: Encouraged citizens to participate in Savannah Forward meetings, which resulted in sidewalks and neighborhood connectivity being adopted as priorities in the City of Savannah’s Strategic Plan. Worked with City of Savannah officials on successful renewal of Bicycle Friendly Community status.
2016: Organized opposition to a proposed ordinance that would ban bicycles from Forsyth Park.
2015: Worked with Healthy Savannah and the City of Savannah on the drafting and passage of a Complete Streets Ordinance.
2014: Moved into a former Standard Oil gas station and launched our New Standard Cycles program, which refurbishes donated bicycles and distributes them to people who need safe, dependable and affordable transportation. Consulted with the Savannah College of Art and Design on its successful application for Bicycle Friendly University Status.
2013: Worked with City of Savannah staff to apply for and receive Bicycle Friendly Community status in 2013.
2012: Worked with the City of Savannah to install new bike lanes on Price Street and Washington Avenue.
2008: Savannah Bicycle Campaign founding announced on April 14. First Savannah “Wheelie” Ride held on April 18.
We base our work around five key categories: Encouragement, Education, Engineering, Evaluation & Planning, and most important — Equity.
Encouragement
We offer events throughout the year to encourage people to make bicycling and walking a part of their daily lives. We organize casual, family friendly rides on a monthly basis and present annual rides throughout the year including our popular Midnight Garden Ride, Tweed Ride, Seersucker Ride, Matt’s Moon River Cruise, Cyclofemme, and annual observance of National Bike to Work Day. We also compete in the national bike challenge. In addition, we operate a free bicycle valet service to encourage people to ride their bikes to concerts, festivals and other events.
Education
Bike Walk Savannah offers bicycle education programs for children and adults, including bicycle rodeos. Our League Cycling Instructors ensure that all education programs are safe, informative and enjoyable for participants. We also offer customized programs for businesses and other organizations that are seeking to make bicycling and walking part of their employee wellness programs.
Engineering
Bike Walk Savannah works with the City of Savannah, Chatham County, the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Georgia Department of Transportation, other government agencies, colleges and schools, and neighborhood organizations to improve bicycle and walking transportation infrastructure. Bike Walk Savannah played an active role in the development of the Washington Avenue, Price Street and Barnard Street bikeways. We are currently working with Chatham County and the City of Savannah on the long-awaited Truman Linear Park Trail, in addition to new bicycle facilities on Lincoln, Liberty and Wheaton Streets.
Evaluation & Planning
Working with the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, we conduct annual bicycle and pedestrian counts to determine levels of bicycling and walking in our community. These annual counts also reveal changes in bicycle traffic patterns as new facilities are implemented. This data is used to demonstrate the need for additional infrastructure so that bicycling and walking trends are included in planning efforts.
Equity
Our New Standard Cycles program provides safe, affordable transportation to deserving people in our community. Volunteers refurbish donated bicycles, which are provided (along with locks, lights, helmets, and reflective vests), to people identified by nonprofit partners. The program has provided bicycles to hundreds and children and adults in Savannah.