As you all know, the City of Savannah has garnered an honorable mention in the most recent Bicycle Friendly Community ratings awarded by the League of American Bicyclists.  So, we’re not there yet, but we have a good start.

We now have the full feedback from the League, with suggestions from the local cycling community as well as experts in the field.  The full report is available here.  Some highlights:

Engineering:

• Adopt a complete streets policy
• Adopt and implement a comprehensive bike plan
• Develop a designated east-west bicycling corridor
• Develop a bridge access policy

Education:

• Add educational message to utility bills
• Continue to improve bicycling education opportunities for adults

Encouragement:

• Consider a “Ciclovia” or “Summer Streets” event to open streets to nonmotorized users
• Commuter challenge or bike to work pit stop for Bike to Work Week
• Consider an ordinance to require larger employers to provide showers, bike parking, and other encouragement tools.

Enforcement:

• Encourage police officers to use targeted enforcement to encourage motorists and cyclists to share the road, such as a tip card explaining each user’s rights and responsibilities.
• Host Enforcement for Bicycle Safety seminar.

Evaluation:

• Update the Bicycle Master Plan. The new plan should set targeted annual goals for implementation.
• Continue to improve data collection methods on bicycle usage and crash statistics and evaluation of this data. Use this data to prioritize infrastructure upgrades or targeted enforcement efforts.

Of course, our own Frank McIntosh who on his trusty steed bested Sean Brandon on bus and foot, and Jordan Griffin in her car and on foot from 12 Oaks to City Hall in the first Dump the Pump Challenge yesterday.  Frank got held up for a long time at the light at Bay and Bull, but still made it 7 minutes before the car driver, giving him plenty of time to freshen up for the press conference after the steamy ride in.  As the temps continue to rise, take a look at this post for tips on beating the heat for your bike commute.

Frank’s win again highlights the usefulness of the bike for short trips (this was a 4.2 mile race), and the hidden time in parking a car and walking to one’s destination, a very real addition of time for drivers especially in the downtown area. One thing not mentioned in the coverage (Mary Landers in SMN and the WJCL story) is that combining the first two modes — bike and bus — extends their range substantially, and presents another great option in our city where all the buses are equipped with bike racks.

Congratulations and thanks again to Frank!  Thanks to the City of Savannah and CAT for their help in promoting this event.

Those within the Savannah and Tybee city limits have it easy.  That is to say, they have what many communities across the country have established in the last 20 years, curbside recycling.  Sure, there are facilities available for recycling for the motivated — collect and sort, load and drive, unload and drive home.  It’s an inefficient use of time and gas.  If instead, this were rolled into a regular service as it has been in Savannah, many more would use it.

Recycle Chatham has begun a petition that has already garnered 5,000 of the required 16,626 to place the measure on the ballot.  Though our organization is focused on bicycles, we see the value in this and our board has therefore endorsed the petition.  If  you live in Chatham County and are a registered voter, please take the (very short) time to go to the petition and make your voice heard in support of this measure.  Think of it this way:  your rides will then be free from all of those cars driving their recycling to the transfer stations!

The April edition of the Dump the Pump alternative commuting event is ready to roll this Friday, April 10. Two groups of cyclists will leave from Habersham Village Shopping Center and Baldwin Park (41st and Atlantic) at 8 a.m., each bound for Davant Park on the southern tip of Colonial Park Cemetery. Once there, bicycle commuters can enjoy free coffee and snacks from bicycle-friendly coffee purveyors Jittery Joe’s (located inside Ex Libris Bookstore) and pick up information from the Savannah Bicycle Campaign and Bikes Belong.

For local residents, who have never tried riding their bikes to work, Dump the Pump provides an easy and fun way to take bicycle commuting for a test drive. The bicycle caravans travel at a moderate pace and are led by experienced cyclists, who can answer questions about bicycle commuting along the way.

Originally scheduled for April 3, this month’s Dump the Pump was moved to April 10 due to the threat of bad weather. What will happen if rain clouds appear this Friday? We won’t let rain hold us back. If the skies are gray, wear a rain jacket that day. And a helmet.

Many thanks to the South magazine for their recent piece on bicycling (mostly the Savannah Bicycle Campaign) in Savannah.  We were pleased to see the attention.  The full article is only available in print, so pick up a copy while there are still some available!

The number of ideas and initiatives floating around these monthly meetings are matched by the number of passionate cyclists longing and working for improved conditions for the sport they love. These attendees of the SBC’s Moon River rendezvous represent a diverse collection of local biking organizations and informal groups, each with their own needs and desires for which to rally, and each encouraging lifestyles bolstered by biking.

Though sport is only the start — recreation, transportation, fun!

Now that we’ve moved into the darker part of the year, the subject of visibility becomes very important. To drive home that point, below is an incredibly cheesy takeoff on an already cheesy 1981 hit, brought to you in part by the folks who made this previously referenced video.

On that note, stay tuned for the full details later this week, but note this date: Saturday December 6 at 5:30pm. Strap your lights to your bike and join Savannah Bicycle Campaign in the last Wheelie of the year for the River Street Christmas Parade. Lights and a helmet will be required, and, here’s the best part: the best holiday themed rider/bike costume setup wins a new cruiser from Quality Bike Shop. More to follow soon.

The bottom line is that you are at much greater risk of being struck by a car without lights at night. Georgia law requires at minimum a white headlight and a rear red reflector, though a white headlight with a rear red light is better. We even know a few folks who have been ticketed in Savannah for riding without a headlight, so keep that in mind if the risk of serious bodily injury is not enough to sway you.

In the wake of a near miss of NOLA by Gustav and the upcoming potential for lowcountry havoc from Hanna, let’s take a look at some recent horrific events that have nothing to do with the weather.

Here at the SBC, we believe that cyclists of all creeds, speeds, shapes and sizes are in this together. As such we recognize that the changes needed to make more people get on bikes will be beneficial to everyone who rides from the hard core roadies to the SCAD fixie hipsters to families and casual recreational riders. Therefore, here are some points in the news of late, highlighting the general need for education, tolerance and understanding of the rights of cyclists to the road.

First, this shocking hit from behind in Miami where a cab plowed into a club ride, striking eleven, six of which were hospitalized, one in critical condition.

Next, an LA physician who intentionally sped by two riders and slammed on the breaks, causing them to fly into his rear window. Apparently, he tried this assault technique at least one time before.

Finally, this June 2008 photo of a race held in Mexico, where an intoxicated driver plowed head on into the peloton.

The Share the Road concept is something we could and should be promoting together in conversations with friends and neighbors, in the media, really everywhere we go. We hope to continue to involve all area cycling groups in the dialogue for better education and cooperation among road users.

Yesterday we discussed the need for education to expand our network of bicyclists.  Today we will discuss expanding the infrastructure to include bicycles on a day to day basis in transportation planning.  We all think of Copenhagen as the model for this, and we should, but they have been working at it for 50 or 60 years, and even Portland, Oregon has been at it for 30 years to get where it is today.

As noted in this excellent piece from planetizen,

A proper bicycle network is comprised of four basic types of bikeways: bicycle lanes, bicycle boulevards, shared streets and off-street paths. Although bicycle use is not common in many American cities, planners and government officials must acknowledge that such activity is unlikely to increase without a sufficient bicycle network in place. Cities and towns interested in developing or expanding their bicycle network must consider plans that include all four types. Doing so creates a tapestry of options for the three types of bicyclists and their individual requirements (outlined in my previous post). Portland, Oregon and Berkeley, California experience some of the highest bicycle mode shares in the country precisely because they use a layered approach.

So, with that in mind we turn to the update of our local transportation plan that will happen over the next year or two.  The plan needs to include bicycles wherever possible, expand the network of on and off road facilities, and obviously including the routes of the Coastal Georgia Greenway.

The best strategy, and one we will push for with the city and county during this time, is adoption of a complete streets policy.  This idea, already in place for our neighbors in Florida and South Carolina, requires pedestrian and bicycle facilities be included in all new road projects and expansions.  Assuming we allow for exceptions where this is excessively costly, we could grow our infrastructure incrementally and continue to build the bicycle friendly place we know Savannah could be.

UPDATE:  Bicycle “improvements” are usually the first thing to get cut from a project to limit cost; nevertheless, they are very inexpensive when compared with the total cost.

Furthermore, if a motorist argues the old lie that their tag and gas taxes pay for the roads, point them to this from Texas (see last paragraph), or this older study.  The bottom line:  income and property taxes are necessary to build and maintain roads which are tremendously expensive and usually much less than half paid for by gas and tag taxes.  As such, we need to change our thinking and funding of transportation to include other modes besides personal autos.