We moved our next board meeting to correspond with Bike to Beer at Moon River, 4-7pm on Tuesday 10/21: those arriving by bike to Moon River get indoor bike parking, $3 drafts, and deals on food.  Everyone is welcome, so come early, and stay for the meeting which will happen at 6pm.  If this seems to work, we will continue to have the board meetings on the third Tuesday for Bike to Beer.

SBC Board of Directors Agenda 10/21/08

Well, if the recent #49 ranking of Georgia for bike friendliness by the League of American Bicyclists does not highlight the lack of priority our state has placed on bicycling, the fact that we are the last state in the union to award federal Safe Routes to School funding clearly should.

Compounding matters, the state did not come through with its Safe Routes to School resource center as promised this summer, which would have provided schools with assistance to develop SRTS programs that address Enforcement, Education, Encouragement, Engineering, and Evaluation.  A formal SRTS program is required for the grant application (Due December 12), and unless we in Chatham County stand up and demand immediate action by our schools (public and private schools are eligible), these federal dollars — up to $500,000 per school, not requiring any local matching funds — will not reach our communities, but rather flow to Atlanta and Athens where some of these programs are already in place.

Sick of the cost of having to drive your kids to school?  Tired of waiting for school buses and in the carpool lane?  Think your kids would benefit from the opportunity for a little physical activity getting back and forth to school?  If so, then contact your local school board member or your school principal and let them know that you want kids to walk and bicycle to school, and you want the facilities in place to make that safe again — demand a Safe Routes to School program for your school.  The National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Georgia DOT SRTS Guidebook are good places to look for some more information.  GDOT is having a local application workshop for the grants at 10am-noon on Monday, October 27 at the MPC on State Street in Savannah.  This is vitally important to our kids’ health and our local bicycling infrastructure, so we need your help!  Leave us a comment and we’ll help any way we can.

On the heels of  GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle is coming to the Coastal Georgia Center on Fahm Street tomorrow (Wed, Oct 1) to discuss state transportation issues.  If you want more alternatives in the mix like better facilities for bikes, please come out and let your voice be heard.  It should be noted that Mr. Cagle as Chairman of Tour de Georgia understands the economic development benefits of increasing bicycling, so these comments will likely be welcomed.

From the Chamber:

Please plan to attend an important meeting with Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on Wednesday, October 1 from 11 a.m.-Noon in the auditorium at the Coastal Georgia Center. The purpose of this meeting is to hear from Lt. Gov. Cagle as he addresses statewide transportation issues. This is also a great opportunity to learn more about other issues important to our region and the rest of the state. The Coastal Georgia Center is located at 305 Fahm Street in Savannah’s Historic District. For more information, please contact Trip Tollison at 912.644.6422 or ttollison@savannahchamber.com or the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Planning Commission at 912.651.1440.

Great news to the local political process.  Savannah Bicycle Campaign is partnering with Georgia Conservancy to host a Chatham County Commission Candidate forum on October 14 at 7:30 at the Coastal Georgia Center on Fahm Street.

Panelists Orlando Montoya of GPB, Jim Morekis of Connect Savannah, and Dionne Hoskins of Chatham County’s Resource Protection Commission will be asking the Chatham County Commission candidates questions regarding growth, transportation, land use and conservation.  Please join us to hear from the people who will set policy for the county in the coming years and to prepare yourself for November 4.

Open to all, our next meeting of the Board of Directors is Monday, September 29 at 6pm at the American Legion on Bull Street.

The agenda is available here.  We will be discussing the October 3 Dump the Pump Convoys, the Chatham County Commission candidate forum we are co-hosting with the Georgia Conservancy on October 14.

As we mentioned recently, the City of Savannah is opening new bike racks all over downtown; the centerpiece is a set of racks on Bull Street at the intersection with Broughton in front of Panera Bread.

Mayor Otis Johnson, in his support for helping Savannah become a more Bicycle Friendly Community, is joining our first Dump the Pump Convoy, a group bike commute the morning of Friday, October 3, leading up to a 9am press conference to open the new bike racks.  The mayor’s group will meet in Baldwin Park at 8:15am and depart shortly after to meet up with a group meeting at 8am at Habersham Village.  The Habersham Village location is a good place to gather for people riding in from the south, and also for anyone who wants to drive part of the way and bike the rest.

Baldwin Park Convoy Route: 2.5 miles

Habersham Village Convoy Route: 3.3 miles

These first two convoys will be a way to introduce commuting by bike to people who might be interested but intimidated about riding to work, providing the opportunity to ride as a group and share the experience of more experienced riders.  We plan on organizing additional convoys for future Dump the Pump events.

The press event at 9am in front of Panera Bread will include coffee and light breakfast for bike commuters.

We’ll see you there!

What will they hear? Georgia DOT Commissioner Gena Abraham is on a listening tour of the state, and coming to our fair city Tuesday, September 23 at the Coastal Georgia Center from 4-7pm.

GDOT has hired a consulting firm to assist in this commenting process:

McKinsey and Company will be working directly with the Governor and the GDOT and GRTA Boards for input, guidance and direction to get a big picture view of our strategic plan for transportation in Georgia. In order to get the best possible view, we want you to show us your big picture! DOT Commissioner Gena Evans and GRTA Executive Director Dick Anderson will head out with members of our leadership team to listen to your vision of what Georgia’s transportation system should look like for the future.

We’ve selected 7 sites around the state for listening tours: Macon, Savannah, Dalton, Atlanta, Valdosta, Columbus and Augusta. We’ll take your feedback and suggestions and share them with McKinsey and Company and the entire leadership team so that your voice can be heard. We’ll also post snapshots of our meetings and the feedback we’ve received so that you can see what others are saying.

Your participation is key, because if we as bicyclists don’t speak up, the demands of developers, road builders and SUV drivers will be all they hear.

Tell them we want a statewide Complete Streets policy where bicycle, pedestrian and transit facilities are included in all new road projects. Tell them that widening roads to lessen traffic is like loosening your belt to lose weight. Tell them to regularly sweep debris from shoulders and bike lanes on state roads. Tell them that we need to prioritize alternatives like bicycles in this era of $4 gas and shrinking budgets for road construction.

Tell them next Tuesday at the Coastal Georgia Center from 4-7pm. Or, if you can’t make it, tell them online using this form. Better yet, do both!

The Wheelie rolls on, wider than a mile, with our September social, family friendly ride hitting the south end of Chatham County in Beaulieu and Burnside Island. We’ll start at 4 p.m. at the Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church at 10050 Ferguson Ave. Stick around afterwards and we’ll have some giveaways.

We’re after the same rainbow’s end—waiting ‘round the bend, so we may sneak a peak of Johnny Mercer’s house, my huckleberry friends. Moon River, Savannah Bicycle Campaign, and you!

Many thanks to Georgia Bike Law, Quality Bike Shop and Big H little h for their continued sponsorship!

We’re having back to back rides to start the school year.

Saturday, September 13, join us for the Greenfest Pedal Cruise in association with Greenfest, a festival celebrating organizations and businesses who promote sustainability, with local food, arts, and crafts.  Savannah Bicycle Campaign will be taking you on a Wheelie-style cruise through downtown and take off from Trustees Garden, 88 Randolph Street at around 5pm.  We will wind back to Cha Bella for the Greenfest bike in movie and afterparty at 6!  Come by our booth and sign up for the ride by 4:45, and please wear your helmet.

A week later, Sunday September 21, Savannah Wheelie rolls on, this time at Burnside Island at 4pm.  More to follow on the next Wheelie tomorrow.