Savannah Bicycle Campaign receives $30,319.30 grant from Governor’s Office of Highway Safety

Savannah, GA — The Savannah Bicycle Campaign has received a $30,319.30 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). The grant will help finance SBC’s education programs, safety campaigns, work with local governments to improve infrastructure, printing of the popular Bike SAV bike map and guide, and other programs aimed at making Savannah and Chatham County safer for people who ride bikes for transportation and recreation.

“We are excited to have Savannah Bicycle Campaign as a grantee again for the coming year,” said GOHS Communication Manager Robert Hydrick. “They have been with us for several years and are a great advocate for the cycling community in and around Chatham County. This grant will help them continue to create safe and convenient bicycling environments in the Savannah area.”

“In Savannah and Chatham County, many people depend our their bicycles for daily transportation,” said John R. Bennett, executive director of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign. “In addition, more people are using bicycles for healthy exercise. We have also noted Savannah’s emergence as a bicycle tourism destination, with local and national bike tour companies active year round. Support from GOHS is critical to our goal of preventing crashes that injure and kill people who ride bikes.”

The grant year for this award is Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2019. For more information on GOHS and its highway safety programs, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.

Ardsley in Motion: ‘Resident-driven’ research

Originally published in Connect Savannah on Oct. 10, 2018.

COUNTING CRACKS in the sidewalk might sound like a euphemism for a boring and useless activity, along the lines of “watching paint dry,” but in Ardsley Park these days it’s a purposeful part of a serious initiative.

Last month the Ardsley Park Chatham Crescent Neighborhood Association launched Ardsley in Motion, an effort to improve safety and mobility, and promote beautification efforts throughout Ardsley Park and Chatham Crescent. (Disclosure: I serve on the neighborhood association board).

APCCNA President Nick Palumbo developed the concept, organized events, sought guidance from subject matter experts, and recruited more than 75 volunteers to systematically assess the condition of streets, crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, signage, trees, and other vegetation.

Read the full article in Connect Savannah.

Scooter debate conveniently ignores autos — again

Originally published in Connect Savannah on Aug. 22, 2018.

LOCAL PROBLEMS and opportunities demand local solutions and initiatives. That’s one of the messages Ben Stone delivered to a gathering of 30 neighborhood leaders, government officials, and advocates Aug. 9 at Bull Street Labs.

Stone, director of arts and culture at Smart Growth America, and Emiko Atherton, director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, were invited to Savannah by Georgia Bikes, the statewide advocacy organization.

The meeting was designed to explore “the nexus between Complete Streets, creative placemaking, and designing culturally relevant places.”

Read the full article in Connect Savannah. 

Nightmare Scenario: What to do if you’re hit by a car while riding your bike

Originally published in Connect Savannah on Aug. 1, 2018.

IT HAPPENED almost 13 years ago. On Aug. 27 2005, I was hit by a car while riding my bike.

It happened on 49th Street just a few blocks from my house. I pedaled up to the stop sign, put my foot down, and made eye contact with the motorist across the intersection.

Since neither of her turn signals was activated, I figured she would proceed straight through the intersection just like me. So, I entered the intersection and that’s when she turned left into my path and hit me.

Read the full article in Connect Savannah. 

The weaponization of jaywalking

Originally published in Connect Savannah on July 11, 2018.

AT LEAST once a month I make a presentation to a civic organization, neighborhood association, class, or conference and one of my favorite slides is a 1901 photograph that depicts Bull Street looking south from City Hall.

Silhouetted figures are visible in the image. I like to aim my laser pointer at them and ask my audience, “What are these things out in the street?”

Someone will eventually respond, usually with a bit of hesitation: “Pedestrians?”

“Yes,” I say, “But back then they were called people.”

Read the full article in Connect Savannah. 

Children’s bicycles needed for annual Holiday Bike Drive 2017


Our New Standard Cycles program is seeking donations of children’s bikes for our annual Holiday Bike Drive in conjunction with Blessings in a Book Bag. After volunteers recondition the bicycles, they will be given to deserving children selected by Blessings in a Bookbag on Dec. 16. Here’s coverage of last year’s event from Fox 28: Savannah Bicycle Campaign gives 53 children bikes this Christmas.

Bikes can be dropped off at 1301 Lincoln St on the following days and times:

  • Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
  • Sundays from 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  • Other times by appointment.

Bikes can also be dropped off at the Wilmington Island Farmers Market on Dec. 2 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Please note that badly damaged or rusted bikes cannot be accepted.

For more information or to schedule a donation, email New Standard Cycles Program Manager Henry Rocha at bikes@bicyclecampaign.org. If you’d like to help refurbish the bikes, sign up here.

We are grateful to the Spiva Law Group for providing helmets to go along with the bike and to Junk Luggers of the Coastal Empire for donating and transporting bikes.

Whitaker and Drayton Street traffic calming proposal dismissed by City Council

We are disappointed by the Savannah City Council’s decision to dismiss the Whitaker and Drayton Street traffic calming proposal presented by the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority at the March 30 City Council workshop. Despite ample evidence that the SDRA proposal (download PDF) would both reduce crashes and deliver economic benefits, council endorsed a counter-proposal that will not be as effective in improving the safety of those who walk, ride bikes, or drive motor vehicles.

That proposal, submitted by the City’s Traffic Engineering Department, maintained design changes are not needed. Traffic Engineering recommended, among other measures, an education campaign aimed at people who ride bikes and walk as a strategy for addressing the alarming increase in car crashes. The traffic engineering report suggested concerns over safety were mostly a matter of perception, but offered to install pedestrian signals at some intersections and relocate a tourist trolley stop. Also proposed was an expansion of the Forsyth Park perimeter sidewalk to allow cycling. That idea would likely require the removal of trees and other vegetation, its projected half million dollar cost is not currently budgeted, and it would do nothing to improve safety on Whittaker and Drayton streets.

The SDRA proposal was endorsed by the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the Downtown Business Association, the Tourism Leadership Council, the Ardsley Park-Chatham Crescent Neighborhood Association, Healthy Savannah and Georgia Bikes. We remain committed to working with these and other partners — and City Council — to advance sensible and forward-thinking efforts to make Savannah better for residents and visitors alike. We also appreciate Alderman Bill Durrence for prioritizing people over fast moving traffic.

If you think Savannah needs streets designed to improve safety for all users, which will make our neighborhoods better places to live, please contact your elected officials.

Help make the season brighter for deserving children by contributing to our Holiday Bike Drive!

Holiday Bike Drive

For the third year our New Standard Cycles volunteers are refurbishing donated bikes for our annual Holiday Bike Drive. Last year we were able to provide dozens of bikes to deserving kids, who would not have received bicycles otherwise, through our partner Blessings in a Bookbag. We also provide helmets to go along with the bikes.

If you are interested in donating a bike, volunteers will be at SBC HQ (1301 Lincoln St.) to accept donations on Thursdays from 7-9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 2-4:30 p.m. We will be able to accept donations through Sunday, Dec. 11. To schedule a drop-off at another time, please email info@bicyclecampaign.org. Please do not leave bikes unattended at our office.

If you’d like to help get the bikes ready (no previous mechanical experience necessary) sign up for a volunteer shift today!

Battle of the Bikes 2

We also hope you can join us at Southbound Brewery on Friday, Dec. 9 for Battle of the Bikes 2! See who will win the Bicycle Repair Relay Race! We’ll have teams of mechanics from local bike shops participate in a relay race, where each team has a given number of kids bikes to refurbish and see who can complete the repairs first.

This event will happen during the brewery’s public tour and tastings. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the race begins at 6 p.m.! Tickets are $20 per person – including beer and a souvenir pint glass! — with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Savannah Bicycle Campaign.

Need a dependable used bike at a good price? Want to help a good cause? Come see us at the March 26 Savannah Bazaar!

On Saturday, March 26, we are selling used, but fully reconditioned bicycles at the Savannah Bazaar, from 3-8 p.m. at 101 N. Fahm St.

Bikes are sold on a first come, first served basis, so if you see one you like in the gallery below, make sure to get there early. If you join the Savannah Bicycle Campaign at the time of your purchase, you’ll receive $50 off your bike. Proceeds from sales benefit our New Standard Cycles program, which provides affordable, dependable transportation to deserving people in our community. For more information about our bike sale, email us!

Bike to Bird: We are offering free valet bike parking at Andrew Bird’s Savannah Music Festival show on March 29

We are offering free valet parking for bikes at Andrew Bird’s performance on Tuesday, March 29 at Lucas Theatre. Ride your bike to the show and we’ll look after it while you enjoy the music. Our bike valet will be open beginning at 7 p.m.

The violinist, singer and composer began his career as a member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers before forming Bowl of Fire, and has been recording and touring as a solo artist since 2003. His distinctive voice, wide ranging influences and instrumental versatility contribute to an engaging compositional style that often incorporates sounds and layers rarely heard in pop music, including virtuosic whistling and glockenspiel.

We love it when we discover our favorite musicians are also avid cyclists. That’s the case with Bird. “I feel a certain amount of pride in not using a motorized vehicle to get from point A to point B,” he told Bicycling magazine. “Sometimes I’ll invent point A and point B to justify riding.”

Read more of his interview about how riding intersects with his music: A Ride with Andrew Bird.