Public meeting on proposed Forsyth Park bike ban set for Jan. 14, Forsyth For All ride planned

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The City of Savannah is hosting a public meeting on a proposed ordinance, which would prohibit people 12 and older from riding bicycles in all areas of Forsyth Park, on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Savannah Civic Center. The ordinance, if passed, will deny access to the thousands of people who ride responsibly though the park each week. The city has offered no plans for providing safe alternative routes for people who will be displaced by the ordinance. In 2013 the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department evaluated calls for increased enforcement against people on bikes and recommended against it.

The meeting format will be a formal presentation and followed by questions and answers, and an opportunity for the community to ask questions, comment, and provide recommendations on the revisions proposed to the ordinance.

If you plan to make comments at the meeting, here are some suggestions:

1. The meeting will be facilitated by Susan Broker of the Citizen Office. Please don’t take out any frustrations on her. She’s simply doing her job.
2. Explain how you use the park and how the proposed ban will affect you. Be passionate, but professional.
3. Offer specific suggestions on how to improve safety in our park and on our streets.
4. Thank city officials for providing this opportunity to talk about this important issue.

The bike ban has received recent media coverage:

Savannah Morning News (Dec. 17) Savannah officials consider Forsyth Park bike ban
Savannah Morning News (Dec. 19) Bikes in Forsyth Park: Go slow on bike ban
Savannah Morning News City Talk (Dec. 21) Proposed bike ban will hurt police effort
Connect Savannah News Cycle (Dec. 30) Bike ban in Forsyth: Blunt tool when precision needed
Savannah Morning News City Talk (Jan. 12) City schedules bike ban meeting

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign opposes the ban and has called on the city to find reasonable solutions that improve safety in the park and nearby streets, while preserving access to all. Please make plans to attend the meeting. If you are unable to attend, please contact your elected officials directly to let them know how the ban will affect you.

Forsyth For All

Join us at 5:30 p.m. at north end of the park (intersection of Bull and Gaston streets) and we’ll roll to the meeting together on the Forsyth for All ride. We need people to speak up about how the ordinance will affect them and urge city officials to find sensible solutions to improve safety in the park and on nearby streets, while preserving access for all. We’ll have some special gifts to help you show your support for active transportation in Savannah. Please join the Facebook event to let us know you’re riding.

Helmets are strongly encouraged. The meeting is scheduled to last until 7 p.m., so don’t forget your bike lights. If you can’t ride with us, please meet us there!

Proposed ordinance will ban people on bikes from Forsyth Park, push them onto dangerous streets

forsyth park riders

Fun, healthy family activities like the one depicted in this photo, which is used by Visit Savannah to promote our city, could soon be illegal (at least for the adults in the photo).

A proposed city ordinance would expand the current “dismount” zone in Forsyth Park to prohibit anyone over 12 from riding a bike anywhere in the park.

The proposed ordinance revision is to eliminate all foot propelled vehicles (such as bicycles, unicycles, tricycles, quadricycles and skateboards) from being operated on all walkways, sidewalks and pedestrian thoroughfares in and around Forsyth Park. The only exception would be children less than 12 years of age when supervised by an adult, provided they yield to pedestrians.

The ordinance is being proposed without offering any convenient, safe alternative routes for people on bikes. As a result, many people will attempt to use Whitaker and Drayton streets, which are dangerous to bicyclists and pedestrians because of car and truck traffic, often traveling at speeds over 40 m.p.h.

More information and an opportunity to offer comments are available on the City of Savannah website. Please take a moment to let City of Savannah officials know what you think of this ordinance.

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign remains committed to working with city officials, neighborhood associations, businesses owners and other partners to find long term solutions that improve safety in the park and on nearby streets. Making Whitaker and Drayton streets safe for all users should be the primary and immediate goal.

Public comment will be accepted on the City’s website through Jan. 5, 2016.  A public meeting will be scheduled for mid-January to gather more feedback.

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2015 has been a great year for bicycling in Savannah. Help us make 2016 even better!

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Thanks to your support, we have made significant progress in making Savannah better for bicycling. With your help we have:

button(1)We need your help to make 2016 even better. We want to expand the number of people served by our New Standard Cycles program, make sure the Complete Streets ordinance is consistently implemented, and offer even more bicycle education programs and fun bicycling events.

As you are making your end of the year charitable contributions, please consider donating to your Savannah Bicycle Campaign. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your contribution is tax deductible.

You can make a donation by credit card via our secure donation portal or send a check to:

Savannah Bicycle Campaign
1301 A Lincoln St.
Savannah, GA 31401

Here are some of the ways your donation can make a difference:

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2015_SBC_EOY_Image_Scholarship 2015_SBC_EOY_ImageElectricBike2
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Have your say on the Truman Greenway! Comments must be submitted to GDOT by Dec. 14

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Thank you to everyone who attended the Dec. 3 Truman Linear Park Trail Public Information Open House at Jenkins High School. If you weren’t able to attend, you can review the plans for Phase IIA, which connects Lake Mayer Park with DeRenne Avenue on the Chatham County Department of Engineering webpage. You can also read coverage of the meeting from the Savannah Morning News. Long-awaited Truman trail unveiled anew

Please provide your comments to the Georgia Department of Transportation by Monday, Dec. 14, by using any of the following methods:

1. Online at GDOT Public Outreach website.  Follow these steps:

  1. From the menu, select the county in which the proposed project is located and click Go;
  2. Then select Truman Linear Park Trail – Phase II;
  3. Then, click Comment and follow the instructions to leave your comments.

2. Mail in your comment card to Ms. Hiral Patel, P.E., Georgia Department of Transportation, 600 West Peachtree Street NW, 16th Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30308.

3. Email your comment to: ProjectComments@dot.ga.gov. This is a general mailbox so be sure to include the County, PI Number 0007631 and meeting date in the subject line so that the email gets to the right project team.

It’s important to let GDOT know how important this project is to your family and how you plan to use it. We need strong support from the public to move forward on this important project, which has both recreational and transportation uses. If you need assistance in composing your comments, we’ll be glad to help. Just let us know!

Holiday Bike Drive will spread cheer to kids again this year

holiday bike drive

Our New Standard Cycles volunteers are hard at work refurbishing donated bikes for our second annual Holiday Bike Drive. The bikes will go to families that cannot afford bikes on their own, through our partner Blessings in a Bookbag. Last year we were able to provide dozens of bikes to deserving kids, who would not have received bicycles otherwise. We also provide helmets to go along with the bikes.

If you are interested donating a bike, please contact jen@bicyclecampaign.org to schedule a drop-off. 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!

It’s time to show your support for the Truman Greenway! Project open house set for Dec. 3

 

trumantimeChatham County and the Georgia Department of Transportation will hold a Public Information Open House concerning the Truman Linear Park Trail On Thursday, Dec. 3, at Jenkins High School, 1800 East DeRenne Ave. The Open House will be held from 4-7 p.m. It will be informal, and the public is invited to attend anytime during these hours. There will be no formal presentation.

This project proposes to construct a 10-foot wide multi-use trail from Lake Mayer Park to Jenkins High School. The City of Savannah is responsible for building the second part of the trail, which will connect DeRenne Avenue to the existing Police Memorial Trail. The complete project will link Lake Mayer Park to Daffin Park

It is critical for trail supporters to attend this meeting and tell Chatham County and GDOT that this is a much needed project and is long overdue. Communities all over Georgia have completed trails while ours has been stuck in limbo. 

GDOT will be accepting written comments until Monday, Dec. 14. Comments should be sent to:

Ms. Hiral Patel, P.E.
State Environmental Administrator
Georgia Department of Transportation
600 West Peachtree Street, NW – 16th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30308

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information: The meeting site is accessible to persons with disabilities.  Accommodations for people with disabilities can be arranged with advance notice by Nathaniel Panther at (912) 652-7800.

 

 

This month’s Cycle Social to be held on Tybee Island Nov. 17, following GDOT bridge replacement meeting

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This may be the first and last time we say this, but we encourage you to drive to our monthly Cycle Social. That’s because it’s on Tybee and the bridges and road to the island are unsafe for people on bikes.

Want to change that? Please attend the Georgia Department of Transportation’s public meeting on the replacement of the U.S. 80 bridges at Lazaretto Creek and Bull River, from 4-6 p.m. on Nov. 17 at Tybee Island City Hall. (Then join us for the Cycle Social after).

We need citizens to come to this meeting and express support for barrier separated bike facilities on the new bridges (not just bikeable shoulders) with connections to the McQueen’s Island Trail and other improvements that will allow people to reach the beach (safely) by bike.

After the GDOT meeting, we’ll adjourn to Tybee Island Social Club for our monthly social. We will be joined by Bill Nesper, vice president for programs at the League of American Bicyclists. Bill directs the Bicycle Friendly America℠ program with a particular focus on growing the program as a tool for new communities, businesses and universities. Bill first joined the League in 2002 and has worked in membership and managed the education programs before taking on the BFA program.

Let us know you’re coming by joining the Facebook event.

Free valet parking for bikes available at Nov. 9 Mountainfilm screening

Fire-on-the-MountainOur friends at Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour Savannah are hosting a screening of Fire on the Mountain at Service Brewing on Nov. 9. The documentary film tells the story of the heroic members of U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division during World War II. A beer tasting begins at 6 p.m. and film starts at 7 p.m.

We are offering our famous valet parking service for bicycles at the event. Ride your bike to the brewery and enjoy the movie, knowing your bicycle is safe and secure with us!

More information is available on the Mountainfilm Savannah Facebook page.

Would you like to volunteer to staff the bike valet? Select a shift and sign up today!

Nov. 12 Victory Drive Corridor Study meeting will provide update on “West End Victory”

Screen Shot 2015-10-27 at 4.14.06 PMThe public is invited to a “West End Victory” Community Update on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m.,  at A.E. Beach High School Cafeteria (3001 Hopkins St). The purpose of this event is to provide stakeholders an update of the progress made to date. A short update presentation will be followed by the opportunity for feedback and small group discussions.

In August the second phase of the Victory Drive Corridor Study began, concentrating on an approximate 0.8-mile focus area of the corridor between Ogeechee Road and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, referred to here as “West End Victory.”

The Victory Drive Corridor Study is a multi-phase planning study that aims to preserve, revitalize and maintain Victory Drive’s historic commemorative landscape and prominence as a signature boulevard. Through a public-private collaboration, this study seeks to develop an implementable plan incorporating context sensitive solutions to balance the transportation and land use demands of a contemporary street.

For more information visit the Corridor Study page on the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization website.

Second Coastal Georgia Greenway Joint Study Committee meeting set for Nov. 4

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The next meeting of the Joint House-Senate Coastal Greenway Study Committee has been scheduled for Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. at the Coastal Regional Commission office at 1181 Coastal Drive SW, in Darien. The public is invited to attend and provide input on the greenway.
The committee is charged with studying the conditions, needs, issues, and problems related to Coastal Georgia Greenway construction and to recommend any action or legislation, which the committee deems necessary or appropriate to be presented for action by the Georgia Legislature in 2016.
Read about the committee’s first meeting, held in Richmond Hill in September, in Connect Savannah: Greenway deserves the green light.