Ride to City Hall on March 20, show support for cycling in Savannah

cityhallOver the last six years we’ve worked cooperatively with the City of Savannah to expand our bicycle infrastructure network, organize cycling events, and earn Bicycle Friendly Community status from the League of American Bicyclists.

On Thursday, March 20 at noon we’ll ride to City Hall to thank city leaders for helping to make Savannah better for bicycles, and encourage them to do more to make our city safer, friendly and more convenient for people who ride bikes.

Meet us at Ellis Square for a short ride to City Hall, where we’ll hear remarks from city officials. If you don’t have a bike handy, you can rent a CAT Bike from the Ellis Square bike share station. Lunch will be served at City Hall and this event will serve as our Cycle Social event for March. Please let us know you plan to attend by joining the Facebook event or emailing info@bicyclecampaign.org

This event is being held during the same week as the annual Ride to the Capitol in Atlanta and rides to city halls around the state. Let’s show our bicycling friends throughout Georgia that Savannah is serious about cycling.

 

Try bicycle commuting with us on March 28

UPDATE: Due to the thread of rain, this event has been postponed. Stay tuned for the announcement of a new date.

Do you live in Ardsley Park, Chatham Crescent, Parkside or nearby neighborhoods? Do you work north of Victory Drive? Perhaps you’ve considered riding your bike to work, but were unsure how to cross Victory and ride to your workplace.

We have the solution!

On Friday, March 28 we are reviving our 2 Wheels 2 Work bicycle commuting event with a bicycle convoy leaving from Tiedeman Park, on the north side of the Savannah Arts Academy, and traveling all the way to Bay Street. Ride with us the entire time, or peel off when we near your workplace. The ride will leave at 8 a.m., but bicycle commuters are welcome to enjoy coffee from Foxy Loxy Print Gallery and Cafe and breakfast snacks from Whole Foods Market beginning at 7:30 a.m. Please let us know you’ll participate by joining the Facebook event.

Do you want us to bring 2 Wheels 2 Work to your neighborhood? Let us know!

First Friday of the month? Time for the Art March bike scavenger hunt

firstfridayfeb

Our Spokemodels group is one again teaming up with First Friday Art March again this month for a bike-powered scavenger hunt on Friday, Feb. 7 from 6-9 p.m.. Visit the Savannah Bicycle Campaign tent at Art Rise Savannah, 2427 Desoto Ave., to pick up a map and rules. Then visit galleries participating in Art March, take photos, post them to Instagram or Facebook, and win prizes! Check out the Art March Savannah FaceBook event for more details.

February Cycle Social returns to Moon River Brewing Company

moonriverLongtime Savannah Bicycle Campaign members will remember monthly meetings held at Moon River Brewing Company. We are reviving that tradition this month and every other month thereafter. We’ll also be returning to our old  meeting format and gathering around big tables downstairs for food, fun and beverages, of course! But we’ll also have a more structured discussion about upcoming events, ongoing projects and exciting ways to become involved in your Savannah Bicycle Campaign. Is there a particular topic you’d like to talk about? Email us at info@bicyclecampaign.org and we’ll put it on the agenda.

Our February Cycle Social Ride will depart from the south end of Forsyth Park at 5:30 p.m. We invite you to ride with us or join us there at 6 p.m Don’t forget your lights and helmet. You can let us know you’re coming by joining the Facebook event.

Coastal Georgia Greeway hosts Island Hopper Cycling Tour, March 25-28

Father & son. Photo-Jekyll Island Authority
The Coastal Georgia Greenway offers a rare opportunity to experience Jekyll, St. Simons and Sapelo islands from the invigorating perspective of riding a bike. The Island Hopper Cycling Tour takes place March 25 – 28 and “beginners are welcome,” according to Jo Hickson, executive director of Coastal Georgia Greenway.  Her group is dedicated to building community support to eventually build a 155-mile walking and biking trail connecting South Carolina to Florida through the Georgia coast.

“We want people to visualize what a connected trail network can look like here.  Though we’ll cover 100 miles in four days, the pace is definitely relaxed,” Hickson said.

The $600 fee includes meals, lodging, ferry rides, guest speakers and guided visits to historic and natural sites along the route.  The deadline to register is Feb. 10. Visit the cycle tour page for registration and additional information or call  Jo Hickson at 912-236-2225.

Savannah’s first tweed ride scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15

TweedRide_website(1)Our Spokemodels group is organizing Savannah’s first tweed ride on on Saturday, Feb. 15. Grab your bike, gather up your tweed and ride.

Ride participants will assemble at Daffin Park’s Grayson Stadium at 2 p.m. to go on a beautiful, leisurely ride around picturesque Savannah! So dress up in your dandiest cycling gear and get ready for croquet, photo shoots with all the participants and a picnic in Forsyth Park.

Unfamiliar with the tweed ride concept? Get the low down on the Spokemodels blog. Do you feel a need for tweed? Let us know by joining the Facebook event.

Compete in the Spokemodels Bike Scavenger Hunt, Jan. 3

art march january

Our Spokemodels group is teaming up with First Friday Art March again this month for a bike-powered scavenger hunt on Friday, Jan. 3 from 6-9 p.m.. Visit the Savannah Bicycle Campaign tent at Desotorow Gallery to pick up a map and rules. Then visit galleries participating in Art March, take photos, post them to Instagram or Facebook, and win prizes! Check out the Art March Savannah FaceBook event for more details.

The first Cycle Social 0f 2014 is bound for the Bean on Jan. 21

Bean LogoOur first Cycle Social ride of the new year is bound for the Sentient Bean, 13 E Park Ave. (on the south end of Forsyth Park). We invite you to enjoy food, beverages, and the company of your fellow cyclists on Tuesday, Jan 21. Join our casually-paced ride leaving Baldwin Park at 5:30 p.m. or meet us at the Bean at 6 p.m. Lights are required and helmets are strongly recommended! Let us know you’re coming by joining the Facebook event.

Mountainfilm Festival and SBC team up for TelluRIDE on Jan. 18

mountainfilm

Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour in Savannah, a nonprofit film festival designed to educate and inspire audiences about critical issues, will be held at the Trustees theater, downtown, Savannah, on Jan. 17 and 18, 2014.

Your Savannah Bicycle Campaign is sponsoring a ride in conjunction with the festival again this year on Saturday, Jan. 18. We will start at the Kennedy Pharmacy building at 323 E. Broughton Street and end at the South end of Forsyth Park for light refreshments. All ages welcome but you must have a bike and helmets are strongly recommended!

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

 

 

CAT Bike brings bicycle sharing to Savannah

cat bikes

Savannah is the first city in Georgia to offer a bicycle sharing program. Chatham Area Transit‘s CAT Bike program launches in January 2014 with stations at the Joe Murray Rivers, Jr. Intermodal Transit Center and Ellis Square (sponsored by City of Savannah Mobility and Parking Services) , and 16 3-speed bicycles. CAT selected B-Cycle to provide the system and on Dec. 16 volunteers from our SpokeModels group completed final assembly of the bikes.

Cat Bike assembly
SpokeModels volunteer Lee Burbage assembles a CAT Bike on Dec. 17.

The program has received media coverage from WJCL-TV and the Savannah Morning News. Marcus Howard’s Dec. 25 story, Savannah bike share program set to launch in January, was picked up by the Associated Press and has appeared in media outlets as far away as San Francisco. Howard’s piece includes program pricing information:

Each location has spots for eight bicycles. Riders will be able to rent the bikes for $2 per half-hour. The program also will offer 7-day pass for $20 and an annual pass for $60. Bikes will be available from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and riders can return the bikes to either downtown rack.

CAT has posted preliminary information on its “Bike and Ride” page, with the promise of more content soon.

CAT Bike has tremendous potential in Savannah, especially if the system is expanded with additional bikes and stations. What are the big picture benefits of bike sharing in Savannah? Read Why to Care About Bike Share.