As many of you are aware, some time ago non-resident cyclists were banned from riding on weekdays from Hunter Army Airfield, normally a staple of local recreational road riding.  The reasons behind it are not entirely clear.  Nevertheless, following a meeting between the base command and local cyclists including Vikki Graham and John Arney of Coastal Bicycle Touring Club and our own Frank McIntosh, the privilege of weekday riding on base has been restored!  We are grateful to Garrison Commander LTC Jose Aguilar for this change in policy, and look forward to developing a closer relationship with the base.

There are some rules cyclists will need to follow however, and we all need to keep in mind that this privilege was gained with effort, and can be lost if cyclists ignore the directives within.  Let’s be sure we can police ourselves on these:

• If arriving on bicycle, use the Montgomery, Stephenson, or Rio gate. If arriving by car, you must use the Montgomery or Stephenson gates and have State Driver’s License, Proof of Insurance, and Vehicle Registration.
• Photo ID is required for entry at the gate.
• Cyclists must obey all traffic regulations and signs on the installation.
• Riding in residential areas is not permitted.
• Bicycles will be ridden in single file.
• You must always wear a bicycle helmet and reflective belt or vest.
• During limited visibility hours (defined as 30 minutes prior to sunset until 30 minutes after sunrise), you must have an operational front (white) light and red rear reflector or combination red light and red reflector.
• Each pedal will be equipped with reflectors. The reflector on each pedal shall be so designed and situated as to be visible from the front and rear of the bicycle during darkness. If pedals do not have reflectors, reflective straps will be worn around the ankles.

CYCLING ROUTES AND TIMES: The best time to ride on Hunter Army Airfield is the weekend. Perimeter Road is the preferred ride for most cyclists. However, during certain times on weekdays, it is extremely hazardous based on competing with traffic and Soldiers conducting physical training. On weekdays, all cyclists will ride on the bike path on South Perimeter Road and Rio Road during the hours 6:00 A.M. — 9:15 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. for your safety and to allow unimpeded flow of motor vehicle traffic. Violation of this policy may result in a six-month suspension of riding privileges on Hunter Army Airfield.

Best bet for cyclists is to park outside the gate and bike in. If entering at the Stephenson gate, it is advised not to park at the Baldino’s area, as businesses have complained about extra cars parked in that lot.

Follow the rules, and we can all maintain access to riding some of the lowest traffic roads close to town. Don’t follow them, and access may be restricted once again.

Over 3 days in April, cyclist data was collected from 4 major intersections in downtown Savannah by a group of community volunteers — thanks to the awesome Campaigners who joined in this effort! This was second annual Bike Census, so we have for the first time data to compare against the previous year.

The most striking statistics were changes in helmet usage and gender balance. The proportion of total cyclists observed wearing helmets doubled over 2009 figures, although the share of these cyclists is still only ~10% of the total observed riders. The gender balance of observed riders also demonstrated a significant change, with a 33% increase in the proportion of women cyclists over the 2009 share. This brought the female share of observed cyclists to ~24% of the total. This brings Savannah up to a position above the national average of 21.3% female cyclists. Way to go, bicycling ladies — let’s see if we can get that number even higher!

The headline statistic is that there was an observed increase of 110% in total cyclists over the four intersections combined from last year, although a few factors made this year’s total higher than last year.

• First: SCAD wasn’t almost on Spring Break during this count as they were last year.
• Second: in contrast to the unseasonably cold March days on which we counted in 2009, the weather was fairly nice during this count.
• Third: the greater number of volunteers this year allowed this year’s total to be chiefly observed, rather than extrapolated over the course of the 10 hour study window.

This means that this year’s data was probably a more representative count than last year’s; or more simply, last year’s count was almost certainly artificially low.

Still, a win’s a win, and this is a huge increase, not only in total number of riders observed, but also very importantly in the proportion of women and the proportion of riders protecting their noodles with lids. Stay tuned for the next census, as we hope to see those trends continue.

Last Saturday, with much fanfare, the block around Tiedeman Park next to Savannah Arts Academy was opened to bike and pedestrian traffic only for the dedication of the newly finished Washington Avenue bike lane.  LCI’s led bike safety games for kids, Perry Rubber Bike Shop provided some minor repairs, and also gave away 2 kids bikes and helmets to a couple of lucky winners!

In addition to the opening of the 1.6 mile east-west bike lane on Washington, which we have covered already, we at your SBC, together with the City of Savannah and Perry Rubber Bike Shop are proud to be the recipient of a Specialized Bicycle Components (the other SBC) Advocacy Grant which provided 10 kids bikes and 40 kids helmets, together with a 10 foot utility trailer provided by the City of Savannah, for use by LCI’s to provide bike education to kids in local schools, youth organizations, and neighborhood associations.  This is an excellent resource, and including the local match the total value of this project is around $7500, so our thanks go out in a big way to Specialized, the City of Savannah, Perry Rubber Bike Shop and, as always the support of our members who know that bicycles make Savannah better.

During this National Bike Month, apart from the events, new facilities and equipment arriving for bicycling here in Savannah, we celebrate new words. Words are as important as all of these other things, as they help us to understand and inspire.

On Friday’s National Bike to Work Day 2Wheels 2Work bike convoy, we were joined by an impassioned public servant in Patrick Shay, who in solidarity delivered a helmeted speech on bicycles and their relationship to spewing gulf oil, and how our small actions can change that situation, the full and slightly shaky version of which is below.

“It’s not about changing the world all at once, it’s about changing our individual actions.”

Campaigners, you are the forefront of at least part of the solution. Join us in celebrating these words and in making them into deeds, each small individual choice putting pressure on the system to change and ultimately creating the transformation we seek: the Age of Bicycles in Savannah.

To usher in that age, and now further armed with staff to carry out this mission, Savannah Bicycle Campaign announces another change. The change is again in words, and in a meaningful way. Our present tagline, Making Savannah Better for Bicycles, while true, focuses too much on us and what we aim to do. Therefore, in a change we think that focuses on the truth of what we hope to accomplish, the truth of our movement, and the transformative power of bicycles, we move to a new tagline, the title of this article: Bicycles Make Savannah Better.

And therefore, during this National Bike Month, ask first what bicycles can do for Savannah.  Ask next what you can do with your Savannah Bicycle Campaign to bring it about.

In celebration of National Bike Month, we have a couple of events for your pedaling pleasure this weekend.

Tomorrow morning, on National Bike to Work Day, your Savannah Bicycle Campaign is hosting a special 2 Wheels 2 Work departing Habersham Village at 7:30 AM for a spin downtown to Ellis Square where we will again be treated to free coffee and breakfast from Jittery Joes and our partner for this month, the Chatham Environmental Forum (CEF). Chatham County Commissioner and CEF Chairman Patrick Shay will join us for the convoy and say a few words at Ellis Square about the CEF and its Join In Plan. We like the way they think, since one of their transportation goals is to increase trips by bicycle in the county to 3% by 2012 and 5% by 2015.

Much ado about the new bike lane on Washington Avenue (see column by Tom Barton in yesterday’s SMN), and it looks as if the striping is nearly complete! Noon to 2 PM on Saturday, ride the brand spankin’ new Washington Avenue bike lane into Tiedeman Park for the Kids’ Ciclovia, where the streets will be opened to bike and pedestrian traffic only (i.e. no cars) in the block surrounding the park. There will be bike games and activities for kids, food, a ribbon cutting for the new Washington Ave bike lane, and giveaways for 2 new bikes from Perry Rubber Bike Shop!

We’ll see you there!