No Bike Convoy July 3: Independence Daze

Forgive the break in the action.  As you can see on the calendar, the Bike Convoy for this Friday, July 3 is cancelled for a few reasons:


a) Big holiday weekend, and most of y’all like us are not working this Friday.
b) It’s way hot.  Grab a popsickle.
c) We’re retooling and buffing the Bike Convoy to relaunch very soon.  Look for an announcement in the coming weeks.

If you need an excuse to ride your bike, it’s a much easier ride down to River Street to check out the fireworks display on Saturday, July 4 (and a much easier exit) if you go by bike.   See you there!

Reminder! SBC Annual Meeting Today!

Come and revel with the gang in our underground lair at the Moon River Brewing Company at 21 W Bay. Social starts at 5:30, business at 6:30, and we won’t leave until we have elected the 2009-10 board, recounted our first year (perhaps in verse) and peered into the crystal ball bearings to see what the next year may bring.

Bring yourself! Bring a friend! Bring a check if you are inclined to join or renew your membership in our fine organization!  We will cap off the evening with a triumphant night ride down Bull Street.

And the winner is…

Of course, our own Frank McIntosh who on his trusty steed bested Sean Brandon on bus and foot, and Jordan Griffin in her car and on foot from 12 Oaks to City Hall in the first Dump the Pump Challenge yesterday.  Frank got held up for a long time at the light at Bay and Bull, but still made it 7 minutes before the car driver, giving him plenty of time to freshen up for the press conference after the steamy ride in.  As the temps continue to rise, take a look at this post for tips on beating the heat for your bike commute.

Frank’s win again highlights the usefulness of the bike for short trips (this was a 4.2 mile race), and the hidden time in parking a car and walking to one’s destination, a very real addition of time for drivers especially in the downtown area. One thing not mentioned in the coverage (Mary Landers in SMN and the WJCL story) is that combining the first two modes — bike and bus — extends their range substantially, and presents another great option in our city where all the buses are equipped with bike racks.

Congratulations and thanks again to Frank!  Thanks to the City of Savannah and CAT for their help in promoting this event.

The race is on

Casually we suggested to some folks at CAT and the City of Savannah that a cool event might be to have a race from door to door between a bicyclist, a transit rider and an automobilist.  They loved the idea, and so it’s on for next Thursday, June 18 as a component of the local celebration of the national Dump the Pump day from the American Public Transportation Association.  The race will begin around 8:30am and finish at City Hall by 9am with a press conference.

The ground rules:

  1. Three will compete:  one is allowed use of CAT, one is allowed use of a bike, and one is allowed use of a car.
  2. Race is door to door from the Twelve Oaks Shopping Center to City Hall, approximately 4.2 miles
  3. All traffic rules (including the speed limit) must be followed.
  4. Car and bike must be parked legally before the finish.

We all know a bike is the healthiest, least polluting and cheapest option, but could it be the fastest as well?  What do you think will happen?

…here comes pride up the backstretch.

Annual Meeting June 23

Campaigners, come one and all for our annual business meeting on Tuesday, June 23.  Social begins at 5:30pm in our underground lair at Moon  River Brewing Company (21 W Bay St), and the business meeting will follow at 6:30.  We will elect the 2009-10 Board of Directors, and current paid members are eligible to serve and to vote (a great reminder to renew if you have not already).  We will also have a presentation of the year in review and a preview of the year to come.  We hope y’all can join us.

Please note that this represents a departure from our usual third Tuesday meeting schedule — this will be the fourth Tuesday, June 23.  As always, Moon River will let you bring your bike inside.

Jerry Jaycox Memorial Ride

Honor our friend Jerry who died on his bike this January with a ride tomorrow morning at 9am.  The 30 mile casual ride leaves from the Georgia Tech campus on Jimmy Deloach Parkway, and returns for food and drinks.

Jerry Jaycox

This is a co-hosted event of the Savannah Wheelmen and Coastal Bicycle Touring Club, two groups Jerry loved to ride with.  If you want a little extra, you can leave early with one of the following groups from town:

7:15 AM – Leave Habersham YMCA – David Udinsky will be leading
8:00 AM – Leave Gallery Espresso (pace of 20 mph needed to arrive on time)

Cycle, Recycle

Those within the Savannah and Tybee city limits have it easy.  That is to say, they have what many communities across the country have established in the last 20 years, curbside recycling.  Sure, there are facilities available for recycling for the motivated — collect and sort, load and drive, unload and drive home.  It’s an inefficient use of time and gas.  If instead, this were rolled into a regular service as it has been in Savannah, many more would use it.

Recycle Chatham has begun a petition that has already garnered 5,000 of the required 16,626 to place the measure on the ballot.  Though our organization is focused on bicycles, we see the value in this and our board has therefore endorsed the petition.  If  you live in Chatham County and are a registered voter, please take the (very short) time to go to the petition and make your voice heard in support of this measure.  Think of it this way:  your rides will then be free from all of those cars driving their recycling to the transfer stations!

Don’t forget: First Friday Bike Convoy

row-row-row-your-bike
If you missed Row Your Bike to Work Day (it was a bit of a gully washer, with lightning to boot on May 15), please join us this Friday, June 6 for our monthly group commute, the First Friday Bike Convoy.  Experienced riders will lead routes from Baldwin Park (Atlantic and 41st), Habersham Village, and Pierpont Circle in Gordonston into downtown.  The rides start at 8, and we’ll finish with coffee and some hanging out.

As for weather plans, check in at bicyclecampaign.org; for the latest — any call to cancel for weather will be made by 6:30am on the day of the ride.

Weather update:  It’s on like donkey kong.  Today’s ride will finish at Ex Libris, the SCAD bookstore on MLK near the Civic Center.  Inside is the local home of sponsor Jittery Joe’s who will again be treating participants to coffee this morning — enjoy!

Calling all cyclists

We need your help again. If you can make it out to the MPC at 110 E State Street tomorrow at 6pm, you can add the voice of cyclists to the long range transportation plan (LRTP) for Chatham County. This is a process required by federal law, and the session tomorrow night includes small group breakouts, with reports of each group. The more cyclists are there, the less we can be regarded as a fringe interest.

core-mpo

Some concepts we would like to see in the mix:

  1. Bicycle master plan: A suggestion of the Bicycle Friendly Communities program, we need a commitment to develop this at the MPC level, as an integrated project to evaluate both on road and greenways network for safe cycling access. Bridge access is lacking and hugely important. The plan must include targets and funding sources for infrastructure implementation from the MPO, the city and the county, though it should include descriptions for education and enforcement as well. The last time a bikeways plan was updated (2000), greenways and on-road bikeways were discussed separately, and only the report of the on-road bikeways was developed.
  2. Savannah to Tybee rail trail: We need funding to evaluate the old Savannah-Tybee rail corridor vs the US 80 corridor to establish a connection between Savannah and the islands. A study would allow local groups to begin the conversation with elected officials and possible donors/sponsors.
  3. Truman Linear Park Phase II: This is more a short term matter, and the county is committed to this project. We are awaiting final engineering from them and hopefully construction by the end of this year.

National Bike to Work Day/DtP Bike Convoy

Aloha, campaigners.  The big event for bike month is the National Bike to Work Day, Friday May 15.  This is a day where we welcome all comers into the wonderful realm of commuting by bicycle.  Savannah is particularly well suited for this, and hopefully some new faces will join us, elected officials and city staff for the Dump the Pump Bike Convoys.  Separate rides will leave simultaneously at 8am from Baldwin Park (Atlantic and 42nd), Habersham Village, and a fresh *NEW* location, Pierpont Circle in Gordonston.

btw-day

Jittery Joe’s, the ever percolating friends of cycling, will again provide coffee and breakfast treats at Davant Park, the south end of Colonial Cemetery.  We will also have some announcements there, including a celebration of Savannah’s newly minted honorable mention status in the Bicycle Friendly Community designations.  Please come and join in the fun!