Dump the Pump Convoys

As we mentioned recently, the City of Savannah is opening new bike racks all over downtown; the centerpiece is a set of racks on Bull Street at the intersection with Broughton in front of Panera Bread.

Mayor JohnsonMayor Otis Johnson, in his support for helping Savannah become a more Bicycle Friendly Community, is joining our first Dump the Pump Convoy, a group bike commute the morning of Friday, October 3, leading up to a 9am press conference to open the new bike racks.  The mayor’s group will meet in Baldwin Park at 8:15am and depart shortly after to meet up with a group meeting at 8am at Habersham Village.  The Habersham Village location is a good place to gather for people riding in from the south, and also for anyone who wants to drive part of the way and bike the rest.

Baldwin Park Convoy Route: 2.5 miles

Habersham Village Convoy Route: 3.3 miles

These first two convoys will be a way to introduce commuting by bike to people who might be interested but intimidated about riding to work, providing the opportunity to ride as a group and share the experience of more experienced riders.  We plan on organizing additional convoys for future Dump the Pump events.

The press event at 9am in front of Panera Bread will include coffee and light breakfast for bike commuters.

We’ll see you there!

GDOT is listening

What will they hear? Georgia DOT Commissioner Gena Abraham is on a listening tour of the state, and coming to our fair city Tuesday, September 23 at the Coastal Georgia Center from 4-7pm.

GDOT has hired a consulting firm to assist in this commenting process:

McKinsey and Company will be working directly with the Governor and the GDOT and GRTA Boards for input, guidance and direction to get a big picture view of our strategic plan for transportation in Georgia. In order to get the best possible view, we want you to show us your big picture! DOT Commissioner Gena Evans and GRTA Executive Director Dick Anderson will head out with members of our leadership team to listen to your vision of what Georgia’s transportation system should look like for the future.

We’ve selected 7 sites around the state for listening tours: Macon, Savannah, Dalton, Atlanta, Valdosta, Columbus and Augusta. We’ll take your feedback and suggestions and share them with McKinsey and Company and the entire leadership team so that your voice can be heard. We’ll also post snapshots of our meetings and the feedback we’ve received so that you can see what others are saying.

Your participation is key, because if we as bicyclists don’t speak up, the demands of developers, road builders and SUV drivers will be all they hear.

Tell them we want a statewide Complete Streets policy where bicycle, pedestrian and transit facilities are included in all new road projects. Tell them that widening roads to lessen traffic is like loosening your belt to lose weight. Tell them to regularly sweep debris from shoulders and bike lanes on state roads. Tell them that we need to prioritize alternatives like bicycles in this era of $4 gas and shrinking budgets for road construction.

Tell them next Tuesday at the Coastal Georgia Center from 4-7pm. Or, if you can’t make it, tell them online using this form. Better yet, do both!

Connect Savannah to Tybee

One of the stated goals of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign is to work toward the establishment of an off-road multi-use corridor connecting Savannah and Tybee.  About 6 miles of that old Tybee railway (on McQueen’s Island adjacent to the entrance to Fort Pulaski)  is already developed as a trail as noted in today’s Savannah Morning News:

The trail has a long history of conveying tourists and locals to and from Tybee. It was the 1887 railbed for the Savannah and Tybee Railroad Company, whose customers paid 20 cents to get to the beach from Savannah. It eventually operated as the Central of Georgia’s “Marsh Hen” run, which last ran July 31, 1933.

photo by Richard Burkhart, Savannah Morning News

The county is now working to fix the eroded sections of the trail in an environmentally responsible way that preserves the spartina grass — kudos to Chatham County, as we know this has been some time in coming.  With this section about to be reestablished, we should now focus our attention on the city owned piece of the old Tybee railway right-of-way along President Street.  The City of Savannah could get a jumpstart on making our city Thrive by developing their section into a multi-use path, and thus also take the next step toward making the Savannah to Tybee connection whole for nonmotorized users.

Also, if you want to help develop the eastern side of the trail (from the Fort Pulaski entrance to Lazaretto Creek), come out to Fort Pulaski for National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 27.

Calling all Commuters and Bike to Beer

Two things for you to ponder today:

1.  Tomorrow (Sept 16) is the third Tuesday, the second installment of Bike to Beer, 4-7pm:  those arriving by bike to Moon River get indoor bike parking, $3 drafts, deals on food, and did I mention indoor bike parking?

2.  Dump the Pump is coming back to Savannah Friday October 3, to correspond with the grand unveiling of a new set of on street bike racks at Bull and Broughton in front of Panera.   We are looking for commuters who would be interested in leading others from their neighborhood to the downtown area to finish at the new racks for a press conference at 9am.  There will be at least one such group commute from Ardsley Park/Chatham Crescent — let us know in the comments if you are interested in leading another.


New Bike Rack location is in yellow. Click for a larger map.

SBC member deals!

Many of you have asked, so if I join SBC, what’s in it for me?  You mean, besides the tax deduction and the satisfaction of knowing you support the ongoing improvement of bicycling conditions here in Savannah?  Besides direct support for bike education, building new facilities like those at Tom Triplett Park, and the public relations campaign to get more people on bikes more often?

Well, here you are — direct benefits to you!  Business members and sponsors Quality Bike Shop and the Bicycle Link and Perry Rubber Bike Shop offer 10% off accessories to SBC members.  Quality is also offering 5% off larger items like racks and bikes.

In addition, B Street Salon at Broughton and Price Street donates 10% of members’ bills to SBC — so when you go there, you will look great AND feel awesome supporting a better Savannah through bicycling.

If you have already joined, we thank you for your support.  If not, you can do so by paypal online or print this form and mail it in with a check!  Look for more deals to come from other bike friendly retailers — if you are one, please let us know and we can start sending you customers!

Adult Bicycling Education



Savannah Bicycle Campaign is bringing bike ed to Chatham County.  Our first project is a League of American Bicyclists Road I course taught by a League Certified Instructor who lives in Hilton Head — Beverly Perfect. The class will be given Saturday and Sunday, Oct 4 and 5, 12-5pm.

Our goal in this endeavor is to provide a basic set of skills to SBC members who will be willing to share what they have learned by developing and teaching our own adult bike education class.  We would expect to condense this into a shorter 1 day offering than the 10 hour League sponsored class.

Cost for this course to SBC members is $10 for the course manual, though if you want the certificate (a prerequisite to becoming a League Certified Instructor yourself), you will also need to join the League for an extra $35.

Space is extremely limited, so please contact Eve Seibert at schs92 {at} yahoo {dot} com ASAP if you are interested.

Wheelie On

The Wheelie rolls on, wider than a mile, with our September social, family friendly ride hitting the south end of Chatham County in Beaulieu and Burnside Island. We’ll start at 4 p.m. at the Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church at 10050 Ferguson Ave. Stick around afterwards and we’ll have some giveaways.
Moon River Wheelie
We’re after the same rainbow’s end—waiting ‘round the bend, so we may sneak a peak of Johnny Mercer’s house, my huckleberry friends. Moon River, Savannah Bicycle Campaign, and you!

Many thanks to Georgia Bike Law, Quality Bike Shop and Big H little h for their continued sponsorship!

Greenfest Pedal Cruise

We’re having back to back rides to start the school year.

Saturday, September 13, join us for the Greenfest Pedal Cruise in association with Greenfest, a festival celebrating organizations and businesses who promote sustainability, with local food, arts, and crafts.  Savannah Bicycle Campaign will be taking you on a Wheelie-style cruise through downtown and take off from Trustees Garden, 88 Randolph Street at around 5pm.  We will wind back to Cha Bella for the Greenfest bike in movie and afterparty at 6!  Come by our booth and sign up for the ride by 4:45, and please wear your helmet.
Greenfest Bike In Movie

A week later, Sunday September 21, Savannah Wheelie rolls on, this time at Burnside Island at 4pm.  More to follow on the next Wheelie tomorrow.