With gas prices continuing to climb, we who tend to human powered transport have been getting more attention.  Take Sean Brandon’s mug on the cover of the Savannah Morning News yesterday.  Mary Landers gave the local bicycle community this boost on the front page, with a story about bicycle commuting that also highlights all of the great 2 wheeled things afoot:

Just this year, a bike co-op started. A few months later, a group of avid bike commuters kicked off a campaign to push for better bicycle facilities. In April, the city appointed a daily cyclist to a key city transportation position. Add soaring gas prices to the mix, and bikes are poised to take over their share of the city’s streets.

So having the city’s Parking and Mobility Director (Sean Brandon) as a sympathetic voice is nice, as is having the attention and support of the city manager and participation from the mayor and other elected city and county officials in our event and also this one.  As Sean says, though, it’s a slow process, and we will succeed only with measured and steady pressure to make change happen.

The City of Savannah is rolling out a new program to put more bike racks in public places. The first locations will be Johnson Square and Wright Square, and racks will accomodate bikes or scooters. Sean Brandon, the city’s Parking and Mobility Director, has asked us to help identify priority locations for racks. They will be the inverted U style racks as seen in this mock up of a post bike rack installation Johnson Square.

So, this begs the question, where do you need a rack to lock up?

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the May 18 Wheelie out at Grayson Stadium, Daffin Park, and Parkside. It was an eye opener for many folks who never knew the Police Memorial Trail existed. Now, if we could only get Phase II of the Truman Linear Park into construction (it’s been funded for years by SPLOST, but not yet out for bid by the county), one could take an off street ride from Lake Mayer to Daffin Park!

Grayson Stadium needs bike parking. This is not the first time a scene like this has appeared here. There is plenty of room for racks.

SATURDAY (not Sunday) June 14 brings the third installment of Savannah Wheelie, the social bike ride for Savannah from your friends here at Savannah Bicycle Campaign. The route this time includes the stunning lowcountry views of Wormsloe Plantation and Isle of Hope.

We’ll leave from the parking lot at Wormsloe Historic Site, 7601 Skidaway Road at around 11am. Saturday, June 14 works great, as this is a free day for Georgia State Parks, and therefore Wormsloe will be open to the public (and even us on bikes) at no cost! Stick around afterwards and bring a picnic!

UPDATE:  Check here for the Wormsloe Wheelie route — it’s a little over 6 miles, but you could shorten to 3 miles up and back the Wormsloe drive for the kids. For the more experienced riders, here is a 9 mile route from Forsyth Park to get to the start of the ride. As always, use your judgment and wear a helmet!

Join Patrick Booton, noted local cyclist, medical physicist and two time cancer survivor for his seventh annual Harvest of Hope Ride, October 18, 2008. It’s a double metric century (140 miles) that will take you from Savannah to Augusta, supporting the local cancer support organization Harvest of Hope.

Harvest of Hope Retreat to brings together childhood and adult cancer survivors and their extended families for a relaxing and educational retreat. The retreat provides an opportunity for families to share with their peers their experiences and to interact with oncology professionals in a safe and stress-free setting. The retreat is free to all participants and is open to cancer patients and their families in the community.

It’s a well supported ride, a wonderful cause, and a good reason to start training!

Following the Inaugural Wheelie on April 19, we have been steadily developing support in local government for our effort to improve bicycling here in and around Savannah. In particular, we have very positive feedback from the MPC, and now have City Manager Michael Brown interested in moving these initiatives forward!

From the May 8 City Council Minutes (see page 2):

City Manager Brown stated for the past two months, bicycling has been an ongoing topic with the Metropolitan Planning Commission’s MPO process. In the next thirty to sixty days, city staff will be reviewing all bicycle plans and routes. To dump the pump, there has to be a practical view of the safety and accessibility to the proper routes and the placement of the bicycle initiative. Mayor Johnson’s famous bicycle ride sparked communication. Now methods have to be created for the public to incorporate bicycling in a safe and expeditious manner or eliminate trips. As the City’s budget process approaches, city staff will present ideas for the enhancement and increase of bicycle usage.

Mayor Johnson’s Famous Bicycle Ride: The mayor is pictured here with County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis at the Inaugural Savannah Wheelie, April 19, 2008.

Many of your neighbors did. At the coffee break alone (Colonial Cemetery) last Friday, an estimated 60 people stopped by on their way to work using nothing but their own power. Considering that we were not on the route of a large number of other folks who might have taken alternative modes that day (I don’t work downtown), surely there were more.

Mary Landers covered what many city officials were doing that day to get to work. We would love to hear about you bike, pedestrian, or other alternative transportation experience — leave us a comment!

Welcome to National Bike to Work Week. It was a good start for morning riders today. A headwind if you were headed southbound like me, but nice and cool for a day in May.

If you need inspiration, check this track out from the interview Orlando Montoya of GPB did with us for the first Dump the Pump on April 18.

[audio:SBC GPB interview w.Orlando Montoya.mp3]

National Bike to Work Day is this Friday, May 16 (aka Dump the Pump II). I hope that everyone will get out to ride on Friday, or if not, carpool, walk, or take transit! Join us for the coffee break in Davant Park (south end of Colonial Cemetery, on Lincoln) from 7-9am!