CDC on Complete Streets

Ok. Time to collectively put down the chips and switch off the TV.

Such are the recommendations of this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the widely read public health journal of the Centers for Disease Control. Specifically, this issue of the MMWR outlines strategies for combating obesity from a local policy perspective, and wouldn’t you know it, many involve improving communities’ amenities and policies with respect to bicycles and pedestrians.

MMWR logoCDC logo

The article has also been summarized here by the National Complete Streets Coalition:

The suggested measure for communities to use is as follows:
Local government has a policy for designing and operating streets with safe access for all users which includes at least one element suggested by the National Complete Streets Coalition (http://www.completestreets.org).

This measurement assesses whether a community has a policy for all-user street design, such as the Complete Streets program. Specific elements of the measurement are based on Complete Streets policy.

The other recommendations include:

* Enhance infrastructure supporting walking.
* Enhance infrastructure supporting bicycling.
* Improve access to public transportation.
* Zone for mixed-use development.
* Support locating schools within easy walking distance of residential areas.

And another represents the way many communities are pursuing complete streets:

* Participate in community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity.

We could not agree more, and will continue to push for Complete Streets policies to be adopted by the county, MPO, cities and the state, not only for the public health benefit, but for the benefits to quality of life, economic development and safety.

Transportation Plan Comment Meeting

We need you again, campaigners!

The next public comment session on the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) update is scheduled for tomorrow, July 21 at 6pm at the MPC at 112 E State Street. The planners need to hear what we have been calling for early and often —

  1. Comprehensive Bike Master Plan including targets for completion and identified funding sources. This also needs to include both on road bikeways and off road multi-use paths, enforcement, evaluation, and education.
  2. Evaluation and update of bridge access for bicycles including, importantly, a look at safe access between Savannah and the Tybee beaches.

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Anything else that needs to be part of the process? Let us know in the comments!

Midnight Garden Ride Registration is Open

Sample the nocturnal sights and sounds of the streets of Savannah from behind your handlebars on the inaugural Midnight Garden Ride.

The Midnight Garden Ride is a non-competitive, nighttime charity bike ride through Historic Downtown Savannah, a fundraiser for the Savannah Bicycle Campaign! 6 and 12 mile options will wind through historic Savannah under the live oak canopy and a full moon — check out midnightgardenride.com for further details and registration!

Midnight Garden Ride GraphicDon’t let that be the end of your cycling weekend, either. Join hundreds of others for rides on Saturday morning, September 5 and Sunday morning, September 6 for the Savannah Century.

Start – The Distillery in Historic Downtown Savannah
Our ride begins and ends at the Distillery at W. Liberty St. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, a beautifully restored 1904 building opened initially as a whiskey distillery, now home to a new restaurant. The ride will begin at 8:00 p.m.

Goodies
* Shirt – the first Midnight Garden Ride T-shirt.
* Food & Fun – snacks & music at Midnight Snack Stops & the Good & Evil Party!
* Costume contest – prizes for best individual, best group theme, and best lighting.
* Raffle – for some amazing prizes!

So, if you love fun and you love bikes, register today — go to midnightgardenride.com!

A Roadmap to Bicycle Friendliness

As you all know, the City of Savannah has garnered an honorable mention in the most recent Bicycle Friendly Community ratings awarded by the League of American Bicyclists.  So, we’re not there yet, but we have a good start.

We now have the full feedback from the League, with suggestions from the local cycling community as well as experts in the field.  The full report is available here.  Some highlights:

Engineering:

  • Adopt a complete streets policy
  • Adopt and implement a comprehensive bike plan
  • Develop a designated east-west bicycling corridor
  • Develop a bridge access policy

Education:

  • Add educational message to utility bills
  • Continue to improve bicycling education opportunities for adults

Encouragement:

  • Consider a “Ciclovia” or “Summer Streets” event to open streets to nonmotorized users
  • Commuter challenge or bike to work pit stop for Bike to Work Week
  • Consider an ordinance to require larger employers to provide showers, bike parking, and other encouragement tools.

Enforcement:

  • Encourage police officers to use targeted enforcement to encourage motorists and cyclists to share the road, such as a tip card explaining each user’s rights and responsibilities.
  • Host Enforcement for Bicycle Safety seminar.

Evaluation:

  • Update the Bicycle Master Plan. The new plan should set targeted annual goals for implementation.
  • Continue to improve data collection methods on bicycle usage and crash statistics and evaluation of this data. Use this data to prioritize infrastructure upgrades or targeted enforcement efforts.

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.