Kudos again to Mayor Otis Johnson, Aldermen Larry Stuber and Mary Ellen Sprague, City Manger Michael Brown and dozens of others for joining our Dump the Pump Convoy on Friday as covered on the front page in today’s SMN. We had close to 50 on the short ride from Baldwin Park and Habersham Village, punctuated by the dedication of on street bike racks at Bull and Broughton.
As I mentioned at the press conference, the situation for bikes is good and getting better, though we have much still to do — specifically our highest priority, a southbound marked route out of downtown. We also need to start thinking about reconnecting the Savannah to Tybee rail corridor by a complete multi-use path. We will of course be addressing these issues when we get together with the city and the League of American Bicyclists at our upcoming (but not yet scheduled) BFC Workshop.
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle Transportation Forum
On the heels of GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle is coming to the Coastal Georgia Center on Fahm Street tomorrow (Wed, Oct 1) to discuss state transportation issues. If you want more alternatives in the mix like better facilities for bikes, please come out and let your voice be heard. It should be noted that Mr. Cagle as Chairman of Tour de Georgia understands the economic development benefits of increasing bicycling, so these comments will likely be welcomed.
From the Chamber:
Please plan to attend an important meeting with Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on Wednesday, October 1 from 11 a.m.-Noon in the auditorium at the Coastal Georgia Center. The purpose of this meeting is to hear from Lt. Gov. Cagle as he addresses statewide transportation issues. This is also a great opportunity to learn more about other issues important to our region and the rest of the state. The Coastal Georgia Center is located at 305 Fahm Street in Savannah’s Historic District. For more information, please contact Trip Tollison at 912.644.6422 or ttollison@savannahchamber.com or the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Planning Commission at 912.651.1440.
Chatham County Commission Candidate Forum
Great news to the local political process. Savannah Bicycle Campaign is partnering with Georgia Conservancy to host a Chatham County Commission Candidate forum on October 14 at 7:30 at the Coastal Georgia Center on Fahm Street.
Panelists Orlando Montoya of GPB, Jim Morekis of Connect Savannah, and Dionne Hoskins of Chatham County’s Resource Protection Commission will be asking the Chatham County Commission candidates questions regarding growth, transportation, land use and conservation. Please join us to hear from the people who will set policy for the county in the coming years and to prepare yourself for November 4.
SBC Board Meeting
Open to all, our next meeting of the Board of Directors is Monday, September 29 at 6pm at the American Legion on Bull Street.
The agenda is available here. We will be discussing the October 3 Dump the Pump Convoys, the Chatham County Commission candidate forum we are co-hosting with the Georgia Conservancy on October 14.
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 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!
Moon River/Burnside Island Wheelie
Burnside Island, we’re crossing you in style this Sunday. Come on out for the lowcountry beauty of Burnside Island. We’re starting at 4pm at Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church. 
Thanks to sponsor Quality Bike for donating the giveaways for the end of the ride. Thanks also to Georgia Bike Law and Big H little h for their continued support of the series!
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.
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!