New York jumped on the bandwagon to opening its most extensive network of public space, the streets, or actually just a small portion of them, to bikes and pedestrians for 3 Saturdays this summer in a program called Summer Streets.  Forgetting for a moment that they chose August, why couldn’t we do this in Savannah?  Most of the north-south streets are untraveled by through traffic, so would it not be a fantastic idea to reopen our streets to Oglethorpe’s plan, to once again prioritize the slow traffic of pedestrians and bicycles?  For goodness sake, with all of the tourists walking on Bull Street, everyone else knows to drive elsewhere.  If we then opened it to a safe recreation corridor for weekends, locals and tourists alike could enjoy our city as it was designed to be enjoyed.  There are other extremely successful worldwide examples of this idea.

While we’re at it, why not throw in bike sharing?  It has worked famously for Paris and Barcelona, is imminent in Washington, DC, is testing in New York, and many other US cities are considering it.  Savannah’s downtown area, with improvements in signage and parking, and a dedicated southbound artery for bicycles, would be perfect for people to experience Savannah not through the framed walls of a car or trolley, but with the panoramic views and slower speeds allowed by bicycling.

So, Savannah needs to step to the table — we need to start a recreational corridor through the historic district free of cars, even if only for weekends, and start thinking about bike sharing.

This just popped up, so I don’t have details beyond the WTOC story here. Two cyclists riding on US 80 near the entrance to Fort Pulaski were struck and knocked off the road today. Rather unfortunately, the story also unnecessarily notes

Stephanie and Matt decided to ride on the road instead of the path designated for bikes.

Of course, by law, this is allowed. At least they followed with

“I was on a road bike and it’s not paved and it’s gravel and difficult to ride on it,” said Chiang.
“I’ve been told it was a white van and it’s missing the passenger rear view mirror and passenger head lamp,” said Chiang. “I hope they turn themselves in or someone find them because it’s not right to leave two kids when they have been hit by a car, not right at all.”

As a communtiy, we need to be on the lookout for this white van white Dodge Ram pickup (thanks to Aldo Nahed from SMN for the update) driver whose aggressive driving has left two in the hospital, both with vertebral fractures. Apparently the white Dodge Ram pickup is missing the passenger side mirror and a headlight. A driver who knowingly leaves the scene of an accident where a serious injury has occurred is guilty of a felony (see p17-18 of this guide, §40-6-270 (b)). This is where a community will test its ability to respond with enforcement. UPDATE: According to witness Jim Pedrick, this looked like an intentional act.

This also highlights a gaping hole in our bicycling infrastructure, namely the need for safe passage from Tybee to Savannah, with the worst stretch of the Tybee Road being where these cyclists were between the Bull River and Lazaretto Creek bridge. Rumble strips filling the shoulder and a 55 mph speed limit make that a particularly dangerous stretch of roadway. The fact that a rough gravel trail parallels a portion of this road is not relevant, unless that is transformed into a legitimate paved throughway with points of connection both east and west. Such a connection from Savannah to Tybee would be a destination unto itself for locals and visitors alike and would be a boon to both local economies. This stretch which is on the 2000 County bikeways plan as a suitable corridor (see Map 4-1 in this document), instead is a dangerous juxtaposition where the tons of steel traveling at 65 mph or more will always win.

It’s official. It was a success. Economic impact numbers show a 40% boost over last year. Thanks to TdG Executive Director Elizabeth Dewberry and Chairman Casey Cagle, our Lieutenant Governor, for putting together a great event here. We know next year will be even better, and with a little more lead time to plan and promote, Savannah and Tybee will come out in even greater numbers next year — let’s hope it comes back here!

Stage I Savannah Finish, photo by PhotoSport International/John Pierce

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.