Today is for Riding #3: Billy J.

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign is featuring people who ride their bikes for work, play — and everything in-between. They may ride rain or shine, or they may hit two wheels on the weekends. But no matter what, they know what they love about riding in Savannah — and what can be improved.

Follow along on our blog and our Instagram account as we share some top shots they’ve taken from behind their handlebars, their favorite things about riding in our beautiful city, and their hopes and dreams for the future of bicycling in Savannah.

Interested in sharing your story? Email info@bicyclecampaign.org.

After all, #TodayIsForRiding.

Dr. Billy Jamerson started riding a bicycle as a child growing up in downtown Savannah.  Taking a break to begin his dental career and raising a family, he forgot about the joy and fun of cycling. In fact for several years, he didn’t cycle at all!

Then about six years ago, his daughter Beth encouraged him to start walking around Lake Mayer. This led to faster walking and eventually running.  Along the way while recovering from plantar fasciitis he rediscovered the childhood joys of cycling Savannah. He often rides several times a month between ten and fifty miles each ride.

“Cycling is a great way to stay young and ride like you did when you were a kid — but this time in spandex! Its like being forever young.”

What are your favorite rides? 1) Slow ride on Washington Avenue to Habersham downtown around the downtown squares on a lazy Sunday morning onto Burnside Island pass Isle of Hope, Wormsloe and Bethesda. 2) Enjoying the early morning sun rise and late evening sunsets. 3) Discovering new rides in distant cities offer great ways to tour and see the world. 4) Riding with groups of cyclists over greater distance.

Billy says… Savannah with its mostly flat terrain is geographically easy to ride.  The streets downtown offer a perfect way to exercise and enjoy the innate beauty of the parks punctuated with centuries old trees.   The flow of tourists, students and locals scurrying around makes downtown an effervescent magnet for pedestrians appreciating the areas deep and rich history. Each day the dynamics change and are never the same.  The outlying county is also mostly flat offering excellent coastal views and intimate retreats with nature.

What could be improved? Savannah’s original historic street design offers an excellent plan to stimulate biking and pedestrian safety. 1) Establish a safe network of trails or routes to interconnect different parts of county.  2) Construct strategic routes downtown with protected cycling lanes. 3) Join cities like Atlanta, Columbus, and Athens committed to paths, trails and complete streets safer for pedestrians, runners and cyclists alike.  4) Become a leader in decreasing accidents and slowing vehicular traffic downtown to promote a safer and more fluid movement of people.

Today is for Riding #2: Jen, @jen_colestock

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign is featuring people who ride their bikes for work, play — and everything in-between. They may ride rain or shine, or they may hit two wheels on the weekends. But no matter what, they know what they love about riding in Savannah — and what can be improved.

Follow along on our blog and our Instagram account as we share some top shots they’ve taken from behind their handlebars, their favorite things about riding in our beautiful city, and their hopes and dreams for the future of bicycling.

Interested in sharing your story? Email info@bicyclecampaign.org.

After all, #TodayIsForRiding.

Our next feature is on bicycle rider extraordinaire (and former New Standard Cycles program manager) Jen Colestock. Jen shares photos of her daily life and commute in Savannah in addition to her long-distance travels on her account @jen_coleslaw. Recently she completed a 2-day ride from Atlanta to Savannah that took her through 26 degree mornings, a 6500 foot elevation change and a frozen camelback over the course of 250 miles.

Jen says… what I love about biking to work is the sounds and smells of the city. I’ve had commutes that led me past coffee roasters, herbal and floral community gardens, music venues and street musicians. I’ve had commutes home during the summer where I’ve ridden through sprinklers. And almost every single commute I ride with or pass people I know.

What could be better? I think that the city has taken some measures for cyclists, like creating a few bike lanes, but those of us that depend on bikes as our sole form of transportation can easily get stuck in the downtown area. It takes a lot of experience and confidence to feel comfortable braving the choke points of Savannah’s infrastructure, where cyclists are forced on busy highways or under underpasses to get to or from work. I look forward to seeing projects like the East Coast Greenway and the Truman Greenway come into being.

Interested in sharing your story? Email info@bicyclecampaign.org.

Today is for Riding #1: Gordon, @SavannahBikeCommuter

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign will be doing a new feature on people who ride their bikes for work, play — and everything in-between. They may ride rain or shine, or they may hit two wheels on the weekends. But no matter what, they know what they love about riding in Savannah — and what can be improved.

Follow along on our blog and our Instagram account as we share some top shots they’ve taken from behind their handlebars, their favorite things about riding in our beautiful city, and their hopes and dreams for the future of bicycling.

Interested in sharing your story? Email info@bicyclecampaign.org.

After all, #TodayIsForRiding.

“Waiting, waiting, waiting…”

Our first feature is on SBC Volunteer of the Year Gordon Parks. Gordon shares photos of his multi-modal bike and ferry commute under the account @SavannahBikeCommuter, where he rides from South of Forsyth to across the Savannah River. His daily posts demonstrate the need for better, more connected facilities in our community — especially for those approaching areas like Bay and River Streets.

Gordon says: “I enjoy riding my bike to work because it allows me to see Savannah unobstructed by car/truck side pillars, windshields, or roofs. In a car or truck there are so many distractions and I have to be on the watch out constantly for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles. When I’m on a bike I get to relax my use of visual sense and use more of my hearing and sense of smell.”

“It allows me to take in the beauty and uniqueness of Savannah that you miss from a vehicle.”


What does Gordon wish for? “I would love to see all of the Lincoln St. bike lane re-paved and protected… and some smoother ramps or walkways down to River St. A smoother multi-use path on the right or left of each ramp would go a long way. Many times I watch parents with strollers trying to make their way down…most of the times they pick their kids up out of the stroller to prevent the cobble stones from jarring them awake.”

Interested in sharing your story? Email info@bicyclecampaign.org.

Celebrate National Bike to Work Day with a commuting convoy and free coffee

SBC_15_BikeToWork_FacebookFriday, May 15 is National Bike to Work Day. To celebrate the occasion in Savannah we are organizing a bicycle commuting convoy. We’ll meet at Hull Park at 7:45 a.m. and ride north at 8 a.m. We’ll also be offering free coffee generously donated by the Foundery Coffee Pub  and snacks from Whole Foods Market Savannah to bicycle commuters at the corner of Lincoln and Henry streets, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Whether you ride with the convoy or on your own, please stop by.

Celebrate Bike to Work Day May 16 with free coffee, snacks and CAT Bike rental

biketoworkFriday, May 16 is National Bike to Work Day. To celebrate the occasion in Savannah we are organizing a bicycle commuting convoy. We’ll meet at Hull Park at 7:45 a.m. and ride north at 8 a.m. Here’s the facebook event, if you want to join or invite others. We’ll also be offering free Foxy Loxy coffee and snacks from Whole Foods Market to bicycle commuters at the corner of Lincoln and Henry streets, beginning at 8 a.m. Whether you ride with the convoy or on your own, please stop by.

CAT BIKEOur friends at Chatham Area Transit are getting into the Bike to Work Day spirit, too, by offering free 24-hour memberships to CAT Bike on May 16! Enter the promo code 0516 at the kiosk or “biketowork” online  to redeem your free membership! That’s not all! Post a picture of yourself on a CAT Bike on Chatham Area Transit’s Facebook or Twitter page to enter a drawing for a free annual membership.

Try bicycle commuting with us on March 28

UPDATE: Due to the thread of rain, this event has been postponed. Stay tuned for the announcement of a new date.

Do you live in Ardsley Park, Chatham Crescent, Parkside or nearby neighborhoods? Do you work north of Victory Drive? Perhaps you’ve considered riding your bike to work, but were unsure how to cross Victory and ride to your workplace.

We have the solution!

On Friday, March 28 we are reviving our 2 Wheels 2 Work bicycle commuting event with a bicycle convoy leaving from Tiedeman Park, on the north side of the Savannah Arts Academy, and traveling all the way to Bay Street. Ride with us the entire time, or peel off when we near your workplace. The ride will leave at 8 a.m., but bicycle commuters are welcome to enjoy coffee from Foxy Loxy Print Gallery and Cafe and breakfast snacks from Whole Foods Market beginning at 7:30 a.m. Please let us know you’ll participate by joining the Facebook event.

Do you want us to bring 2 Wheels 2 Work to your neighborhood? Let us know!