Sharing the trail

Multi-use paths like the Truman Linear Park Trail and Police Memorial Trail are popular, but they can get congested and create issues with different modes of travel! It’s important to be courteous and for everyone to follow the same rules in order to have a safe and enjoyable time.

  • Be courteous & know the rules of the trail you are using.
  • Give a clear, audible signal when passing — bells or your voice are great!
  • Be cautious and yield to crossing traffic.
  • Stay to the right.
  • If you’re moving faster than the people in front of you, slow and wait for an opportunity to pass — don’t thread the needle.
  • Always be predictable — ride in a straight line, don’t weave across the trail.
  • Stay on the designated path.
  • Travel at a speed that allows you to watch for hazards as well as your surroundings.
  • Don’t blast your music. If you’re listening on headphones, make sure you can hear your surroundings or use one earbud.
  • Yield to more vulnerable path users. Bicyclists and skaters yield to pedestrians, pedestrians yield to those with young children or assistive devices.
  • If you’re riding in a group, move to a single file to allow oncoming traffic to pass.
  • If you are riding or walking while it is dark, be sure to use lights.
  • If you’re on the trail with your dog, make sure to keep it on a short leash. Retractable leashes are not recommended, as they can cause cuts and burns to both pets and people.
  • Keep it clean — whatever you bring in, bring out! If you notice a lot of trash or debris, call 311 or come out for a trail cleanup!

Our friends at The League of American Bicyclists have put together a great video overview below.

Virtual presentations scheduled for Canal District Master Plan

The City of Savannah is inviting the public to learn about the Canal District Master Plan by participating in one of three virtual meetings.

The Zoom meetings will take place on Wednesday, July 1, at 2 p.m., Tuesday, July 7, at 6 p.m. and Thursday, July 16, at 10 a.m.

If you are unable to attend one of these virtual meetings, please call 912-429-3364 or email planning@savannahga.gov for additional information on how to learn more about the Canal District Master Plan.

To register for the meetings, visit the following links:

Wednesday, July 1, 2 p.m.

us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtf–tqjwsGtfrUs62SrxN0AfWU4pAmenL

Tuesday, July 7, 6 p.m.

us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpcOyqqDgvE9O6lk9WtcUZxiIkkxuTqd-T

Thursday, July 16, 10 a.m.

us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEldumrpjgqE9xrvaS3U7zlRbZ4NSbh6ALZ

The Canal District is the City of Savannah’s premier planning and development initiative. Anchored by the new SPLOST-funded arena, the Canal District is located on the west side of Savannah near the intersection of Gwinnet Street and Stiles Avenue. The arena and surrounding district will be one of the largest projects the City has ever undertaken and presents the opportunity to create a vibrant new center of activity adjacent to Savannah’s downtown.

To better prepare for the area’s future growth and development, the City conducted multiple workshops and meetings to obtain feedback from the community and determine priorities for the area. This effort resulted in the Canal District Master Plan and accompanying Action Playbook, which will be presented to the City Council on July 23, 2020.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission also launched an online survey to gather feedback and comments on the proposed development. To participate in the survey, visit thempc.org and select the “Input on Savannah’s New Arena and Canal District Master Plan” link on the homepage. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete.

Advocacy Opportunity: NewZO to be voted on July 18

On Thursday, July 18, the proposed New Zoning Ordinance (NewZO) will go before City Council for adoption. Our current ordinance was adopted in 1960. The NewZO is more efficient, more transparent, and is more consistent both with today’s development patterns and our vision for future growth as expressed in the Comprehensive and Strategic Plans.

NewZo supports a more bikeable and walkable Savannah by promoting a healthy built environment. Please join us in supporting this critical update by contacting City Council. Email or call your representatives today and ask them to adopt NewZO on July 18.

To promote thriving neighborhoods, NewZO must promote mixed-use, promote diverse housing types and appropriate housing density, create a connected street network for all users by making Complete Streets our standard, and promote small scale development to support neighborhood stability and character. READ MORE HERE

NewZO Public Hearing this Thursday, June 20

Our current zoning ordinance is outdated and inefficient — after all, it hasn’t been updated since the 1960’s. And a lot has changed since then!

While it has been amended numerous times, it has never been overhauled to reflect the many changes that have occurred. It can be inefficient, redundant, confusing and contradictory among other concerns.

While NewZO isn’t perfect, it puts our community on a much better footing to increase affordable housing options, to reduce the prevalence of food desserts, to grow our local businesses, and (most importantly, we think) to create a bikeable and walkable Savannah.

Want to learn more about NewZO? Check out this video from the City of Savannah or read this article in the Savannah Morning News.

Whether or not you can attend this Thursday’s meeting, I urge you to write to your alderman.

Sample Language:

I live in District x (or neighborhood x). As a parent/resident/business owner/concerned citizen, I support the NewZO. It is far more efficient and clear than our current ordinance. With enCode, NewZO increases transparency. NewZO supports neighborhood goals like stability/reinvestment/livability.
 
NewZO is the result of broad community effort over more than a decade. Please support NewZO now. We cannot afford to wait.

If you are able to attend, please wear blue in support. City Hall is located at 2 E. Bay Street, and the meeting will begin promptly at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 20.

I’ll save you a seat!

Caila Brown
Executive Director

Celebrate the Lincoln St Bike Lane with a Ribbon Cutting on April 5

Spring has sprung and it’s a perfect time to bike to work on the newly painted Lincoln Street bike lane!

Join Bike Walk Savannah and City of Savannah Government on Friday, April 5 at 8:15 a.m. at 1301 Lincoln St to celebrate the painting and restriping of the Lincoln Street Bike Lane with a ribbon cutting.

We encourage you to ride your bike to the event and to make this a stop on your daily commute.

Snacks and drinks provided by The Sentient Bean.

For more information and to RSVP visit our Facebook event.

Scooter debate conveniently ignores autos — again

Originally published in Connect Savannah on Aug. 22, 2018.

LOCAL PROBLEMS and opportunities demand local solutions and initiatives. That’s one of the messages Ben Stone delivered to a gathering of 30 neighborhood leaders, government officials, and advocates Aug. 9 at Bull Street Labs.

Stone, director of arts and culture at Smart Growth America, and Emiko Atherton, director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, were invited to Savannah by Georgia Bikes, the statewide advocacy organization.

The meeting was designed to explore “the nexus between Complete Streets, creative placemaking, and designing culturally relevant places.”

Read the full article in Connect Savannah. 

Walk, ride your bike or take the bus to Parking Matters open house meetings on March 3 and 4

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The Parking Matters Plan is a collaborative effort between the CORE MPO, through the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission and the City of Savannah. Public open house meetings will be held on Thursday, March 3, from 4-7 p.m. (Presentation at 6 p.m.) at the Holiday Inn Express, 199 Bay Street and on Friday, March 4, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Presentation at Noon) at the Metropolitan Planning Commission, 112 E. State St.

Improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is a key part of the Parking Matters plan, so please make plans to attend one of the meetings to emphasize the critical need for investment in safe facilities for walking and bicycling. It’s critical for leaders to hear from citizens who travel by bike. More information is available on the Parking Matters website.

Savannah Bicycle Campaign will give free bike light sets to anyone who arrives by bike, Healthy Savannah will give free pedometers to people who walk to the meetings, and Chatham Area Transit will have bus passes on hand for people who take transit.

The plan is intended to:

Identify the existing conditions with regards to parking supply and demand in greater downtown

Incorporate feedback and suggestions for improving existing parking and transportation mobility options in Savannah from members of the community

Develop strategies for Downtown Savannah’s parking and transportation system that bolster economic development, provide mobility options, and enhance the overall quality for life for residents, employees, and visitors alike.

Public meeting attendance, comments show strong opposition to Forsyth Park bike ban proposal

forsythforall

Thanks to you, the City of Savannah appears to be putting the brakes on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit people 12 and older from riding bikes anywhere in Forsyth Park. After our Forsyth for All ride arrived at the Civic Center at 6 p.m. on Jan. 14, dividers were removed to expand the room and accommodate the crowd, which was clearly much larger than officials had expected.

cailaWe appreciate everyone who attended the meeting to show support for safe cycling in Forsyth Park and everywhere else in Savannah. Of the dozens who offered comments, only three expressed support for the ordinance. We have not yet completed a thorough review of the comments submitted through the city’s website, which were provided to us on Jan. 13, but an initial evaluation indicates only a small fraction of the more than 400 comments received were in favor of the bike ban.

The meeting was covered by the Savannah Morning News (Opposition rolls out against Savannah’s Forsyth Park bike ban proposal), WTOC-TV (Battle of the Bikes: Meeting held to discuss proposed ban at Forsyth Park and WJCL-TV (Cyclists fight proposed bike ban).

chadBy the end of the meeting, officials reframed the meeting and ordinance as the beginning of discussions about how to improve safety and access. City officials heard loud and clear what those who ride know all too well: Savannah’s bicycle infrastructure has not kept pace with demand and conditions are not safe for many residents and visitors who ride for recreation and transportation. Our city has the highest bike commuting rate in Georgia and is becoming a major bicycle tourism destination, yet of the nearly 700 miles of streets within the city limits, fewer than 20 are equipped with bicycle lanes that meet current standards. The creation of a city bicycle and pedestrian coordinator position, which was mentioned by Citizen Office Director Susan Broker, would be one positive step toward improving conditions for walking and bicycling in Savannah.

It’s too early to declare victory as city staff could still recommend the ordinance for approval by the mayor and city council. We will continue to monitor the situation closely as a report is prepared for the city manager. Your Savannah Bicycle Campaign remains committed to working with city officials, neighborhood organizations, businesses and other institutions to develop and implement sensible strategies for making our streets and other public spaces safe, friendly and accessible to everyone.

Thank you to Susan Broker for facilitating the meeting, and to Savannah city council members Carol Bell, Bill Durrence, Brian Foster, Van Johnson and Julian Miller for attending. And thank you to everyone who demonstrated that Savannah’s cycling community is organized, informed, engaged and insistent on improving and expanding our active transportation network for the benefit of everyone in our city. If you are not already, please become a member today. Your support is critical to our mission of making Savannah better for bikes.

Public meeting on proposed Forsyth Park bike ban set for Jan. 14, Forsyth For All ride planned

forsythpark

The City of Savannah is hosting a public meeting on a proposed ordinance, which would prohibit people 12 and older from riding bicycles in all areas of Forsyth Park, on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Savannah Civic Center. The ordinance, if passed, will deny access to the thousands of people who ride responsibly though the park each week. The city has offered no plans for providing safe alternative routes for people who will be displaced by the ordinance. In 2013 the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department evaluated calls for increased enforcement against people on bikes and recommended against it.

The meeting format will be a formal presentation and followed by questions and answers, and an opportunity for the community to ask questions, comment, and provide recommendations on the revisions proposed to the ordinance.

If you plan to make comments at the meeting, here are some suggestions:

1. The meeting will be facilitated by Susan Broker of the Citizen Office. Please don’t take out any frustrations on her. She’s simply doing her job.
2. Explain how you use the park and how the proposed ban will affect you. Be passionate, but professional.
3. Offer specific suggestions on how to improve safety in our park and on our streets.
4. Thank city officials for providing this opportunity to talk about this important issue.

The bike ban has received recent media coverage:

Savannah Morning News (Dec. 17) Savannah officials consider Forsyth Park bike ban
Savannah Morning News (Dec. 19) Bikes in Forsyth Park: Go slow on bike ban
Savannah Morning News City Talk (Dec. 21) Proposed bike ban will hurt police effort
Connect Savannah News Cycle (Dec. 30) Bike ban in Forsyth: Blunt tool when precision needed
Savannah Morning News City Talk (Jan. 12) City schedules bike ban meeting

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign opposes the ban and has called on the city to find reasonable solutions that improve safety in the park and nearby streets, while preserving access to all. Please make plans to attend the meeting. If you are unable to attend, please contact your elected officials directly to let them know how the ban will affect you.

Forsyth For All

Join us at 5:30 p.m. at north end of the park (intersection of Bull and Gaston streets) and we’ll roll to the meeting together on the Forsyth for All ride. We need people to speak up about how the ordinance will affect them and urge city officials to find sensible solutions to improve safety in the park and on nearby streets, while preserving access for all. We’ll have some special gifts to help you show your support for active transportation in Savannah. Please join the Facebook event to let us know you’re riding.

Helmets are strongly encouraged. The meeting is scheduled to last until 7 p.m., so don’t forget your bike lights. If you can’t ride with us, please meet us there!

Proposed ordinance will ban people on bikes from Forsyth Park, push them onto dangerous streets

forsyth park riders

Fun, healthy family activities like the one depicted in this photo, which is used by Visit Savannah to promote our city, could soon be illegal (at least for the adults in the photo).

A proposed city ordinance would expand the current “dismount” zone in Forsyth Park to prohibit anyone over 12 from riding a bike anywhere in the park.

The proposed ordinance revision is to eliminate all foot propelled vehicles (such as bicycles, unicycles, tricycles, quadricycles and skateboards) from being operated on all walkways, sidewalks and pedestrian thoroughfares in and around Forsyth Park. The only exception would be children less than 12 years of age when supervised by an adult, provided they yield to pedestrians.

The ordinance is being proposed without offering any convenient, safe alternative routes for people on bikes. As a result, many people will attempt to use Whitaker and Drayton streets, which are dangerous to bicyclists and pedestrians because of car and truck traffic, often traveling at speeds over 40 m.p.h.

More information and an opportunity to offer comments are available on the City of Savannah website. Please take a moment to let City of Savannah officials know what you think of this ordinance.

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign remains committed to working with city officials, neighborhood associations, businesses owners and other partners to find long term solutions that improve safety in the park and on nearby streets. Making Whitaker and Drayton streets safe for all users should be the primary and immediate goal.

Public comment will be accepted on the City’s website through Jan. 5, 2016.  A public meeting will be scheduled for mid-January to gather more feedback.

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