Georgia Bikes! Inaugural Summit

Georgia Bikes Summit 2010
On October 9 BikeAthens members Tracie, Amy, Mike, and Jeff attended the inaugural bike summit in Savannah over the weekend. The keynote speaker was League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke who gave a super pep talk about how advocacy isn't rocket science and we are doing it right...and to keep on keeping on. USDOT Sec Ray Lahood made a surprise video appearance and spoke directly to Georgia. A few of the dozen topics covered were:

• Connecting the DOTs - Working with transportation agencies and planners
• Broadening the Community of Cyclists
• State of GDOT update
• Effecting Public Policy with Multi-Use Trails
• Building a Bicycle-Friendly Community, The Case for Complete Streets
• Designing and building All-Weather Mountain Bike Trails

Attendees enjoyed a meet and greet at 2 local, bikeable establishments and a Sunday morning 10-mile bike ride/tour around downtown Savannah.
Please visit http://www.georgiabikes.org for a full recap of the event, plus powerpoint slides for most of the breakout sessions, and a photo slideshow.

FYI: BikeAthens was just selected to host the 2nd Georgia Bike Summit in fall 2011! We'll keep you posted.

cLips of Faith Beer & Film Tour

BikeAthens is partnering with New Belgium Brewing Co. to put on the cLips of Faith Beer & Film Tour one week from today, on Friday October 1st in downtown Athens! This is a fundraiser for BikeAthens, and we'd appreciate your support! Here's the skinny:

Time: 6:30-9:30pm
Place: Hot Corner (Washington & Hull area)
Details: Short films will begin at dark, and beer tastings will continue throughout! Folks are encouraged to bike (or walk or bus it) downtown. BikeAthens' monthly Courteous Mass ride will also be happening that evening, the route ending at the cLips of Faith location...why not do both?

We're also looking for a few more volunteers to help make the event run smoothly...New Belgium will treat you well in exchange for your time & effort :) Check out our HandsOn Northeast Georgia event page for info on how to volunteer.

BikeAthens is hiring!

The BikeAthens Board of Directors is currently seeking applicants for the Administrator position. If you're an organized individual who is passionate about transportation choices, visit www.bikeathens.com for a complete job description and application details!

Bike Lane Presence = Increased Pedestrian Safety?

Well, at least in NYC it does - decreasing the likelihood of a pedestrian fatality by a whopping 40%!

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

This Sunday, August 22nd from 1-4 pm, shop for a fully refurbished bicycle - proceeds benefit BikeAthens!

WHERE: BikeAthens' Bike Recycling Shop in the Chase St Warehouse.

There will be bikes for all types and all types of bikes. Prices will range from $100 to $500. Accessories and parts also available.

Photos of available bikes.

Afterwards, join BikeAthens as we celebrate a year's worth of accomplishments from 5:30-8pm at ATHICA. There will be light food and drink and plenty of good company.

Hope to see you there!

David Mack's comics

Local artist David Mack makes comics about Athens, published weekly in Flagpole.

Check out his site here.

A few of his bike-related pieces are below. Enjoy!

Large study on transit use in metro Atlanta

From the AJC:

After a major study, the Atlanta Regional Commission knows a lot more about who takes transit in the area and why. But the numbers, released Thursday, also beg the question: As the Atlanta region prepares for a referendum on funding regional transportation projects, is there really demand for regional mass transit?

While the ARC does not plan for Athens-Clarke or its surrounding counties (MACORTS does all that), its decisions will certainly affect us, especially as they relate to regional rail and other transit options.

I'm with MARTA CEO Beverly Scott on the crux of the issue:

"Part of the problem you’re looking at now is chicken and an egg," she said. With service that is more frequent, faster, more integrated and more convenient, "[transit ridership] numbers absolutely would go up."

In cities that have well-planned networks of user-friendly inter-city rail, intra-city light rail, subways, buses, trolleys, and shuttles, people absolutely use them.

Connect these transit options to walkable, bikeable, and otherwise transit-oriented communities, and you've got yourself a sustainable place worth living in and visiting.

1st annual Georgia Bike Summit

Please mark your calendar -- Georgia Bikes! will host the first ever Georgia Bike Summit in Savannah on Saturday, Oct 9, 2010!

This gathering will set the stage for new statewide gains in bicycling by

1. networking cycling advocacy leaders from across the state
2. educating and empowering cycling advocates
3. identifying common cycling/transportation issues facing our local communities, and
   
4. setting the priorities for Georgia Bikes' efforts in 2011.

We look forward to seeing you there!

More details will be forthcoming on this event soon, but please pass this along your networks and look for details soon on how to register.

Leaving all that oil behind

From Grist :

10 ways cities and towns can kick the offshore-oil habit

No suprises here - these solutions have been known for quite a while. Build densely and in ways that fully accomodate a wide range of transportation choices. In other words, build places that are walkable, bikeable, and transit oriented.

When we create places that can only be accessed and traversed by private automobile, surprise! - we become desperately car (and thus oil)-dependent.

Demand a more livable future, not only for your own neighborhood, but for the thousands of people, and other creatures, that your daily decisions and errands impact.

Perdue signs T-=SPLOST bill

Full story