Rummage Sale a Success!

Yesterday's Bike & Rummage Sale was a huge success!

Thanks to all who volunteered and to all who supported our work through your purchases. We hope you enjoy your bikes & accessories!

Slide show below:

Map my Ride

Here's a nice online service, MapMyRide.com, which lets you "Draw your rides, calculate mileage, count calories, share with friends, and much more!"

Thanks to Charlie for the heads up.

Rummage Sale Reminder

Come by the BRP shop this Sunday, from 10-4:30 to check out our Recycled Bike & Rummage Sale.
We have a wide selection of bike parts, accessories, scooters, skate board accessories, and more.
Plus, we've got a great selection of fully refurbished commuter bicycles. See the bikes for sale here:

BRP_Bikes for sale

Another hit-and-run

News on yet another pedestrian hit by a car that fled the accident:

A 15-year-old East Athens girl remained hospitalized Thursday, a day after she became the third pedestrian run down by a hit-and-run driver this month in Clarke County.

May this young woman recover quickly from her injuries.

What the hell is going on out there?!

Drivers: you are not the only users of the streets and roads. Watch for pedestrians and cyclists, slow down, and, for the love of God, don't drink & drive.

Cyclists & pedestrians: Stay visible and vigilant- be careful out there.

Cyclist run down by robbers

ABH reports on a harrowing robbery attempt in northwest Athens:

A bicyclist was injured in northwestern Clarke County Tuesday night, when a car ran him down, then two men and a teen in the car tried to rob him, Athens-Clarke police said.

The man ran away on Old Jefferson Road, and the would-be robbers sped off.

They were arrested soon after when officers stopped their car near Whitehead and Tallassee roads, according to police.

Thankfully, the victim was not seriously injured.
The same cannot be said, sadly, for many other Athenians in the past month.

Perdue supporting light rail..?!

Very surprising, and exciting, news from the AJC's Business Insider blog:

After six years of inaction on transit, Gov. Sonny Perdue surprised the state when he pledged his full support for a pilot commuter rail line from Atlanta to Lovejoy and Griffin, as well as for a substantial increase in the state’s X-Press bus program.

So what happened? Why did the governor do a complete 180 and decide to take a leadership role on an issue that has been driving some people crazy?

That issue is traffic. That issue is a lack of state funding for transit. That issue is the limited options people have to get around in our region and state other than in a car.

Those are not new issues. Leaders in metro Atlanta have been pushing for transportation solutions, including commuter rail, for decades.

Until now, no amount of begging or pleading seemed to get Gov. Perdue’s attention, much less his leadership.

Yet, last Thursday, there was the governor holding a news conference with all the transportation players in his office, speaking words that regional and state leaders have wanted to hear throughout his administration.

“Let’s move out aggressively,” Perdue said. “Once I’ve made up my mind, I’m usually impatient.”

...

There are stories of key events that helped change the mindset of the governor and other state leaders.

In January, GDOT board members and other state transportation folks took a trip to Chicago, Boston and New York to see commuter rail in action.

On that trip, [DOT board member] Kulke told fellow board member Robert Brown: “We are 100 years behind.”

Ye gods!
Shocking tales of delayed recognition!

I hope this turnaround is sincere and will translate into the rapid development of light rail in our state, with a line from Athens to Atlanta (the "Brain Train") high on the list of projects to finish first. We've already made significant progress to be ready for this. The Multi-Modal Center was sited with a commuter rail line in mind.

Keep your fingers crossed and the pressure on!

Here's information on our state representative and senator to help with that pressure bit.

Rummage & Bike sale!

To raise funds for our Bike Recycling Program, we are hosting a Rummage & Bike Sale on Sunday, June 29th, from 10-4:30 at the BRP shop.

All bikes will be sold "as is" for $150 each (or best offer). A slideshow of the available bikes is below:



We hope to see you on the 29th!

Dealing with gas prices

From the Chicago Tribune.

Thanks to Clint for sharing.

Another fatal accident

The ABH reports on another fatal hit-and-run that occurred on Saturday on Commerce Rd.

Police are searching for the driver of a vehicle who fled the scene after fatally striking a woman Saturday night as she walked on the northbound shoulder of Commerce Road with her 3-year-old son.

Nayaskeika Cooper, 19, was only 200 feet from her driveway, just south of Pinefield Way, when the driver of the unknown vehicle struck her on her left side about 9:10 p.m. and knocked her into a ditch, Athens-Clarke police said.

It's so senseless. How can someone blithely strike a human being with an automobile and continue driving along? Why are we forcing people to walk on a "shoulder" instead of a safe and accessible sidewalk?
Words fail.

Our thoughts & prayers are with Ms. Cooper's son and her family.

Time lapse video of BRP

BRP volunteer Ben Jones shot & produced this time lapse video of last night's work session: