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

Tour de Farm on CNN

Check out this great video coverage of the recent Tour de Farm, which several BikeAthens members helped coordinate:

Fixing southern sprawl

This video is part of an award-winning, six-part series called American Makeover and features many of the local thinkers, developers, and researchers who participated in this month’s Congress for New Urbanism’s conference in Atlanta. One of the participants was David Byrne, who was interviewed by Creative Loafing about bicycles, cities, and Atlanta.

Bike to Work Day 2010

Registration for Bike to Work Day is now available! Please click here to register for Bike to Work Day (5/21/2010). By registering, you are simply saying that you will/did Bike to Work on May 21st. If you plan on biking to work (or, after Friday the 21st, if you did), please register – it will allow us to compare past and subsequent BTW Day happenings.

WIN-WIN: Drink Terrapin, support BikeAthens

In addition to it being National Bike Month, May is also BikeAthens Month at the Terrapin Brewery!

BikeAthens will receive a portion of all souvenir glass purchases for brewery tours this month.

Terrapin is open to the public for tours and tastings every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Educational tours run at 6:00, 6:30 and 7:00.

No one admitted after 7:00pm, Last pour for tastings is at 7:30.

Souvenir glasses for tasting are $10 each. A portion of each glass sale support BikeAthens' programs and activities.

So check out Athens' only microbrewery, where you can sample some great beer and support transportation choices in one visit. Cheers!

May is National Bike Month!

You couldn't ask for better biking weather, and a host of events and circumstances are converging to shine a light on the many benefits of cycling.

For our part, we're hosting Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 21st. The pre-party will be at Jittery Joe's Roaster on the 20th from 4-7!

Also, we are the fortunate Charity of the Month at the Terrapin Brewery throughout May - take a tour, buy a souvenir glass, and support transportation choices! Be sure to stop by the brewery on Friday, May 7th, for our Bike Month kickoff party.

Get out there and ride, and get noticed!