SPOOKY SPOKES

8 brave souls came out for courteous mass on Halloween eve and toured downtown and normaltown and 1 even rode in the parade.
Coming up:
Ride with us in the Athens Holiday parade and starting monthly again in the spring. If you are just looking to get comfy riding about town, we take it easy and safe and hope to see more of you out there soon!

Georgia Intermodal Leadership Summit

On October 22, BikeAthens Board members Anna Gore, Tracie Sanchez, and Amy Johnson attended the Georgia Intermodal Leadership Summit in Macon on a Friday. This Summit was coordinated by the Georgians for Passenger Rail, a statewide group focused on implementing and further developing existing passenger rail plans for our entire state. Topics of special note were:

FUNDING

• US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood emphasized in his speech to a room full of state legislators "Georgia better get its act together" (feds won't give funding without local matched commitments)
• HB277 (T-SPLOST) will likely generate $714 Million its first year
• T-SPLOST is necessary to fulfill funding losses from people driving less and paying less in gas tax, and it's multi-modal!!
• Focus is on alternate funding ideas and HB277 is a certainly a start; Dubose Porter insisted the 4th penny sales tax is the way to take existing money and reallocate it to transportation funding and to show the feds we have a plan!

BIKE/PED

• Richard Mendoza, Atlanta Public Works Commissioner (like our David Clark) said priorities should be on fixing existing infrastructure and diversifying mode investment (yeah to bike/ped!!) He referenced bikes and the recent Streets Alive event in Atlanta that attracted over 5,000 folks for cicolovia afternoon festival.

RAIL

• Athens Multi-Modal Transportation Center (future passenger rail terminal) got a shout out from Dubose Porter for being ready to go!
• GA road systems are excellent, but we've passed up huge federal funding for passenger rail and other modalities
• If we get passenger rail, the Macon - Atlanta line will likely be first recipient and is a perfect first project because the Ford plant closure has left the line much freer from former heavy freight use so its a perfect time to put passengers on the line.
• NC passenger rail story is a huge success and the result of decades of vision
• Major economic development benefits from passenger rail investment referenced
• Kudos to existing infrastructure which positions us best when applying for federal funding (including Athens Multi-Modal Center)

SEA

• The intermodal family of Georgia also includes sea & air and referenced the support for the plan to deepen Savannah's port 47 feet to accommodate freight once the Panama Canal opens and is deemed as a huge coup for the state if Georgia is ready; also of note is 90% of Georgians are now 2 hours from an airport according to Carol Comer, DOT Aviation Program Mgr
  

TAKEAWAYS

• Regional commissions will need to collaborate with other regions along rail corridors
• Strategies for making it happen: POLITICAL WILL, LEADERSHIP, and COLLABORATION

Let us know your thoughts on the Discussion listserv (discussion-l@bikeathens.com), and we'll pass that on to these state leaders. We will be meeting with the Board of Georgians for Passenger Rail again soon.

Sipprelle supporting BikeAthens nonprofit

BikeAthens recently named Cara Sipprelle as its administrator. Sipprelle will be responsible for general administration, membership coordination, event planning, bike map distribution and other activities.

Sipprelle recently earned her master's degree in anthropology from the University of Georgia, and served for two years as coordinator for the Southern Seed Legacy, a local organization dedicated to preserving the cultural and biological diversity of Southern agriculture. In this capacity, she was responsible for managing membership; recruiting and supervising volunteers; planning events; and coordinating communications for the organization.

Original story here: http://onlineathens.com/stories/101710/bus_721455087.shtml

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.