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This past weekend, pedestrian and bicycle advocacy leaders gathered in Columbia, South Carolina, for the Alliance’s final Winning Campaigns Training of 2011. The 13 participants — from universities, government agencies, and traditional and non-traditional advocacy organizations — created six campaigns that affirmed their commitment to dramatically improve walking, biking, and livability in their local communities.

“This training has been life-changing for me, giving me the courage to actively engage in change,” Valerie Marcil, from the Columbia Bike / Ped Advisory Committee, said.

Three campaigns created at the training will focus on projects in South Carolina, including:

• A statewide design guidance change to improve accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians
• A plan to improve standards and policies at the South Carolina Department of Transportation
• The implementation of a city art/bike rack program in Columbia

Maryland participants will work to close the gaps in their trail network, while Georgia advocates will push for a state-wide complete streets policy and the establishment of a community bike shop in Savannah. According to Brent Buice, Executive Director of Georgia Bikes: “This training gave us not only an actionable plan for a specific advocacy goal, but also the knowledge for achieving future goals.”

The workshop helped participants learn the process and planning necessary to win campaigns, and it also offered opportunities for attendees to connect and build peer relationships. Some chose to go on a walking tour through the city, while others chose to take a bike ride through Columbia’s beautiful neighborhoods. Whether having dinner with some great discussion, or even kicking back to take in some local football on Saturday night, there were plenty of opportunities for leaders to get to know each other and share their experiences.

“We often talk about the power of partnerships, and this weekend was no exception,” Rachael Bronson, the Executive Director of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, wrote on her organization’s blog. “The training truly would not have been possible without the many partners and sponsors involved — and the projects developed will not be a success without such future collaboration.”

Click here for a few photos from the event.

A big shout out to our host, Palmetto Cycling Coalition, our national training sponsors, and local sponsor champions: Hawley, Earth Fare, Abacus Planning Group, Outspokin Bicycles, and Cycle Center.

The Alliance already has our Winning Campaigns Trainings mapped out for 2012. Be sure to check them out and reserve your spot today.

Bicycling advocates in Georgia have another reason to celebrate during this year’s National Bike Month. On May 11th, Governor Nathan Deal signed into law HB 101, commonly referred to as the “Better Bicycling Bill”.

This law includes several improvements to bicycling safety. Most notable is the inclusion of a 3 foot passing requirement – a late addition to the bill - which mandates that vehicles allow at least 3 feet of space when passing cyclists. The passage of HB 101 adds Georgia to a list of at least 19 additional states that have adopted 3 foot passing laws.

Senator John Albers added the 3 foot requirement after being inspired by testimony from Kathy Serrano, whose husband was killed when a car struck his bike in 2004. Albers’s goal in tacking on the 3 foot mandate is to educate drivers so they will know what to do when encountering cyclists.

Drew Wade, Georgia Bikes’ Board President applauds HB 101’s passage, stating. “This measure is the culmination of years of hard work by advocates from across the state,” he said. “It’s a huge achievement that modernizes our code to create safer conditions for bicyclists and motorists.”

The law will go into effect on July 1, 2011.

To read about the ongoing efforts of biking advocates in Georgia, check out the Georgia Bikes blog.

There’s quite a bustle with bicycling laws in the Georgia State Capitol this legislative season.

A lot is at stake for bicyclists in Georgia, and our members at Georgia Bikes! and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, along with other local and state advocates, are keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Three bills are currently in the works.

First is HB101, otherwise known as the “Better Bicycling” bill, which passed the Georgia House of Representatives just last week.  This bill contains a number of provisions, and most notably defines bike lanes for the first time in Georgia. It also gives cyclists the right of way when biking in bike lanes and makes it illegal for cars to park within the boundaries of the bike lane. The bill also addresses helmet use. Currently, all bicyclists ages 15 and younger are required by law to wear a helmet. However, because helmets are not specifically made for infants (those under one year of age), this bill makes it illegal to transport children under the age of one by bicycle.

Second, Georgia is trying to follow suit of 16 states by passing a 3-foot passing law. HB180, which requires a minimum safe passing distance of 3 feet, was not enacted last year because it hindered cyclists’ rights to ride two abreast. This year, the bill has been refilled without the restrictive language that required cyclists to ride single file.  As of February 17th, this bill was in the Public Safety Committee and has not been considered.

The final bill under consideration is controversial. HB71, which has passed House Public Safety Committee and was in the Rules Committee as of February 17th, permits riders of any age to operate bicycles on sidewalks. As the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition warns, sidewalk riding leads to higher incidences of car-bike crashes and injuries of cyclists. This law would also lead to an inconsistency of biking laws across the nation, making it difficult for out-of-town bicyclists to adhere to local law.

Because many newbie bicyclists are wary of riding in traffic, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition offers Confident City Cycling classes to expose new riders to the benefits of vehicular cycling and to advocate “sharing the road.”

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Georgia Bikes! are closely monitoring the status of these bills on their websites.

Advocates who attended the Alliance Leadership Retreat already know that Ali Mangkang can sing a mean rendition of “Proud Mary.” Well, the outreach manager for the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has a great radio voice, too.

Earlier this month, the Georgia advocates wrapped production on a series of new public service announcements that emphasize motorists’ shared responsibility to keep streets safe for bicyclists.

“The concept of the PSAs really grew out of a desire to educate a broader audience with simple, non-confrontational messages about operating bikes and vehicles on shared roadways,” Mangkang says. “We were very fortunate to enlist the pro-bono services of a professional studio who helped us fine tune the messages, record, edit and find the talent. They were amazing and kept putting resources in front of us. (It probably helped that the producer and audio engineer are both avid cyclists!)”

The short spots, produced by Soapbox Studios, cover the safety basics for bikes and automobiles, including not texting while driving, giving three feet when passing, and preventing right-hook collisions.

But ABC didn’t want to confine their message to one segment of the Atlanta community. Mangkang says ABC found several translators within their own network and got hooked up with prime voice talent from Soapbox Studios.

“We wanted to produce the messages in Spanish because we just wanted to get the word out to a large part of our metropolitan population we aren’t reaching on a daily basis,” she says. “We want to continue to reach out to organizations, stations and community groups who can help us widen our reach to Hispanic populations throughout Atlanta.”

“We absolutely would love to share these clips and make them available for anyone’s use,” Mangkang adds. “We only ask that members contact us should they wish to edit the content in any way.” (Click here to find the PSAs in the Alliance Resource Library.)

Learn more about the campaign on the ABC website.

Attending the National Bike Summit gave the folks from the Peach State a juicy idea.

In March, a group of bicycle advocates from Georgia traveled to Washington, DC for the 10th annual networking and lobbying event hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. They didn’t just meet their bike-ped peers from across the country; they also recognized a need within their own state borders.

“When the dust settled after a hectic schedule of running the halls of both the Senate and the House, there was a general consensus among the Georgia delegates that once a year just ‘ain’t enough,’” Ali Mangkang of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition wrote last month. “From there, an idea took shape, though mentioned casually at first, that Georgia should aim for its own statewide summit — a meeting of enthusiasts, retailers, advocates and policymakers representing Georgia’s many bicycling communities.”

Well, the folks at Savannah Bicycle Campaign found a venue in their fair city and Georgia Bikes took the lead in organizing the agenda. Joe Seconder, a board member for Georgia Bikes, had the wind at his back from the start. “Here in Georgia there has been an up swelling of grassroots efforts through individuals and organizations to encourage greater bicycle accommodations in a holistic and systemic fashion,” he says.

The summit on October 9th isn’t exclusive the grassroots organizers, though. In addition to the advocacy track, the event has workshops targeted to government officials and trail riders. “Advocates, elected and public officials, business leaders and concerned bicyclists will come together in a forum; setting the stage for statewide bicycling gains,” Seconder says. “We’ll network, collaborate, educate and empower advocates and attendees, identifying common issues in our local communities and setting priorities for the statewide efforts of Georgia Bikes in 2011.”

If other events are any indication, the gathering could mean big gains for the southern state.

“Georgia joins a growing list of states that are holding their own statewide bike summits, in addition to participating in the national summit,” Mangkang wrote. “Most notably, Oregon and Wisconsin have produced highly successful models for state bike summits. Both states also rank among the most bicycle-friendly states in the country. States with far lower rankings have seen the benefits of holding a statewide summit, too. In 2008, West Virginia ranked last in the LAB annual survey of bicycle friendly states. After holding a statewide symposium their ranking increased by eight spots in the 2009 survey.”

Read more or register for the event here.

In 2008, some students at Georgia Tech discovered a stash of abandoned bicycles collected by the university’s housing department. Eager to put those wheels back on the road, the Students Organizing for Sustainability got in touch with the folks at the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, for help fixing up the run-down rides.

With that inventory and partnership, ABC created its Starter Bikes initiative, aimed at providing low-cost, entry-level bikes for students and others in need of inexpensive but reliable transportation. There was just one hitch: Where to store the donated bikes?

Well, problem solved.

Earlier this week, the ABC hosted a party at its new office. Not only will the expanded digs accommodate — and hopefully grow — the Starter Bike program, it will create an inviting space for the diverse bicycle communities of Atlanta to gather, plan and learn.

“The expanded space, in downtown Atlanta, provides an accessible central location on the ground floor,” says ABC’s Ali Mangkang. “ABC will use the new space to bring greater visibility to the group’s advocacy efforts, offer additional classes and continue their mission to make bicycling safer and easier throughout Atlanta.”

Click here to see the new office and some “fierce” photos form the ABC party.

According to Bike Athens, “Hot off the presses, BikeAthens’ third edition of the free Bike Map of Athens-Clarke County is now available for free throughout Athens.

The 2010 edition features:

• Updated bicycle facilities for Athens-Clarke County & UGA campus
• Color coding along roads and paths, indicating relative safety for bicycling
• A topographic background that shows elevations and helps cyclists pick the most efficient routes
• Athens Transit bus stops”

The free Athens bike maps can be picked up at a variety of locations around the town. For more information, visit http://www.bikeathens.com/resources/bikemap/index.htm.

Nearly 1,800 cyclists participated in the 5th annual Georgia Bikes! Georgia Rides to the Capitol event on Tuesday, March 23. Police-escorted rides departed from Decatur and Roswell led respectively by Mayor Bill Floyd and Mayor Jere Wood as well as other mayors and public officials from the region. Cyclists biked to raise support for improved conditions for cycling, including the development of regional systems of both on-road bicycling facilities and multi-use-trails.

While at the capitol, cyclists talked with their representatives about Georgia HB 988 — 3 foot safe passing bill. Cyclists and other supporters - contact your legislators and ask them to support this bill. 16 states have safe passing legislation; Georgia Bikes is aiming to “get Georgia signed up as number 17!”

For more information about the event, visit http://www.georgiaridestothecapitol.org/.

According to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, the city of Roswell is now home to the first bike box in Georgia. Bike boxes are common in bike friendly cities such as Portland. Cyclists stop at the traffic light in a busy intersection and wait in the green box ahead of all the cars, thus being more visible to drivers. They are then able to make turns safely. Bike boxes are a cost-effective way to make cycling safer.

For more information, click here…

To learn more about Roswell’s new bike box check out the full story here…