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Entries tagged: Georgia Bikes

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.

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.

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/.