Go Magazine, Joyride, and the Master Plan

Greenville City Council’s first vote on the Bicycle Master Plan is less than a week away, so please email a letter of support if you haven’t already.

Speaking of the Master Plan, I encourage you to pick of a copy of the September issue of Go Magazine (and not just because the back of my leg is featured on the cover). The issue features a good article by Gary Hyndman about the Bicycle Master Plan, which I think does a good job of expressing the community support for better bike infrastructure, and safer streets, in Greenville. As City Councilmember Amy Ryberg-Doyle says in the article, “the people have spoken. This is not a top down initiative.”

The recent SCDOT Pelham/ Roper Mountain resurfacing projects are also mentioned in the article. Neither of those roads will get bike lanes…a fact that still frustrates me quite a bit (more on that later). Hopefully once the BMP resolution is passed though, SCDOT will pay more attention to their own “Bicycle Accommodation Policy” and include provisions for bikes as part of resurfacing projects in the Greenville area. With both of those recent paving projects, we missed a great (cost effective) opportunity to include bike lanes on roads that are included in the plan, but there will be future opportunities as well.

While I am posting, I want to mention the Joyride reception with Mia Birk, which occurred just over a week ago. Overall, I think it was a big success. Around 200 cyclists attended (the bike racks in front of the Greenville Little Theater were packed), and Mia’s presentation was very encouraging. Personally, it was good for me to hear her perspective, and to step back a bit and look at our accomplishments in Greenville over the years. I have been somewhat involved in bicycle advocacy efforts here for the past seven years, and though it is easy to be discouraged by setbacks (like the one I mentioned in the above paragraph), we have come a long way and the small successes along the way are worth celebrating. Mia took notice of the good things happening in Greenville, saying this via this twitter after her day here:

"Greenville SC rocks! Love the Swamp Rabbit Trail, bike lanes & beautiful downtown."

Great to hear! Now let’s just build on that and make Greenville an even better place to live and ride a bike.

…and check out Mia’s book if you haven’t already. It is encouraging to hear stories the stories about Portland in the 90s and realize that the opposition we sometimes face here is not unique.

For more about Mia’s tour of South Carolina, check out this post at the PCC blog.

Time to let City Council know that you support the BMP

City Council’s first vote on the Greenville Bicycle Master Plan is two weeks away, so if you haven’t written a letter of support yet, now is the time to do so. I encourage you to address your letters (or emails) to Mayor White and the members of the Council, and also copy City Manager John Castile. In addition to writing, please plan to attend the meeting on Monday, September 26^th at 5:30pm in person if you can. The public meeting will take place in Council Chambers on the 10^th floor of City Hall (206 South Main Street). If you wish to briefly speak in favor of the plan that evening, show up a few minutes early and sign in with the City Clerk.

For more detailed information about the plan, check out the Executive Summary on the Greenville BMP website and the fact sheet that I posted a couple weeks ago. In this post though, I want to cover a few points that might be worth mentioning in those letters of support.

• The Bicycle Master Plan is the result of over a year’s worth of work by many people including traffic engineers, urban planners, and concerned citizens. About 400 people participated in the two public community workshops and around 700 offered input through the online survey.

• The Plan is a blueprint for future development of a safe bicycle network that will give people more transportation options, as well as a greater opportunity to ride for fun and fitness. In a survey during the plan’s development, 60% of respondents were “interested but concerned” about cycling on the City streets. Those are the people who will benefit the most from this plan, not just the smaller percentage who already ride a bicycle on the roads.

• Currently, South Carolina ranks as one of the worst states in the nation for cyclist and pedestrian deaths per capita. Focusing on making our roads safer for all users should be a major priority.

• Bicycle infrastructure is a good investment and allows Greenville to compete with bigger cities when it comes to attracting businesses and talented people. Executives and professional people are increasingly choosing where to live based on quality of life issues, and bicycle friendliness is a top priority for many of them.

 

Again, those are just a few points to mention, but I encourage you to read through the Fact Sheet for more. Whatever you write, please send a letter this week. It is important that we let our elected officials know that this plan is something we support. 

Palmetto Joyride with Mia Birk is tonight

I mentioned it before, but I want to remind you that the ride and reception with Mia Birk is tonight. See the invitation below (click to see it larger), and check the Palmetto Conservation Foundation website for more details. I hope to see you there!

Bikeville E-Newsletter

There is some great information in the Bikeville E-Newsletter that was sent out today. Check it out here, and subscribe now if you don't already receive it.

In particular, I want to point out the Traffic Skills 101 courses, to be taught in three, three-hour sessions on September 17, October 1, and October 15th at the Nicholtown Community Center. Click here to register.

Needless to say, the upcoming Bicycle Master Plan vote is mentioned in the newsletter as well, and you are encouraged to contact your City Council members. I have mentioned the BMP vote a couple times here lately, but look for a new post with more information soon.