Best small city for cycling?

I mentioned this recently on the Bike Greenville Facebook page, but in case you missed it, check out Bicycling Magazine’s “Best Small Cities for Cycling” article. Greenville is listed along with only two other towns, Bend, OR and the platinum rated Bicycle Friendly Community of Davis,CA. As always, I am glad to see positive press about cycling in Greenville, but I was frankly a bit surprised by this one. There is no doubt that Greenville has improved greatly for cycling in the last 8 years or so, but I believe that we still have a way to go to really become one of the best small towns in America for cycling. The city does a pretty good job with a very small budget for bicycle related infrastructure projects, but I would like to see a greater focus on completing the goals and objectives outlined in the Bicycle Master Plan and improving our safety record for cyclists and pedestrians. It is nice to be listed as a great small town for cycling and we should all be proud of the recognition, but I really hope that we can continue to work to make this area an even better place to live and ride.

Don’t get me wrong. I love living and cycling in Greenville, and I have been involved with bike advocacy in some way or another for many years because I really do want to see Greenville become one of the best towns in the US for cycling. We are making progress, but I don’t quite see us there yet. I am curious what you think though. Is Bicycling Magazine correct in calling Greenville one of the best small towns for cycling at this point?   

Swamp Rabbit focus groups

See the information below via the latest Greenville Rec e-newsletter. Subscribe here if you don’t already get it.

 “Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit Trail users are needed to participate in two focus groups examining the impact of the trail. Results will be included in the 3-Year Impact Study administered by Dr. Julian Reed of Furman University's Department of Health Sciences. Sessions will be held on Wednesday, June 20th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm and Thursday, June 21st from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. 

Only 16 spots are available (8 per group). Refreshments and $10 will be provided to each participant at the conclusion of the focus group. If you are interested in participating, please email Colleen Grover at colleen.grover1780@furman.edu.”

The June newsletter also points out an ongoing QR scavenger hunt on the trail that sounds like fun. Find out more and get started here.

Vote in the County Council primary next week

If you were present for the vote on the County Council Complete Streets resolution in 2010, you know that it was tabled by a vote of 6 to 5. The vote against that resolution was a major set back toward to the goal of making the roads in Greenville County safe for all users, and that is exactly why the upcoming Republican Primary election on June 12^th is so important to those of us who really care about bicyclist/pedestrian safety  issues on our county roads.

Four of the twelve Greenville County Council seats will be contested in the primary that is just over a week away, so now is a great time to find out where each of the candidates stand on issues related to improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians.  Spinners Advocacy Chairperson Frank Mansbach and Pamela Wood Browne of Carolina Cycling News prepared a survey to ask each of the candidates a few questions along those lines. The four incumbents all answered the questions, as did two of the new candidates, and you can see each of their responses on the Spinners advocacy page. 

The survey responses are great information for those of us voting next week. In addition to those answers though, I think past voting history is very important to consider. Of the four incumbents running for re-election, Joe Baldwin (district 18) was the only one who was a vocal supporter of the Complete Streets resolution. Sid Cates and Bob Taylor both voted to table the resolution (effectively killing it),and based on their comments on the night of the vote, I would not expect either of them to support future efforts to make Greenville County roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.  Jim Burns was not present to vote that evening in October of 2010. I do believe that Councilman Burns is sincere in his answers to the Spinner’s survey, but it is disappointing that he was not present that night to make it a tie. 

Regardless of who you support, I encourage you all to get out and vote on the 12^th with bicycle and pedestrian safety issues in mind. The County has a long way to go in order to catch up with the City’s efforts to safely accommodate all road users, but it will never happen without public support.  

Greenville Tech section of the Swamp Rabbit opening June 5th

A new section of the Swamp Rabbit Trail, between Faris Road and Pleasantburg Drive, will officially open tomorrow, June 5^th at 11am. Mayor White will be joined by Dr. Keith Miller, Greenville Technical College President, and Jerry Howard, President/CEO of the Greenville Area Development Corporation, to officially open this section of the trail which runs along Cleveland Street through the Greenville Tech main campus. The event will take place at the Cleveland Street entrance to the college, and refreshments will be provided starting at 10:30 am.