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!

Greenville Joyride with Mia Birk

Mark your calendars now, if you haven’t already. Just less than two weeks away, on Friday September 9^th, Portland-based bicycle transportation expert and author Mia Birk will be here in Greenville for the final stop on her Palmetto Joyride tour across South Carolina. After stops in Charleston and Columbia on Wednesday and Thursday, Mia will start her day in Greenville at 10:00am with an appearance on Your Carolina with Jack and Kimberly. Following the show, Mia will be busy meeting with local leaders to discuss how Greenville can benefit from investing in bicycling and pedestrian facilities. See the full agenda for the day on the Palmetto Conservation Foundation website for more information.

At 5:00pm, plan to join Mia for a community bike ride starting from the Zoo entrance in Cleveland Park. The roughly 2.5 mile ride will be open to the public and accessible for bicyclists of all ages and skill levels. The route will cover parts of the Swamp Rabbit trail as well as some of the downtown on-street bicycle facilities, and will end at the Greenville Little Theater at 5:30.

The Greenville Little Theater will be the site of Mia’s Key Note presentation, which will be open to the public. According to the Palmetto Conservation Foundation:

“Mia will share her observations of Greenville and discuss her experience working in Portland as well as in communities throughout the country. Attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions to Mia ahead of the presentation. Participants will also have the chance to win a Custom Fat Tire bicycle donated by New Belgium Beer. Participants will enjoy food and drink (served in biodegradable cups), as well as the opportunity to purchase a copy of Mia’s book Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet and have it signed by the author herself. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with Mia’s presentation at 6:15 p.m.”

This will be a fun and informative evening in Greenville that you won’t want to miss. Make sure to tell your friends about it too. We want a packed house at the Greenville Little Theater that evening, so I hope to see you there on the 9th!

Finally, I want to mention the great sponsors who are making this happen- the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, SynTerra, Duke Energy, Piedmont Health Care Foundation, South Carolina Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, Livewell Greenville, the YMCA of Greenville, and TTR Bikes of Greenville.

Bicycle Master Plan Fact Sheet

As I mentioned in a recent post, Greenville’s City Council will soon vote on a resolution to adopt the Bicycle Master Plan. The first vote will occur on Monday, September 26^th at a Council meeting that I encourage you all to attend (5:30pm in Council Chambers,  10^th floor of City Hall, 206 South Main Street). You can show up a few minutes early and sign up with the City Clerk if you wish to speak in favor of the plan at the meeting.

Before the meeting, I encourage you all to write your City Council representatives and let them know that you support this resolution. I will post a few of the key points that I think are worth mentioning in those  letters soon, but today I want to quickly share a “fact sheet’ about the master plan. If you have not been involved with the development of the Bicycle Master Plan, these points may help you understand what has led up to it, why it makes sense for Greenville, and how the plan fits with other initiatives that the city  has underway.

City of Greenville - Bicycle Master Plan FACT SHEET

1.       City Council is scheduled to vote on adoption of the Bicycle Master Plan on Monday, September 26 and Monday, October 10.  

2.       Anyone wishing to address City Council regarding the plan must sign-up to speak prior to 5:30pm the day of the meeting at the City Clerk’s desk on the 10^th floor of City Hall.  

3.       In 2006, Greenville City Council passed Resolution 2006-32 endorsing the League of American Bicyclists “Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Community Designation”, which committed the City of Greenville to improve conditions for bicyclists by addressing the 5 E’s: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation.  

4.       In 2008, Greenville City Council adopted a Complete Streets Resolution "to endorse and suport a complete streets policy to provide safe and convenient access for all users of streets”.

5.       The creation of a Bicycle Infrastructure Plan was a specific task of the City’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan’s Implementation Strategy Matrix that identified the need to “Increase Transportation Options”. 

6.       The Plan is consistent with the City of Greenville Comprehensive Plan’s Environmental Theme to improve air quality; the Healthy Living and Pedestrian Friendly Environment Theme by creating safe, walkable spaces and accessible destinations; the Transportation Theme by providing a variety of options and linkages between all transportation options; the Neighborhood and Corridor Identity and Stability Theme by encouraging a wide variety of transportation modes.

7.       During the Comprehensive Plan resident survey, residents were asked to rank Quality of Life issues in Greenville.   Respondents indicated that “being able to get places without using your car” as the worst attribute to Greenville’s Quality of Life.  

8.       The Plan was funded by the Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS), the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) responsible for transportation planning.  Funding was also provided by the City of Greenville.   

9.       In 2009, the City of Greenville was designation by the League of American Bicyclists as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community.  

10.   In 2010, the City of Greenville contracted with Alta Planning + Design to develop a city-wide Bicycle Master Plan to provide recommendations to guide the expansion of a network of bike facilities and infrastructure improvements and to promote bicycle safety and education to increase ridership.

11.   The Plan’s development was guided by a multi-disiplinary committee which served as planning advisors throughout the project.  It received input from neighborhood associations, businesses, residents, transportation officials, and the general public.  This allowed stakeholders the opportunity to participate in two community workshops, an interactive website, and a public survey where input and comments were received.

12.   The Plan is the result of more than a year’s worth of research, field work, data analysis, and public input. 

  

13.   The Plan provides a blueprint for the short-term and long-term development of a safe and practical bicycling network. 

14.   The Plan intends to assist in the reversal of South Carolina’s designation as one of the most dangerous states for bicyclists.  Annually SC ranks above the national average in bicycle fatalities.   

15.   By developing a connected and safe bikeway network, Greenville can better meet the current and future demand for physical activity and for transportation choices.

16.   The Plan includes specific recommendations for educational programs that raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and teach kids, adults, and seniors how to bike safely.

17.   The Bicycle Master Plan provides a method for prioritizing bikeway projects that will guide implementation, development, and funding.

18.   Specific projects recommended in the Bicycle Master Plan will receive additional review by City Council, City staff, the general public, and SCDOT prior to construction.

19.   The two public meetings for the Plan drew close to 400 total attendees, and over 700 individuals participated in the survey.

20.   With adoption of the Plan, the City is not asked to fund and implement the Plan’s recommendations on its own.  Business, community partners, and transportation agencies are encouraged to support this effort with funding, resources, and leadership.  

21.   The Plan can be implemented by leveraging funding opportunities from a variety of local, regional, state, and federal programs.  Possible projects include routine road resurfacing, roadway widening, and linking transit networks.  An emphasis will be placed on cost effective solutions such as including proposed bicycle facilities during street repaving projects.   

   

22.   Now, more than ever, CEO’s, executives, businesses, and young professionals are choosing vibrant, active communities with downtowns and neighborhoods that are bike- and walk-friendly to locate.  Investing in bicycle-friendliness will help Greenville attract those searching for a healthy, inviting, and economically prosperous community. 

23.   In one generation, the percentage of U.S. children who walk or bike to school has dropped by 70%. Childhood obesity has tripled. 

24.   Just three hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.

25.   Bicycling reduces air pollution and improves public health, lowering costs to businesses and taxpayers.

26.   The Plan included a two-day field bike count in October 2010 at 36 locations throughout the City.  Volunteers counted over 1,000 bicyclists in just a four hour count period.  

27.   The Plan is based on a principle of 6 E’s; Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Evaluation, and Equity.  This approach will ensure the Plan’s implementation is comprehensive by balancing the priorities between physical facilities, education programs, policies, and neighborhoods.  

28.   One goal of the plan is that by 2015, every City resident be within ½ mile of the bikeway network. 

29.   Greenville is home to 4 nationally recognized bicycle friendly businesses by the League of American Bicyclist.

a.       TTR Bikes – Platinum Designation

b.      Fluor Corp – Bronze Designation

c.       Upstate Forever – Bronze Designation

d.      Caine Halter Family YMCA – Bronze Designation

30.   In 2005, the City installed it’s first mile of bicycle lane and had 4 miles of Greenways.  In 2011, the City has 15.4 miles of on-street bikeways and over 8 miles of Greenways.  

31.   The public’s investment in bicycling infrastructure over the past 6 years has resulted in a increase in private sector investment via bicycle oriented businesses resulting in local economic development.  Local bicycle retailers were surveyed during the Bicycle Master Plan and produced the following results.  Note that the first bicycle lane in the City was installed in 2005. 

a.       In 2005, Greenville was home to two bike shops, in 2011, there are 8 bicycle retailers.

b.      Over 60% of Greenville’s bike shops see over half a million in annual sales each – with 37.5% seeing $1.5-$2 million.

c.       Since 2005, all stores have increased sales by at least 6%, and 75% increased by more than 20%.

d.      100% of stores attribute the increase in sales to local investment in bicycling infrastructure.

32.   The Plan recommends increasing the bikeway network by 65 miles of bicycle lanes, 7 miles of Greenways, and 51 miles of signed bike routes.

33.   Since 2007, Greenville has hosted the USA Cycling Professional Championships which attracts cycling enthusiasts from around the world to Greenville.  

34.   Greenlink, Greenville’s regional transit authority, has reported that since 2010, passenger utilization of their bus bike racks has increased from a monthly average of 80 to 550.  

35.   Greenville’s bicycle friendliness has been mentioned in recent national publications such as Southern Living, the Washington Post, Men’s Journal, US Airways Magazine, and AARP Magazine. 

Bicycle Master Plan workshop tomorrow night

Don’t forget that the 2^nd public workshop for the development of Greenville’s Bicycle Master Plan takes place tomorrow night (Tuesday, March 15^th). Plan to be at the Hughes Main Library at 6:00 pm to learn more about the work that has been done so far by the City of Greenville, Alta Planning, Bikeville, and concerned citizens like you. More importantly, you will get the opportunity to share your input as a local cyclist and shape the future of Greenville as a bike friendly place.

Check out the Greenville Bicycle Master Plan website for more information, or download a pdf flyer for the workshop here. This really is a big deal for all of us who ride in Greenville, so I hope to see many of you at the library tomorrow.

Bikeville in the Charleston Post and Courier

Photo credit:

Grace Beahm

If you haven't already seen it, check out the recent Charleston Post and Courier article titled, Bikeville, S.C.: Scenic Swamp Rabbit Trail gets Greenville moving. It is really nice to see positive press about the trail, but it is even better to see that this story goes beyond the success of the greenway. As Scott McCrary, of TTR Bikes, says in the article, "greenways can be a lovely subset to a biking community, but greenways can't be the biking community.” Brian Graham goes on to explain that Greenville is building on the success of the Swamp Rabbit by “looking at inexpensive ways to get people from their front door to the trail.” The article mentions bike lanes, sharrows, bike-sensitive signal detectors, and other improvements that are already underway in the city. It goes on to mention the Bicycle Master Plan that is currently being developed in partnership with Alta Planning + Design.

Overall, this really is a great article about what is happening in Greenville right now. It is certainly true, as Andrew Meeker says, that “we still have a long ways to go." Greenville is definitely on the right track though, and it is great to see other cities recognizing that. Now lets just keep that momentum going and get beyond our “infancy stage” to become a true bike friendly town.

Volunteers Needed for Bike Month

Bike month is coming up in May, and though that seems like a long way off, Bikeville is already planning some great events for the City of Greenville. The US Pro races will take place in May this year, and Bikeville volunteers will again be staffing a booth at the races and providing free bike valet to spectators. There will also be a bike themed Moonlight Movie, group rides, and other fun bike related activities in the city throughout the month. To make it all happen though, Bikeville needs volunteers. It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment on your part, but if you think you could volunteer for a couple of hours in May, please let us know now. As the latest Bicycling and Greenways newsletter says:

“We plan to build a database of volunteers and will communicate specific needs and opportunities as event plans solidify. Volunteers would assist with event planning, bike valet, and group rides. If you are willing to donate a few hours of your time throughout the month of May to support our various initiatives, please send an email to bikeville@greenvillesc.gov.”

Also, I want to remind you all that the second community workshop for the development of the City’s Bicycle Master Plan will take place on Tuesday, March 15 at 6pm at the Hughes Main Library. At the meeting, representatives from Alta Planning + Design will share an overview of the draft bikeway network and will detail the critical programs from the Bicycle Friendly Community Action Plan. Please mark that date on your calendar and plan to attend and participate in the planning process. If you haven’t already done so, take a minute to view a copy of the presentation that was made at the first workshop and complete the online survey. I hope to see you at the library on the 15^th!

Alta’s Greenville Bicycle Master Plan project page

If you are reading this, you probably already know that the City of Greenville has been working with Alta Planning and Design on a Bicycle Master Plan for a while now (we are even one of the “featured projects” on their website). A public meeting was held in November to get community input for the plan, and second meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15th at 5:30pm at the Hughes Main Library. 

If you missed that first meeting, Alta has a project website where you can learn more about the development of the Master Plan. If you click the “get involved” tab, you can find a link to take the online survey, and download the presentation from that first public workshop. I hope you all plan to attend the next workshop in March, but in the mean time the website is a great place to familiarize yourself with everything that has been happening so far.

I also briefly want to mention the Nicholtown Bike Share initiative. I missed the last Bikeville meeting where this was discussed, so I don’t have any information beyond what you can read at Livewell Greenville. It is a project that I am excited about though, so I will pass along more information when I can.

Image credit: Alta Planning’s presentation

Share the News

A couple of months ago, I participated in the City of Greenville’s first major bicycle count, along with nearly 40 other volunteers. We spent one weekday morning and one Saturday morning counting cyclists and noting basic characteristics at various locations around the city. The new Greenville Bicycle Master Plan newsletter, called Share the News, outlines the results of that count, pointing out that we collectively counted more than 1,100 bicyclists during our two 2-hour long time slots. The newsletter also points out the following bits of information that were collected during the count.

• 76% of the bicyclists counted were male

• 64% of the bicyclists observed wore a helmet

• More than 60% of the bicyclists counted were riding

on the street rather than the sidewalk

• Bicycling was more common on the weekend than

during the week

• The most popular areas for bicycling were near

Willard Street, the Swamp Rabbit Trail and

McDaniel Avenue at Ridgeland Street

The results will be used for future planning and already validate some of the bicycle infrastructure plans that are slated for 2011 implementation. I’ll post more about those projects soon, but for now just know that good things are happening. Also, make sure that you are subscribed to the City’s Bicycling and Greenways newsletter for the latest news “about ongoing efforts to encourage bicycling and walking for recreation and transportation” in Greenville.

Bicycle Master Plan Workshop

Along with Bikeville and the Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS), the City of Greenville has been working on a Bicycle Master Plan for a while now. The City has contracted with Alta Planning + Design to develop the Master Plan. If you are not already familiar with Alta, I can tell you that they are probably the best known firm in the U.S. for bicycle and pedestrian planning and design.

As part of the process, the City will host the first of two community workshops on Tuesday, November 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hughes Main Library.  Unfortunately, I will be traveling for work and will not be able to attend this first workshop. I really hope that many of you can be there though. At this stage, input from those of us who ride in Greenville is really important.

Read more at the Hincapie Sportwear blog and be sure to mark your calendars for this first workshop. This really is a great opportunity to shape the future of cycling in Greenville.