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.

Greenville Alley Cat to benefit Upstate SORBA

Don’t forget the Greenville Alley Cat and MTB movie night tomorrow, May 23^rd. It is $5 for the race and another $5 to see the movies, and all proceeds go to Upstate SORBA’s trail building fund.   

Meet in the alley behind Chicora Alley (makes sense for an Alley Cat, right?), and the race will start at 6:30 pm.

Check out the excellent poster by Brad Allen for more details. Hope to see you there!

Ride of Silence tommorow night

The National Ride of Silence takes place tomorrow, Wednesday May 16^th. Plan to join Bikeville for a silent community bike ride through downtown Greenville to honor those bicyclists who have been killed or injured while riding on public roadways. Meet in front of City Hall (206 S. Main St.) at 6:30pm to get your black armband and to hear a reading of the Ride of Silence poem. The one hour ride will start at 7:00.

So far in 2012, the SC Department of Safety reports that 7 bicyclists have been killed while riding on South Carolina roads. For several years we have been ranked as one of the least safe states in the nation for cycling, so it is quite alarming that we are on track for an even higher number of fatalities than the 13 which occurred in this state last year. Please come out tomorrow to remember those who have died, and to remind people to be careful and watch for others on our public roadways.

GOFO Urban farm bike tours

The second annual Greenville Urban Farm tour, presented by Greenville Organic Food Organization, will take place next Saturday, May 12^th. As part of Bike Month in Greenville, Bikeville Volunteers (myself included) will be guiding bicycle tours of select urban farms near the downtown area. There will be morning and afternoon rides, which will each visit 5 to 6 different locations. Preregistration is required, so check out the bike tours section of the UFT website to get more information and to register. 

Remember to visit the Bikeville Bike Month page for a complete list of events planned for the month of May. You can also find a poster/flyer there to download and share with others.

Sad news from Simpsonville

If you are reading this, you have probably already heard about the tragic crash last week in Simpsonville that took the life of Walter Glenn Brackin Jr. while he was cycling. I didn’t know Mr. Brackin personally, and I don’t know any details about the incident other than what is stated in the news story. As always though, I feel deeply saddened any time I hear of the death of a fellow cyclist on our roadways and I urge you to keep Glenn Brackin’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

While overall traffic fatalities have dropped slightly in South Carolina in recent years, there is an “upward trend in fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists who are considered Vulnerable Roadway Users.” We need to reverse that trend, so please remember to be careful and alert anytime you are out on our roads…especially if you are driving a car.  Watch for pedestrians and cyclists and be extremely careful as you pass. That person walking or on a bike is someone’s son, daughter, wife, father, husband, sister (I could go on, but you get the idea). It is up to all of us to pay full attention and watch out for each other on our public roads. Many accidents can be avoided with a little extra vigilance from everyone, so please remember to always pay full attention to the road and your surroundings when you are behind the wheel of a car.