discussion-l Mailing List: BikeAthens Discussion: BikeAthens announcement: 5/12/11

[Weekly announcements for BikeAthens (announcements-l]

Weekly Announcements 5/12/11

1. Athens is named an official Bicycle Friendly Community!
2. Celebrating National Bike to Work Month: Biking to Work in Athens from
Chicopee-Dudley!
3. Bike to Work Day Rally is May 19!
4. Meeting to discuss Prince Corridor TODAY, May 12
5. Governor Deal signs HB 101, âThe Better Bicycling Billâ
6. Speak out against proposed cuts to bus service!
7. Thanks to Group Riders last Friday!
8. New BikeAthens flickr group
9. BRP volunteer nights
10. Elsewhere on the Athens bike scene
11. On the Horizon

***********************************************************
Athens is named an official Bicycle Friendly Community!

With the cooperation from BikeAthens, Athens-Clarke County Unified
Government made its first application for BFC status in February of this
year, and was successful!. Athens will join Tybee Island, also first time
recipient, and Roswell, to become one of only three designated Bicycle
Friendly Communities in Georgia.

The BFC program provides incentives, hands-on assistance, and award
recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. Athens-Clarke
County was selected as a Bicycle Friendly Community at the bronze level,
recognizing a strong commitment to cycling, responsive to the needs of
cyclists, and with bicycle usage above average for U.S. communities.
Athens-Clarke County is home to 18 miles of bike lanes, 6 miles of
multi-use paths, and 54 miles of âshared road,â building an average of two
miles per year. Bike racks are required to be installed at all new
businesses which add to the nearly 4,000 existing bicycle parking spaces,
making bike parking accessible all over town. Upcoming projects include
construction of the Milledge Avenue Extension Multi-Use Trail, a 1,500
feet path connecting Milledge Avenue to the UGA campus, design of the 1st
mile of the Rails-to-Trails program, and design and construction of bike
lanes on both sides of College Station Road between Research Drive and
Barnett Shoals Road, completing connectivity between East Athens, UGA, and
downtown.

And a big shout-out to our wonderful volunteers who did a great job
hunting down and counting all the bike racks back in January- all your
hard work was critical to our successful application!

To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, or to see all the
2011 BFC designations visit
http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/

***********************************************************
Celebrating National Bike to Work Month: Biking to Work in Athens from
Chicopee-Dudley!

Did you know that 62% of all smog forming emission in Athens comes from
tailpipes? (Clean Air Campaign)

May is National Bike to Work Month, and to celebrate BikeAthens is
publishing a series of bicycle and multimodal commuting routes from 4
neighborhood areas in Athens: Normaltown, College Station/Barnett Shoals,
Dudley Park, and Five Points. In the last two weeks we have featured
Normaltown and the Eastside, and this weekâs routes depart from Dudley
Park. Routes are accompanied by tips and advice from experienced
commuters, such as when and where to catch the bus, where to stop for a
snack, and where to be extra careful. If a route strikes your fancy, give
it a try- Bike to Work Month is all about taking that first step with the
enthusiasm and support of your community behind you! And if you would like
to see your commute featured or want to share photos from your commute in
our flickr album, just email them to admin [at] bikeathens.com. Sharing your
experience can help your fellow Athenians transition smoothly and
pleasantly to a car-free commute, and more bikes on the road makes a
better and safer experience for us all!

Check out this weekâs routes from the Chicopee-Dudley neighborhood!
http://tinyurl.com/bikecommutingfromchicopeedudle

Check out routes from the Eastside at:
http://tinyurl.com/bikecommutingfromeastside

Check out routes from Normaltown at:
http://tinyurl.com/bikecommutingfromnormaltown

***********************************************************
Bike to Work Day Rally is May 19!

Hooray- May is national Bike to Work Month! We have a lot of fun
activities planned for the month including our annual Rally the evening
before Bike to Work Day. This year Earthfare will be hosting us on
Thursday May 19 from 4 - 7 PM. Come and speak one-on-one with experienced
commuters, learn about Commuter Rewards through the Clean Air Campaign,
receive assorted goodies, have your bike checked by a local mechanic, and
enjoy some yummy food from Earthfare! Weâre super excited and canât wait
to see you there!
***********************************************************
Meeting to discuss Prince Corridor TODAY, May 12

On Thursday May 12th there will be a meeting to discuss ways that ACC and
UGA can help improve pedestrian, bike, and vehicle transportation on
Prince Avenue. Lara Mathes from the Office of University Architects will
discuss UGA's plans and timelines for the new Health Sciences Campus at
the former Navy School in Normaltown. One goal is to begin an exploration
of potential synergies between campus planning and neighborhood
transportation goals. The meeting will be held at 5:30 PM in the old
Firehall (Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation office) at Prince & Hill, and
is open to all.


***********************************************************

Governor Deal signs HB 101, âThe Better Bicycling Billâ

Just in time for National Bike Month, Georgiaâs roads will soon be safer
for its many bicyclists! HB 101 modernizes a host of outdated bicycling
laws in the state code and also implements a number of significant
improvements for bicyclists, including requiring a three foot safe passing
distance for motor vehicles overtaking cyclists! For more details, go
here: http://georgiabikes.org/index.php/blog/161-deal-to-sign-hb-101

This is a big deal and it owes a good deal of its success to YOU- word on
the street is that many state house and senate representative said they
heard from LOTS of constituents. So good job and THANK YOU to all those
who took the time to speak out for their cycling brothers and sisters! And
thank your reps Cowsert and McKilip who supported the bill!
***********************************************************
Speak out against proposed cuts to bus service!

ACC (not Athens Transit) has proposed cutting ALL night bus service in
response to the funding crunch this year. Current approximate hours of
operation are Monday through Saturday, 6 AM - 11 PM. Proposed cuts will
terminate service at around 6:30 PM. This is a real problem for second and
third shift workers who rely on the bus for transportation. We highly
encourage folks to come to one of the public hearings or submit their
comments in writing. If no one speaks up, this critical service will be
cut. Proposed cuts are detailed here:
http://www.athenstransit.com/assets/docs/Proposed_Service_Changes.pdf

Hearing Schedule (all take place at the MultiModal Center at 775 East
Broad Street unless otherwise indicated):
Thursday June 2, 2-3 PM
Thursday June 2, 6-7 PM

Comments can also be submitted online at:
http://www.athenstransit.com/contact-ats.html, or mailed or delivered to
the Multimodal Center.
***********************************************************
Thanks to Group Riders last Friday!

Thanks to all those who turned out for our second group ride of the year!
We had a great time cycling around town and through local neighborhoods,
and then enjoyed a delicious low country boil from Earth Fare! Making
cyclists a visible and active part of Athens streets goes a long way
toward making the roads safer for us all, so thanks for doing your part
and Happy Riding til next month!
***********************************************************
New BikeAthens flickr group

If you have a flickr account and have photos related to biking, walking,
and transit in Athens, please consider joining our new flickr group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bikeathens/ . Photos in this group will soon
appear in a sidebar widget on our forthcoming website rebuild.

Itâs easy to join the group: once youâre logged into flickr, go to the URL
above and follow the instructions to join. From there, simply click "add
photos" and you can post any of your relevant photos to the group pool. We
may select some outstanding shots for display on our site, in which case
we will contact you for permission.
***********************************************************
BRP volunteer nights

BRP workdays are held Mondays & Wednesdays from 6-8 PM and Sundays from
2-4:30 PM at the Chase St. warehouses. Volunteers need not have any
knowledge of bicycle maintenance; just be willing to get their hands dirty
repairing, tuning up, cleaning, and outfitting bikes. Feel free to bring
your own repair stands and tools although it is not necessary that you
have these items to participate.

BikeAthens' Bicycle Recycling program, a cooperative venture with local
social support agencies, distributes reconditioned bikes to individuals in
the Athens community who are underserved by private and public
transportation. We rely exclusively on volunteers to recondition the
bikes.
***********************************************************
Elsewhere on the Athens bike scene

Riding for a Reason with the Athens Land Trust
The Athens Land Trust is hosting a scenic 48 mile bike ride on Saturday
May 21! Proceeds will go to supporting the Land Trust, a local non-profit
organization with a 15 year history of protecting forest and farmland,
providing energy-efficient affordable housing, and revitalizing
neighborhoods. This includes building and renovating homes for low-income
families. The ride will start in Winterville and end in Washington. At the
end of the ride, folks will have the choice of either returning to the
start on a shuttle provided by the ALT, or staying overnight at the
Fitzpatrick Hotel and riding back the next day. Special rates will be
available for all riders and their guests. Registration begins March 15
To register or for more information check out their website:
http://www.athenslandtrust.org/. And if you are interested in volunteering
or becoming an event sponsor, contact Patty at 706-613-0122 or
patty [at] athenslandtrust.org

The 2nd Annual Agro Cycle Tour- May 21, 2011
The Agro Cycle Tour winds you through beautiful, low traffic, back country
roads to 4 intriguing agricultural destinations: A certified organic farm,
a biodiesel facility, a pastured Poultry farm and a traditional arts and
craft center. After your ride enjoy lunch from the farm to table
restaurant Farm 255 of Athens and the live music of the Free Jazz Jerks on
the grounds of beautiful Whippoorwill Hollow Organic Farm. There will be
20, 45, and 65 mile route choices. Find out more and register at
www.agrocycletour.com

Tour de Farm with P.L.A.C.E.
P.L.A.C.E. is once again hosting the 2011 Tour de Farm, a 3-day bicycle
tour that seeks to reconnect the community to their local food sources in
and around Athens, Georgia. The tour will visit a total of 10 farms,
covering a distance of 100 miles over 3 days. We will visit 3-4 farms per
day, stopping for a tour, and a snack of meal, and then camping out for 2
nights. This yearâs ride will be over Memorial Day weekend: Saturday May
28 - Monday May 30. The cost is $175 per person, to cover all your meals,
the vans to transport gear and food, a t-shirt, and compensation for the
farmerâs time and space, with all proceeds being donated to P.L.A.C.E.
Email AthensTourDeFarm [at] gmail.com to register!


And if you havenât seen any rides that appeal to you yet,
athensgabicycling.com keeps a calendar of rides of all lengths and skill
levels around town- so check âem out!
***********************************************************
On the Horizon

BRP Bike Sale June 18
Looking for a new to you bike? Weâll have a great selection for sale at
Earth Fare on Saturday June 18! Keep your eyes peeled for more details.
***********************************************************

Keep in touch at our blog http://bikeathens.blogspot.com/ and facebook
page http://www.facebook.com/pages/BikeAthens/126325948567


-- 
BikeAthens appreciates your continued support towards its mission of
improving transportation options in Athens-Clarke County. Get more info,
join, renew your membership, or volunteer at at www.bikeathens.com
_________________________________________________________________
- BikeAthens appreciates your continued support towards its mission of 
improving transportation options in Athens-Clarke County. Get more info,join, 
renew your membership, or volunteer at at www.bikeathens.com

This list is used by BikeAthens to inform members about upcoming activities. 
Announcements are cross posted to BikeAthens discussion list (discussions-l). 
If you receive duplicates of the announcements, unsubscribe from this list.

Subscriptions to the list are managed by subscribers. Please note that the 
BikeAthens board cannot modify subscription options. 
To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
http://lists.bikeathens.com/mailman/options/announcements-l/discussion-l%40bikeathens.com