Music City Bikeway

The Music City Bikeway is a 26-mile continuous bicycle route linking Percy Warner Park in western Nashville/Davidson County to Percy Priest Dam in eastern Nashville/Davidson County. This signed-route uses greenway trails, bike lanes, park roads, and signed- shared roads to connect major parks, densely populated neighborhood areas, and downtown Nashville. 
Interactive Route Map

Metro Bikeways Program Information
Led by Metro Public Works Engineering Division, project team members include the Metro Bike/Ped Advisory Committee, and RPM Transportation Consultants. For additional information contact the Public Works project manager at 615-880-1678.

Moving in Harmony

Moving in Harmony is a campaign to increase pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety with an end goal of eliminating deaths and reducing injuries due to pedestrian or bicycle and motor vehicle collisions. The city of Nashville is committed to the improvement of safety through continued education and improved infrastructure to ensure we can all move in harmony on Nashville's roads.
This web site contains laws and recommendations for walking, biking and driving safely in Nashville, as well as resources for cyclists and pedestrians. For a complete list of all laws, and regulations regarding motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians please visit the Tennessee State Safety Resource Center website.

Knoxville Bike Collective

Metro Pulse has an article describing the Knoxville Bike Collective. It is run by volunteers, and offers to teach people bike maintenance and repair. Located in the basement of the Marble City Brewing Company, the collective is a great place to obtain a refurbished bike, as well as to meet like-minded folks. They will also gladly take donations of time, money, bikes, and bike equipment. Having personally been there, I must say that it is a wonderful place. The email address is knoxbikecollective@gmail.com Are there similar organizations elsewhere in the state?

First Citation Under "Due Care” Law

. . A 16-year-old motorist veered out of the lane on Highway 99 in Spring Hill and hit cyclist Chris Conlee according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol report. He has a broken leg, rib, and scapula. In past years the driver might have claimed he didn’t see the cyclist, but not this time.  Thanks to Tennessee’s new “due care” law drafted and promoted by Bike Walk Tennessee the motorist was charged with a violation that could be a possible $500 fine, loss of his driver's license and 11 months in jail and or probation.

. . Even with the new law Conlee is worried the case won't be prosecuted, because of an inadequate police report with no statements from the eyewitnesses and no photographs.

JOB POSTING

Livable Memphis, a local bike/ped advocacy organization in Memphis, TN, is hiring a program coordinator to direct its Walk Bike Memphis program, which serves as the primary bike/ped advocacy group in the city. Please help us spread the word about this opportunity and share widely.

Attached is a pdf of the job description and here is a link to the posting:

http://www.livablememphis.org/2012/03/were-hiring-wanted-livable-memphis-program-coordinator.html

Further Improvements in Senate Bill Passes

. . The Senate transportation bill has passed with bipartisan support and key provisions to fund biking and walking. A second manager’s amendment to the bill allows bicycles on federally owned roads and preserves the Recreational Trails program.
. . Previously, a Mandatory Side-path law in the bill banned bicycles on federally owned roads if with a speed limit over 30 mph and an adjacent paved path within 100 yards, ignoring bicyclists’ right to the road. The new manager’s amendment allows bicycles on federally roads if the road has a bicycle level of service (BLOS) rating of B or higher. 
. . The initial bill also eliminated the Recreational Trails funding for organized trail planning, development, and maintenance. DOTs now have the option to preserve the Recreational Trails program in their state. Funding would be equivalent to 2009 levels of Recreational Trails for that state.

Outdoor Knoxville Launched

Outdoor Knoxville was launched last week. It is provided by the legacy parks foundation. It has a directory of places, groups, and events on a calendar for those in the area, or who are visiting.

Vick Dyer and Jay Nevans toward New Orleans

Vick Dyer and Jay Nevans are currently on the way toward New Orleans from the Knoxville area, having left on February 13. They are attending the annual Coldwell Banker Blue Generation Conference. An article on their trip is available here. They will be able to work on the road with the help of modern computer technology. For this 700 mile trip, they are expecting to ride around 40-60 miles a day. Jay Nevans is with the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation and is riding to help promote the drive to get at least 1000 of the "Share the Road" specialty license plate orders before this year's deadline. Notice how they, realtors, point to how buyers frequently request places that are highly walkable and bikeable, and that having such increases property values. Their progress is being tracked at their blog at tennesseesharetheroad.blogspot.com.

New FULL-Time SRTS Organizer for TN

Dear Network Partners!  

. . I have great news!  Rebecca Wynd has accepted the position as Tennessee’s new full time SRTS State Network Organizer!  Tennessee is one of seven states that Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has agreed to fund a full time network organizer for three years.  This is due to the wonderful momentum Tennessee has accomplished.  I have no doubt that Rebecca will be a strong and successful  leader for the network as we enter this new phase.  

. . As most of you know, Rebecca has worked with the network already, and has a passion for SRTS.  She has extensive work experience including experience in working for the Olympics and starting a non profit organization.  Her official start date is March 5^th, and she will be in training for two weeks.  So we will be resuming the network in mid March! 

Millie Halvorson

The League, the Alliance, & Bikes Belong Combine

Leadership teams representing the Alliance for Biking & Walking, the League of American Bicyclists and Bikes Belong agreed in principle on February 14, 2012, to recommend the unification of all three organizations to more effectively support and advance bicycling in the United States.

OPEN STREETS PROJECT LAUNCHED

To foster the growth and development of open streets initiatives, the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the Street Plans Collaborative have launched two new, innovative resources: The Open Streets Project website and the Open Streets Guide.  Open streets initiatives temporarily close streets to automobiles, allowing residents to walk, bike, skate, dance and utilize the roadways in countless creative and active ways. From Los Angeles to Ottawa, and Missoula to Miami, open streets have become a way for cities to build community, promote active transportation and reconnect neighborhoods divided by traffic.  

Tennessee's First Bike Summit

In just a year, Tennessee rose from ranking 43 to 24 of the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly States list.  To continue building this momentum, the 2012 Tennessee Bike Summit will serve as an opportunity to share successes, challenges, and strategies for moving Tennessee forward as a bike-friendly state.  Join us for exciting sessions and mobile workshops!

Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville rank near bottom in terms of Realage

In a survey of the 50 largest metro areas in the country, Knoxville ranked at the very bottom in terms of the average person's "realage," which is a number indicative of how old the person's body is in terms of health, as opposed to the calendar age. The article from the Knoxville News Sentinel has more details. Memphis is number 3, and Nashville number 7. The article mentions The Rush Fitness Complex, a chain of gyms based in Knoxville, and attempts to reverse this disturbing trend. There is no doubt that regular physical activity goes a long way toward making populations healthier. With all the proposed budget cuts in federal spending on bike/ped that have been detailed by others, let's not forget the hidden costs with such cuts. Pedestrian trips constitute more than 10% of all trips, yet funding for such is proposed for elimination. Yet strangely, nobody is proposing eliminating funding for car traffic. An inactive lifestyle brings costs in terms of poor health and increased health-care costs, not to mention decreased productivity. While there is nothing wrong with getting workouts at a gym, isn't it ironic that people are almost forced to drive to the gym for a workout? Complete streets that are built for all modes have been consistently shown to increase property values, not to mention making places preferable to live in.

Communities Lose Funding

The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, the House's proposed multi-year transportation bill, eliminates support for biking and walking. Communities across the country will lose access to the federal funds to build the sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways as listed:

- Transportation Enhancements is gone.
- Safe Routes to School is eliminated.
- CMAQ is gutted.
- No safe access on bridges.
- No rail trails.
- No transit funds for bicycling.
- No state-level staff support.
- No bike/ped technical assistance.
- More unsafe rumble strips.
- No traffic calming.

For more info CLICK HERE.

NO Complete Streets in House Act

28 states and more than 300 local governments recognize the need to create a street network that is safe for everyone, regardless of age, income, or how they choose to travel. American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act  does little to ensure that an infrastructure investment funds the most beneficial projects for our communities. A Complete Streets provision absent in this Act would make each dollar work harder by ensuring every project helps improve safety for school children, workers without cars needing to get to jobs, and seniors walking to downtown. It would also help boost job creation by investing in bicycling and walking facilities and in public transportation projects that produce more jobs than roadways for automobiles alone.

Amendment to Addback Bike/Ped DEFEATED

. . By a vote of 27 to 29, the U.S. House T&I Committee voted down the Petri/Johnson/Lipinski amendment to fix many of the deficiencies in the House transportation bill as they relate to the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School programs.
. . Thank you to everyone who spoke up and contacted his/her representatives in support of this amendment. Regardless of the outcome of vote, your voice is an important part of the debate to follow.

Ask your House Rep to support Petri Amendment

Wednesday at 2:24P CST: Petri/Johnson/Lipinski amendment was filed moments ago. Keep the pressure up into the night! Mark-up begins at 9 a.m. Thursday morning.

Gov Haslam Announces $1.6 Million in SRTS Grants

Gov. Bill Haslam today announced Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funding totaling $1.6 Million for ten municipalities in Tennessee. The funds will be used by multiple schools to improve sidewalks, crosswalks, signs and safe walking and biking educational activities. The SRTS Program is a statewide initiative designed to make bicycling and walking to school a safer, more appealing and healthier alternative for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Cities receiving SRTS funds are: Anderson County, Kingsport, Dyersburg, Lenoir City, Fairview, Lewisburg, Hendersonville, Tullahoma, Jackson, Woodbury

The grants are made possible through a federally funded program administered by the TDOT and is one of the programs that American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act cancels.

It’s so much worse than we thought.

Today, the House releases its transportation bill, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. We expected the bill to be bad news for biking and walking, but we didn’t think it would go so far as to reverse all progress we’ve made over the past 20 years.

With a vote coming this Thursday, please take action TODAY — Tell your Representative to preserve biking and walking in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Click here to contact your Representative through the League of American Bicyclists Action Center.

House Bill Kills Bike/Ped Funding

Biking and walking are under attack in the House — please take action TODAY!

Next Thursday (Feb 2), the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will vote on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funding for biking and walking. The following Representatives from Tennessee are members of this committee and are in a key position to save dedicated funding for biking and walking.

• Jimmy Duncan,  http://duncan.house.gov/ TN 2'nd District (Knoxville)
• Chuck Fleischmann,  http://fleischmann.house.gov/ TN 3'rd District (Cattanooga)
• Steve Cohen, Tennessee http://cohen.house.gov/  TN 9'th District (Memphis) 

Click here to send a message directly to your Representative using the League of American Bicyclists' Action Center — and please forward the link to your members and supporters.

Memphis MPO Seeks Public Input for LRTP

Memphis MPO now seeking public input for Long Range Transportation Plan: 

 

The Direction 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) can be accessed and downloaded from the Memphis MPO website at: http://direction2040.com

 

. The public comment period begins on January 17, 2012 and runs through February 17, 2012.

Local Parks and Rec Fund Grants

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is now accepting applications for Local Parks and Recreation Fund grants to help communities create and expand parks and recreation services. The department is contacting local communities about the grant availability, and will host a series of workshops throughout the state on Monday, Feb. 13 to help communities understand the application process. The application deadline is June 29, 2012.

"Gov. Haslam proposed and the General Assembly approved restoring the funds for this program to help local communities purchase lands for parks, natural areas, greenways and recreational facilities," said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. "These grants are specifically designed to help local communities improve their green spaces and we are pleased to provide this funding for the benefit of Tennessee's citizens."

2012 Benchmarking Report on Biking and Walking

In a new report, Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report, the Alliance for Biking & Walking ranks all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities on bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors.

Bike Party in Johnson City

Hey! We're having a bike party in Johnson City.

Who: Volunteers primarily from Johnson City and the greater Tri-Cities area. This month is our first ride, so it is undetermined how many riders we will have. Our call is for a Critial Mass. We always need more help! What: JC Bike Party is made up of all types of bicyclists and human-powered transportation advocates who celebrate and build community in a monthly ride that must be experienced to be understood. When: Last Friday of every month. The ride starts at 4pm and will last until 8pm with stops along the way. Where: Each month an optimal route is chosen by some of JC's most enthusiastic cyclists. We are starting off small. This month's ride will be no longer than 5 miles and will focus on the southeastern part of town. Hit it where the Heart is ;) Why: To build community through bicycling! To help spread bike safety for bicyclists and motorists alike. Bike Parties give the public a closer look at what their community has to offer, even if they do not ride everyday. How: We have seven basic rules to keep the ride safe. We ride legally and follow all traffic rules. We have many volunteers (called BIRDs -Bicycle Information Resource Directors!) who help to lead and direct the ride itself – please listen to their helpful instructions! Stay far away from anyone who appears inebriated, and encourage them to go home safely – they will likely hurt themselves or others and/or get a nasty ticket before the night is out. BRING: Everything to make your bike legal and safe! Lights (a white front light is required by law, as is a red rear reflector) We ride rain or shine, so bring weather-appropriate clothing. Helmet (not required by law for adults, but always a good idea) Snacks and water – the rides are long, you will be tired! Stay healthy and hydrated! Repair kits/tools (or a friend who will share) Lock (in case you want to stop somewhere-after party?) WHY HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF THIS? We honestly have no idea. Get invovled and/or Get intouch: charisofjohnsoncity@gmail.com