Bike Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System

. . The City of Chattanooga and Alta Bicycle Share announce on July 24'th that the Bike Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System opened to the public last night, providing 300 bicycles in a network of 28 stations throughout downtown and into the North Shore.  It is the first large scale bicycle transit system in the Southeast.

Smart Growth America - Nashville Report

Nashville was featured in Smart Growth America's email as a city that has successfully redeveloped its Riverfront. The riverfront has now become "an asset for revitalization efforts" and is a place that people want to go to, rather than simply go by. The fact that Rick Bernhardt, a Nashville planning executive, remarked that "Not any one of the downtown attractions can succeed on its own, but the synergy from different elements, along with the locals and tourists creates something special" points to the importance of good planning. This development took decades, and has helped to revitalize downtown.

Out in Knoxville, a similar process has occurred and is ongoing with its own riverfront. I believe the same is occurring in Chattanooga, and perhaps Memphis and elsewhere as well. Note how although such growth does not automatically tie into bike/walk things, the development of urban landscapes inherently favors biking and walking.

Heat wave with 100+ degree temperatures

The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting near record-high temperatures Friday across the state. The all-time record temperature was broken in Nashville at 109 (was 107). Chattanooga hit 106, tying its all-time record. Same with the Tri-Cities at 102. Knoxville tied its June record at 102 as well. Oak Ridge broke the June record at 104. The Tour de Rocky Top, taking place today (Saturday June 30) had its century ride (100 miles) cancelled this year due to the heat for safety reasons.

Mini Adventure Series

A new addition to the Mini Adventure Series has just recently been released. The series, by Knoxville locals Elle Colquitt and Jon Livengood, provide a series of invigorating recreational bike rides. The first book of the series describes rides on the back roads of the Knoxville area, the second is for off road mountain bike trails throughout the state, and the third is on the back roads of the Chattanooga/north Georgia area. That book also has urban routes listed. Elevaton gains and distances are included along with cue sheets.

East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition (ETCFC)

Yesterday at the University of Tennessee's homecoming celebration, I had a chance to visit the College of Engineering where I was able to pick up a brochure from the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition. The brochure contains many statistics for the area that are quite striking; basically, their two main goals are to (1) "reduce dependence on foreign oil, and (2) improve regional air quality and sustainability." The coalition is a participant in the Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program.

Working So You Can Bike

. . Jeff Miller of the Alliance for Bike and Walking recognizes Philip Pugliese of Outdoor Chattanooga and Director of Bike Walk Tennessee (BWT) for sponsoring this year's Leadership Retreat. Besides this event he was also responsible for Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike meeting in Chattanooga. He was a VERY busy man this week. Philip also thanked Jeff for his help in the formation of BWT.
. . EIGHT directors of BWT joined the Leadership Retreat this time, making it the largest contingent. They paid ALL their own expenses saving the organization finances to use on programs for promoting biking and walking.
. . The meeting was very rewarding for everyone and reinforced everyone's suspicions that BWT was making good progress.
. . Prior to the Leadership Retreat, BWT held its FIRST Annual Membership meeting also at Outdoor Chattanooga.
. . Subsequent to the Retreat several of the Directors remained and participated in meetings of Adventure Cycling and Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike.

Congratulations Knoxville for Becoming a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community!

The League of American Bicyclists has just awarded Knoxville it's bronze level award for being a bike-friendly city. The award was earned in large part due to the hard work of the Knoxville Regional TPO and its wonderful transportation planner Kelley Segars, along with the local bike advisory committee and hundreds of area cyclists. To date, the only other city in the state that has earned the award is Chattanooga since 2003. A complete list of bike friendly communities is available here (PDF).

The level of progress made in recent years is wonderful, but there is still much to be done both in Knoxville and elsewhere. Major projects are underway in Memphis under Mayor Wharton. Also, let's not forget smaller communities and towns such as Farragut and Oak Ridge, where bike lanes and sidewalks are parts of substantial construction taking place.

Volunteers Needed

This is a camp for folks with special needs - they learn how to ride a bicycle!  Click here for details!

Where:   McCallie School for boys.  Chattanooga, TN

When:    June 28^th-July 2^nd.  

               (Meet the parents June 27 PM to get the rundown for the next day beginning sessions)

How Long: Either an AM or PM session daily.  (9:00 to 11:45)  or 1:00 to 5:15)

Requirements: 15 years old;   Name, phone, email address, T-Shirt size. 

Lunch provided. 

Making a Difference

In an article in the Chattanooga Free Press (click here to read) Troy Ivey, president of the Chattanooga Bicycle Club, noticed all of that happened this year that advanced Tennessee in the League of American Bicyclists' rankings.  He remembered TDOT's effort to add staff members and programs "devoted to bicycle issues" along with the formation of an independent statewide advocacy group called Bike Walk Tennessee (BWT).
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"Those two small things made a difference," Mr. Ivey said.
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This is just a small step.  A LOT more needs to be done and we need help.
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"Clearly one area where improvement is needed is educating the public about safe bicycling and driving practices," TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely said in this same Free Press article.
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Sarah Lovett, Founder and Membership Chair of BWT, has started a program with the Rutherford County Safety Commission that could become an education model for all of Tennessee.  Sarah is taking us that next step.

Chattanoonga Bike/Ped Plan Adopted

The Chattanooga-Hamilton County/North Georgia Transportation Planning Organization has adopted the new 2010 Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan as part of its 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan.  Built around the concept of creating complete streets to provide safe and convenient travel options for all road users, this plan highlights:

ü  Regional Sidewalk & Bikeway Recommendations

ü  Project Evaluation System

ü  Policies & Programs

ü  Funding for Sidewalk and Bikeway Improvements

ü  Design Guidelines

Plan documents include an Executive Summary and 5 Technical Memoranda which can be found at http://www.chcrpa.org/TPO/Plans_and_Projects.htm.

Philip Pugliese, Bicycle Coordinator

Outdoor Chattanooga