This was a big news week for bicycling in the Upstate of South Carolina. Several communities were highlighted in the local media for moving forward in bicycle planning and programming. Fall is great time for building momentum. Folks are back refreshed from vacations, ready and anxious to put plans into action.
Anderson County was in the news this week for their support of a visionary idea to develop a version of Swamp Rabbit Trail in the County. County Council voted to work with The Rocky River Conservancy, Anderson University and a private land owner to develop a greenway that will include bicycle paths, walking trails and a water route for those on kayaks and canoes. Their hope is to make a great park that locals can enjoy and a destination for others. I wonder if it might also connect up with the plans in the City of Anderson and even potentially the trails in the Clemson University Experimental Forest.
The City of Greenville played host to one of Mia Birk's stops in South Carolina. Mia Birk, bicycle advocate and president of Alta Planning + Design, spent three days in South Carolina. She visited Charleston and Columbia on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, she is (was) in Greenville talking with local officials, bicycle advocate, politicians and citizens sharing her experience, expertise and love of biking. Her visit it perfect timing, as Greenville's Bike Master Plan goes in front of Greenville City Council for approval on Monday, September 26. (She's a self-proclaimed "not bicycle absolutist," and sees the need for all types of transportation in every community - bike, bus and car.)
Spartanburg's role of the B-Cycle Bike Share program happened earlier this summer, but it's never too late to give innovator's some props. There are two stations ready for folks to use in the downtown. Bike sharing is all about reducing car trips for short errands, joyrides, touring around an unfamiliar city or any other reason one might need to ride a bike. To learn more about the program, how to sign up, use it and any other questions you might have, check out their website.
Anderson County was in the news this week for their support of a visionary idea to develop a version of Swamp Rabbit Trail in the County. County Council voted to work with The Rocky River Conservancy, Anderson University and a private land owner to develop a greenway that will include bicycle paths, walking trails and a water route for those on kayaks and canoes. Their hope is to make a great park that locals can enjoy and a destination for others. I wonder if it might also connect up with the plans in the City of Anderson and even potentially the trails in the Clemson University Experimental Forest.
The City of Greenville played host to one of Mia Birk's stops in South Carolina. Mia Birk, bicycle advocate and president of Alta Planning + Design, spent three days in South Carolina. She visited Charleston and Columbia on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, she is (was) in Greenville talking with local officials, bicycle advocate, politicians and citizens sharing her experience, expertise and love of biking. Her visit it perfect timing, as Greenville's Bike Master Plan goes in front of Greenville City Council for approval on Monday, September 26. (She's a self-proclaimed "not bicycle absolutist," and sees the need for all types of transportation in every community - bike, bus and car.)
Spartanburg's role of the B-Cycle Bike Share program happened earlier this summer, but it's never too late to give innovator's some props. There are two stations ready for folks to use in the downtown. Bike sharing is all about reducing car trips for short errands, joyrides, touring around an unfamiliar city or any other reason one might need to ride a bike. To learn more about the program, how to sign up, use it and any other questions you might have, check out their website.
