Doodle Trail Opening - Saturday, May 23

This blog has been following the story of the Doodle Trail, the route that runs between the cities of Easley and Pickens in South Carolina, for the last several years. What started out as an idea in the 2010 City of Easley Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan is now a reality in May 2015.

The Grand Opening of the biking and walking paved trail will be officially on Saturday, May 23 at 10:00 am at 514 Fleetwood Drive in Ealsey. Come one, come all! Come by bike, by foot, by wheelchair. Come as you are!

Taking only 5 years to go from concept to plan to reality is pretty amazing, especially considering that two different communities had to come together in aligning resources, priorities and budgets. This is a huge celebration for these communities and another marker of the growing story of success of biking in the upstate. I hope to see you there!

Another Opportunity for Input in Clemson

Another opportunity to speak up for better biking and pedestrian paths, trails and sidewalks comes to you this week in the City of Clemson. The Pacolet Milliken tract of 350+ acres on the southeast side of town is being master planned, and public input is critical. A photo of the area is shown in the picture below. This is an opportunity to influence the design of a new neighborhood in the Clemson/Pendleton area. There are multiple sessions that you can talk to the planners, including the opening session tonight, Monday May 11 at 6:00p. The schedule of days, times, sessions and location can be found here.

Pacolet Milliken site to be Master Planned in Clemson

Local Opportunity for 2015 National Bike Month

What did you do to celebrate the first weekend of Bike Month 2015? If you live in the Central, Clemson, Pendleton and Six Mile area of the Upstate, a group called Friends of the Green Crescent will be providing an opportunity to participate this week. There will be a public meeting related to developing bike trails in the area. On Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00p in the City of Clemson City Hall's Community Room, there will be a public meeting where folks can share, listen and give input. This is one way to participate in National #BikeMonth. Get out, get active and get local!

Bike Share Down Under

Here's another photo from Down Under. My parents went to visit my brother while he was completing some research in Australia. The photo below is from the bike share system in Melbourne. There are a few differences from the bike share station layout seen here and the one in Greenville. One thing to note is that not wearing a helmet while riding a bike - either your own, borrowing a friends or while using bike share - is a ticket-able offense in Australia. Just ask Arnold.

2015 South Carolina Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety bill

There's a new State Bill that's currently on the table that aims to make our streets safer. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition has a great write up on it. Once you give it a read, call, email, write and/or tweet out to your state rep to let them know that you support the bill, also known as H. 3909! Here are the Top 5 takeaways from the bill:

1. Amends the pedestrian crosswalk law so that a driver must yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk where there are no ped traffic-control signals. (Ped traffic-control signals are signals used at intersections to let folks know when to walk or wait.)
2. Amends the due care law to include a person operating an electric personal assistive mobility device, a wheelchair and a few others. BIcyclists and pedestrians have been covered through previous measures. However, penalties for killing or causing serious injuries for all of these parties are to increase through the bill
3. Updates the special pedestrian control signals law to include symbols, not just the words "walk" or "wait."
4. Defines low-speed, electric assist bicycles and provides them all the rights (and responsibilities) of people-powered bicycles.
5. Officially defines a bike lane. 

Sign of the Times

Fun sign my folks saw while in Christchurch, New Zealand while they were traveling in March. Interesting sign that highlights bicyclists merging. That's a bit different than things I've seen on this side of the world. Would have love to seen it greater context!

Signs not seen in the USA

Top 5 Bike Resource Finds

In my effort to keep up on improvements and growth of the biking movement, I come across some pretty cool resources. Some come across my inbox through some list-serves I subscribe to, others great finds are the latest in peer-reviewed research from international research foundations and, of course, I find some by surfing the interwebs. The following is a list of my Top 5 Biking Finds I've come recently.

5. Top 10 Myths About Women & Cycling. This list is a few years old, but is still too good to pass up. (Great infographic!) I love lists, and this one is a great mythbuster!

4.  Bike Equity Network. Ever wonder how diversity is being considered, discussed and included in the bike movement? Or how those involved within the biking and walking professions view the events in Ferguson, Missouri or the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin? There's a list-serve dedicated to discussing these and other related issues that you can subscribe to here. The network is supported by Dr. Lugo who is an national leader in promoting inclusion and diversity within the bike movement. I enjoy hearing about some of the issues from folks who have a different perspective than I do, and being a part of this group has helped me think about issues in a new way.

3. Bicyclist as Consumers. The peer-reviewed, internationally-renowned Transportation Research Board, or TRB as it is affectionately known, has published some good stuff in one of their recent journals. In the Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2468, there's an article that highlights the researched spending habits based on travel modes. In Davis, California, researchers examined the spending habits of those who biked versus those who drove. Results:  Bicyclists outspent those who drove and visited the downtown more frequently, resulting in a 1-2 punch of more spending by those on people-powered, two-wheeled machines. (Subscribe to get weekly updates to TRB.) If you are trying to get your City Council or Chamber of Commerce to support bicycle improvements in your home town, this is a must read!

2. Engaging more Women in Bicycling Report. Since 2010 there has been a focused effort in researching and understanding why only 25% of bicycle riders are women. The League of American Bicyclists continues their support in this effort, and released a report designed for advocates interested in creating a successful women’s outreach and encouragement initiative in their community. Since the Upstate is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, understanding the complicated lives women lead will help us create a better places to live, better biking infrastructure and programs and better communities.

1. National Findings on the "Interested, but Concerned" Bicyclist Group. A while back there was some work done that considered grouping riders into four different types:  1) Strong & Fearless; 2) Enthused & Confident; 3) Interested, but Concerned; 4) No Way, No How. People for Bikes did some research to further examine the "Interested, but Concerned" crowd, and they came up with six interesting conclusions. These are great ideas to consider as in taking biking to the next level in your community.

Any resources, articles or factiods you've heard about lately? I'd love to have you share them in the comments below!