Month: January 2015

On Wednesday, January 14th, a dozen advocates from cities across Georgia joined us for the second annual Bicycle Day at the State Capitol.

We met state lawmakers, their staff, and agency officials to share bike lapel pins, coffee, and fact sheets on our “A Vote for Bikes is a Vote for Me” campaign. Our goal: to win a modest, but meaningful, share of state transportation dollars for projects that will improve bicycling in Georgia.

We know that communities are eager to plan and build quality bike trails and family-friendly neighborhoods and cities, but they don’t have a reliable, consistent source of funding for these projects.

We’ll continue the campaign with social media posts, calls to action, and media buys to convince lawmakers that better bicycling is great for Georgia. You can help by signing our petition and by contacting your state elected officials to let them know that dedicated funding for bike projects is important to you.

Very special thanks to our friends from Athens, Atlanta, Decatur, Milledgeville, Tifton, and Savannah for joining us at Bicycle Day. Pics below:

VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) –

The use of bicycles, both as a hobby and as a primary means of transportation, continues to increase in Valdosta and the surrounding area.

The Southern Georgia Regional Commission, which is based in Valdosta, had updated their bicycle and pedestrian plan as of Monday in order to prepare for the continued growth and they recently received an award from the National Association of Development Organizations for this.

Read more & see TV coverage

Congratulations to our friends at SGRC!

During the 2014 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly, state lawmakers formed the “Joint Study Committee on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Funding.” The Committee studied the conditions, needs, issues, and problems associated with Georgia’s transportation infrastructure as well as the means of funding its construction, maintenance, and repair to allow the transportation systems in Georgia to keep up with the needs of a growing population and to address long-standing issues relating to road congestion, access to industry and economic development. Representative Jay Roberts of the 155th district and Senator Steve Gooch of the 51st were the co-chairmen of the Committee, which held eight public meetings at locations throughout the state from August to November. Among the findings and recommendations of the Joint Study Committee:

• Create a minimum of $1.0 – 1.5 billion in new annual transportation infrastructure investment to address the challenges facing the state and produce the following results:
  • Ensure safety and good repair of Georgia’s bridges and roadways, throughout Georgia, both in rural and urban areas of the state,
  • Mitigate congestion in the fastest-growing urban and business centers throughout Georgia, and
  • Provide Georgians, Georgia businesses and visitors with multi-modal transportation options, ensuring positive, sustainable economic outcomes.

The full report is available here.

We are very please to see the Committee’s emphasis on economic development, transportation choices, safety, and easing urban traffic congestion. Bike-friendly streets and paved trails are proven, cost-effective approaches to solving these complex issues. Safe bicycling routes to school and transit reduce short-distance car trips and make accessing other modesmore convenient and comfortable. Cities that actively foster daily bicycling trips with protected facilities enjoy robust economic growth, innovation, and increased property values. Even small towns that invest in better bicycling reap tremendous benefits from active tourism and a healthier local populace.

We urge Georgia’s lawmakers to ensure that whatever state funding mechanism is created will include a meaningful commitment to build safe, family-friendly streets and roads.

Contact your state legislator directly* – and sign the petition to Governor Deal and the Committee Chairs – and let them know that “A Vote for Bikes is a Vote for Me!”