Bicycle Friendly Georgia

27th Annual Cruisin’ in the Country Bicycle Ride

The Claxton-Evans County Chamber of Commerce is proud to sponsor the
27th Annual Cruisin’ in the Country Bicycle Ride, Saturday, November 11th, 2023. This year’s event will be headquartered at the Evans County Public Fishing Area, 4757 Area Line Road, Claxton, Georgia.
Cruisin’ is a family friendly bicycle ride. It is not a race. Six different ride options will be offered to ensure there’s a ride suited for each skill level. Whatever route you choose, you will travel roads with minimal traffic and enjoy the beautiful countryside. While riding, you will benefit from SAG vehicles patrolling the routes as well as our award-winning, friendly, themed rest stops located every 10 to 20 miles. Rest stops will be stocked with water, Power-Ade, and various snacks. In addition, port-a-potties and/or rest rooms, and hand-washing stations will be available at each stop.
Six route options will be offered: 16- mile, 24- mile, 37- mile, 50- mile, 66- mile and the 100- mile, “Royce Smith Century Route”. Smith, a former UGA All-American football player, passed away unexpectedly in 2004. A co-founder of Cruisin’, he will always be remembered as having put his heart and soul into building this event. Maps and cue sheets are available to download and will also be available for pick-up at Cruisin’ headquarters. You can also access route information via Active.com
We are pleased to offer 3 registration schedules for Cruisin’. Early Bird registration is $45 and will be offered May 1st until August 31st. The registration fee for September 1st through October 31st is $55. Registration from November 1st through November 11th (including walk-up registrations) is $65. Active and retired military can register for $45, at any time. (Please note – event t-shirts CANNOT be guaranteed for registrations received after October 15th.) You can download a registration form (www.claxtonevanschamber.com) and mail in with payment. To register by credit card, log on to www. Active.com. On-site registration will be offered at Cruisin’ Headquarters, Saturday, November 11th, beginning at 7:00 a.m.
All routes begin and end at Cruisin’ Headquarters, Evans County Public Fishing Area Event Center, 4757 Area Line Road, Claxton, Georgia.

Georgia in 19th position on Bicycle Friendly State rankings for second year

Overview

A few quick thoughts about the state rankings published by the League of American Bicyclists that came out earlier in the week.

GA is ranked 19th, same place we were in 2017 the last time there was a report card. For perspective, we were 40th 8 years ago and 49th 10 years ago.

These sorts of statewide issues are very much our wheelhouse so please reach out if you are doing stories on state bike/ped funding, GDOT policy etc. We can be reached here: info@georgiabikes.org

Funding and Planning

It’s clear from our grades that funding and planning are challenges, as well as collecting data on planned/built bike and ped facilities. Yes, we live in a big state and those numbers are hard to track, but we have GDOT Districts and Regional Commissions who can help in that regard. Use of federal funds and dedicated state funds also can be improved — not every jurisdiction can pay for bike/ped projects and multi-use trails with TSPLOST/SPLOST dollars. And many small, less wealthy communities cannot afford a 10 percent match on a $1 million project.

Legislation and Enforcement 

We are going to specifically ask about the grade on laws that restrict the behavior of people biking/walking; a D+ is not a passing grade in our book. We can push for better policy at the legislature in this area, no question, with equity as a guide in our work around enforcement.

Moving Forward

We’ve already shared these rankings with our partners at GDOT and look forward to working with them on how to not just improve our grade but how to improve conditions for people biking, walking, and rolling to get to work, school, businesses, transit, or for health and fun.

While these grades are all relative to other states and seem a tad abstract, the consequences of lack of attention to crucial active transportation issues are matters of life/death, especially for vulnerable communities.

Bicycling is exciting, joyful, and brings us a sense of hope. But no one should fear not making it home to family because they walk, ride a bicycle, or roll in a wheelchair. It’s on us to help change that reality at the state level and we welcome suggestions on how to move forward.