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December 2012
We are a member supported non-profit working to improve bicycling access, safety and education in South Carolina. |
 Wondering what rides, races and rodeos are happening this weekend? Check out our calendar.
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We are only as strong as the members that support us, so please donate and be a part of our efforts today! |
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Join Us in Washington DC!
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Every year, the Coalition puts together a delegation to represent the state of South Carolina at the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. The Summit is hosted by the League of American Bicyclists and allows advocates to network with their peers across the nation as well as get real face time with the senators and representatives deciding federal policy. The 2013 Summit will be held March 4-6, so if you would like to go with us, contact Amy so we can get together for a game plan. Together, we can make sure the bicyclists of South Carolina are heard!
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Bike Shares Taking Over the Upstate
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Bike shares are a wonderful way to remove a lot of the barriers to bicycling and a very visible reminder that a city is especially bike friendly. Currently, Spartanburg is the only city in South Carolina with a bike share, but we are soon getting another! Greenville is hosting an unveiling and demonstration event for their new B-cycle bike share on December 4 at the Greenlink Transfer Station ahead of its planned launch in the spring of 2013. The system will feature six stations with 28 bicycles and will offer annual, weekly and daily memberships. Members will get the first 60 minutes free as a means to encourage short trips while providing both community members and visitors a low-cost, active and green way to get around.
We always love to see bicycling programs receiving energetic community support, and this bike share is an excellent example of that. The idea began several years ago with Leadership Greenville and is being funded by a collaboration between the Greenville Hospital System, Greenville Transit Authority and Greenville County Recreation District as well as in-kind support from LiveWell Greenville, Leadership Greenville, Erwin Penland, and Safe Kids Upstate, which is donating 25 helmets. Both the city and county of Greenville have gotten behind the project by allowing stations on public land and advising on necessary permits.
Bike shares improve job accessibility for those that count on alternative transportation, and this one will act as an extension of the Greenlink public transit system. The simple act of getting more people on bikes will both improve safety and increase momentum for improving Greenville's bike friendliness, and data collected from members and GPS route tracking will help identify locations for additional bicycle infrastructure.
Spartanburg's bike share is also a B-cycle system, and has been an enormous success. Over 1,070 members have ridden enough miles (24,556 to be exact) to loop around the world- with only two stations and 14 bikes in the system. In July 2013, a third station will launch at the future Healthy Food Hub on the north side of Spartanburg. The bike share has burned over one million calories and offset nearly 25,000 lbs of carbon dioxide. We hope to soon see other cities and communities in the state adopting bike shares as well!
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Our Communities for Cycling program came out of Palmetto Joyride as a means for advocates and planners to get together and determine best practices for making our state more bicycle friendly. As the statewide bicycling organization, we are thrilled to be able to facilitate a process led by planning leaders from every major city in the state.
South Carolina faces unique challenges that are not always applicable to other states, even our southeastern neighbors. For this reason, it is especially beneficial to bring South Carolina experts together to allow cooperation across the state about the problems we face. For example, the state ownership of most roads is a unique situation, and Communities for Cycling allows these leaders to focus on changing the policies and culture within SCDOT to more easily and willingly accommodate bicycling. The group meets quarterly, and if you are a planner or city employee and would like to get involved, please let us know!
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Safe Streets Save Lives: Update
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Safe Streets Save Lives, our signature bike safety campaign, launched May 18, 2011 following the Ride of Silence as we premiered our videos to educate South Carolinians about our state's bike laws and safe riding practices. The four videos, How to Ride, Signals and Safety, How to Drive and Let's Get There Together, were funded by sponsors and donors like you and a generous matching donation from BikeLaw.com. However, just having these videos was not enough- we needed to make sure people saw them.
For Phase II of this revolutionary campaign, we received a grant from the Department of Public Safety, and we were able to really get those videos out there through television and online ads, social media promotion and an aggressive public relations campaign all across the state. Our TV ads had over 11.7 million gross impressions, which includes both first-time and repeat viewers. Our breakdown of gross impressions per market is below:
Charleston: 2.4 million Columbia: 3.1 million Greenville, Spartanburg & Anderson: 5.6 million Aiken: 280,000 Rock Hill: 3670,000 As we wrap up 2012, we also are preparing to move past Phase II and determine what the future holds for Safe Streets Save Lives. We thank all of our supporters and donors that have helped the campaign get this far and ask that you stay tuned, because we're not done just yet!
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Sterling Spinners Learn Advocacy
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We've written about the successful youth bike club, the Sterling Spinners, before and are pleased to be able to give an update on this innovative program. Part of the Building Dreams Mentoring Program, this club not only gets kids out on bikes, the exclusive club includes a bike donation and repair lessons. The kids have also traveled to various events to teach independence and responsibility via bicycling. This interest in advocacy was demonstrated when the group recently came to Columbia. Along with exploring Columbia by bike, the club members defended a bill they wrote with help from Livewell Greenville at Youth-in-Goverment. We can't help but be optimistic about the future of bicycling in South Carolina with youth bicycling clubs like this changing lives and growing in popularity and success! To learn how you can get involved, contact Dave Taylor.
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James Island Connector Access
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Since Bill S.1375 was passed this summer to allow local communities control over bicyclist and pedestrian use of limited access roads, we have hoped that the James Island Connector would be reopened to use by foot and bike, but so far that has not happened. The James Island Connector is the safest route between downtown Charleston and James Island, and a petition has been started to encourage the city to pass the necessary ordinance.
To date, over 550 people have signed the petition, but we know that number could be much higher. We urge you to consider signing, too- restricting access is not a viable way to improve safety. To stay up to date on the issue, follow this Facebook page. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Zimmerman. By keeping up momentum on this issue, we can show the decision makers that bicycle and pedestrian access is an important issue to their constituents!
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First Mile of Spanish Moss Trail Open
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The first mile of the new Spanish Moss Trail in Beaufort has opened! This rail-trail is the product of cooperation between governments at the municipal, county, state and even federal level. These governments, along with partners including the PATH Foundation, James M. Cox Foundation, Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority, Pathways Connect, hope to see the trail reach its full, 14-mile length. The 12-foot wide concrete multi-use trail offers great benefits in an economy powered by tourism, real estate, and local resources, but it has not been an easy project.
The plan is to complete the trail in 10 segments over five or six years; funding so far has come from a grant of $567,000 from the James M. Cox Foundation, and the PATH Foundation has arranged for an additional $600,000 grant to match local funds. For the first two segments of the trail to be completed and earn the matching grant, the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail have one year to raise $2 million. They estimate that the project will cost $12.5 million to complete, with $4 million coming from private funding. We encourage bicyclists, walkers and joggers to visit the first mile of the trail and experience what can come from private-public partnerships. For more information about the future of the trail and getting involved with the project, please visit this website.
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City of Aiken Passes Bike Master Plan
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On November 12, the City of Aiken passed a resolution endorsing the Aiken County Urbanized Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, thanks in large part to Palmetto Cycling board member Tom Lex. The resolution is a major step forward in making Aiken more bike friendly, and states that the city will follow a comprehensive approach for including bike and pedestrian pathways.
The Five Es will form the backbone of how the city accomplishes these goals, and the city will review regulations, policies and operating practices where appropriate to ensure that transportation systems are planned and designed to make bicycling and walking a viable option. By looking for opportunities to implement the county plan, the City of Aiken can make a real leap forward to improve alternative transportation in the area. If Aiken keeps this great work up, we wouldn't be surprised to see a new Bicycle Friendly Community designation coming to South Carolina.
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Your share the road license plate supports our bicycle programs and initiatives. If you don't already own one, and are looking for an easy way to support our work and bicycling in South Carolina, then please purchase a plate at your local DMV office today!
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Thank you for your support!
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