Convened by Lara Celeste Mack Table D at 4:45
Attendees: Lara Mack, Seth Ensign, Ryan Wolz, Steven Thomas, Matt Trybus, Diana Woodall, Erica Mulford, Todd Miller, Jane Hubbell, Russ Leimboch, Rich Harris
About 15 people met to to discuss bicycling in the city and county, including a good mix of ages and genders, new and seasoned riders. Included were JMU students and staff, and community people, and one Harrisonburg police officer. A few do not own cars and rely on biking or walking or bus for their transportation.
Advantages of cycling: physical health and exercise, not relying on fossil fuels, and for some, saving on the expense of owning a car and insurance. Several mentioned that biking is a much more social activity than driving. It’s easier to talk to others while biking, or stop and talk to others. One JMU student said he beats his housemates to class by taking a bike vs. driving, and would like it to be better known how convenient bicycling can be.
- Lara has spear-headed the One Mile Challenge program in Harrisonburg. People who are willing to participate pledge to bike for any trip that is under 2 miles. Russ took the challenge, and commended the safety brochure that is part of the program.
- A member of the Shenandoah Bicycle Coalition mentioned that the club has rides every day of the week that are very friendly and open.
- Lara was one of 7 Harrisonburg residents, including 2 city officials, who was able to visit Davis, California last year to learn about that city’s extensive bicycle path system. Davis started over 40 years ago, and was able to build bicycle paths and planning into its growth, whereas Harrisonburg is having to retrofit bicycle paths and lanes into its structure.
Nevertheless, 3 miles of bike paths were added to the city last year, and there is a master bike path plan.
- SAFETY IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR BIKE COMMUTERS, and from the discussion we had, both drivers and riders need to be educated about rights and responsibilities. Riders need to obey traffic signals, ride in the street, and wear light/bright clothing, especially at night. Drivers need to realize bicyclists have a right to be in the road. When new bike lanes are created, it is often confusing for drivers at first. Most accidents happen at intersections. Examples of tricky/confusing intersections mentioned were Southbound on Neff Ave to Port Republic road, where the bike lane disappears and a right turn lane appears, and also Southbound on highway 42 at Erickson. According to the police officer, most accidents he sees are the result of the driver not paying attention.
Another concern was weather, especially snow, and having to navigate around large snow piles left by snowplows.
Also, many people still do not see bicycle commuting as a normal thing to do. For some, there may be an issue of needing to shower or change into professional clothes after riding and before work. “What if we were more tolerant of someone’s hair being a little mussed up?” to paraphrase one comment.
- Solutions and resources:
The fire department has a free helmet program.
At the International Festival Sept 25, there will be info on bike safety at the walk smart/bike smart table.
One Mile Challenge Program
New Community Project Everyday Bikes–Mondays from 10-4, Wednesdays and Thursday from 3-6. Used bikes are repaired and refurbished for the community. Anyone can earn a bike by volunteering.
Community Bike/ “Yellow Bike” program being developed by JMU.
Shenandoah Valley Bike Coalition
Metropolitan Planning Organization–5 year plan for the city and county, chance for public comment and input coming soon.
Work on a statewide level to get questions about respecting bicycle riders on the drivers’ license exam.
Contact: Lara Celeste Mack bike.ped.challenge[at]gmail.com 703. 554.4770
Resources:
www.onemilechallenge.org
http://ncpharrisonburg.wordpress.com/ Lara will send out the meeting notes to all session attendees as well as a list of all the local bicycle advocacy resources she knows of
Lara will also set up another meeting and those from the session that are interested and able will convene with each other again to see how we can better share knowledge about bike safety with the community!
