WINSTON-SALEM’S ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NEWSLETTER

MAY 2011AUGUST 2012

Commissioners to vote on updated Forsyth Greenway PlanLINK TO GREENWAY MAP & PLAN UPDATE

The City Council of Winston-Salem recently approved the Greenway Plan Update for Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, in accordance with the recommendation from the City-County Planning Board. The updated plan now goes to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners for review and approval, although they may opt not to con-sider it. It’s important for commissioners to hear from greenway supporters since sections of the Muddy Creek Greenway as well as future greenway projects will lie outside municipal boundaries and within the county’s jurisdiction. You’ll find more information and contact information at this link: http://www.forsyth.cc/Commissioners/

The commissioners will be briefed about the plan at their August 2 and 9 briefing sessions with any vote by the full board likely to occur on Monday, August 27. You can check the Commissioners’ schedule at this link: www.forsyth.cc

COME SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE GREENWAY PLAN.-----------------------------------Monday, August 27, 2012

6:00 PM Commissioner’s Meeting Rm.

5th Floor, Forsyth County Government Center,

201 N Chestnut St, Winston-Salem

CYCLING AND WALKING WINSTON-SALEM’S ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2012

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Salem Lake Trail Race

Winston-Salem Community Bike RideEvery Sunday afternoon for the past year, cyclists have met in downtown Winston-Salem to enjoy quiet afternoons on the City’s streets, including stops in Old Salem at Winkler’s Bakery. August 26th marks the one year anniversary of the Winston-Salem Community Bike Ride.

Over the course of the year, the WSCBR has had about 1,000 riders join for weekly rides through the neighborhoods of Winston-Salem. Every Sunday, riders gather at Caffe Prada at 390 N. Broad Street and ride about 10 miles in a relaxed, friendly atmo-sphere. The group rides at the pace of the slowest rider, so it is a great opportunity for families and new riders to get the feel for group riding in a wel-coming environment. Each week, organizers plan a 10-mile route with an emphasis on low-volume, low-speed, neighborhood streets and greenways.

WSCBR Co-founder, Chris Smith, explains his prima-ry goal is to create a sense of community amongst cyclists, “We want to get people out on their bikes and the Community Bike Ride provides an opportu-nity for casual riders to join together and take to the streets.” The WSCBR meets year round on Sunday after-noons at Caffe Prada, 390 N. Broad Street. Times and route details can be found on the WSCBR website at www.bikews.com.

Step Up Forsyth!/Let’s Go Local kicks off September 16Step Up Forsyth!, an annual 8-week program to get people moving, will kick off on September 16, 2:30-4:30 PM, with Sunday Fun Day on the new Brushy Fork Greenway, which connects to the Newell-Massey Greenway in eastern Winston-Salem. Explore the green-way, play games with your kids, learn ways to improve your family’s health, and support your local elementary school.

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school with the most participants will receive $400 for new physical education equipment. For a complete list of vendors or additional information, go to www.for-syth.cc or call 336.703.3219.

You may register for Step Up Forsyth! at the kick-off event on September 16, or online at www.forsyth.cc (registration opens late August). You can register as an individual or lead others on their quest to health as a team captain. Team captains are responsible for orga-nizing co-workers, family and friends into teams. Team members are responsible for tracking their physical activity time online during the 8-week program. All types of physical activity are encouraged, whether it’s walking, running, skating, gardening, or bicycling. Go to www.forsyth.cc for complete program information. This year’s program also emphasizes buying local foods and produce as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Weekly emails will provide information on local farm-ers’ markets and participating farms. The YMCA will also provide exercise tips to help you get the most benefit. See you on September 16!

Let’s Go Local

Riders stop in Old Salem

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Next Cycling Sunday is September 23Mark your calendar and tune up your bike! Our next Cycling Sunday will be Sunday, September 23, 2012 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM on our new route around Old Salem. Roads will be closed to cars for the afternoon so everyone can enjoy traffic-free cycling. Walkers, skate-boarders, scooters and skaters are welcome, too. Plan to come early and enjoy a meal at nearby restaurants.

For this event, we’re planning a Kids’ Parade start-ing at 3:00 PM so bring your kids in time to decorate their bikes and ride in the parade, We’re also plan-ning a special riding area for younger children who aren’t ready to cycle up the hill on Old Salem Road. Free parking will be available at Gateway Family Practice near the intersection of Marshall Street and Salem Avenue. The registration table for the event will be near the roundabout.

We’re looking for volunteers to help at the registra-tion table and as monitors to assist riders along the route. All volunteers will receive an official Cycling Sunday Volunteer t-shirt. If you are willing to help, please contact Lynne Mitchell at mitchelm@forsyth.cc or (336) 703-3110.

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Employees Credit Union

The American Association of State Highway and Trans-portation Officials (AASHTO) Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering and its Standing Committee on High-ways have approved the addition of U.S. Bicycle Route (USBR) 35 in Michigan, USBR 45 in Minnesota, and re-alignments for USBR 1 in North Carolina to the U.S. Bicycle Route System.

This is the second consecutive year that these commit-tees have approved new national bicycle routes, which

are developed in partnership with the Adventure Cycling Association and the national bicycling community. In 2011, six U.S. bicycle routes were approved at the AAS-HTO Spring Meeting in Las Vegas.

The North Carolina route uses low-traffic roads, where possible, and is part of a network of numbered bike routes that cross the state. You can find maps and more information at http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/bicycle/.

New National Bike Routes—one in North Carolina

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Sidewalk ProjectsClemmons• TheVillageissolicitingbidsforthegreenwaytotheelementary

school in the new Village Point development, using Safe Routes to School funds.

• TheNCDepartmentofTransportationininstallingasidewalkonUS 158 along the frontage of Tanglewood Park.

• NCDOTisalsoinstallingacrosswalkinMiddlebrook.

Kernersville• UsingSafeRoutestoSchoolfunds,anewsidewalkhasbeen

installed along School Street from Nelson St. to Kernersville El-ementary School.

• AnewsidewalkwillbeconstructedonthewestsideofPineyGrove Road from Cherry & Main to Nelson Street.

Winston-Salem• AnewsidewalkhasbeenconstructedonthenorthsideofLow-

ery Street from the Brushy Fork Greenway to Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Bike lanes will be added this fall.

Bike Smarts skills training at Recre-ation CentersWinston-Salem Recreation Center supervi-sors learned some Bike Smarts in June as Judi Wallace, Safe Routes to School Co-ordinator, trained them to teach the Bike Smarts on-bike skills course at the city’s rec centers. While all the supervisors went through the in-class portion, a smaller group completed the on-bike skills train-ing, making their centers eligible to use the Safe Routes to School bike trailer and helmets.

The first four rec centers to use the bike trailer for the Bike Smarts course were Hanes Hosiery, Miller Park, Old Town, M.L. King, and W.R. Anderson rec centers. Each center used the bike trailer and bike blender for one week as part of the sum-mer program. Leah Friend, supervisor at Miller Park, provided these photographs.

Salem Creek Greenway Clean-UpThe intrepid and soggy WS Greenways cleanup team lib-erated car tires, a bicycle and a boogie board, along with nine bags of trash and three bags of recyclables. Thanks to everybody, especially fearless leader Shane Scholz. You can find more information about WS Greenways at this link: www.wsgreenways.org

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Bike Co-op building supportThe Winston-Salem Bike Co-op continues to build sup-port for its downtown hub to “promote bike education, skill sharing, alternative transportation, bike art, and bike advocacy while it seeks sponsors and permanent space for its programs,” according to Davis Bourland, one of the founders.

The co-op, once it establishes a location, will serve as a central point for people to share skills on repairing and repurposing bikes, building bike racks, or using old bike parts to create art. Repairing bikes and selling them inexpensively is one way the Bike Co-op hopes to get more people on bikes—a very affordable form of transportation.

Coordinating with bike shops, the downtown bike patrol, WS Greenways, and city events, the bike co-op hopes to attract more people who will participate in programs and events. For example, current co-op members recently invited others to participate with them in the Tour de Triad for the American Red Cross.

People of all ages and backgrounds are invited to par-ticipate in the co-op in one of two ways:

1. Pay an hourly fee to access the space and tools for a project.

2. Volunteer hours to work in the co-op in lieu of pay-ment so you can use the tools and space. These hours could be used to purchase one of the repaired bikes.

The co-op is currently working from a donated tempo-rary location. “We invite anyone who’s interested to join us for our Wednesday meetings from 5:30 to 7:30 PM,” says Bourland. “We are particularly interested in having people who can work on bikes and help us organize the co-op,” he adds. Anyone interested can email for more information: wsbikecoop@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, the organization continues to do research, presentations to offices and civic organizations with the goal of finding sponsors and a 1,000-square-foot location while also educating the community about the possibilities. See more photos and other info at www.Facebook.com/wsbikecoop.

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Brushy Fork Greenway OpeningThe opening of Brushy Fork Greenway, Winston-Salem’s newest linear park, brought together Mayor Allen Joines, Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke, Council Members Dan Besse and Derwin Montgomery, city staff, and citizens for a celebration ribbon-cutting on the section near Old Greensboro Road. Fortunately, the rain held off for this event. Following remarks from the elected of-ficials present, Matthew Burczyk, Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator for Winston-Salem, led a walk along the greenway to its end at Lowery Street.

This recently completed section of greenway connects with the Newell-Massey Greenway to the north and, once additional sections are constructed, will link to Salem Creek Green-way on the south. This 10-foot-wide path, which is open to walkers cyclists, scooters, and skaters, passes under one of the city’s historic bridges, which is no longer in service. People using the greenway will be able to ad-mire the bridge’s stone pillars that were built more than a century ago as well as observe a variety of plants and wildlife.

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(above) Council Member Mont- gomery and Mayor Joines

(right) Walkers pass under historic bridge

CYCLING AND WALKING WINSTON-SALEM’S ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2012

This newsletter is published by the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program in the City of Winston-Salem Department of Transportation, which serves the Winston-Salem Urban Area.

Publisher: Matthew Burczyk, 747-6884, mattbk@cityofws.org

Editor: Judi Wallace, 768-3339, judiwallace@triad.rr.com

This newsletter is published quarterly by the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program in the City of Winston-Salem Department of Transportation, which serves the Winston-Salem Urban Area.

Publisher: Matthew Burczyk, 747-6884, mattbk@cityofws.orgEditor: Judi Wallace, 768-3339, judiwallace@triad.rr.com

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By riding, instead of driving, U.S. bicyclists save billionsAccording to new data released recently by the League of American Bicyclists, Sierra Club, and National Council of La Raza (NCLR), bicy-clists in the U.S. save $4.6 billion per year by riding their bikes, instead of driving their cars. The reports estimate savings of more than 2 bil-lion gallons of gas if American drivers replaced just one four-mile car trip with a bike each week for the whole year.

The report highlights the tremendous economic benefits of bicycling and its importance as a safe transportation choice that should be available to every U.S. resident. The data also indicates that from 2001 to 2009, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asian Americans took up biking at faster rates than other Americans, representing 21 percent of all bike trips in the U.S. in 2009.”

“There are so many reasons more people are riding, from improving their health to protecting the environment,” said League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke. “But, especially in tough economic times, bicycling can also be an economic catalyst, keeping billions of dollars in the pockets of American families.”

Bike-Ped Crash Data AnalysisThanks to summer interns Allie Potter and Andrew Edmonds, Winston-Salem has its first ever analysis of bicycle and pedestrian crashes on city streets, allowing us to identify hazardous locations and behaviors around the city. We will use this crash information to prioritize engineering solutions and education efforts to help keep bicyclists and pedestrians safe. The analysis looked at all reported crashes between 2002 and 2011, which included about 300 bicycle crashes and 700 pedestrian crashes.

We are also identifying crashes that occur near schools so we can work with the school staff to educate students and parents as part of our Safe Routes to School Program.