On Saturday, May 22nd (5-7 PM, CitySpace), ACCT and Bike Charlottesville will host a community brainstorming session to identify the most important projects that would make it safer and easier to bicycle in the Charlottesville area. As more and more people, groups, and local leaders are embracing the prospect of becoming a more bicycling-friendly community, the need for a clear path forward has never been more apparent.

The 2006 Bike Summit

In 2006, ACCT hosted the first Bike Summit in Charlottesville. More than 150 bicyclists came to the initial community brainstorming session, and over the next few months, more than 400 people contributed to shaping the “Top 5 Priority Bicycle Projects” that resulted. ACCT has been advocating for these projects ever since, and city staff have adopted them as their priorities for improving the city for bicycles.

While slow, progress has been made in almost every area: bike actuation is now added to traffic signals on a regular basis; our off-road trails system is poised for rapid expansion; the bricked crosswalks on the Corner have been replaced with a smoother surface; plans to improve Old Lynchburg Rd. in both the City and the County have been developed (although much of the funding was lost with the Biscuit Run development). At a meeting in January, City trails planner Chris Gensic called the” Top 5” list “the best thing that's ever been done for bike advocacy in the City”. It's time to do it again, and do it better!

How it will work

The Bike Summit begins at 5 PM at CitySpace. Valet bike parking, door prizes, and a casual wine social will set the tone for participants. We'll hear an update from local trails planners on important infrastructure projects that are in the pipeline, and see a slideshow on inspiring international bike projects from a local intrepid bicyclist. From there, we'll start the brainstorming session by rotating through four stations, adding projects (both big and small) to the “bike improvements” list at each turn. Each station will cover one of the four main categories used to evaluate progress in the Bicycling Friendly Communities program - Engineering, Education, Encouragement, and Enforcement.

When the lists are completed, participants will vote for their top three projects at each station with stickers. To conclude, we'll move down to the Freedom Wall to transcribe our vision for a bicycling-friendly Charlottesville for the whole community to see.

Towards a bicyling friendly community

After the event, a month-long online survey will be conducted to narrow the "big list" down to the top priority projects. During the summer and fall, we'll meet to develop an action plan for each project, unifying existing and planned efforts. In the fall, we will present a detailed list of bicycle priorities to both the city and the county.

In two years, Charlottesville is due to reapply to the League of American Bicyclists to update its designation as a “Bicycling Friendly Community”. Having researched and written the initial application, I know it's the amazing collection of passionate bicyclists and bicycling groups in our area that earned us a “Bronze” rating in 2008. With a clear and reasoned action plan supported by local groups and leaders, and powered by local bicyclists, there's nothing stopping us from earning a “Silver” rating in 2012. The Bike Summit on May 22nd is the first step. See you there!

Saturday, May 22nd , 5 to 7 PM, CCDC

**If you can't make the event, send your suggestions for making the Charlottesville area more bicycling-friendly to mlafferty@embarqmail.com. Contact vince@transportationchoice.org with questions.