Bike Mentoring Program Launched in Cville

August 13, 2008

Shawn Strubbe and over a dozen volunteer bike mentors have teamed up with ACCT to help people get out in our bicycle friendly community on bike!

News coverage on the Charlottesville Newsplex/CBS19




News coverage on NBC29.

Are We Changing? TIP Comments

July 17, 2008

We are faced with critical issues in our world today that society and humankind has never had to deal with.

Are we making the changes to deal with them?

The 2000 World Petroleum Assessment (by the US Geologic Survey) identified that the United States, with 4.5 percent of world population and 2.7 percent of its oil reserves (including ANWR), uses 26 percent of the world’s daily consumption of oil. As I repeat every chance I get, according to climate experts, we need to reduce greenhouse gases to 60 to 80% below the 1990 level by 2050 to somewhat adequately deal with the global climate change issue we are facing. The transportation sector accounts for approximately 27-33% of GHG emissions in the United States, 61% of which are from automobiles and light duty trucks. According to a US Department of Energy from 2005, the transportation sector is the largest and fastest growing contributor to GHGs in the country.

The recent Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the region brought to my attention, in a general sense, just how little we are changing our planning process to address these issues.

We are still planning for auto mobility, creating token changes to our infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists. We are still encouraging automobile transportation as if we were living in a world where we thought it was a good idea to encourage easy automobile driving (the 1950s, essentially).

Here is a complete statement to the MPO Policy Board regarding the proposed FY09-FY12 TIP.

And here is a link to Cville Tomorrow's coverage of the MPO Policy Board meeting where this was covered (including mention of our comments).

Bicycle Facilities and Bicycle Travel: A Cross-Cultural Study

Spring 2008

A summary of Zachary Shahan's master's project was published in the Environmental Planning Journal (Volume 19, number 2).

The research project examined the relationship between bicycle facilities and bicycle travel in two locations—Montgomery County, Maryland and the city of Delft in the Netherlands. Data regarding personal characteristics of respondents, neighborhood environments, travel mode options, travel distances, and bicycle facilities were collected from residents of both locations. Results from the study indicate that various bicycle facilities (especially bicycle-only roads) located in one’s home neighborhood are significantly associated with bicycle travel, cross-culturally. Results also demonstrate, however, that many bicycle facilities are not significantly associated with higher levels of bicycle travel. The results indicate that the aesthetics of the surrounding environment along bicycle travel routes is significantly associated with bicycle travel. In total, the results help to suggest which bicycle facilities (and which design aspects of those facilities) are critical in order to effectively encourage bicycle travel.

The study found that distance (between starting point and destination) was consistently the most significant factor related to bicycle travel, and that certain personal and societal/collective factors were significant as well.

The article also breifly discussed the environmental impacts of transportation, and, in particular, its relationship to global climate change.

To read the full article, click here.

Bike Week in Charlottesville and Albemarle!

May 7, 2008

The Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT) is organizing the 2nd Annual Bike Week for the Charlottesville area next week – May 12 - May 18.

The week is tied to National Bike to Work Day (May 16) and what is now becoming considered National Bike Month (May).

The week begins with a few events on May 12, including an awards ceremony at noon in front of City Hall where Mayor Dave Norris and ACCT Executive Director Zachary Shahan will accept a “Bicycle Friendly Community” certificate from the League of American Bicyclists – a truly significant designation that Charlottesville was just awarded last week.

Albemarle County and ACCT are hosting a Bicycle Commuter Tent in the mornings and evenings of every weekday as well, where they will be giving out free bike lights, helmets, other biking accessories, food, drinks, and coupons for various free gifts from Syklo Bicycles. Also at the commuter tent will be a metallic green 1973 Raleigh Sports English 3-speed bicycle that will be raffled off, courtesy of Syklo Bicycles.

The week will also include a “bike-in movie” hosted by Community Bikes, a tune-up clinic at Performance Bicycle Shop, a family bike riding clinic at C’ville Bike & Tri, and special bicycle rides throughout the week.

The work week will conclude with a bicycle commuter competition between the City of Charlottesville government, Albemarle County government, and SNL Financial on National Bike to Work Day, May 16. We will see which major employer can get more of their employees to bike to work on that day!

“There are few things that have as many positive influences as bicycling. It is great for the environment, great for your health, great for your pocket book, it is enjoyable, and it makes the community a more pleasant place to live,” says ACCT Executive Director, Zachary Shahan.

If you’ve been thinking about enjoying the spring on your bike, this is the week to do it!

More information on Bike Week can be found here.

Daily Progress Article Press for Bike Week

Daily Progress Article Mentioning Bike Week

Local News Mentioning of Bike Week

Bike Week Mention on cVillain

Coverage also received on WINA Newsradio

Bicycle Friendly Charlottesville!

May 2, 2008

The League of American Bicyclists decided this week that Charlottesville is a “Bicycle Friendly Community.”

Two UVA students worked with the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation in the Fall semester to complete a lengthy and detailed application for this designation. The Alliance, also known as ACCT, finished the application and submitted it in February on behalf of the City of Charlottesville.

This comprehensive application required answers from city traffic and civil engineers, trails planners, police officers, members of local mountain bike clubs and road cycling clubs, as well as staff of local non-profits The Community Bike Shop and ACCT.

The League of American Bicyclists announced yesterday, through a national press release, Charlottesville and ten other communities’ new designation as Bicycle Friendly Communities.

An awards ceremony will be held on May 12 at noon in front of City Hall to kick off Bike Week here in Charlottesville. The Mayor, possibly former Mayor David Brown, and Zachary Shahan at ACCT will accept the award from the League. The League will also provide the city with road signs to post around the city and Charlottesville now has its own webpage on the League’s website.

The Bicycle Friendly Community program includes five designations – Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and honorable mention. Charlottesville received a Bronze designation, but with improvements we can always move up to Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Currently, there are only two Platinum cities – Davis, California and Portland, Oregon.

The League will also provide our community with specific feedback on how we can make the city more bicycle-friendly and eventually receive those higher designations.

Click here for more information on the Bicycle Friendly Community program. Charlottesville’s application is on file with ACCT, and if you want any information on bicycling in Charlottesville, contact ACCT.

To begin bicycling in Charlottesville, get in touch with ACCT about their “Confident City Cyclist Course” or about upcoming “Bike Week” activities or about their annual “Bicycle Rodeo!” And enjoy your bicycle friendly community on a bicycle!

Read the League's national press release by clicking here.

DISCOVER TRANSPORTATION FREEDOM LAUNCHES

April 16, 2008

ACCT's major new program for 2008 launched at the Earth Day Eco-Fair on April 19. The following Cville Tomorrow interview with Zachary Shahan, ACCT Executive Director, was posted a few days earlier. Zachary and others discussed the program on several radio shows as well.

In this 17 minute innovative interview, Sean Tubbs and Zachary ride the bus from downtown to Barracks Road Shopping Center and talk about the program while Zachary does his weekly grocery shopping.

Listen to the Charlottesville Tomorrow interview here.

Mention of Transportation Freedom in Daily Progress Article

February 15, 2008

Following the recent collision with two pedestrians on Rio Rd., ACCT calls upon Albemarle County and VDOT to upgrade pedestrian amenities along the road in order to prevent similar accidents. Read ACCT's press release here,WCAV TV's coverage here, Daily Progress coverage here, and NBC29 coverage here.

January 26, 2008

In coordination with the Community Bike Shop, ACCT held a Bike Action Team meeting to discuss improving data collection of bike-auto accidents and incidents in the area and to improve the safety of roadways for bicyclists and automobile drivers. The Bike Action Team will be finalizing the survey and beginning distribution soon. The January 26 meeting was covered by the Charlottesville Newsplex. More extensive coverage of the issue is in the Cville Weekly as well.

January 14, 2008

In coordination with Art-in-Place and the City of Charlottesville, ACCT held an Artistic Bike Rack Design Competition and helped to evaluate proposals from artists to build creative and fun bicycle racks to be placed in central locations in the City of Charlottesville. From this Artistic Bike Rack Design Competition, four bike racks by four local artists were selected to be installed in the city. The first bike racks were installed in Washington Park on January 14th. The artist for these first racks is Bill Hess and the name of the racks is "Tree Cyclists Waiting for Bikes." For more information on all of the winning bike racks, the artists, and the design competition, click on this link. And be sure to go out and see (and use) these fun, attractive bicycle racks!

An article on these racks printed in the Hook.

ACCT URGES PLANNING COMMISSION TO DISCONTINUE VEHICULAR CROSSING

ACCT's BOARD PRESIDENT MODERATES CANDIDATE FORUM

October 18, 2007

Candidates for the three open seats on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors took part in a unique forum hosted by ACCT, Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, the Rivanna Conservation Society, the Piedmont Environmental Council, and Citizens for Albemarle. ACCT's Len Schoppa moderated the event, which focused on sustainable growth, transportation, and the environment. Read more and find a podcast of the event from Charlottesville Tomorrow.  You can also watch their video of the event, below.