BikeWalkNC

North Carolina’s advocate for safe cycling and walking

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Recognition of Lauren Blackburn

Lauren Blackburn Photo

BikeWalk NC recognizes Lauren Blackburn, the previous director of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, for her contributions to improving the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians on public roadways. Lauren served as the Division’s director for four years, during which various regional infrastructure plans were developed with the intention of prioritizing access and safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

Under Lauren’s leadership, the state revised the framework of North Carolina’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan to improve various areas of bicycling and pedestrian transportation, including mobility, safety, and the environment. Lauren also promoted comprehensive planning of bicycling/pedestrian infrastructure by leading campaigns such as “Watch for Me” and partnered with the NC Department of Health and Human Services to launch the Active Routes to School program to encourage students to walk and bike to school.

“I learned an incredible amount working with the Department and other staff and leaders within the NCDOT,” said Lauren. “[There were plenty] of opportunities to grow and learn there as a transportation professional, and I have the upmost respect for the people that work there.”

Above all, BikeWalk NC is extremely grateful for Lauren’s willingness to collaborate and for her support of BWNC’s goals to increase transportation safety education in North Carolina. BWNC has had an effective and successful relationship with Lauren and the NCDOT’s Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, and it hopes that the NCDOT will select a new director that will advance Lauren’s goals and programs to improve bicycling, pedestrian, and motorist safety and education across the state.

BikeWalk Director Lisa Riegel drafted a letter to the Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation expressing these sentiments and hopes for the Division’s new directorship, which can be read here. BWNC also drafted a resolution expressing gratitude and respect for Lauren Blackburn in her role as the Division’s director that can be read here.

Lauren is now working for the consulting firm VHB as a project manager at the company’s office in Raleigh.

TOUR DE FAT – In Just 2 Weeks – JUNE 25TH in DURHAM!!!

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Tour de Fat Durham 2015
Tour de Fat Durham 2015

TOUR DE FAT

On Saturday June 25th at Diamond Park in Durham, join thousands of your friends for a costumed bike parade and nationally touring and locally loved musical acts, peppered with interactive fun like a 1,000 Person Dance Contest (to win a bike!) a Slow Ride competition (how slow can you go?), and the inspirational car-for-bike swapper series in which brave souls hand over their car keys and commit to commute by bike. (Interested? Apply to be a Car for Bike Trader now.)

We’ll see you for bikes, beer and bemusement. In the meantime, read the Tour de Fat 10 Commandments.   And check out this Tour de Fat Video!

Tour de Fat is New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, honoring humankind’s greatest invention. Born in Fort Collins, Colorado, to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, Tour de Fat has grown into a national rite of passage for cycling advocates and bon vivants alike.

For more information go to the Tour de Fat website.

Proceeds benefit Bike Walk NC, Triangle Spokes Group and the Durham Bike Co-op

 

URGENT: Operation CARS-Ride POSTPONED!!

 

CARSride

Due to the overwhelming response and for the safety of all riders,  the CARS ride is being postponed until all can coordinate logistics with the City of Raleigh.  Once again, this is being done for the safety of the cyclists and all parties involved.

 

We will  post  when we get information about rescheduling.

 

As for T-shirts, the Tarwheels have graciously offered to be onsite at Wakefield Commons, Sunday morning, to sell t-shirts and to distribute pre-sold shirts. Cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted. They will be there about 6:30am until 8:30am so, if you want a tee, this is the time to get one.

 

It is amazing that a huge group came together and planned this ride in just 4 short weeks.  We are disappointed that the safety awareness ride is not coming to fruition this weekend.  However, just planning the event raised the awareness concerning the four injured cyclists.  Please still consider making your donations to the GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/grahamandcomrades

Survey of Group Ride Leadership and Organization Practices

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Do you organize or lead open-road group bicycling rides in North Carolina? If so, we invite you to participate in our group ride leadership survey. BikeWalk NC is collecting input from the bicycling community on successful practices for organizing and leading group rides. This information will help inform our development of educational materials to assist new ride organizers and leaders with conducting safe and enjoyable group rides. The survey should take between 10 and 20 minutes to complete.

Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SDHT66H

For questions about the survey, please email contact@bikewalknc.org.

NCDOT Releases Final Report on H232 Study to Legislature

NCDOT has released their final report on the H232 Bicycle Safety Law Study. See the documents linked below:

H232 Bill Text

Final H232 Memo and Report

Final Appendices and Comments

The report differs little from the draft report, and still makes recommendations to restrict bicyclists’ use of our roadways (restriction to right half of travel lane, limit to two abreast within a single lane, permits for informal group rides) that are counter to the votes of the study committee. The immediately obvious changes include:

  • Modification of NCDOT’s recommendation that bicyclists be restricted to the right half of their travel lane. NCDOT’s new proposed restriction on bicyclist lane position would apply to any road with a maximum posted speed limit greater than 35 mph.
  • Modification of NCDOT’s recommendation on group ride permit requirements; NCDOT’s new recommendation is that informal groups of more than 30 cyclists riding together comply with the laws and permit requirements that currently apply to bicycle races.
  • Inclusion of over 500 pages of public feedback comments. (Thanks to everyone who wrote to NCDOT.)

BikeWalk NC’s feedback on the original draft can be found here. Obviously we are disappointed that NCDOT’s proposed new bicycling restrictions are still in the report. We will update our comments to reflect the revised report and discuss next steps for the advocacy community in a future post.

 

 

 

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