Sunday, May 3, 2009

Tale of Two Cities

Chattanooga To Add More Bicycle Road Facilities, Improve Enforcement

With 2,300 bicyclists in town for the 3 State, 3 Mountain Challenge, Chattanooga goes on the offensive to maintain it's bicycle friendly image. "We are interested in their safety and working to provide that," says Assistant Police Chief Mike Williams.

Discussions about what to do to improve conditions for area cyclists began shortly after the death of David Meek. "The biggest thing that I keep hearing from everyone is enforcing the 3 foot law. And a lot of people and a lot of officers weren't even aware that that law was in existence, but they are now," says Williams.

Officers have already received training bulletins about ordinances and laws concerning bicycles, something that's helped in other communities. "Not really any easy vehicle to teach the public about any new law, as it relates to traffic law, and its definitely an uphill battle to get the word out," says Keith Roth, of the Jeff Roth Bicycle Foundation.

Chattanooga's Mayor says the city will be doing more to promote bikes in the months to come. For example, signage and markings like these will be added to nearly a dozen roads. "We'll be seeing markings around Brainerd, and downtown, and East Brainerd Road, and Hixson and Lookout Valley and many other places," says Mayor Ron Littlefield.

And this summer, officers will institute a special enforcement with plain clothes officers on bikes. Williams says "if they do have someone that comes by and throws something out of the car at them or they swerve over and try to run the biker off the road they will be met with one of our officers," says Williams.

If these efforts prove successful, Chattanooga could move from bronze to silver standing as a bicycle friendly community.

Work on the following roads to add bicycle facilities will begin Monday:

Share the Road bike route on Centraol Ave. from the E 11st St. bike lanes to McCallie Ave.
Share the Road bike route on McCallie Ave. from Central Ave. to the Brainerd tunnel
Share the Road bike route on Brainerd Rd. from the Brainerd tunnel to Belvoir
Bike Lanes on Belvoir from Brainerd Rd. to North Terrace
Share the Road and sections of bike lanes on Brainered Rd. from Belvoir to Moore Rd.
Share the Road and sections of bike lanes on Riverfront Pkwy. from Carter St. to S. River St.
Bike Lanes on Igou Gap Rd. from Gunbarrel Rd. to Jenkins Rd.
Add Share the Road signs and sharrows to Ashland Terrance
Share the Road on Cummings Hwy. from Lilac Ave. to Brown's Ferry Rd.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

What made it happen there?

Bello Velo said...

It was Chattanooga not Huntsville. Maybe their citizens are not narcissistic, self centered and in need of over indulgence. Maybe they spent more time doing than spewing? Maybe they stop being crass and got off their ass. I really do not know. I am amazed on a daily basis with what people say here. I am no psychotherapist but being a little nuts (self deprecating humor) myself. I am very intimidated by the southern hostility. That smile and high pitched cackle that they do here and then start spewing their hatred for others. Then they get violent.

Did I mention there are a lot of very bad dressers here too? So if you can't get your costume down how do you represent?

Safety City? Come on........................!

Anonymous said...

Love the humorous rant but did they do it with a committee? Did the Mayor actively change things? Citizen action? Actually curious about the method, procedures and like, that led to a successful outcome.

Not confident in city's approach, months with minimum other than fundraising of sorts and reviving the map promises from last decade. If city was actually behind idea, find the money, fund it, ACT. Planning and fundraising doesn't do anything in and of itself, comes down to dollars and action. If we knew why and how Chatt. succeed, perhaps model could be replicated.
+++++++
Mdwesterners dress the worse, BTW all black or Texans with coyboys boots and chewing gum. Northerns with their bean farting and metrosexless odorific rags and fads du jour. Viva la difference.

Anonymous said...

Chattanooga acted
because
a cyclist died.

A cyclist died needlessly.

One.

Needlessly.

Truck hit him.


One
cyclist
died.

Swift action.
Results.

Here's to you David Meeks, your death was NOT in Vain.

Bello Velo said...

Maybe call Chattanooga and find out. If you are really interested and share it with us.

I stand corrected I forgot that fashion week takes place in huntsville.

Anonymous said...

did you fashion fashion week, weak

Anonymous said...

Who cares how Chatternooga succeeded it ain't here. We do thing our own way down here and don't need to copy nobody else!!! Just wait and see. OOO RAH

Bello Velo said...

Yes, that's the way don't learn from your mistakes just chant....

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