| Dear Carey, Mark your calendar: The 2014 National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. will be held on March 3, 4, and 5 - and this is an event you do not want to miss. Bike Walk Tennessee has led record breaking delegations to the National Bike Summit for the past four years, and this year is no exception. In 2014, we are on track to bring 20 advocates to Capitol Hill to share stories about biking and walking with our elected officials. From the Walnut St. Bridge in Chattanooga to the Shelby Bottoms Greenway in Nashville to the soon to be complete Harahan Bridge in Memphis, we know biking and walking projects are good for our communities, and we want our elected to officials to know how important these projects are to cities and towns across our great state. Your generosity makes it possible for Bike Walk Tennessee to provide scholarships for first time summit attendees. Consider supporting a $500 scholarship to the summit with the knowledge that your contribution makes Tennessee a better place. President, Bike Walk Tennessee 
|
| BICYCLE GROUPS CALL FOR PROSECUTION IN HARASSMENT CASE | Anders Swanson was assaulted and pepper sprayed by several assailants during and after a bike ride on Raccoon Mountain in Marion County, Tennessee on January 11, 2014. The perpetrators confessed to the attack to a Chattanooga police office but because the incident occurred in Marion County it is currently under investigation. Bike Walk Tennessee and the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation recently wrote to Marion County Sheriff Ronnie Burnett and District Attorney Michael Taylor to fully and completely prosecute the perpetrators of the assault. Anthony Siracusa, President of Bike Walk Tennessee, wrote: "This incident is attracting national and international attention to Tennessee. We have found in our work that our great state is becoming more bicycle friendly due both to the support of Governor Bill Haslam as well as the work cities and counties across the state are doing to ensure that our roadways are safe for all users. This work is threatened when the failure to protect innocent citizens draws such negative national publicity." Chuck Faulkner, Chairman of the Board of the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation stated: "Mr. Swanson's case is of particular interest to us as a heinous assault on cyclists' attempting to exercise their rights to share the road with motor vehicle operators as provided by Tennessee law. We hope that charges of assault and additional charges and penalties." More information can be found on the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation website Read Letter to District Attorney General |
| BICYCLE SAFETY EDUCATION WEBINAR |  On Thursday, February 20th, from 2-3pm Eastern, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hosting a free webinar: Bicycle Safety Education: Implementing the Best Curriculum for your Community.
REGISTER HERE Sometimes teaching bicycle safety can feel like rocket science. Between balancing the competing needs of scheduling available classroom time, checking off necessary safety skills, training educators and securing a bike fleet and equipment - choosing and implementing the best curriculum for your community can start to feel overwhelming. Join us as we talk about the important components of bicycle safety curricula and help attendees think through what might be best for their programs. Then we'll chat with Safe Routes to School Education experts as we dive into the various types of bicycle safety that can be taught in the classroom and the tips and tricks for programmatic success.
BONUS: We'll be fielding any questions about your bicycle safety programming and related issues during the webinar - please send your questions ahead of time to da...@saferoutespartnership.org.
SPEAKERS: LeeAnne Fergason, education director, Bicycle Transportation Alliance Jenna Berman, education director, Bicycle Colorado Dave Cowan, program manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership This free webinar is part of a series of monthly National Learning Network webinars on topics related to Safe Routes to School and other policy and program initiatives that can increase walking and bicycling to school and in daily life. To register for this free webinar, click on this link |
| CHATTANOOGA LAUNCHES UNIQUE DRIVER'S EDUCTION PROGRAM |  The City of Chattanooga Transportation Department's innovative driver education program was featured in the League of American Bicyclist magazine. The article highlights a unique partnership between Transportation, Outdoor Chattanooga, Bike Chattanooga and CARTA to educate drivers about bicyclists, pedestrians and transit.
What makes this program unique is their half-day class that includes a presentation about how automobile drivers should behave around bicyclists, pedestrians and transit. After the presentation the students ride on a bus, take a walk across downtown and then take a short bicycle ride on city streets using Chattanooga's bike share. Caroline Johnson, Drivers Education Coordinator for the Chattanooga Transportation Dept. explains "We want these students to understand the different perspectives that each mode of travel provides. If we can give these young drivers a sense of how it feels to be that bicyclist, that pedestrian, that bus rider - we have gone a long way toward making them more cautious and empathetic drivers." Follow this link to read the article. |
| Knoxville News | TDOT PETITION URGES BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES ON I-640 
| Almost 800 signatures were garnered on the TDOT petition |
Bike Walk Knoxville created a petition campaign late November 2013 to urge TDOT to include bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the I-640/ Old Broadway/ Broadway interchange project. About 800 individuals signed the petition and BWK officers delivered it in person to the regional TDOT office on December 20. BWK members and other concerned citizens also contacted elected officials about the TDOT plan omitting these facilities in spite of the fact that this transportation corridor is a critical link for non-motorized transportation. Knoxville City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging TDOT to add bike and pedestrian access to the plan and project. TDOT has not yet responded to these recent requests. COMPLETE STREETS WORKSHOP Bike Walk Knoxville is presenting a Complete Streets workshop to Knoxville City Council on February 13, 2014. BWK is receiving technical assistance on Complete Streets from the National Safe Routes to School Partnership. The goal is the development and passage of a Knoxville Complete Streets ordinance.
600 RIDERS DELIGHT IN TOUR de LIGHTS
Knoxville had another successful Tour de Lights on December 12, 2013. About 600 riders of all ages enjoyed the cold and clear weather. Holiday costumes and lights on bikes were plentiful. The residents on the route were outside cheering the cyclists as they pedaled along. |
| Safe Routes to School News WALK/BIKE NASHVILLE WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 
| Liz Thompson |
Walk/Bike Nashville announced new executive director, Liz Thompson, to the Walk/Bike Nashville team! Prior to moving to Nashville, Liz grew up in Akron, Ohio and received her BA in Psychology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. At Miami, she developed a passion for serving others and for preventing poor health by building supportive and thriving communities; so in 2006, Liz moved to Nashville to establish her career in nonprofits, project management, and community development. Since moving to Nashville Liz has received her M.Ed. in Community Development and Action at Vanderbilt University, became certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), and worked over six years at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt to create various school- and community-based children's health programs. Through these experiences, Liz developed a knowledge of and love for Nashville. When not working towards improving the health of Nashville's students, she enjoys walking with friends and her East C.A.N. rescue pup, biking at Percy Warner, 1st Saturday Art Crawls downtown, Predators games, and exploring many of Nashville's great restaurants. With her strong knowledge and skill set, love for our city, and passion to serve our community, we are very excited that Liz will be helping Walk/Bike Nashville continue its great work! Welcome Liz! CALL FOR SUMMIT SPEAKERS 
While the complete schedule is still being worked out, we can now announce that Nashville Mayor Karl Dean; NYC Department of Transportation Assistant Commissioner, Kim Wiley-Swartz; and Jim Sayer, Executive Director of the Adventure Cycling Association, will all be speaking at this year's Tennessee Bike Summit! With these, and other great speakers still to be determined, this year's Summit is shaping up to be the best yet! Call for Speakers: Bike/Walk Tennessee and Walk/Bike Nashville are looking for workshop speakers and presenters. If you work in a field related to bike infrastructure, business, advocacy, or tourism and want to speak at the Summit, let us know! Email Walk/Bike Nashville for more information. And remember, don't forget to register for this years Tennessee Bike Summit and/or Tour de Nash n May 14-17, 2014. |
| RIDE TENNESSEE'S USBR 23 THIS SPRING! |
 As part of the promotional phase of developing USBR 23 in Tennessee the Fat Old Guys On Bikes, the cycle club for non racers in Hendersonville, TN, is doing a supported credit card tour from the KY/TN state line at Mitchellville, TN to Ardmore, Al. No fee, just pay your own expenses. Besides having a good time, the purpose of the ride is to document points of interest, hazards, and facilities along the way. The first night can be spent in the Nashville Downtown Hostel, usually reserved only for persons living more than sixty miles from Nashville. The ride dates are Thursday, April 24 through Tuesday, April 29, 2014. Anyone interested should email USB...@gmail.com for further details. 
| U.S Bike Route 23 |
|
|
|
