The feeling is entirely mutual…

photo by John Carrington/Savannah Morning News

In this month’s issue of the LAB’s American Bicyclist Magazine, Ben Sollee — the humble, extremely talented and friendly pop cellist who joined us on his tour by bike last fall –announces his plans to perform on a transcontinental U.S. tour by bicycle. Quite an impressive undertaking from quite an impressive guy.

Not only that, but in the article as he recounts a transformation from an occasional bike rider into a cello-hauling bike touring machine over a trip to Bonnaroo and his southeastern coastal tour, he gives a shout out to his visit here in Savannah:

Although we were able to book more traditional shows on the December tour, we found what would become our model event in Savannah, Ga. We teamed up with the Savannah Bicycle Campaign to host an open-door fundraiser and show at a local bicycle hotspot, kicking the event off with an amazing night ride through historic streets. We were able to become a vehicle for the bike group’s message, helping drive membership and getting great coverage in the Savannah Morning News. This event bridged together what seemed like a magical mix of advocacy, community engagement, and shared arts. Within just a day, we felt like we had become part of a community. But, alas, Savannah was an island of bicycle love

Wow. That was our impression, too — what a night it was!

Below is a short film which focuses on Savannah (reminds me of something…), produced by Marty Benson (enthusiastic guy in the goatee in the Savannah waterfront picture above) to promote Ben’s new Ditch the Van Tour, followed by the full article in American Bicyclist!

bell symphony – Ben Sollee Bike Tour from marty benson on Vimeo.

Don’t forget our meeting and Bike to Beer social tonight at 6pm at Moon River Brewing Co, 21 W Bay St! A preview of marshaling gear for the Midnight Garden Ride awaits — think of a mashup between Tron, Star Wars and Breaking Away.

Come one and all for an SBC membership meeting at Moon River Brewing Company at 21 W Bay St. We’ll be in the basement starting at 6 for about 30 minutes of info, and socializing to follow.

We will be recapping our successful leadership retreat this past Saturday at thincspace, with updates on the plan for 2010-11. We will also have an exciting demonstration of some new marshal equipment for the September 4 Midnight Garden Ride (have you registered yet?)!

Join us, won’t you?

Need some motivation to register for the Midnight Garden Ride? How ’bout a discount? Be one of the first 20 fans to @mention Savannah Bicycle Campaign on Facebook, and we’ll send you a code for $5 off your registration!

Aloha, Campaigners. It’s been a long and hot summer to be sure.

Looking forward, even past our own gleeful Midnight Garden Ride Saturday September 4, are the cooler days of fall and the American Diabetes Association’s Sunsplash Outdoor Fitness Festival.  Preregistered SBC members who head out to Skidaway Island on Saturday September 25 for a 20, 40 or 60 mile ride around Skidaway and nearby islands, will get a $5 discount off the regular registration cost of $40. Massages, live music, food and drink will await you at the finish, and if you’re lucky you could win a new Specialized mountain bike from Perry Rubber Bike Shop! All proceeds go to the ADA’s continued fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and their fight for those affected by diabetes.

Fight diabetes. Ride a bike. To enter and get the SBC discount, follow this link and enter with our team.

Whether you’re a novice, occasional or expert cyclist, the American Diabetes Association’s Sunsplash Outdoor Fitness Festival has the route for you! The routes feature full service rest stops as well as SAG and mechanical support along the way. When you cross the finish line you will be welcomed back to unwind in the massage tent, enjoy a great lunch provided by Coaches Corner, live music by Blue Eyed Soul and a large Health & Fitness Festival with FREE screenings along with other vendors.

Popular lore suggests that bicycle commuting during the summer in Savannah is impossible because of the high temperatures and humidity. Yet scores of Savannahians, who ride to work year round, prove it’s not only possible but enjoyable. Free iced coffee at the end of the commute is great motivation, as is the company of other bicycle commuters. Enjoy both by joining the Savannah Bicycle Campaign 2Wheels 2Work bicycle commuting convoy on Friday, Aug. 6. It leaves the Habersham Village Shopping Center parking lot at 8 a.m. bound for Ex Libris, 228 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Helmets are strongly encouraged. Jittery Joe’s will provide free coffee, iced and otherwise, to folks who arrive by bike.

We posted links back in June to some online surveys from the MPO, by which you can contribute to the development of the Non-motorized Transportation Plan. This plan will identify projects and policies that are needed to encourage walking, bicycling, and other self-powered methods of transportation.

You have through July 22 to participate and provide your comments and suggestions!

If you miss the July 22 deadline, Chatham County residents may contact MPO staff directly to share comments, and there will additional opportunities for input and feedback during the development of the plan over the course of the next year.

View our original post, or go directly to the MPC’s transportation and Non-motorized Transportation Plan pages to read about and access the surveys.

Our MPO is in the process of updating its 30 year long-range transportation plan. Things in the plan can be built — new bike lanes, paths, bridge access for bikes. If it doesn’t make the long-range plan, it can’t make the short-range plans that are implemented.

So, if you provided comments in the meetings at the MPC building recently, fantastic! If not, a new online version is available now through July 22. See below for full details.

Hello bicycle and pedestrian stakeholders and interested parties:

The Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (CORE MPO), which is the transportation planning entity for the Chatham County area, invites public participation in the development of the Non-motorized Transportation Plan, covering all of Chatham County. This plan will identify projects and policies that are needed to encourage walking, bicycling, and other self-powered methods of transportation. Types of projects included in the plan may be facilities such as sidewalks, bike lanes, or multi-use paths, but may also be streetscaping or other amenities to create a more human-scaled environment in certain areas. Learn more about the Non-motorized Transportation Plan at: http://www.thempc.org/Transportation/Non-motorTranspPlan.html

The following options for participation are available through July 22, 2010, on the transportation pages of the MPC website (http://www.thempc.org/transportation.htm):

• Online, interactive mapping of issues and preferences. (This collects the same type of information as the on-paper, in-person mapping exercise that some of you attended at MPC this past spring. If you marked our paper maps earlier, there is no need to re-enter this information on the online map.)


• Survey on Bicycle Planning.


• Survey on Pedestrian Planning.

In addition, Chatham County residents may contact MPO staff directly to share comments or to take the surveys over the phone.

There will additional opportunities for input and feedback during the development of the Non-motorized Transportation Plan, over the course of the next year approximately.

The Non-motorized Transportation Plan is one element of the CORE MPO Total Mobility Plan, a long range, multi-modal transportation plan, which is simultaneously under development.

Please contact Jane Love, at 912-651-1443 or lovej@thempc.org, for additional information about the Non-motorized Transportation Plan. For more information about the overall Total Mobility Plan, contact Mark Wilkes, at 912-651-1451 or wilkesm@thempc.org.

Campaigners!

We’re closing in on the event of the year — the second annual Midnight Garden Ride is Saturday, September 4! Last year, the first Midnight Garden Ride brought together 400 locals and visitors for a pedaling party through the night streets of Savannah.  It’s back by popular demand, and we want you there, because this year it will be bigger and better!

More riders, more costumes, more music and more fun for you.  Registration is required, so don’t forget to register — it’s Saturday, September 4 — Labor Day weekend — a huge weekend for bikes in Savannah with the Savannah Century’s rides Saturday and Sunday morning as well.  The Midnight Garden Ride will have 6 and 12 mile options like last year with some great prizes for the costume contest, and tons of great raffle items at the Good and Evil Party to follow — SBC members and Savannah Century participants will enjoy the discounted rate just like last year.

All the details are at midnightgardenride.com, so check it out, register for yourself and text, call, email, tweet and facebook all of your friends.  You won’t want to miss it!