Mark Your Calendar

CycleCharlotte08 Saturday May 10 at Dowd YMCA Front Parking Lot

May 10 Saturday -- Citywide major festival promoting a friendly and safer environment for bicycle transportation in the Queen City was originally inspired by the life of commuter Todd Weaver. This exciting event is for people of all ages and skill levels. There will be a police supported 3-mile family ride thru Uptown Charlotte and 10 and  25 mile rides through some of Charlotte’s most beautiful neighborhoods and have rest stops, mechanical support, and follow vehicles. After the ride, enjoy the festival atmosphere with as much food as you can eat, live entertainment and other activities for all to enjoy.

50% of all proceeds go to CABA progam efforts in education and safety !

Location Dowd YMCA, 400 E. Morehead Street

Cost Individual: basic - $20; Family of 2 -$25; Family of 3 -$30

PREREGISTER HERE

Other News

APRIL ROAD SKILLS CLASS A SUCCESS
Riding Safely and With Confidence

Thanks to Ed Moyers and others who worked his fanny off making this happen. And to Mike Duralia for an outstanding teaching job. This League of American Bicyclists certified course teaches cyclists how to better operate safely, effectively and confidently on city streets. Topics include: legal rights and responsibilities, road safety practices, checklist of road danger zones, how to outfit yourself and your bike, etc.

This course was identical to the one successfully offered at Dowd YMCA last summer by John Ciccarelli. CABA hopes to offer it again in the Fall, and possibly make it a permanent program for the general public. Overcoming the fear of riding on streets is one of the most important obstacles to overcome – specifically in Charlotte’s bicycle un-friendly street system.

CABA MEETINGS
Each Month – Open to All

Next meetings - May 12 and June 2 - 6:30 - 8:00 Please note that the May 12 meeting will be at Dowd YMCA, 400 E. Morehead, Conf. Room 3, 7th floor instead of Plaza Midwood library.

June 2 meeting - Plaza Midwood Library meeting room. Come join us and participate. Meet kindred spirits. You don’t have to be a CABA member to attend. Bike rack out front.

BIKE! Charlotte 2008

May 2 - May 10 - 2008 BIKE! Charlotte features a diverse agenda of exciting activities for all to enjoy, many of which are free. This year’s festivities will feature the Mayor’s Ride/Bike to Breakfast in Uptown Charlotte on Friday, May 2.  Saturday, May 3 the events are in full swing with Dilworth Criterium, bicycle safety rodeos, and bicycle rides.

The second weekend of BIKE! Charlotte is once again full of great events and highlighted by Cycle Charlotte.   Cycle Charlotte is a bicycle festival in Uptown Charlotte starting at the Dowd YMCA with three supported bike routes and live music. For full schedule click: Bike Week Ahoi !

Advocacy Updates

CHARLOTTE CITY- WIDE BIKE PLAN
Goes to City Council

Well almost. A brief presentation occurred on April 28 to the City Council Transportation committee. CABA was present at this meeting to show support. Click Draft Report and Maps for access to the complete documents. Ken Tippette is the project manager for CDOT.

CITY COUNCIL “BIKE MONTH” RESOLUTION
CABA’s Current Lobbying Effort

CABA is working with City Council representatives to pass a resolution declaring the entire month of May as “Queen City Bike Month”. This action is consistent with national movement led by the League of American Bicyclists. Stay tuned for results of this advocacy effort. For full text of resolution click: Queen City Bike Month.

Quick Tips and Quirky Trivia

5 MYTHS ABOUT URBAN CYCLING
There‘s Not Much Excuse for Not Doing It

Some myths about urban bicycling sent to us from Madison, Wisconsin (easily one the best biking cities in the U.S.A., and it doesn’t hurt a bit to have 50,000 university students living in the center of a city ).

1. That you have to be in good shape to bike.
2. That you have to have a "good" bike.
3. That you can drive a car faster (including the time it takes to park the gas-guzzler and then walk the rest of the way) to the drug store or supermarket ..or even to your chosen house of worship a.k.a. church. mosque, synagogue or just your favorite sunny sport under a flowering dogwood than a bike.
4. That fat (i.e. “calorie challenged ” ) people don't bike.
5. That you get cold riding in the (Charlotte’s) winters.(The opposite is true if you bundle up a little and make sure to cover your neck).

Links and Blogs

CATS BICYCLIST SURVEY – THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM US
Due date: May 10 !

You should take a minute and fill this out. In case you don’t know, CATS stands for Charlotte Area Transportation System. They’re the ones who build and own the LYNX line and run the bus fleet. They are very supportive of bicycling community and even have mounts conveniently located inside each LYNX car and racks on every bus for cyclists. Help their efforts on our behalf and click: Cats Survey .

Charlotte’s Advocacy Scene
April Issue of Endurance Magazine

Article by Martin Zimmerman of CABA – “The Future of Cycling in North Carolina – Will Charlotte Set the Example ?” Martin describes the history of advocacy beginning in 1997 and continuing until the current City Wide Bike Plan effort.

Excerpt: “For Charlotte and its sister cities in North Carolina to catch up to communities elsewhere may seem like a daunting task. Portland Oregon is one of the top 10 best bicycling cities in the U.S.., and its track record is something to marvel. Since citywide bike programs began there in earnest in the early 1990’s the number of bike commuters from some neighborhoods compared to other forms of traffic is risen to upwards to 13.9 percent. Overseas, Paris’ Velib bike rental program -- the name combines velo (bicycle) and liberte (freedom) -- opened last July and registered an astounding two million trips in its first 40 days…” Click Endurance for full text.

Thanks to local luminaire and bicycle courier Bill Fehr’s personal blog (it is a terrific undertaking !) who provided us with this link. And make sure to pick up a copy of Endurance at your local bike shop. For full directory of bike shops click the Resources tab of this website.