Monday, January 28, 2008

On Safety

Last week I wrote a story about bicycle safety for the faculty/staff newspaper at the Savannah College of Art and Design. David Crites of Georgia Bikes! provided excellent information on short notice. I'm very grateful for his help. Want to read it? Click here.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Cog Bicycle Cooperative is open for business

Cog, formerly known as The Savannah Bike Co-op, opened for business yesterday. Mary Landers interviewed Paul McLaughlin, the co-op's president, for her story "Fix a bike, or build one, at new co-op called Cog" in the Savannah Morning News. Here's a snip:

"The co-op is for everyone, regardless of gender, age or income, said the easy-going, red-bearded McLaughlin. "We'll never refuse service to anyone unless they're being belligerent or something," he said. Local bike shops have been friendly, and McLaughlin said his co-op won't be competition for them. Instead, it could send them new customers by promoting cycling."


I delivered a second batch of parts to Cog (I can move around again in the bike shed!) around 1 p.m. and found plenty of customers and volunteers on hand, despite the inclement weather.

McLaughlin's group is still looking for someone to help the co-op secure non-profit status. If that person is you, e-mail the co-op at savannahbikecoop@gmail.com.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Cyclist seriously injured on Lincoln Street, hit and run driver sought by police

I'm not sure how many people still monitor this blog. I've devoted most of my attention recently to Sustainable Savannah, leaving Bike Year untended. I'm considering reviving bike year, but in the meantime, I thought the following information was critical to post here, as I've frequently written about the Lincoln Street bike lane.

If you regularly operate a bicycle in Savannah, your friends and relatives will worry about you. Yesterday I was on the Southside when my cell phone vibrated. The caller said she saw police cars on Lincoln Street and a cyclist on the ground. She wanted to make sure it wasn't me.

This morning I was alerted to the alarming details (Thanks, Clint).
Savannah-Chatham Police are searching for the driver of a car that ran over and seriously injured a bicyclist Thursday morning. The crash occurred shortly after 10 a.m. at the intersection of Wayne and Lincoln streets.

The complete story is here.

I'm glad the police are taking this seriously. In a city in which residents seem perpetually obsessed with violent crime, it's important to remember the motor vehicles can be weapons. Or, as Lt. Scott Simpkins, commander of the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police department's traffic division, said in a Jan. 4 Savannah Morning News story:
"Killing someone with your car is somehow more acceptable than shooting them," Simpkins said. "This should not be the case."

Police are asking for help finding the driver, a white female in her 20s, who sped away in a white passenger car after hitting the cyclist. Anyone for more information should call 652-6650 or call CrimeStoppers at 234-2020.