Bicycle Commuter Mentor Program of Charlotte, North Carolina - Promoting Bicycle Commuting in Charlotte

Bikes on Light Rail: OK Anytime!

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:10:01 -0500

CATS has changed their initially-announced policy that restricted transport of bicycles on LYNX light rail vehicles. LYNX riders may now bring their bicycles on board at any time!

Complete bikes-on-LYNX information is available here. Note that there is still a restriction: no tandems, and of course, no motorized vehicles.

This is an important change, because LYNX replaces some bus routes. The original policy would have been a step backwards for cyclists, eliminating "Rack-n-Ride" service for patrons whose bus lines were replaced.

If you're a cyclist who may use this service, why not let CATS management and your City Council representatives know that you appreciate the change?

Observer story on local bike commuter

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:12:52 -0400

He's peddling a fit commute

Mecklenburg health official, 52, walks and bikes to his job — for himself and the environment

by Megha Satyanarayana
©The Charlotte Observer, 2007

Jon Levin, 52, gave up his car a month ago and now bikes into work several days a week.

About 10 weeks ago, Jon Levin, preacher of healthy living at the Mecklenburg County public health department, started spreading the gospel by walking and biking to work.

When the notion first struck, the 52-year-old dusted off his sons' bikes to ride the 4.7 miles from his home in Woodbridge to his Billingsley Road office. All three had flat tires, so he opted to walk.

Click here for the full story.

How do bike commuters handle disruption of their route?

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:17:54 -0400

New study shows sub-optimal responses by cyclists.

Cyclists confronted by disruptions to facilities (e.g., dedicated paths, designated lanes) experience disturbances that prompt them to select sub-optimal facilities to avoid disruptions. Cyclists who have ready access to such improved facilities often choose sub-optimal facilities.

Among important findings, results show that as perceived safety decreases, riders appear to be more cautious and move more slowly; however in situations of substantial perceived danger, riders go faster to spend as short a time in unsafe conditions. Cyclists choose these dangerous situations over alternatives because of lessened travel times. The research has been successful in establishing insightful relationships between commuter cyclist behavior and facilities. The methodological results are significant for future work.

Near accident on morning commute

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 07:33:11 -0400

On my ride in today just past Central/Kings on 7th st, I was nearly sideswiped by a truck with the company name 'Service Express'. I don't think there was any space between my head and the mirror of the truck, and as it passed, there wasn't much room there either. I was able to keep my line, blurt out an expletive, but not catch up to the vehicle. I thought about calling the company (there's a local number), but what would I say? I didn't get a license or a truck number, and I couldn't catch up after it passed. I think I need a rear view mirror. What do you like out there - mirror on the glasses or mirror on the bike?

Blakeney to Steel Creek area

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 23:15:45 -0400

I live near Blakeney (Rea Rd. and Ardrey Kell) and work just off of Hwy. 160 and Westinghouse (very close to Gita Bike). I would really like to commute by bike or a combination of bike and bus but so far have not been able to figure out a safe route. Any ideas?

Thanks,

David

Ballantyne to Uptown (avoiding Rea's single lane)

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:02:14 -0400

Hi all,

I've finally moved to Charlotte and I'm renting at the corner of Lancaster and Ballanytyne Commons Pkwy. I have found a good route to get around the bottle neck at Rea, and connect to Colony.

Morning into Town:

Ballanytyne Commons Pkwy to Rea
Rea to Bevington
Weave through back roads to Willow Point
Willow Point into the Arboretum Mall
At the light Cross onto Arboretum View
At the end of Arboretum View you can connect to Bon-Rea
Quick right onto Swans Run Rd
Left onto Rea
Right onto Windyrush Rd
Left onto Abbottswood Dr
Right onto Colony

Afternoon out of Town:

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2008 BIKE COMMUTER CHALLENGE

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:50:21 -0400

The 2008 Bike Commuter Challenge is now complete! Team Captains, please record your team's daily participation on the Recording Form that we emailed to you. At the end of the week, you may:

email the Recording Form to info@bikementor.org,
fax the Recording Form to 704-896-1696, or
complete and submit the on-line Reporting Form below (click "read more").

Please submit your team's results by Wednesday, May 14!

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Help get the word out to Charlotte cyclists--Red light law

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:59:46 -0400

HB-1677 provides a means for cyclists to LEGALLY deal with red lights that fail to detect bicycles.

This bill was introduced Wednesday by Representative Mitchell Setzer.
It's currently in the Transportation Committee, which is chaired by Mecklenburg Representative Becky Carney <Beckyc at ncleg.net>.

Please contact your representative and Transportation Committee Chair Carney to ask for their support to pass this legislation.

It can become law, but they need to hear from US!

You can contact Mecklenburg Representative Becky Carney at Beckyc at ncleg.net or 919-733-5827 or send a card to P. O. Box 32873, Charlotte, NC 28232.

Bike Charlotte 2007

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:11:15 -0400

Check out this Bike Charlotte page.
One item of note is that you can bike to the bus and ride for free, May 6 through 12. (The text says May 7 through 13, so I'm not sure which is right.)

Here's a good opportunity to get to know the bus routes and bike routes. The price is right.

Need route from WT Harris & Old Statesville to Uptown

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 10:14:56 -0400

I have tried this route:

Old Statesville
Left on Statesville (cross over I-85)
Right on Graham

Old Statesville has a bike lane, which is well marked and has more than a couple of the cyclist icons who have lost their heads!

Portions of Statesville are narrow. While the school buses and trucks were patient enough, I was wondering if anyone has found a better route?

One possibility for me is to wend more northerly, and pick up the greenway at Mallard Creek. But others posting have noted the fast traffic north of I-85.

Thanks for your advice.

Best places to live for a 10 - 20 mile commute (each way)

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:16:03 -0500

Hi everyone,

I posted a similar question, what looks like over a year ago now, I'm on track to move down in the spring, I just want to make sure I have the location correct.

My office is located right on Tryon St. downtown. From my last post is sounded like I should be looking for housing south, south west, or west, to have the best access by bike. It sounded like along the Little Sugar Creek would be ideal, both commuter rail and bike path.

Any big disadvantages to these locations? I'm looking for a middle income neighborhood, hopefully someplace growing. I assume the real estate person will know the area, but you never know.