tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84328874158684841632024-02-06T22:18:55.014-06:00Memphis Critical MassWelcome to Memphis Critical Mass. Memphis Critical Mass is a monthly celebration of riding bicycles as a viable recreation and sport, increasing wellness and source of green and gas-free transportation.Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-56947077460747133402010-02-24T11:52:00.003-06:002010-02-24T12:02:18.233-06:00Memphis Critical Mass is Back!Don't call it a comeback. I been here for years. Rockin' my peers and puttin suckas in fear. Tell your friends and make your plans to attend the first Memphis Critical Mass Ride of 2010 on March 26th. Stay tuned! On <a href="http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=memphis+critical+mass&init=quick#%21/group.php?gid=19121387156&ref=search&sid=1802905063.1871796593..1">Facebook</a>? Join us!Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-6543824544096978632009-05-15T13:46:00.004-05:002009-05-15T14:00:05.930-05:00BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL 2009 MEMPHIS AND MORE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7-uw2kwt1vx1jHQ1jI6kcmm9-YNvLA1A1LF9JmwvXERs1azEs3kM-IpM507cNrmFYfMM469e3tpm8fhLpyoRnBd-y0v8_8FCKDOclIOckjqrbGtZ8-7b3Sr_Bf1vLPPRtn0h_4pfGHkh/s1600-h/poster_BFF09_memphis_12x18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7-uw2kwt1vx1jHQ1jI6kcmm9-YNvLA1A1LF9JmwvXERs1azEs3kM-IpM507cNrmFYfMM469e3tpm8fhLpyoRnBd-y0v8_8FCKDOclIOckjqrbGtZ8-7b3Sr_Bf1vLPPRtn0h_4pfGHkh/s400/poster_BFF09_memphis_12x18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336124214421497506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;">THE BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL HITS MEMPHIS MAY 29TH THROUGH THE 30TH. PERFECT TIMING FOR MEMPHIS CRITICAL MASS. DEFINITELY THE PERFECT WAY TO COMPLETE THE RIDE. HOPE 2 SEE U THERE!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">OH! BY THE WAY THE GUYS AT MIDTOWN BIKE DOWNTOWN ON SOUTH MAIN WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT IT IS ALSO TROLLEY NIGHT ON SOUTH MAIN, EVERY LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH. THE BARS, RESTAURANTS, SHOPS, AND GALLERIES ARE OPEN FROM 7-9 OFFERING SPECIALS AND ADULT LIBATIONS. IT'S ESSENTIALLY A PARTY IN THE SOUTH MAIN ARTS DISTRICT.</span>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-14334525203871692732009-03-30T13:15:00.005-05:002009-03-31T14:24:09.195-05:00Memphis Critical Mass Is Back!Howdy fellow cyclists and lovers of all thing pedaled. Memphis Critical Mass is back. I have been in hiatus, trying to keep my job and some remnant of my lifestyle throughout these uncertain and turbulent times as I know many of you are doing the same. These days, when frugality is most definitely king, the bicycle is now, more than ever, the answer to many of our woes. Bicycles are the most cost and energy efficient transportation/recreation machines in the world created and powered by human beings. Particularly at a time when our economy is in crisis and we have a huge addiction and perceived need for foreign produced oil. We are now at the cusp of needed change and innovation to reduce our collective carbon footprints and keep our hard earned money here in the United States where it belongs. We have a need to embrace preventive medicine through exercise, to keep our bodies moving, our hearts healthy, and our waistlines in check. The bicycle is the vehicle for change and the solution to our problems. Celebrate the bicycle! The next Memphis Critical Mass is April 24th at 6:00 pm. Stay tuned for location and details. Pedal On!Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-26120781014522682922008-11-24T13:13:00.003-06:002008-11-24T13:26:30.153-06:00Critical Mass "Burn the Turkey" Bike Ride Friday 11/28/08 - New Meetup LocationNew Meetup Location: Cooper & Trimble @ Overton Square<br />6:00 PM Friday 11/28/08<br />Helmets and Lights Mandatory<br />BURN THE TURKEY!Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-18983061299363535072008-11-24T13:10:00.004-06:002008-11-24T13:13:00.486-06:00No easy hike to park: Access from west to Shelby Farms problematic for walkers, bikers<a href="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/11/20/23cycle.jpeg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 147px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/11/20/23cycle.jpeg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">By </span><a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/michael-kelley/"><span style="font-size:85%;">Michael Kelley</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> (</span><a class="contactlink" href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/michael-kelley/contact/"><span style="font-size:85%;">Contact</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">), Memphis Commercial Appeal<br />Sunday, November 23, 2008</span><br /><br />The master plan is done, and it's only a matter of time before Shelby Farms Park is declared a world-class destination. Of course, a lot of people who use the 4,500-acre East Memphis park think it already is, with its shaded trails, its wind-swept lakes, its rolling hills and those clear lines of sight that stretch across acres and acres of wide-open spaces.<br />What the park has never had, and still doesn't, though, is easy access from the west, unless you're in a motorized vehicle or in the middle of a pack of swift cyclists in bright, attention-getting jerseys who know what they're doing.<br />That's a shame for residents of East Memphis, Midtown and other neighborhoods that lie to the west, who still need a car to negotiate the recently widened stretch of Walnut Grove between Interstate 240 and the new bridge over the Wolf River. <a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/23/no-easy-hike-to-park-walnut-grove-is-stumbling/?feedback=1#comments">Read more...</a>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-21355744558605218312008-11-18T09:14:00.003-06:002008-11-18T09:16:44.358-06:00Found! The Fountain of Youth! It's a Bicycle!<iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/25590401#25590401" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-52254307788867153682008-10-11T09:12:00.001-05:002008-10-11T09:14:08.031-05:00Happy Veloween - Critical Mass Bike Ride Oct. 31 @ 6:00 PM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwleEu8acOlUhxTjjED2Ge7t8oUCGsas7vEJXtJS1ES7yF35HP3_sdJq616SVD1dpFDPvX-xk0RRnQMYWOLWYQ_MQzPSIl2yaH39FvpOEy6i6Q4YX97U7jwQdb2mBlB0UuN8b1PdsyH1zs/s1600-h/halloweenmass.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwleEu8acOlUhxTjjED2Ge7t8oUCGsas7vEJXtJS1ES7yF35HP3_sdJq616SVD1dpFDPvX-xk0RRnQMYWOLWYQ_MQzPSIl2yaH39FvpOEy6i6Q4YX97U7jwQdb2mBlB0UuN8b1PdsyH1zs/s400/halloweenmass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255899055314617314" border="0" /></a>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-13491074362138546082008-10-10T09:05:00.000-05:002008-10-10T09:09:03.295-05:00Bicyclists benefit from bailout, eligible for stipend<span style="font-size:85%;">By Rachel Gordon<br />San Francisco Chronicle<br /> Friday, October 10, 2008 </span><p>The bailout bill crafted by Congress and the White House to stop the tailspin of the nation's financial sector also includes federal tax benefits for people who commute by bicycle.</p> <p>Starting in January, workers who use two-wheelers as their primary transportation mode to get to and from work will be eligible for a $20-a-month, tax-free reimbursement from their employers for bicycle-related expenses.</p><p>In return, employers will be able to deduct the expense from their federal taxes.</p> <p>"It significantly legitimizes bicycling and elevates it to a credible commute mode, like riding a bus or train," said Andy Thornley, program director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.</p> <p>The money could be used to purchase, store, maintain or repair bikes that are used for an employee's commute.</p> <p>Bike advocates had been trying for seven years to get such a provision passed, but came up short until Congress rushed through the Wall Street bailout package last week and lawmakers squeezed in pet projects. The bicycle benefit was championed by members of the Oregon delegation on Capitol Hill.</p> <p>Backers estimate that the federal tax rolls may lose out on about $1 million a year because of the new employer write-off, according to the advocacy group <a href="http://www.bikeleague.org/index.php">League of American Bicyclists</a>.</p><p><br /></p>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-56571810127496483942008-10-10T09:03:00.001-05:002008-10-10T09:05:01.893-05:00Trailing a new trend<span style="font-size:85%;">Commercial Appeal Editorial<br />Thursday, October 9, 2008</span><br /><br /><p>Suburban living hasn't always been accommodating to pedestrians and bicyclists. </p> <p>Many suburbs around the country seem to have been designed to discourage all forms of transportation except automobile traffic. </p> <p>But that's changing.<br /></p><p> Bartlett city workers have been finishing up the first phase of what is expected to eventually be a network with 30 miles of walking/bicycling trails connecting neighborhoods to parks, community buildings and open spaces. </p> <p>Similar efforts are under way in Germantown and Collierville. These trails within communities can be a nice complement to larger projects like the planned <a href="http://www.greatermemphisgreenline.org/">Greater Memphis Greenline</a>, which would create a linear park stretching between Midtown and Cordova. </p> <p>Trails can greatly improve our quality of life. </p> <p> They provide safe places to get exercise and socialize. It never hurts to save money on gas, either. </p> <p>Dare we say it? </p> <p> Trails really can make us happy. </p>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-20435649316938906682008-10-10T09:02:00.001-05:002008-10-10T09:02:51.256-05:00Greenline for Green Jobs targets rail line potential<span style="font-size:85%;">By <a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/pamela-perkins/">Pamela Perkins</a> (<a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/pamela-perkins/contact/" class="contactlink">Contact</a>), Memphis Commercial Appeal<br /> Sunday, September 28, 2008 </span><p>Transforming an abandoned railway overgrown with weeds and kudzu will do more than create a landscaped haven for bikers, walkers and nature lovers.</p> <p>Supporters say it will help create jobs.</p> <p>"Part of what you see is a recreational opportunity. But it's also an economic opportunity," said Sid Lerner, board member of the Greater Memphis Greenline, a nonprofit group working to turn the old CSX rail line into a 13-mile string of park area from Midtown to Cordova.</p> <p>He was speaking Saturday to 20 or so people at a local event organized to observe the "National Day of Action" for <a href="http://www.greenjobsnow.com/" target="_blank">Green Jobs Now</a>, a campaign for job creation and training in projects that help fight oil dependence and sustain the environment.</p> <p>"The bottom line was to build consensus across the country to take to politicos to get them to fund green jobs initiatives," said Lynn Strickland, a local representative of <a href="http://www.dreamreborn.org/" target="_blank">Green For All "The Dream Reborn"</a> program and who said many of those jobs would pay living wages.</p> <p>Also, as the proposed Greenline lures people away from gas guzzling over to bicycling and hiking, it could create hundreds of new customers for business in communities it cuts through.</p> <p>"A business like this would see tremendous benefit," said Lerner at High Point Terrace Pizza, where the group met before escorting them to the rail line at High Point Terrace near Johnwood.</p> <p>A coalition of environmental, labor and architectural groups released <a href="http://www.peri.umass.edu/green_recovery/" target="_blank">a study</a> earlier this month stating that a two-year, $100 billion national green energy and economic recovery program could create create 2 million jobs nationwide and 44,942 jobs in Tennessee.</p> <p>The nonprofit Memphis Community Connector Inc. has proposed paying CSX Transportation $5 million for rights to the railway.</p> <p>And Shelby County Commissioners last week approved using a $324,900 federal grant to conduct an environmental site assessment on the rail line.</p> <p>The other local "National Day of Action" event was the Healthy Home Performance Analysis in the Riverview-Kansas area. The day was also locally observed at the Memphis Zoo Harvest Festival and by the Sierra Club at the Bartlett Festival.</p> <p>-- Pamela Perkins: 529-6514</p>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-61958285891573822352008-10-10T08:54:00.002-05:002008-10-10T09:01:52.333-05:00Plan aims to aid pedestrian, traffic flow in Germantown Parkway, Fischer Steel area<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/09/28/29rezone3.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/09/28/29rezone3.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Artist rendering of Raleigh-LaGrange transformed<br />into a parkway beside Shelby Farms Park. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><br />By <a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/pamela-perkins/">Pamela Perkins</a> (<a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/pamela-perkins/contact/" class="contactlink">Contact</a>), Memphis Commercial Appeal<br /> Monday, September 29, 2008</span> <p>Better road connections between Germantown Parkway and Shelby Farms Park. Safer connections from one Cordova shopping center to another. And friendly neighborhood pedestrian and bicycle connections to everywhere.</p> <p>Those ideas are in a preliminary plan on what should be done with a 600-acre wedge of land around the Germantown Parkway and Fischer Steel intersection.</p><p>"It's a blueprint for a great facelift," said Cordova resident Anthony Culver, who attended a series of public forums called the "Fischer Steel Road Area Planning Charrette" that helped shape the plan. They studied the area roughly bordered by the <a href="http://www.greatermemphisgreenline.org/">CSX rail line</a>, Raleigh-LaGrange and various roads just east of Germantown Parkway.</p> <p>The plan includes a pathway under a widened Raleigh-LaGrange road into Shelby Farms, better pedestrian and traffic flow between shopping areas along Germantown Parkway and a walkable neighborhood with bicycle lanes.</p> <p>"I'm really impressed, particularly with the design for Raleigh-LaGrange Road. I can ride my bike to church," Culver said. Now, "there's no shoulder on Raleigh-LaGrange and getting across Germantown Parkway is not easy."</p> <p>Memphis and Shelby County planners and Austin-based planning consultants Code Studio hosted the forums to analyze land uses that are allowed and should be allowed in the area, which is mostly zoned industrial.</p> <p>After finalizing the plan, the firm could be ready to make zoning recommendations sometime in November that could lead to permanent zoning changes and road improvements.</p> <p>Replacing industrial zoning with more restrictive zoning could bring neighbors and developers the comfort of predictability when new businesses move in.</p> <p>It might have given more comfort to neighbors who had learned over the past two years that a topless nightclub owner was building a restaurant across from GameDay's baseball fields. Despite Steve Cooper's denials, many Cordovans still believe the structure may become a strip club.</p> <p>At the final forum last week, Lee Einsweiler of Code Studio said any developments in the study area should complement and connect to the park, which has a multi-million dollar facelift planned. The plan also complements the proposed <a href="http://www.greatermemphisgreenline.org/">Greater Memphis Greenline</a>, a redevelopment of the CSX rail line into a landscaped urban trail.</p> <p>Proposed road improvements are also meant to improve traffic flow to and from GameDay Baseball's 10-diamond First Tennessee Fields baseball complex on Fischer Steel just west of Germantown Parkway. It is planning an $80 million expansion.</p> <p>-- Pamela Perkins: 529-6514</p>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-79075905129260503482008-09-25T18:09:00.000-05:002008-09-25T18:10:14.868-05:00Memphis Critical Mass Bike Ride 09/24/08 @ 6:00 PM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZwa2UI6NCZHXKTtdTpgU_HH0QDUdebGET-xpP33Y_YwfdMJd_fs-z-sR0GevNLxSRmLCo7-eKfGQOkLhP9IsvSz2pjXNv8j3PPzBnYpMQld-udvfFGrenv4gLBij7x8c_k0zRE9CZVvp/s1600/CM+CITY+SCAPE.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZwa2UI6NCZHXKTtdTpgU_HH0QDUdebGET-xpP33Y_YwfdMJd_fs-z-sR0GevNLxSRmLCo7-eKfGQOkLhP9IsvSz2pjXNv8j3PPzBnYpMQld-udvfFGrenv4gLBij7x8c_k0zRE9CZVvp/s1600/CM+CITY+SCAPE.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-18907756615371616232008-09-13T08:33:00.006-05:002008-09-13T11:34:27.487-05:00Memphis Cyclists Claim Police Brutality On Beale Street - Video<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://wpty.img.cdn.dayport.com/dayportcore/dpm/DayPortPlayers.js"></script><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">DayPortPlayer.newPlayer({articleID:"553939",bannerAdObjectID:"30",videoAdObjectID:"29",videoAdConDefID:"10",playerInstanceID:"27574A89-06D1-CD92-4444-22719C5099EC",domain:"video.abc24.com",rootCategory:"6547",categoryID:"12",accPos:"CCTVI.HOME",accSite:"WPTY"});</script><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Why is it that it seem like it is always us against them and vice versa? Let's thank the antagonist from the staff and management of <a href="http://www.rumboogie.com/home.htm">Rum Boogie Cafe</a>. That jerk deserves a real pat on the back. Especially with his convenient blanket statement during this segment that we cyclists ride through <a href="http://www.bealestreet.com/home.html">Beale Street</a> chasing kids and causing chaos. Does this jerk think that's what adults on bicycles do? What an ass? I certainly will not ever patronize that cafe again. Let's boycott <a href="http://www.bealestreet.com/home.html">Beale Street</a> and especially <a href="http://www.rumboogie.com/home.htm">Rum Boogie Cafe</a></span>.Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-58522377815784699222008-09-07T11:59:00.003-05:002008-09-07T12:01:54.033-05:00Getting trail wary: Critics and supporters of rails-to-trail plan have questions as development nears<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/09/04/9-7%20trail_t220.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2008/09/04/9-7%20trail_t220.jpeg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:Helvetica;"><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; font-size: 0.69em; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none; ">By <a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/michael-kelley/" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(64, 86, 111); text-decoration: none; ">Michael Kelley</a> (<a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/michael-kelley/contact/" class="contactlink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(64, 86, 111); text-decoration: none; ">Contact</a>), Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, September 7, 2008</p><div class="bodytext" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.81em; line-height: 1.4em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Development of a running-cycling trail from Midtown to Shelby Farms and beyond has been such an elusive goal for so many years that recent progress has left Shelby County government feeling like the dog that caught the car.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Very soon, decisions will have to be made about what to do with the thing.<br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shelby County, with Mayor A C Wharton leading the charge, is responsible for turning the long-time dream of a multi-use, cross-town trail into a reality.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The dream will come true along an idle CSX Corporation railroad right-of-way that stretches for 13 miles from the Poplar and Union viaduct to a point near Houston Levee Road.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The private group Memphis Community Connector has agreed to purchase rights to a section of the right-of-way that runs from the viaduct to the north edge of Shelby Farms Park.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The $5 million sale is expected to be completed within the next three months, at which time county officials are expected to begin some in-house preliminary design work running up to a formal search for a project designer, developer and manager.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So far, the project has been financed by private money.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's not clear if and when public funds will kick in, but the development has left Memphis' rapidly growing cycling and running communities more hopeful than ever. They've been lusting for years for an unimpeded, no-motorized-vehicles, multi-use trail that would connect Midtown to Shelby Farms Park and every neighborhood in between.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What's creating ecstasy among runners and cyclists, however, is making people nervous in neighborhoods along the trail's route, where CSX has been busily removing tracks and ties in the last few weeks.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That's not surprising. Anxiety has been the mood surrounding virtually every one of the 1,534 open rails-to-trails projects that stretch out across 15,346 miles of America's exercise highway. There is no reason Memphis should be any different.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">An announcement of the preliminary purchase agreement just over a week ago stimulated a lively debate among residents over trail issues ranging from "Who's going to cut all the kudzu?" to "Cutting all that kudzu's just going to give burglars easier access to my backyard."</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There is a lot of skepticism about national studies that have found positive effects on property values when trails are blazed through urban neighborhoods.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A typical study, conducted eight years ago along what was then a 67-mile system of trails in Omaha, Neb., found 65 percent of the nearby residents confident that the trails made their homes easier to sell and 77 percent believing that the trail enhanced their quality of life.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So what, the skeptics say. Maybe real estate agents are giving tours from the seats of their bicycles in Boulder. But Memphis?</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"We really don't want the trail here in High Point Terrace," said Mary Alice Inzer, a vocal opponent of the CSX trail who lives a few blocks north of the right-of-way. "It would just be another inlet for criminals. I think it would open up this area to an undesirable element."</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Inzer looks back with more than a little doubt on a community meeting at which trail advocates predicted higher property values and lower crime rates for her neighborhood.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"You know, in these Power Point presentations they're only going to express the point that they wish to endorse," she said. "They're not going to tell you the negatives."</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The project has allies in the neighborhood, as well. Carol Stout, whose backyard abuts the south side of the right-of-way in High Point Terrace, is looking forward to the day the trail opens.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"I'd like Memphis to be in step with Dallas and all these other places that have trails," she said. "It would help the city tremendously."</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's not so much that her neighbors are overwhelmingly against the plan, Stout said. But many have questions. Will the trail have police officers on bicycles like those you see on big-city trails? Will it be lighted at night? Will its elevation be lowered to block views into people's backyards?</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To the west of High Point Terrace and on the south side of the railway, the Poplar-Highland Community Association is "strongly in favor of the old CSX railway being converted into a trail for bikes and walkers-runners, as long as the trail is maintained," said president James Stubbs.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That means cutting the grass, picking up the litter, making sure trees and bushes are not allowed to grow out of control and the kudzu is eliminated, "and there is some guarantee of safety on the trail, especially on the section in our area," Stubbs said.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All along the trail's path, in fact, from Binghamton on the north bank of its western sector to the leafy affluence of East Memphis, there is guarded support but also many questions about what the trail will look like, how it will be maintained, how it will be lighted and what the police presence will be.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Advocates at Memphis Community Connector and </span><a href="http://www.greatermemphisgreenline.org/" target="_blank" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(64, 86, 111); text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Greater Memphis Greenline</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> expect to be able to answer those questions in time. There is little doubt, however, that when planning for the trail begins there should be vigorous efforts to engage the public in the process.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Residents of the neighborhoods can get involved early by participating in decisions about the trail itself -- seating areas, recreational areas and the like," said Katie Test, manager of public relations for the national </span><a href="http://www.railtrails.org/index.html" target="_blank" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(64, 86, 111); text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Rails-to-Trails Conservancy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. "Promoters should encourage members of the community to have meetings around the trail design. They'll also become more comfortable as they see the same people on a regular basis -- walking their dogs, running, etc.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Some neighborhoods have developed trail ranger programs with volunteers to keep an eye on things. Trails need solid friends groups. They can help with maintenance, light installation, brush clearing and other tasks."</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If the history of Memphis' only other rails-to-trails project, the 10-year-old </span><a href="http://www.vegreenline.org/" target="_blank" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(64, 86, 111); text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">V&E Greenline</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in Midtown, is an accurate predictor, a lot of change will come to neighborhoods along the route.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Renate Rosenthal, whose home abuts the 1.7-mile V&E, was "highly skeptical" about the project when the right-of-way was purchased by the Vollentine & Evergreen Community Development Corporation in 1996.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When the line was abandoned in the early '80s, she said, the path became a dumping ground for tires and building materials, and vagrants moved in. They climbed over people's fences, stole lawn mowers and started fires.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"They used a stolen ladder from my house to climb over the fence and steal more. They were brazen," she said. "One of their fires spread to my backyard. Someone was back there throwing cigarettes down."</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Neighbors communicated little about crime or anything else. "People came out saying we've had this problem and it's just going to get worse," Rosenthal said.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But the trail was built, and after 10 years it is getting steady use by neighborhood dog walkers, Midtown runners and people simply looking for a nice place to take a stroll. Trees, brush and tall fences obscure most of the backyards.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A committee of the Vollintine-Evergreen Community Association is in charge of the trail. Its chairman is Rosenthal, the former skeptic, who says the neighborhood is united more than ever now, and not just by a trail.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With the trail, she says, has come a new commitment among neighbors to communicate and work together to make sure the trail is more of an asset than a liability.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"The trail has become a catalyst for neighbors to talk about what is going on in our backyards," Rosenthal said. "When it was first cleaned up, there continued to be a concern about what was it going to do now that it's open. Will things get better? Will things get worse? There continued to be sporadic issues about people coming in over the fences.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"That was nothing new. But we became much more aware of it. We talked to each other about it. There was a core of about 15 people, and then various groups of volunteers at different times would show up.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"There was a committee that oversaw planning and development and one for day-to-day things. 'There's a fallen tree. Who can come with a chain saw?' People started to notice things.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"The neighborhood became like a family -- everybody up and down the green talking to each other."</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are still people in the neighborhood who don't care much for the greenline, Rosenthal said, and people who won't venture onto it alone. There are areas along the trail that can feel isolated at certain times of day and night.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The trail along the old CSX line will be no different. Some people will use it, and some won't. It would be futile to expect unanimity of support in neighborhoods that lie along the path.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For a lot of people the trail will be a dream come true. Hopefully, it won't be anybody's nightmare.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; "><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Michael Kelley is an editorial writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at 529-2785.</span></em></p><p></p></div></span>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-2866548751605760142008-09-06T09:50:00.006-05:002008-09-06T09:59:56.457-05:00Bicyclist Attacked By Memphis Police Officer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://jameswagner.com/mt_archives/Joe_down_2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://jameswagner.com/mt_archives/Joe_down_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:Trebuchet;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last night I saw a bicycle rider attacked by a police officer. <br /><br />Around 11:30 p.m., a group of riders headed south on Second Street to the intersection of Second and Beale. With foot traffic very light and no police prohibition at the edge of Beale, the riders rode down Beale to Third Street. Upon seeing further bike traffic as prohibited, the riders turned to head south to bypass the busy section of Beale St. When the cyclists reached Third and Beale, a police officer turned and began waving his arms. To avoid the policeman, who would have otherwise been struck by the bicycles, riders headed south on Third up the sidewalk. <br /><br />After six riders passed the officer, he became angry. As the seventh rider passed the officer, the policeman grabbed the cyclist by the shoulder and threw him to the ground. Shocked, I slowed to a stop, worried my friend had broken his arm. When my friend pulled himself from the concrete, the officer stepped as close as he could to my friend, who was now bleeding, and screamed into his face: “Didn’t I tell you to stop?” <br /><br />Officer Woodward, badge number 842, had the number “06” pinned to his lapel. After the officer ceased yelling, I asked the him if we were free to go. “You are!” he screamed. “But not your friend! He’s getting a citation!” And after a moment’s pause, he screamed “You’re all getting citations! For hanging around!” We calmly replied that we were concerned that our friend was injured, to which the officer said nothing. After 30 minutes, my friend who was assaulted by a police officer and the three of us that stayed around to be sure he was alright ended up with tickets. <br /><br />While we waited, three eyewitnesses offered their phone numbers to us and offered to testify against the police in a court of law. Our court date is set for the 21 of October at 1:30 p.m. <br /><br />The citation reads that we had been warned many times before, and had been seen on Beale riding bicycles before. I have never once been warned about riding bikes on Beale St., and had never in my life seen any of the police officers on duty that night. The police report was falsified. <br /><br />This type of un-checked violence from police to citizens is not new. This summer, a transgendered woman was assaulted by local police inside a police precinct, and security forces on Beale have been in the news repeatedly for using excessive force. <br /><br />In court, we will challenge the charges. We are now investigating a suit against the city for assault and excessive force. Our friend almost broke his arm, and whether it is right or wrong that bicycles are not allowed on Beale St., violation of a pedestrian or bicycle law does not warrant violent force to subdue citizens. <br /><br />On Saturday, September 27, a ride will leave from Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop at First Congregational Church and proceed to Beale Street. We will dismount from our bicycles and walk the entire length of Beale St. <br /><br />Please forward this message along to interested parties. For more information or to share similar stories, please contact Anthony Siracusa: 901.949.1201 or </span><a href="mailto:sirac@rhodes.edu" style="color: rgb(102, 136, 68); text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">sirac@rhodes.edu</span></a></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Trebuchet;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Photo above is demonstrative in purpose and does not actually depict this said incident.</span></span></span></div>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-36978797574429959712008-09-01T08:45:00.003-05:002008-09-01T08:53:10.784-05:00Life Cycles: Road safety responsibility of cyclists too<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://commutebybike.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/look.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://commutebybike.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/look.bmp" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">By <a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/staff/anthony-siracusa/">Anthony Siracusa</a>, Memphis Commercial Appeal<br />Monday, September 1, 2008</span><br /><br />Scott Wilson has been commuting by bicycle in Memphis since 2003. <p>On July 19, Scott left his job at Spindini restaurant around 1:30 a.m. He glided down South Main toward the intersection of Vance and Main, when suddenly, a car slammed into his right side. The car had run a stop sign.</p>Though some eyewitnesses reported seeing a beer bottle in the car, the responding officer chastised Wilson for requesting a Breathalyzer test for the driver. <p>The final police report stated that the driver was charged with not yielding at a stop sign and driving without insurance.</p> <p>There is no Tennessee ordinance that speaks plainly to what happens when a bicyclist is struck by a car.</p> <p>The Tennessee Bicycle Protection Act of 2007 protects cyclists when passed by a car, stating that a car "shall leave a safe distance ... of not less than 3 feet and shall maintain the clearance until safely past the overtaken bicycle."</p> <p>The law in Tennessee says bicycles are entitled to the same rights and responsibilities as a motor vehicle, but three colleagues on bikes have been hit by cars in the past month, causing some in the cycling community to feel that bicycles are not treated as vehicles in such situations.</p> <p>Danny Fagden, a cyclist of 30 years, was seriously injured after being struck by a car on July 3.</p> <p>For officers investigating the scene of such accidents, without laws specifically governing a collision between cars and bicycles in the roadway, determining fault and appropriate citation within a legal framework is difficult.</p> <p>Cyclists do not ride for health, fitness, recreation and transportation more often because they do not feel safe or protected in the road. A lack of laws and understanding among officials only heightens the lack of protection for bicyclists.</p> <p>Safety is the number one factor in whether people will ride bicycles, and maintaining roadway safety is a two-way street. More than 70 percent of bike-car collisions result from unsafe bicycle riding.</p> <p>A gap in education and awareness for cars and bicycles exists in Tennessee, and this is reflected in Tennessee law governing bicycles.</p> <p>When a cyclist is at fault in a crash, a class on safe road sharing between bikes and cars should be required.</p> <p>The same should be true when a car is at fault.</p> <p>With more bikes on the road than ever before, safely sharing the road must become a priority.</p> <p><strong>Your turn </strong></p> <p>Got a comment for cyclist Anthony Sircusa? Have something to say about biking in Memphis? Do you commute by bicycle to work? Share your story.</p> <p>Go to our Healthy Memphis blog at <a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/sep/01/road-safety-responsibility-of-cyclists-too/">commercialappeal.com/healthblog</a> and join the conversation.</p> <p><em>Memphian Anthony Siracusa is a student at Rhodes College, a member of Memphis' Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, executive director of Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop and a daily cycling commuter. Contact him at <a href="http://revolutionsmemphis.com/">revolutionsmemphis.com</a>. </em></p>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-25855327874047575152008-08-30T07:57:00.003-05:002008-08-30T08:15:07.793-05:00Memphis Critical Mass Is Seeking Stories, Comments, and Photos From The Aug. 29th Ride<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPDHn7TGdMZRHbe892pIv12MFJ6ayapQEslJs99-fNGv5VKKo5kOc-Oja5NYBj_U8P77PfUYh1dcl1VSVqW4R4Dbmk-04Tr8DqoJ3KMfGbxmZHkdB1FylHST9gdxfakWMbSblY6ZeDSHP/s1600-h/MCMFISTS.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPDHn7TGdMZRHbe892pIv12MFJ6ayapQEslJs99-fNGv5VKKo5kOc-Oja5NYBj_U8P77PfUYh1dcl1VSVqW4R4Dbmk-04Tr8DqoJ3KMfGbxmZHkdB1FylHST9gdxfakWMbSblY6ZeDSHP/s200/MCMFISTS.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240298292703063970" border="0" /></a><br />Greetings. I hope all those who could make yesterday's ride had a safe and good time. Thank you for participating. I am seeking stories, comments, or photos of yesterday's ride. Please leave your comments below and email any stories or photos to memphiscriticalmass@gmail.com. I intend to further spread the word of our collective efforts to bring attention to the bicycle as a viable recreation and sport, and a green gas-free mode of transportation. My goal is to grow our Critical Mass and collective presence on the streets of our city.Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-617169811298161032008-08-29T09:55:00.002-05:002008-08-29T09:57:45.709-05:00The Memphis Critical Mass Bike Ride Is Today at 6:00 PM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZwa2UI6NCZHXKTtdTpgU_HH0QDUdebGET-xpP33Y_YwfdMJd_fs-z-sR0GevNLxSRmLCo7-eKfGQOkLhP9IsvSz2pjXNv8j3PPzBnYpMQld-udvfFGrenv4gLBij7x8c_k0zRE9CZVvp/s1600-h/CM+CITY+SCAPE.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZwa2UI6NCZHXKTtdTpgU_HH0QDUdebGET-xpP33Y_YwfdMJd_fs-z-sR0GevNLxSRmLCo7-eKfGQOkLhP9IsvSz2pjXNv8j3PPzBnYpMQld-udvfFGrenv4gLBij7x8c_k0zRE9CZVvp/s400/CM+CITY+SCAPE.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239953618454025266" border="0" /></a>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-52274624460970292572008-08-27T14:01:00.001-05:002008-08-27T14:04:28.400-05:00Memphis Critical Mass Bike Ride Friday 08/29/08 6:00 PM @ Overton Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sites.google.com/site/memphiscriticalmass/_/rsrc/1219612738657/memphis-critical-mass-flyer-1/MemphisCriticalMassFlyer.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://sites.google.com/site/memphiscriticalmass/_/rsrc/1219612738657/memphis-critical-mass-flyer-1/MemphisCriticalMassFlyer.png" border="0" alt="" /></a>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-31330613022420132072008-08-27T08:33:00.001-05:002008-08-27T08:36:01.176-05:00Critical Mass Bikers Rule the Roads - Video of San Fran's Ride 08/19/08<embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/452319854" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=1741161295&playerId=452319854&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="400" height="326" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-45765276090486950082008-08-25T18:04:00.000-05:002008-08-25T18:05:05.808-05:00Mid-South man pulled over while riding his bike<object id="WNVideoCanvasDEFAULTdivWNVideoCanvas" width="300" height="240"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="wmode" value="windowless"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.wmctv.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf"></param> <embed src="http://www.wmctv.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="windowless" width="300" height="240" allowFullScreen="true" FlashVars="isShowIcon=true&affiliate=WMCTV&affiliateNumber=59&backgroundAlphas=100,100,100,100&backgroundColors=eeeeee,eeeeee,eeeeee,eeeeee&backgroundRatios=0,25,130,255&backgroundRotation=270&borderAlpha=100&borderColor=aaaaaa&borderWidth=1&clipId=2839346&closecaptionPaneLabelText=&closePaneLabelText=&commercialHeadlinePrefix=Commercial&controlsBackgroundAlphas=100,100&controlsBackgroundColors=eeeeee,eeeeee&controlsBackgroundRatios=0,255&controlsBackgroundRotation=270&controlsBorderColor=undefined&controlsBottomPadding=8&controlsButtonLeftBorderColor=c7c7c7&controlsButtonRightBorderColor=656464&controlsHeight=40&controlsOffFaceColor=828282&controlsOverFaceColor=454444&controlsSidePadding=8&defaultStyle=flatlight&disableTransport=false&domId=WNVideoCanvasDS76WNWidgetVideoCanvasDS76&emailErrorBorderColor=ae1a01&emailErrorMessageFaceColor=ae1a01&emailFormFieldAlphas=80&emailFormFieldColors=dddee0&emailFormFieldRatios=0&emailFormFieldRotation=90&emailInputFaceColor=454444&emailMessageLabelText=&emailPaneLabelText=&emailSentConfirmationMessage=&errorMessage=&fullScreenControlType=none&hasBevel=false&hasBorder=true&hasBottomBorder=true&hasFullScreen=true&hasLeftBorder=true&hasRightBorder=true&hasTopBorder=true&helpPage=/Global/story.asp?S=4925699&hostDomain=www.wmctv.com&idKey=DS76&imgPath=http://wmctv.images.worldnow.com/images/static/video/flash/&invalidRecipientFieldMessage=&invalidSenderFieldMessage=&isAutoStart=&isMute=&landingPage=&loadingMessage=&offFaceColor=828282&overFaceColor=454444&overlayBackgroundAlphas=92&overlayBackgroundColors=b6b6b5&overlayBackgroundRatios=0&overlayBackgroundRotation=90&overlayOffFaceColor=454444&overlayOverFaceColor=ffffff&pauseButtonText=&playAtActualSize=0&playButtonText=&playerHeight=240&playerWidth=300&recipientEmailLabelText=&sendEmailButtonText=&senderEmailLabelText=&senderNameLabelText=&shareListItemHighlightBorderColor=ffffff&shareListItemOffFaceColor=828282&shareListItemShadowBorderColor=b1b0b0&shareListListItemOverFaceColor=828282&sidePadding=3&smoothingMode=auto&staticImgPath=http://wmctv.images.worldnow.com&summaryGraphicMessage=&summaryGraphicScaleStyle=stretchToFit&summaryPaneLabelText=&tabBackgroundAlphas=100,100&tabBackgroundColors=e6e6e6,e6e6e6&tabBackgroundOverAlphas=100,100&tabBackgroundOverColors=eeeeee,eeeeee&tabBackgroundOverRatios=0,100&tabBackgroundRatios=75,255&tabBackgroundRotation=90&tabBackgroundSelectedAlphas=100&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderAlpha=100&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderColor=aaaaaa&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderWidth=1&tabBackgroundSelectedColors=eeeeee&tabBackgroundSelectedHasBevel=false&tabBackgroundSelectedHasBorder=true&tabBackgroundSelectedHasDropShadow=false&tabBackgroundSelectedRatios=0&tabBorderAlpha=100&tabBorderColor=aaaaaa&tabBorderWidth=1&tabFontSize=10&tabHasBevel=false&tabHasBorder=true&tabHasDropShadow=false&tabHeight=26&tabLeftBorderColor=e5e5e5&tabOffFaceColor=828282&tabOverBorderAlpha=100&tabOverBorderWidth=1&tabOverFaceColor=454444&tabOverHasBevel=false&tabOverHasBorder=true&tabRightBorderColor=868686&tabShadowColor=333333&topPadding=3&videoSliderBackgroundColor=cccccc&videoSliderKnobBackgroundAlphas=100,100&videoSliderKnobBackgroundColors=cccccc,cccccc&videoSliderKnobBackgroundRatios=0,255&videoSliderKnobBackgroundRotation=90&videoSliderKnobBorderColor=959495&videoSliderKnobOffFaceColor=444444&videoSliderKnobOverFaceColor=212121&videoSliderKnobShadowColor=5a5a5a&videoSliderLoadIndicatorColor=828282&videoSliderProgressIndicatorColor=454444&volumeSliderOffColor=cccccc&volumeSliderOverColor=828282&" ></embed></object>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-40611010751804824532008-08-25T16:51:00.003-05:002008-08-25T16:54:44.060-05:00Mid-South man pulled over riding his bike<span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><p><span class="sectiontitle">Reported by Lori Brown</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><b>Mid-South man pulled over riding his bike</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p></span></span><p style="margin: 5px 0pt;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >Updated: Aug 25, 2008 03:26 PM<script language="JavaScript">var wn_last_ed_date = getLEDate("Aug 25, 2008 4:26 PM EST"); document.write(wn_last_ed_date);</script> </span> </p><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><p>David Williams rides his bicycle 5 1/2 miles to work and 5 1/2 miles back practically every day.</p> <p>He started biking to work four years ago to lower his cholesterol and he knows the rules of the road.</p> <p>It is why he was shocked to hear a siren and see police lights behind him on his ride to work Thursday.</p> <p>The car was unmarked, and the man inside in street clothes.<br /><br />"When he got out put on his lanyard and I saw that it was a sheriff's badge, I realized then that he was an officer," Williams said. </p> <p>Williams did not get the officers name or badge number, so the Sheriff's Department can not determine if he is one of their officers or not.</p> <p>The man claiming to be an officer went on to threaten Williams.</p> <p>"If he caught me again he would give me a citation and if caught me a second time he would throw me into jail," Williams said.</p> <p>According to the Tennessee Driver handbook, bicyclists have the same rights as drivers do.</p> <p>Bicyclists are required to ride to right side of the road, except to avoid unsafe conditions. They are also allowed to get in place for left turns.</p> <p>"What frustrates me the most is that here an official was indicating that I was violating the law," Williams said. "It's so unfortunate that people don't understand bicycles are vehicles."</p> <p>The Sheriff's Department's spokesperson said all of its deputies are familiar with traffic laws when it comes to cyclists.</p> <p>He did follow up with Williams, but there cannot be any investigation since the officer was in an unmarked car and Williams didn't get his name or badge number.</p><p>(Video Coming Soon)<br /></p></span></span>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-25291072136094257842008-08-24T17:42:00.002-05:002008-08-24T17:44:47.335-05:00Memphis Critical Mass Website Is UpThe <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/memphiscriticalmass/">Memphis Critical Mass</a> website is up and running. Mind you, that this is a work in ongoing progress. Please bookmark this website and check back often for updates.Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-88014660573041463812008-08-24T17:38:00.001-05:002008-08-24T17:40:18.012-05:00Benefits of a Bicycle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmyIuO_ZyCSB0Mo2JFN7VWhY49I5uJdOjlcGHniSKATooOv-VJ_GSIfNApeimfCaKRbw3auV2eJaE0JLQKI68ayVaMymBuUyjRM6yQoPHVmYgOHOw6ek-nTpKNHhAwoyw7zqzvf4wZg7c/s1600-h/benefits+of+a+bicycle.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmyIuO_ZyCSB0Mo2JFN7VWhY49I5uJdOjlcGHniSKATooOv-VJ_GSIfNApeimfCaKRbw3auV2eJaE0JLQKI68ayVaMymBuUyjRM6yQoPHVmYgOHOw6ek-nTpKNHhAwoyw7zqzvf4wZg7c/s400/benefits+of+a+bicycle.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238217551443125330" border="0" /></a>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432887415868484163.post-53792143046244520002008-08-23T07:51:00.003-05:002008-08-23T07:56:51.154-05:00Memphis Cyclist Pulled Over by Shelby County Sheriff<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://professorgeradin.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/27/big20brother.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://professorgeradin.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/27/big20brother.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">It’s about 9 am Thursday, August 21. I am cycling to work down Germantown Road as I have safely done daily for four years. The traffic light is red for the southbound traffic at the Trinity intersection. I am stopped in the outside lane (next to the right-turn only lane) when the light turns green. (I ride in the shoulder of Germantown Parkway where there is one. Otherwise, I am within 3 feet of the lane edge.) There are no cars behind me. A lane over, a scruffy looking guy in a plain gray car rolls down his window and shouts “Get off the road.” This happens occasionally, so I shout “No” as I ride off, signaling that I am merging into the new outside lane formed at that intersection.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Suddenly, the plain gray car starts flashing his police lights and sounding his siren as he pulls behind me. It’s an un-marked sheriff’s car. I stop in the driveway of Wal-mart and Target. He gets out of his car, slips on his lanyard with a star and asks, “What did you say?” I admitted that I said “No”. “You don’t tell an officer no in the line of duty,” he says. I apologized and admitted that I was wrong to do so.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">He says that I can’t ride on Germantown Parkway. He asks, “How long have you lived in Memphis?” I told him that I have lived here for the last 27 years, as if that mattered. “You can’t ride on the road. You don’t have a tag and registration. You’re impeding traffic.” I explained that traffic is impeded if there are four cars behind a slow moving vehicle, and they have no safe way to pass. I carry a copy of <a href="http://bikememphis.com/TCA.htm">T.C.A. 55-8-171 to 174</a> and I offered to show these to him.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">“I don’t come into your office telling you how to do your job, don’t tell me how to do my job. I don’t want to see the law. You can’t ride on the road. Your bike has to be registered. Consider this a warning. If I see you on the road again I’ll give you a citation. If your still riding on the road, I’ll throw you in jail.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Unfortunately, I was so rattled that I failed to get the officer’s name or badge number. I had no way to know he was a police officer being scruffy sitting in an unmarked car a lane away. I am shocked how ignorant of the law he was, unwilling to see the law. He was more upset that I said “no” to someone who looked like a day laborer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I am e-mailing you to publicize this mis-treatment and ignorance by an officer of the law.</span>Memphis Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365349872633415588noreply@blogger.com2