Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance (CABA)

CABA Annual Meeting !

Celebrating 13 years of bicycle advocacy

9 a.m.- 1 p.m. / Dowd YMCA / 7th floor

What: Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance Annual Meeting – Your chance to review the last year’s successes and help set our agenda for the rest of 2012. This is your chance to both learn and participate. We are especially interested in folks willing to volunteer in the months ahead to help our shared visions become reality.

When: Saturday – Feb. 4 – 8:30 a.m.  (Sign-in and schmooze). Meeting starts promptly at 9:00 a.m. 

Where: DowdYMCA - 7th floor conference room. Bicycle racks at front and rear of building.

Who: You ! (open to all comers).

Special Guest Speakers:

• Ken (KT) Tippette -  CDOT bicycle program manager – KT has been at his desk for 8 years tackling the big issues and small details, all the stuff that goes towards making Charlotte a first-class bicycle friendly community. KT will highlight recent projects and offer some clues to the challenges that lie ahead. Time is set aside for audience discussion.
  
• Cheryl Myers  – Senior VP for Planning and Development/Charlotte Center City Partners. Cheryl will present a brief overview of the Center City 2020 Vision Plan approved by City Council last fall, and suggest action items to transform Uptown and the 16 contiguous neighborhoods into a model “City of Bikes”. To include audience Q + A.

Additional speaker topics:

Light rail bike/ped. trail to UNCC (John Cock or Maya Aagarwal/Alta Design);  - Regional bike/ped. trail - Uptown to Mooresville (Gwen Cook/Park and Rec.Dept ); The Adam Little Foundation legislative petition campaign (Debbie Thompson); Safe Routes to Schools /”Safety Town Program” ( Dick Winters/County Health Dept . 

*    Mid-morning coffee and pastry and lunchtime catering will be provided  *

* $100  BIKE SHOP GIFT CERTIFICATE TO THE LUCKY WINNER  ! *

In and around Charlotte

• State representative in bike crash - Rep. Pricey Harrison, our strongest advocate for bicyclists in the entire legislature, was hit by a red light runner while bicycling in Raleigh last week.  She had been on the greenway near the NC Museum of Art, and was crossing Blue Ridge Rd.  She has a broken foot and lots of scrapes.  The 21-year old driver was charged with failing to stop for a red light, but alcohol was not believed to have contributed to the crash.
• Waxhaw rezoning issue- CABA member Matthew Lueders has alerted us about a rezoning application in the Waxhaw area that might effect the safety of bicyclists. Food Lion has purchased 33 acres of land on the corner of Kensington and Waxhaw-Marvin Road. Matthews concern is that the increase in traffic might effect safe cycling in an already busy area. Although the town meeting occurred on October 11, there may still be time to voice your concerns. Matthew can be reached at: mlueders@uncc.edu.
• Yes, bike lanes spanning I-485 ! - Thanks to Dan and Aimee Burns for alerting us to this good news. From the South Charlotte Weekly regarding the Community House Road Extension, “A bridge to be built over I-485 will feature 8-foot bike lanes and 6-foot sidewalks.”  Finally, the residents living outside the I-485 corridor in this area will have bike/pedestrian access to the greenways without having to DRIVE our cars…this is great news!
• UNCC faculty member Mike Murphy recovering from injuries –  Long time CABA member, UNCC chemistry faculty lecturer and chairperson of the UNCC campus bicycle advocacy group. Mike is a daily and devoted  bike commuter. Mike is back at work although recovering from a collapsed lung while hit on his way home on Sept. 28. We wish you a speedy recovery Mike.
• Mark your calendar – AIGA Charlotte Design for Good Poster Initiative Gallery Show - NoDA gallery crawl – Friday, November 4, 2011 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM  / Dialect Gallery /3204-C N. Davidson St. Celebrate how design can ignite positive change in the community. Posters will inform Charlotte area citizens about environmental and social issues. The show will provides a chance for designers to meet local nonprofits like CABA. Beer and wine too ! Thanks to Rachel Martin  VP of Sustainability/AIGA Charlotte and Creative Director/Green Drinks Charlotte, for alerting us to this important event. CABA will be there! For more details or should you wish to submit a poster, CLICK: Dialect.

•  APBP biennial conference coming to Charlotte – October 25-27 - The national Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle  Professionals will camp out at the Blake Hotel with in-depth seminars and a collegial atmosphere where participants network, share knowledge, and learn to propel policy into practice. Attend this conference for cutting edge issues even if you are not a professional. Thanks to Danny Pleasant and the folks at CDOT for their leadership in making this happen. CABA will be there ! For more info CLICK: Seminar