Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance (CABA)

*  Weekly News and Views  *

OUR MISSION:

CYCLING FOR ALL: ANYONE,  ANY TIME,  ANY WHERE

Bicycling gets a big boost worldwide

For those of you who aren’t urban planning nerds, Jan Gehl, the Copenhagen renowned architect and urban designer has been advancing the urban bicycle agenda for over four decades, beginning with the downtown core of his native city. As a consultant to New York City, his was the inspiration for an exciting experiment to make Manhattan’s famed Times Square car-free ! CLICK:

TODAY’S MEETING CANCELED !  >>>>>>

Sorry folks. Too much snow today.

MEETING TOPIC : Bicycling and the Law – Ann Groninger Attny had a conflict and could not make our December meeting so we rescheduled. She will discuss how to react in crash situations, the odds of winning and losing, how the legal system works, and other issues.  CLICK: Upstream for video of December 6 meeting. Thanks to Daniel Bennett for shooting the video.

GUEST SPEAKER: Ann is a CABA member and advisor to our Board of Directors; as a respected local attorney she is an expert on issues of bicycle jurisprudence.

NOTE NEW LOCATION: Kickstand Burgers – 1101 Central Avenue at Louise.  Bike parking avail. at grade and on the roof ! (sort of ) CLICK:  Mapquest

TIME: 6:30 – 8 pm.  Meet kindred spirits. You don’t have to be a CABA member to participate. Bike rack out front. Meetings start and end on time.

Do you have a guest speaker in mind or a topic to discuss ? Let us know via the  Comment bubble below.

TIME: 6:30 – 8 pm.  Meet kindred spirits. You don’t have to be a CABA member to participate. Bike rack out front. Meetings start and end on time.

Monthly forums have been permanently changed to Tuesdays

Do you have a guest speaker in mind or a topic to discuss ? Let us know. Click the comment bubble below.

Roy Dean Mittelsteadt, Hit and Run

From Charlotte Velo and Charlotte Observer: On Thursday night, January 27, a driver killed cyclist Roy Mittelsteadt and fled the scene.  The collision occurred in Monroe on N. Rocky River Road near Myers Road.  The driver was arrested several hours later driving the vehicle with extensive damage.  Stephen Helms was charged with second degree murder and DUI. Roy Mittelsteadt had been riding a bicycle to and from work – an eight-mile trek between Porter Ridge High and his family’s home in Monroe – for about a year to save money to help his children pay for college.  Our condolences to the Mittelsteadt family.

Carla Swart, nationally acclaimed bicycle racer

From Charlotte Velo and other sources: The Carla Swart Memorial Scholarship has commenced to be awarded annually to a female cyclist who demonstrates a love for the sport and exhibits great promise as a cyclist. Tax deductible checks should be made out to Lees-McRae College (note Carla Swart Scholarship in the memo line) and mailed to the Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 128, Banner Elk, NC 28604. Contact Caroline Hart, Vice President for advancement, if you have further inquiries-(828) 898-8777.

Ms. Swart,age 23, died when hit by a truck during a time-trial training session in her native South Africa.The most decorated collegiate cyclist in history, Swart won 19 individual and team national championships for Lees-McRae College, and in 2008, Swart became the first collegiate cyclist ever to win a national championship in all four cycling disciplines in the same year.  A tragic loss.

Dick Winters writes the Charlotte Observer

Saving taxpayers’ money>>> A plan from Dick’s  letter to the Editor a few weeks ago: “It is anticipated that if CMS eliminates busing for students that live within 1.5 miles of their home attendance school [CMS is not currently proposing this], the system will see a significant decrease (about $3.5 million) in annual transportation costs. .. . ..safe remote drop-off and pick-up points …would be ..distributed to parents to encourage …. Students and parents would walk or bicycle… Parents would be motivated …by an annual $500 fee for those families who insist on transporting their children (by car) onto the school site.”

Dick is the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) coordinator for the Mecklenburg County Health Dept. and a member of CABA.

CABA to attend

Believe it or not the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is actually going to hold meetings with the bicycle and pedestrian groups across the state. The meeting in Charlotte is scheduled for March 2. We’ll keep you posted on the outcome. Sorry, attendance is by invitation only. They tell us the objectives relate to “future initiatives, programs, and policies that might be implemented through a statewide bicycle and pedestrian safety campaign”. Given NCDOT’s track record, we’re skeptical, but hey, it’s free refreshments.