Attend the Final Public Meeting!

These are the final public meetings on the Bike Master Plan and Pedestrian Master Plan before Council takes them up for voting. They've been in development since the walking summit and the last bike summit. They've been evolved through a ton of public input and dogged determination on the part of Metro government (Thanks!). They should be adopted!

If you have ideas on how they can be improved, this is your last best chance. They'll have a host of interactive displays and developers on hand to explain and answer.

If you want to show political support for bicycling and walking, we're fairly certain that Council (and the new Mayor) will be setting priorities in part based on public turnout and support for these plans. So come to the one closest to you. Heck, come to two or three - can't hurt, can it? :)

• Pedestrian and Bicycle Public Forum Dec 6, 3110 Lexington Road
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Public Forum Dec 7, 6104 Bardstown Road
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Public Forum Dec 9, 460 Northwestern Parkway

More information at the links above.

The Partnership for a Green City has released their Climate Action Report (pdf), with over 150 recommendations on how Louisville can reduce its contribution to climate change. C-J has the Mayor's reaction.

From a City Press Release:

A second round of federal stimulus projects will create 1,300 jobs by building new walking paths, sidewalks and bike lanes across Louisville, Mayor Jerry Abramson announced today.

The $14.7 million in projects including extending the walking and biking path through Seneca Park; bike lanes along a portion of Taylorsville Road and $7.4 million worth of new sidewalks in various neighborhoods.

“These projects put people back to work – and they help us create a healthier hometown by encouraging walking and biking,” Abramson said.

Amen to that.

Grab some popcorn and watch Dan Burden give one of the keynote addresses to the Louisville Bike Summit. He explains in stark detail why bicycling benefits not just athletes, but the entire community. MetroTV has the clip.

Note: Dan is the third speaker. The first speaker is Andy Clark from the League of American Bicyclists. The second is Mayor Jerry Abramson. The third is Dan, and he'll probably be of the most interest to cartky.org readers, though of course they're all good.

Hat tip to Bike Louisville.

The second Louisville Bike Summit is now history. Thank you to all the organizers, including the Bicycle Task Force, the tons of city workers who made this a reality. I think it managed to top its predecessor.

I don't have time to do a full write up, but to do a quick compare-contrast with Bike Summit I, I'd say that:

1) The city's planning process for bicycle improvements is now mature. Our engineering focus group looked at this process and the question was: "how can we improve the public participation process", to which the overall reply seemed to be "you can't beat this".

2) Enforcement is showing a *huge* improvement. Not hard since it was totally off-map as recently as two years ago. LMPD has a liason officer and is seeking to engage and work with the public on how it deals with bike enforcement.

3) I yearn for Public Transit Summit I.

If you have your own thoughts, you are welcome to post them in the comments.

Looks like the city is actually picking up a stick on the RR bridge: "City to press on for access to K&IT Bridge for a pedestrian/bicycle path". Go Team! Ra! Ra!

They mayor & Barry Barker took time out from the ped summit banquet to address our current situation with TARC funding.

Recall that as fuel prices rise yet occupational tax stays flat, TARC is cutting routes. For example this year they're trying to decide between two options, both of them hitting working people squarely in the chest:

The Kick-off Reception with Mayor Abramson is on Friday, May 9 at the Kentucky International Convention Center from 5:30-7pm. This reception is free and open to the public, and will take place in room 110; enter off of Third St. in the Trackside doors.

Whether you are attending the Summit or not, please join us for this informal celebration of walking, running, and rolling in Louisville!  Share your ideas with Mayor Abramson and other officials, get a preview of the Summit, and enjoy refreshments and a cash bar.

Ped summit registration is full. To be placed on the waiting list, call 574-6209.