Wednesday, June 4

New Albany Library
180 W. Spring St., New Albany
5 - 7 p.m.

Thursday June 5

Nia Center
2900 Broadway
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5 – 7 p.m.

Wednesday June 11

Bon Air Public Library
2816 Del Rio Place
11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Thursday June 12

St. Matthews City Hall
3490 Grandview Ave.
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Metro Louisville Central Government Center
7201 Outer Loop
5 p.m. - 7p.m.

It is National Bike to Work Week, and I've been hard at work co-creating a website full of bike commuter lore (bicyclingforlouisville.org/commuting). Check it out!, it's got safety videos, an online poll, a gas savings calculator, and a mailing list about bicycle commuting in Louisville.

The Ped Summit has been realized. A big round of applause for the Built Environment Committee and especially Nina Walfoort for seeing this through.

Now brace for random rambling...

During the course of the many break out sessions, I finally realized something about the "public participation process", which is the most important part of the process is not the power-point, or the brainstorming. The most important part is making lateral personal connections at water fountains and doorways. Many such opportunities arose today.

Another big advantage we had today was getting officials to sit down and listen to Mark Fenton gently nudge them in the right directions on stuff. He's good with language and speaks with experience that more insular residents of Louisville can't summon.

9AM-3PM, Gheens Academy, 4425 Preston Highway. It sounds like there were a lot of cancellations, so you might be able to squeeze in even if you didn't have a ticket.

ridetarc.org news release:

The TARC Board of Directors today gave tentative approval of a $68 million budget for Fiscal Year 2009 that includes a combination of fare increases and service reductions. The board considered several options for making up a $4 million shortfall resulting from rising gas prices and other costs before giving tentative approval to the budget proposal.

Under the proposed budget reviewed today, the base fare of $1.25 would increase by 10 cents and $1 million in service would be cut. The board recommended considering an increase to 25 cents and reducing the amount service that would be cut. If the fare increases to $1.50, about $500,000 in service cuts would be made.

“We don’t like increasing fares and we don’t like cutting service. It’s not the direction we want to go in,” said TARC Director J. Barry Barker. “But when you don’t have enough revenue, you have to do something.”

CART To REACT,

Developing...

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.

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Have you ever wished you knew more about bicycling? Bicycling for Louisville is offering a comprehensive bicycle skills class that will help you:

• Select the right bicycle for your needs.
• Ride safely and legally on any paved surface - from scenic bike trails to high-traffic state highways.
• Learn everything you've always wanted to know about gears (but were afraid to ask).
• Fix flat tires and perform those little adjustments to make an old bike feel brand new.
• Master physical skills - starting, stopping, scanning, signaling, and emergency evasive action. Yehaw!!

This class is perfect for adult cyclists of all levels. It will increase your confidence, comfort, and safety. The next class starts May 20th and classes will be forming all summer. Check bicyclingforlouisville.org/classes or call 582-1814 during business hours for more information.

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

The fourth forum of the Sustainable City Series, Climate Change: from Bali to Louisville, will be held on Tuesday, May 13th beginning at 6:00 pm at Glassworks; 815 W Market Street. Climate change effects everyone, so if you are living on Earth this topic should be of interest to you. The effects of global warming, such as changes in wind patterns, ocean currents and rainfall are only beginning to be realized. This forum will examine the framework for addressing climate change from the level of the United Nations down to what Louisville is doing as a community to address the issue. Please join us on May 13th for an enlightening and entertaining discussion on an extremely important topic.

Our guest speakers will be Art Williams, Director of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District and Keith Mountain, Associate Professor of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Louisville.

This event is free to the public, however space is limited, so if you are interested you must register for the May 13th event.

Jonathan Villines writes:

Registration for the Pedestrian Summit on May 10 is still open, but there are only about 40 23 spots left. If you plan to attend, please sign up today at www.louisvillepedsummit.com.