Year End News from Walk/Bike Nashville

24 Dec 2007

A Message from the Executive Director

Happy Holidays from the team at Walk/Bike Nashville! We wish you healthy and joyful celebrations.

What an exciting ninth year in business for Walk/Bike Nashville! We completed strategic planning to define our goals and developed a concrete plan of action. The Fourth Annual Tour de Nash increased in participation by 44%! Our annual meeting was a big success with a brief and solid presentation from Mayor Dean and a strong turnout, with 50% of those present attending their first Walk/Bike meeting.

Just two months into our 10^th year as an organization, we're off to a good start. We welcome two new members to the Board of Directors: John Houghton and Dan Hensley. We teamed up with the Community Health and Wellness Team and HealthSpring for an exciting Walk Nashville Week, with 90% of the students participating at the lead school for Walk to School Day. We received two grant awards: We'll be working with the town of Thompson's Station in Williamson County to implement an official Safe Routes to School grant funded through the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and we'll also be making improvements to our current Music City Moves Kids program thanks in part to a grant from the Memorial Foundation.

Now is a pivotal time for Walk/Bike Nashville. We'll be celebrating our 10^th anniversary in October of 2008 and want to be sure we meet your expectations. With a full-time executive director and a growing volunteer base, the organization is primed to make a stronger impact upon local and statewide decision-making affecting walkability and bikeability. We need your support to make sure our voice is representative of Nashville. Please consider making a year-end, tax-deductible donation to help us grow. No amount is too great or small, as every gift we receive increases our voice and strength.

In joy and peace,
 

Shannon Hornsby
Executive Director, Walk/Bike Nashville
www.walkbikenashville.org

Walk/Bike Nashville is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating a more walkable, bikeable, livable Nashville.
 

News & Updates

 Music City Moves Kids! has visited one new school this year: Thomas Edison Elementary. All grade levels received pedestrian safety education and the entire fourth grade class participated in bicycle safety education. Over 90% of the student population turned out for the Walk to School Day celebration and we're currently working with parents, Principal Powe, and School Board representative Karen Johnson to develop a plan of action for designating and improving upon a safe route to school to increase numbers of students walking and biking to school.

• The 5^th Annual Tour de Nash has been scheduled for May 17, 2008. We're excited to announce the hiring of our first ever event coordinator, and welcome Laurel Davis to the team. This next Tour de Nash serves as an anniversary for the event and we anticipate an even greater turnout than last year. We're still looking for committee members to help plan the event. Please contact Laurel Davis at tdn@walkbikenashville.org if  you are interested in finding out more about the opportunity.
• The media has recognized our issues and our team over the past year and we're thrilled to be gaining momentum and further visibility. Please take a look at these recent reports:
• Board of Directors member Tom Grooms appears in an article about commuting by bicycle. http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711140373
• WPLN radio reported on our participation in a neighborhood survey designed to identify barriers to walking and hopefully find solutions to encourage more pedestrian activity. http://wpln.org/news/transcripts/?+2057
• Executive Director Shannon Hornsby and Board of Directors Members Tom Grooms and Dan Hensley appear in this article about Peace Transit, a bicycle baton relay beginning in Louisville, KY and making way across the country http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071118/NEWS01/711180419/1001
• Executive Director Shannon Hornsby was quoted in this article about green living http://my.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071031/MICRO020601/710310342/1480

Advocacy Corner

• Tennessee3Feet.org is coming along. Although later than anticipated, we are pleased with the partnership with the Harpeth Bicycle Club and TriStar Cycling. Many folks have volunteered their time and expertise in making this site and the campaign components a reality. We are very thankful for everyone who has pitched in and look forward to unveiling this project soon. Please feel free to visit the site (www.tennessee3feet.org) and let us know what you think.
• You may have heard that Mayor Dean called for updates to the 2003 Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways Plan (we hope you did because we mentioned it in our last newsletter!). http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2007/11/05/daily25.html The Mayor has spoken with members of our Board of Directors and Public Works will soon announce the schedule of public meetings, expected to begin in January. Please keep an eye on your inbox and our website for a listing of these meetings. You can count on Walk/Bike Nashville to have a representative at each of these meetings; however, we believe it is important for those who enjoy walking and cycling to turn out to these meetings and encourage you to do so.

Be a better bicycle rider...
 take a workshop with Walk/Bike Nashville!
  Sign-ups Underway for Road 1 Course on March 14, 2008

A course designed for beginner or novice riders this course combines classroom discussion/activities and on-road practice to instruct students in the principles of vehicular-style bicycling and overcoming the fear of riding in traffic. Students will come out of the class with more confidence for road riding, know how to change a flat tire and conduct basic bicycle maintenance/mechanics, and obtain a better knowledge of road rules and laws. Anyone interested in becoming a certified bicycle instructor through the League of American Bicyclists is required to take this course to be eligible.

Location: TBD (within the urban core of Nashville)
Dates and times: Friday, March 14 (6pm-9pm) & Saturday, March 15 (9:30am-3:30pm)
Cost: $50; includes a one-year membership with Walk/Bike Nashville
(one stipend available)
Maximum # students: 10
Road expectations: We will ride as a group on a combination of roadways,  but will keep to roads with no higher a posted speed limit than 35mph.
Register: Send inquiries to info@walkbikenashville.org

*Must bring (functional) bicycle and helmet to participate.
*Lunch provided on Saturday; participants responsible for own snacks and water

To learn more about the League of American Bicyclists' education programs, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/