Friday, February 26, 2010

Some March Updates

Bicycle Rentals on Volunteer Landing will start back up sometime late March 2010 or early April 2010. Visit outdoorknoxville.com for updates. Tell your visiting friends this Spring!

Another March event:
Volunteer opportunities with the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon as a Course Marshall cyclist may be available. I was a bicyclist course monitor for a couple years and thoroughly enjoyed it. Event date is Sunday, March 28th. Check out info@knoxvillemarathon.com or call 865-684-4294 if you may be interested in volunteering.

Besides being a commuter bicyclist, I am a graduate student in the Anthropology department at the University of Tennessee. Came across an interesting read:
From Bipedalism to Bicyclism: Evolution in Energetics and Biomechanics of Historic Bicycles. Alberto E. Minetti, John Pinkerton, Paolo Zamparo. Proceedings: Biological Sciences. Vol. 268, No. 1474(Jul. 7, 2001), pp. 1351-1360. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3068030

Friday, February 19, 2010

Bike Advocacy Options

Do you wish it were easier and safer to bike in our community? Here's your chance to help out with the Bicycle Program's efforts! Let me know if you can assist with any of these projects:

1. Work on a safety/education campaign that has been planned by the Bicycle Advisory Committee, but needs to be implemented.

2. Promote biking at UT to students. Perhaps group rides in August/Sept to show them how to get downtown, to grocery stores by bike? Guerrilla marketing?

3. Revise the Knoxville/Knox bicycle map. Figure out how to get input in a way we can use. Ask for input from bicycling community. Sort through input and make changes. http://www.knoxtrans.org/plans/bikeprog/resource.htm#maps

4. Review Bicycle Program website and note any problems, offer advice on what else should be included, what should be dropped, reorganized, etc. http://www.knoxtrans.org/plans/bikeprog.htm

5. Revew Bicycle Commute Guide. Any changes needed? Is there a need for a short version or does that lose too much info? http://www.knoxtrans.org/plans/bikeprog/comguide.pdf

6. Look into organizing a Bike Commuting 101 presentation at your worksite or in your neighborhood. I am available to give the presentation, and it's always good to have other bike commuters there as well to answer questions, help with routes.

7. Anything else from the Bicycle Plan that you're interested in. http://www.knoxtrans.org/plans/bikeplan2009.pdf

Other ways to help:

  • Send emails to elected officials (mayor, city council, county commission, state and/or federal representatives) about needing more funding for bicycle facilities (bike lanes, connected greenways, etc)
  • Write a letter to the editor about bicycling issues and the need for motorists to share the road and watch for bicyclists (or whatever your concerns are).
  • Mention bicycle issues and link to Bicycle Program on your facebook and twitter accounts, blogs, listservs, forums, etc.
  • Offer to show a neighbor/co-worker how to bike to work and get them to register for Smart Trips

Email me at kelley.segars@knoxtrans.org if you would like to help!

Friday, February 5, 2010


SMART TRIPS Making plans for Smart Trips Month 2010! What was your favorite event from last year? The First Friday Art Bus, Bike to Work Day, How Many Can You Fit in a Fit, or the Jack Neely walk?