Spring 2008
DAVIDSON ACADEMY
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Your Participation is Important

Please write a short note to your Alderman and tell them  you support the efforts of the Hendersonville Greenways Committee. Find list at www.hvilletn.org/aldermen.aspx.

The mission of the Hendersonville Greenway Committee is to promote, advocate, and assist City Leaders in the development for safe corridors for walking and biking for citizens of all ages.   
   The Hendersonville Planning Commission has approved plans for the construction of Davidson Academy along Drakes Creek Rd between Stop 30 Road and the Vietnam Veterans Blvd.  The property is along Drakes Creek and includes easements for a key connector of Hendersonville's Greenway route that connects with the Veterans Park on the south and with the greenway in the future Durhams Farms development on the north.
    On the south side people at Halo Property have plans for an extensive greenway system that that provides paved trails to the little Stop 30 bridge near Blue Grass Country Club with a connector to the new library. (See our May newsletter)
For more information and to sign up to receive this newsletter, contact Doug Depew at BikeNwalk@comcast.net

Visit our Web Site at http://bikinhville.homestead.com.  You can find past newsletters there.

BikeNwalk Newsletter is edited and distributed by Tom Evans (tom@evanscenter.com)

RIDE SAFELY - It's the Law
Sumner County to Begin Comprehensive Plan

     In the coming months, the Sumner County Planning Department will begin a conversation about developing a county-wide comprehensive plan.  The plan will include existing municipal plans and outline how unincorporated portions of the county should develop over the next 20 to 30 years.  Future transportation needs and land use will be addressed county-wide for the first time.  Citizen input will be an integral component throughout the process, and pedestrian and bicycle needs will be important elements of the plan.  If you would like to stay informed about the development of the Sumner County Comprehensive Plan, please send your e-mail address to mbriggs@sumnertn.org.  For additional questions or information contact:

Michael Briggs, Planner - Sumner County Planning & Zoning
355 N. Belvedere Dr., Rm. 208; Gallatin, TN 37066
(615) 451-6097
Michael Briggs started as a Planner with Sumner County in January 2008.  A Hendersonville native, Michael worked in Kansas City as a Transportation Planner for the Mid-America Regional Council for four years before returning home.  He is an avid runner and occasional bicyclist. 

In March at Michael's invitation Frank Bowyers IV, Bruce Day, Tom Evans, and David Hardin met with Leslie Meehan of Nashville's Metropolitan Planning Office and him.  They presented the history and status of Hendersonville's Long Range Planning since 1999 of pedestrian and bicycle facilities and offered their assistance.  Leslie discussed activities of her office for the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan, the Tri-County Land Use and Transportation Study and the Northeast Corridor Mobility Study.  She also discussed Regional promotion of bicycle education.  Frank told of his discussions with Senator Diane Black to modify Driver's Test to include questions relating to bicycle safety.
Complete Streets Legislation

Dear Bicycling Friends of Tennessee,

  Please see below information from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership regarding Complete Streets legislation. As many of you know, we approached Senator Lamar Alexander in early March asking for a Republican Co-sponsor of the bill; however, Senator Alexander chose to not take on co-sponsorship. We are now asking Tennessee constituents and bicycling organizations to send letters to Senator Corker asking him to co-sponsor the legislation. Please send letters as individuals and as leaders of bicycling clubs and organizations. It would be helpful if you sent a copy of your letter to us at Walk/Bike Nashville via email to keep track for the Thundershead Alliance all constituent correspondence. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

    How to get in touch with Senator Corker: http://corker.senate.gov/

    Also, please feel free to pass along this information to others you believe may be interested in writing a letter requesting Senator Corker's support.

Thank you,
Shannon Hornsby, Executive Director - Walk/Bike Nashville (615/585-2014)

National Complete Streets Bill Is Introduced in the Senate
(Contact your Senator and ask them to co-sponsor the bill )

     On Monday, March 3, 2008, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced Senate Bill S2686, The Complete Streets Act of 2008. The Complete Streets Act of 2008 was introduced to ensure that all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users as well as children, older individuals, and individuals with disabilities, are able to travel safely and conveniently on streets and highways. The bill would require that State DOTs and MPOs develop complete streets policies for the use of federal funds.
     Co-sponsors and supporters of S. 2686 are essential - please call or write to your Senator today to gain their support. Visit the Complete Streets website for talking points, fact sheets and updated information. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is supporting this bill, as complete streets help to make our roadways safer for everyone, including children, the most vulnerable users.
     The National Complete Streets Coalition is a diverse coalition of groups working in support of complete streets. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership was recently approved as a new member of the National Complete Streets Coalition Steering Committee. Other members include Active Living by Design, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Smart Growth America, the Thunderhead Alliance and many other vibrant non-profits and associations. For more information on how to get involved with the Coalition, click here.
BIG BRIDGE PARTY

Join the FOGBEES on April 12'th as they help Nashville celebrate the Grand Opening of the Pedestrian/Bike Bridge across the Cumberland River at Shelby Bottoms Greenway.  For complete details visit the FOGBEES Web Site by clicking here. We'll rendevous at Big Looy's Pizza and caravan to Nashville.
It would be an asset to the school and to Hendersonville if Davidson Academy would construction this portion of the Greenway from the school, under the by-pass, and connect to the Halo Properties Greenway.  It would provide safe passage for their students to Indian Lake Village and to the library.
Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 8, Part 1,

WHEREAS, Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-8-172, provides that

a person riding a bicycle upon a roadway has the same right to that roadway as the driver of a motor vehicle

and has all of the rights and duties applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle while using such roadway; and
WHEREAS, Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-8-175, specifies certain safety requirements for a pedalcyclist when approaching a motor vehicle on a roadway but fails to specify any safety requirements for when a motor vehicle approaches a pedacyclist on a roadway; and

WHEREAS, in 2004 there were seven (7) traffic-related pedalcyclist fatalities in Tennessee and five hundred twenty (520) traffic crashes involving pedalcyclists; in 2005 the number of fatalities rose to ten (10) while there were four hundred fifteen (415) crashes, and in 2006 there were at least seven pedalcyclist fatalities and four hundred thirty-four (434) crashes; and

WHEREAS, one of these senseless deaths was avid pedalcyclist Jeffrey Roth, who was struck and killed while riding his bicycle in December, 2006 in Blount County by a motorist who was later charged with criminal homicide; now, therefore,

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-8-175 is amended by adding the following new subsection (c) and by re-lettering present subsection (c) as subsection (d) as follows:

(c) (1) This subsection shall be known and may be cited as the “Jeff Roth and Brian Brown Bicycle Protection Act of 2007.”
     (2) The operator of a motor vehicle when overtaking and passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on the roadway, shall leave a safe distance between the motor vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet (3’) and shall maintain such clearance until safely past the overtaken bicycle.
(d) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.”
On December 10, 2007 the mayor's office in Gallatin, TN unveiled its plans for the Town Creek Greenway.  The greenway has trail heads behind Sumner County Courthouse and at Triple Creek Park.  It runs parallel to Town Creek for approximately 1.9 miles.  The City obtained $1.2 Million in grants for its construction. The actual place-ment of the Greenway has not been finalized. Architectural firm Kimley-Horn showed possible placement on either side of the Creek.  Rosemary Bates, assistant to Mayor Joanne Graves, stated the the final location depends on the City's ability to get "right of ways."
Ms Bates was unable to give any dates for the completion of the Town Creek Greenway.  She said the next step was to get the "right of ways."  She also mentioned that the City had experienced delays as a result of freeing up the grant money.
GALLATIN GREENWAY