This year, Asheville on Bikes encourages businesses, nonprofits, and religious and community organizations to supply the volunteers required for successful counts.
There is overwhelming public support in our community to advance safe and accessible pedestrian and bicycle transportation within our community. The recent results of the Chamber of Commerce’s Business Walk Survey, The Mountain Xpress’s Best of Survey, and a variety of recent studies highlight the public’s enthusiasm for active transportation.
Asheville has made strides in expanding pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, but significant deficits remain. A recent article in the Asheville Citizen Times lists Asheville as the most dangerous city for walking in the entire state. We need to do better, we can do better, and we will do better.
This September, volunteer for the 2014 National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project to advance pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
Join Asheville on Bikes, The Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, the AVL Bicycle & Pedestrian Task Force, Healthy Buncombe, and the NC Center for Health and Wellness in this year’s bicycle pedestrian counts. These counts are essential in advancing active transportation because they inform planning and engineering professionals on the diversity of our transportation habits. There are plenty of methods used to count motorized vehicles, but there is a dangerous dearth of methods for counting pedestrians and bicycles. This year, you can change that. When you volunteer for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts, you play critical role in:
- Building a robust and public database of pedestrian and bicycle use
- Identifying trends in biking and walking
- Establishing a national model for predicting pedestrian and bicycle travel.
Transforming our transportation network is no small task. It takes many people working together to advance active transportation. This year, I encourage businesses, nonprofits, and religious and community organizations to supply the volunteers required for successful counts. In return of your volunteerism, Asheville on Bikes will feature your organization on our website and social media.
Pedestrian / Bicycle Counts will be twice a day and are scheduled for Sept. 16th – 20th. If you’re ready to count, please complete the Ped / Bike Volunteer Form. Contact me at (mike@ashevilleonbikes.com) if you have any specific questions or requests.
Respectfully,
Mike Sule
Director of Asheville on Bikes