As the Board of Directors of Asheville on Bikes, we write with heavy hearts in the wake of the recent pedestrian and cyclist fatalities that have shaken our community. We grieve the lives lost and hold in our thoughts the families, friends, and neighbors mourning them.

The death of Jake Hill and Lennie Antonelli, the recent death anniversary of Alex Rosas, and the pedestrians Tyler Michael White and Claude Alie-Alexander McPherson Jr. killed on Patton Avenue will not be forgotten or in vain.

We also need to acknowledge the recent injuries and issues of harassment of cyclists in our community. The assault of the cyclist on Merrimon is senseless violence.

We stand with you in sorrow, in solidarity, and in shared determination.

Walking, biking, and other forms of active transportation should be expressions of connection, health, and belonging–not life-threatening risks. We recognize our community is missing the opportunity to enjoy safe and predictable connections to neighbors, necessities, attractions, and business districts because the issue of safe streets has been deprioritized. Each project delay is a missed opportunity for a better connected and resilient community.

Asheville continues to rank at the top of the list of the most dangerous cities for pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths. The Transportation page on the City of Asheville’s website states:

The City of Asheville was identified as one of the cities with higher rates of pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes in the document entitled “North Carolina Pedestrian Facts 2008-2012” that was published in 2014. (City of Asheville’s Transportation Department, 2025)

Given the recent incidents of violence, it’s likely this unfortunate distinction will continue through 2025. Without meaningful action, the pattern of harm and loss may persist.

We are grateful to local journalists at AVL Watchdog, WLOS, and The Asheville Citizen Times who have documented the human cost of unsafe street conditions with clarity and care. These stories break the hearts of our community, but they are not surprising given the historic reluctance of our political and business leaders to support continued investment in complete streets, greenways, and trails. While it’s necessary to document the lives lost and people injured, documentation won’t solve the issue. Political action however will. This is a solvable problem.

AoB’s board of directors cannot accept the existing conditions nor the entrenched reluctance to address longstanding issues of safety on our public rights of way as ethical. We cannot be passive when our neighbors, friends, and loved ones are at risk.

As a board, we commit to sustaining and intensifying advocacy for the timely implementation of state, regional, and city transportation plans, all of which speak directly to continued investment in active transportation and complete street facilities.

City of Asheville Plans & Policy

• GAP Plan, adopted in 2022
• Recreate Asheville, adopted in 2024
• Living Asheville: A Comprehensive Plan for Our Future, adopted in 2018 revised 2025
• Transit Master Plan, adopted 2018 currently being updated
• Asheville In Motion, adopted in 2016
• Asheville Complete Street Policy, adopted 2012
• Comprehensive Bike Plan, adopted in 2008
• Pedestrian Plan, adopted 2005

The plans and policy are in place, the blueprints for complete streets, greenways, and trails are codified, but our political leaders and transportation agencies at all levels are slow to implement the policy. City of Asheville leadership continually delays or misses opportunities to advance complete street investments due to small but influential pushback from community and business members who are reluctant to embrace the necessary change to establish safe transportation networks.

The Biltmore Ave resurfacing project and the College / Patton Ave Complete Street Project are two recent examples of missed opportunities to prioritize and elevate public safety in our city’s rights of way. Regarding the Biltmore Ave resurfacing, the City released the following statement:

Based on community and stakeholder input, the City has decided to take a phased approach to improving this section of Biltmore Avenue. In direct response to business concerns, the City will first work with the NCDOT to address immediate functional and operational issues related to loading and vehicle speeds…

Bike lanes will not be added at this time, rather the City will aim to enhance delivery access in the corridor by adding new loading zones and expanding existing ones. (City of Asheville announces Biltmore Avenue Striping Plan, 2022).

The implementation of loading zones was a higher priority than the inclusion of complete street facilities for the City of Asheville in regards to Biltmore Ave.

The College / Patton Complete Street project has been delayed twice. The recent delay was justified by the City as “an effort to support economic recovery and minimize disruption in the upcoming year” in the wake of Helene (Downtown Asheville College, Patton bike lanes delayed until 2026; Sidewalk work resumes).

The culture of delay must be overcome and there are current trends that suggest safer streets are gaining momentum.

Most recently, our community voted overwhelmingly for the GO Bonds that earmark $20 million for transportation improvements. While the public continues to support complete street investments, the City continues to resist complete streets unless intense advocacy is applied to City leaders and public resisters.

We acknowledge that change is, at times, complex. We are committed to approaching our advocacy and projects with an equity lens, especially in regard to Legacy neighborhoods where our fellow community members have made it clear that bike lines represent the threat of gentrification. We hear and empathize with those concerns. Where there are intersections of unsafe conditions and legacy neighborhoods, we will work directly with the neighborhood community to ideate possible solutions rather than push ahead on our own.

We believe that safe, dignified public space is a cornerstone of a thriving community. We’ve recently adopted the core value of “Create Safe Spaces.” This includes holding safe spaces for challenging conversations. We believe there are always solutions to be found when everyone comes together. Asheville on Bikes welcomes everyone and every voice to be part of creating safe spaces.

There are a variety of projects to create safe spaces that Asheville on Bikes has been active, which advance active mobility:

• Merrimon Ave resurfacing project that resulted in a variety of safety improvements.
• The planned Haywood Rd Resurfacing Project, which will implement a variety of complete street improvements recommended by AoB’s policy and advocacy committee in partnership with East West Asheville Neighborhood Association, West Asheville Business Association, and Strong Towns Asheville.
• The likely passing of AVL Unpaved which will double Asheville’s natural surface trails and provide access into Asheville’s forested areas via transit, sidewalks, bike facilities and public parking.
• The opportunity to collaborate with NCDOT, the City of Ashville, the I-26 Citizens’ Coalition to include robust active transportation facilities that will not only better connect our City but also serve as the backbone to the future Hellbender Regional Trail System.

AoB’s leadership is firm in our resolve to elevate safety and dignity in our public rights of way through a complete streets approach and we invite you to participate in our advocacy, accountability, investment, and follow-through. There is always something to do. Right now, you can:

• Email Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Leaders to share your support for continued investment in greenways, complete streets, and trails. Share that these facilities are central to our region’s Hurricane Helene recovery.
  • Email Asheville City Council: ashevillenccouncil@ashevillenc.gov
  • Use the Buncombe County Commissioner directory to find and contact your commissioner.
• Submit Public Comment to the Elevate 2050 Regional Active Transportation Plan – Public comment is open until July 27th.
• Take full advantage of AoB’s bike valet program and attend a public event by bike. If an event doesn’t include a bike valet, let the organizers know you’d appreciate bicycle parking.
• Share the joy of riding the City with people in your community. Invite people to Summer Cycle ‘25 hosted on Saturday, August 23rd. This community event is open to the public and includes three routes. The Cruiser route is perfect for newer or younger cyclists as it features protected bike facilities, greenway connections, and is mostly flat.
• Donate to Asheville on Bikes. Your financial support enables AoB to influence design, fund projects and education programs like Smart Cycling and our youth cycling program, Bike Club.

We are proud of our community. We are proud to serve it. We know there is a better future for our community; it’s a matter of effective commitment over time – project by project and mile by mile, year after year. We believe in a community where everyone can move safely and with dignity.

With deep gratitude,

The Board of Directors, Asheville on Bikes

Brian Randall, Board President
Kent Cranford, Board Treasurer
Jen Thompson, Board Secretary
Jesse Dingle, Board Member
Ben Hanna, Board Member
Sophie Mullinax, Board Member
Laura Richardson, Board Member
Emily Richter, Board Member

The post AoB Board Response to the Tragic Events of the Summer appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Asheville on Bikes is expanding our board of directors. Are you interested in serving on AoB’s board? If so, please use the form at the bottom of this post to tell us about yourself, your experience, and your interest in Asheville on Bikes.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive board and are particularly interested in welcoming members who bring varied lived experiences, including those from BIPOC communities. We recognize the importance of diverse perspectives in our work and are dedicated to fostering an environment that actively addresses and challenges the impacts of systemic inequities.

Before applying, please note the following:

1. Board Service is unpaid, and regular donations of time and other resources are expected according to your means.

2. Serving with the Board represents an average time commitment of 2-4 hours per month over a 3-year term. Time commitments include monthly Board meetings, committee meetings, preparation for board and committee meetings, and advocacy/outreach/engagement efforts. 

3. Being a Board member involves fiduciary duty, on-boarding training, and at times, public scrutiny. Please discuss these with your family and be sure you are prepared for these commitments before applying.

Fill out our Board Interest Form to get started

Complete AoB’s Board Interest Form and AoB Board Member Sophie Mullinax will follow up with you.  

Please reach out to sophie@ashevilleonbikes.com with any questions. Thank you!

The post Join the AoB Board of Directors! appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

AVLFest Ride Guide

The AVLFest Ride Guide connects all the bikeable venues together via the best routes. If the venue isn’t included in the AVL Fest Guide, we do not recommend riding to it. AVLFest does provide a free shuttle service. Bikes are not allowed on shuttles.

The Ride Guide focuses on Downtown (and a few adjacent venues), The River Arts District, and West Asheville. 

AoB built the AVLFest Ride Guide using Ride With GPS (RWGPS) application. It’s a mapping and route finding tool, similar to Strava. The AVL Fest Ride Guide is accessed in the “Collections” section of our RWGPS page as well as additional routes and resources for riding Asheville, NC. 

To access these resources, follow these steps:

1. Click this special pre-approval link, which pre-approves you as an Asheville on Bikes annual member. It will prompt you to either set up a new free account or link your existing RWGPS account to our club account. Then you’ll have access to all the members-only routes in our Club account. For any route in our Club account, you have all the pro (normally paid) features of Ride With GPS, including turn by turn navigation and offline mapping.
2. Download the Ride With GPS app on your phone and make sure it is working, before riding the City!

About Riding in Asheville

Asheville, NC is recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community. Asheville also leads North Carolina in bicycle & pedestrian injuries and death. The city has held this dubious distinction for over 15 years. When riding in Asheville, be Ride Ready.

Ride Readiness

• Wear a helmet
• Equip your bicycle with front and rear bike lights
• Carry a lock to secure your bike when it’s parked
• Carry a water bottle and avoid dehydration
• Be predictable and communicate with other people in the public rights of way
• Anticipate conflicts & avoid unnecessary risks
• Activate the “Safe Habit of Riding” 

AVLFest

AVLFest is a venue-based music festival returning to the Blue Ridge mountains August 1-4th, 2024. Presented by Asheville-based Wicked Weed Brewing and Worthwhile Sounds, AVLFest will fill 20+ area concert halls, clubs, and outdoor venues alike with an exceptional multi-genre lineup of local, regional, and national talent. Performances are set to take place throughout the 4-day festival with wristbands granting pass holders access to 200+ shows through the Asheville area.

• View the AVL Fest Line Up → 
• Purchase AVLFest Tickets →

The post Riding AVLFest – Bike Guide appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Click Here to Vote for Asheville at Strongesttown.com.

Competitors will advance over five rounds, based on weekly voting periods. One champion will be honored at the Strong Towns National Gathering, with two representatives flown in and presented with an award. Strong Towns will also create a short documentary film about the winning city.

Here’s how voting works. Asheville is competing head to head and advancing weekly based on votes collected during that period:

• R1: Meet Your Contestants (March 4–8).
• R2: Sweet Sixteen (March 11–15)
• R3: Elite Eight (March 18–22). 
• R4: Final Four (April 1–5). 
• R5: Championship (April 8–12). 

The Champion will be announced on Monday, April 15. Previous contest winners have adapted their roads to be safer and pedestrian friendly, created public centers where local commerce thrives, and provided access to community services through a strong network of community partnerships. What do all these Strongest Towns have in common? They put people first.

Please vote for Asheville and spread the word!

The post Vote for Asheville in the Strongest Town Contest appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

You can review the latest design plans here.

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to contribute to the future of Asheville’s bike infrastructure. Your input is valuable and needed, so save the date and spread the word to attend the Community Input event on April 19th! Find all the details in the press release below.

RSVP to the College / Patton via AoB’s facebook event.

Press Release:

College/Patton Multimodal Community Input event on April 19, 2023

The City of Asheville requests input from the community regarding the College Patton Bike Lane Project. The primary objective of this project is to increase multimodal connectivity, which includes expanding dedicated bicycle infrastructure throughout the city’s urban core. The City would like input from the community on the most recent draft design of the proposed project. 

The primary concerns heard throughout initial engagement events were related to loading and delivery access. The draft designs now include over 115 feet of additional loading zone area. City staff including Transportation, Planning and Urban Design, Fire, and Police will be present at the event to answer any questions the community may have regarding the development, safety, and implementation of the project. 

Event Details 

• Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Time: 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. for business owners along the project corridors; 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. general public 
• Location: The Collider, Overlook Lounge, 1 Haywood St, Asheville, NC 28801

Ready to join us?

RSVP to the College / Patton via AoB’s facebook event.

Want to learn more?

Read AoB executive director’s open letter to the City of Asheville’s Downtown Commission in Support of the College Patton Project in our past blog. You can learn about the reasons we support this project and studies that show the economic impact of projects similar to College/Patton:

• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2021.1912849
• https://www.peopleforbikes.org/statistics/economic
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/for-store-owners-bike-lanes-boost-the-bottom-line
• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200422151318.htm
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/biking-lanes-business-health-1.5165954
• https://www.ibigroup.com/ibi-insights/bike-lanes-good-small-business/

Read more here.

The post Call To Action: Give your input on the College/Patton Bike Lane Project appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Email the Commission:  AVLDowntownCommission@PublicInput.com Leave a voicemail: 855-925-2801, then entering code 9272

Call into the meeting tomorrow (12-9-22) at 9:35am to leave live public comment. Dial 855-925-2801, enter code 9272, then press * and select option 3

Support for the complete street treatment is wavering and your comment is critical in moving this project forward. Call or sent a quick email that states:

“I support the College / Patton Complete St project because it’s important that our City commits to expanding its mobility options to provide safer and greater access into and through downtown Asheville. This project aligns with the City’s of Asheville’s Comprehensive Plan and transportation planning, like the recently adopted Close the GAP. We cannot continue to lead NC in pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and death. Complete Streets are proven to be an economic driver and a component of affordability. The more mobility options into downtown the more parking is available for others.” 

Here is AoB’s letter to the Downtown Commission about this project:

Dear Downtown Commission, 

On behalf of Asheville on Bikes Board of Directors and our members (over 900 strong) I’m writing to you to encourage your support of the College / Patton Complete Street project. Asheville on Bikes and Connect Buncombe partnered to fund the design phase of this project for many good reasons.

Reasons Asheville on Bikes and Connect Buncombe support this project: 

• Asheville continues to lead in North Carolina in pedestrian and bicyclist collisions
• Active transportation is a component of housing affordability. Overwhelmingly lower income households rely on bicycle communing. 8.3% of City residents do not own a car; the City has the obligation to provide safe and accessible infrastructure for these residents as well as motorists.    
• Our community continues to support investment in active transportation facilities as evidenced by the Merrimon Rd reconfiguration (currently under construction) and the recent robust support for active transportation facilities included in the upcoming Haywood Rd resurfacing project. Each individual project serves to advance the whole. Each project is a necessary piece of our future active transportation network.  
• Active transportation investment is a critical component of urban density and downtown functionality. As the City continues to court developments like Aston St Project, 319 Biltmore Ave Project, 360 Hilliard Ave Apartment, the Maple Crest Apartments it must simultaneously invest in mobility options beyond automobiles so that people can connect to their home, their work, and places of recreation and enjoyment by a variety of modes.
• This project is more than just adding bike lanes as it serves to maximize the utility of the public right of way; it adds an additional 175’ of loading zones, improves pedestrian crosswalks, and provides a greater buffer between people and moving vehicles.

The City’s transportation staff also supports advancing a complete street treatment through the College and Patton corridor.

The College / Patton project page addresses a variety of potential concerns: 

• The Asheville Police Department and Asheville Fire Department have been consulted on the project design, including lane widths and configurations, to ensure that emergency vehicle access is not negatively impacted. 
• Current traffic volumes on College and Patton are between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per day. 
• These daily volumes are well within thresholds for single-lane streets.
• Business owners have also raised concerns about the bicycle facilities potentially impacting their business operations and revenue potential. Numerous studies have shown that adding bicycle facilities has no negative, and in many cases, a positive impact, on businesses. A sample of these are linked below.

Studies that show the economic impact of projects similar to College/Patton:

• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2021.1912849
• https://www.peopleforbikes.org/statistics/economic
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/for-store-owners-bike-lanes-boost-the-bottom-line 
• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200422151318.htm
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/biking-lanes-business-health-1.5165954
• https://www.ibigroup.com/ibi-insights/bike-lanes-good-small-business/

On Dec. 5, Patti Glazer of Glazer Architecture, PA submitted an email to the Downtown Commission requesting that the commission oppose the College / Patton Complete Street project. The letter states: 

“Public outreach has been very obscure with no public forums. Until recently, the City’s Project Page on the City of Asheville website did not even present the Plan. The only information available on-line was the study/video analyzing whether the bike lane conversion should be the right lane or the left lane. There was no discussion or information as to whether College/Patton St. is an appropriate place to implement bike lanes at all.”

Respectfully, Glazer’s critique of the process does not match the facts and timeline of public input presented by staff and posted on the project page. Public outreach began in Feb. of 2020 and will continue through Jan. 2023. The project has been presented to the Downtown Commission several times before today’s meeting. Additionally, Glazer’s email included an attachment of 36 businesses operating on the corridor. Twenty-four of the businesses claimed they were “Not Notified,” of the project but a scan of the public process shows that 41% had either received an email from the City or responded directly to the City’s Stakeholder engagement tracking.

41% of the businesses that claimed they were not notified…were notified. The City has those tracked notifications and interactions.

Our City faces many challenges and opportunities and reasonable people can disagree on what’s best for our community, however, it’s integral to decision making that the best information is shared with decision makers. I trust this commission to deliberate with the facts when it considers the future potential of safe prosperous streets that serve the needs of our community. Thank you for your service to our City. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Mike Sule 

Asheville on Bikes

The post Urgent! Email or call the Downtown Commission in Support to the College / Patton Ave Complete Street Project appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

As a part of its grand opening celebrations, Trek Bicycle Asheville is giving away a total of $10,000 to three local cycling organizations—including ours!

Trek is asking customers to help decide how to distribute this donation by “voting” in store April 9 – 28.

How to Enter

Just stop by Trek Bicycle Asheville, put a coin(s) in the box of your favorite organization (wink wink), and the group with the most money at the end of the promotion will get $5,000, 2nd place will take home $3,000, and 3rd place will receive $2,000.

However you vote, this is a great chance to support the local cycling and outdoor community and help make Asheville an even better place to ride. Thanks in advance for your support!

Good luck and please reach out us any questions.

The post Trek Bicycle Asheville’s “Change for Change” Starts This Week appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

The City of Asheville is planning a public meeting and comment period to gather public feedback about a proposed 4-3 conversion (road diet) for Merrimon Avenue. This conversion would take place as part of an upcoming NCDOT repaving project, a project which had been delayed, until now, by the pandemic and by discussions between NCDOT and the City about the future of Merrimon Avenue. Repaving projects include re-striping between the curbs, and that re-striping can be designed to create a different traffic configuration, as is proposed for Merrimon.

This repaving and subsequent 4-3 conversion is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to make Merrimon Avenue better fit the needs of the community. Asheville on Bikes is excited about this project and we will be publishing more as the project moves forward. You should follow this project and discuss it with your neighbors. 

It takes courage to stand up and ask for a change, to prod a world full of uncertain outcomes. At the start of our campaign in favor of a road diet on Merrimon, we’d like to honor all the victims of collisions over the years and the many people who have spoken up in the past to ask for changes on Merrimon. We appreciate your courage and are humbled by your sacrifices.

If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of a collision on Merrimon, we’d love to talk to you more about it. Send us an email with our contact form and we will follow up. 

Here are four pieces of Merrimon information you can read or listen to today:

1. Yvonne Lewis, “Patsy,” is not forgotten. Nor are her neighbors, who protested the conditions that lead to her death in 2015 while attempting to cross Merrimon at Coleman. 
2. Injuries are continuing to occur on Merrimon. Listen to Gaia’s heartfelt account of the costs from just one of the recent collisions. This is a public comment recorded by the Multimodal Transportation Commission on March 24, 2021 and obtained by AoB after a public records request. 
3. Please re-read the past public comments about this street. Your comments helped defeat the 2018 Merrimon Road widening, and they deserve close examination. Read the many different voices that are crying out for change on Merrimon. 
4. Asheville, the tenth largest city in NC, continues to rank #1 in pedestrian and bicyclist death and injury. As the Citizen Times reported earlier in March, between 2010-18, Asheville ranked first in the state per capita in both total pedestrian crashes per year and in pedestrian crashes that result in injury or death. 

It is not necessary to be injured regularly in order to use a transportation network, to move about in a City. It is not necessary for a person to die trying to cross the street. We support a 4-3 conversion for Merrimon Avenue north of downtown for many reasons. And one of the best reasons is that it will make the road safer for all users. 

Here are related posts you may enjoy:

AoB: Merrimon Avenue: Road Diet proposed!
AoB: Resource page tracking this project on our site.
City of Asheville: Project page for this project
City of Asheville: Story map with data overlays for collisions, bike, ped, traffic volumes and more
Iowa DOT: Cute road diet explainer video, 6 minutes
FHWA: Road diet case studies
FHWA: Road diet myths

The post Merrimon Avenue: Road Diet Proposed! appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

It’s time to provide feedback on the City of Asheville’s implementation of shared streets and temporary parklets. The City is calling this new survey, “AVL Shares Space 2021 Survey.” It’s your chance to weigh in on the land use portion of the City’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Keep reading to see our list of suggested responses to their survey; you can take the survey by clicking this link. The survey is open through Sept. 20, 2021.

As background, AoB published a series of articles and letters to push the City to roll out a network of slow speed streets, commerce/pedestrian zones, and parklets. This call included a petition that circulated broadly, signed by 8 Organizations, 34 Businesses, and 220 Individuals. Of the three ideas, the City mostly delivered temporary parklets. Here are our background materials for your review:

• Interview: Explaining Commerce Zones and Low Speed Streets
• Low Speed Street Network and Circulator Map
• Petition: “Pledge of Support for Changes to our Streets”

AoB encourages you to respond to the survey and incorporate our suggestions into your response in order to further advance the prioritization of moving people safely throughout our city. AoB provides survey guidance for a limited number of questions as not all questions deal with issues of active transportation and user safety. 

Asheville on Bikes’ Recommended Responses

Below are screenshots of the questions and AoB’s recommended responses. Please complete the survey and share our guidance throughout your circles to intensify support for continued investment in active transportation facilities. 

Initiatives 1 & 2 ask for your input regarding “Shared Streets and/or Temporary Parklets”

The 3rd question of Initiatives 1 & 2  asks: “Have Shared Streets and/or Parklets impacted your experience of feeling safer and in alignment with public health guidelines during COVID-19?”

Answer: “Helped me feel much safer” The goal is to highlight that people oriented streets promote safety. 

The 4th question of Initiatives 1 & 2 asks: Have Shared Streets and/or Parklets influenced your decision(s) to access local goods and services during COVID-19?

Answer: “It very much encouraged me to access local goods/services,” because the goal is to highlight the connection between shared streets and business. 

The 5th and 6th question of Initiatives 1 & 2  asks “What do you like most about the temporary Shared Streets and/or Parklets?” and “What do you like least, what would you change.” 

Answer: The city has prioritized the safe and predictable movement of pedestrians above all other modes through a tactical urbanism approach. I encourage the city to continue this program and expand on it by working with a variety of partners (like Asheville on Bikes) to design, build, and implement more space for the safe and predictable movement of people.  

Answer: So far, “AVL Shares Space” is limited to just the central business district and focused on supporting businesses. I encourage the city to intensify its shared streets approach and build a series of  shared street networks to connect  neighborhoods into downtown and to each other to encourage biking and walking throughout Asheville. Emphasize ADA and inclusive design. Embrace the need of people who are differently abled. Consider Asheville on Bike’s circulator concept and build a variety of quick build complete streets into Asheville so that people aren’t overly reliant on cars to get into town. 

Question 7 of Initiatives 1 & 2 asks: “Are you supportive of continuing the Shared Streets and/or Parklet program longer term?

Answer: ‘very supportive,’ because shared streets are something that should transcend the pandemic. Let city leaders know that pedestrian facilities and safety are a long term asset to our community. 

Question 8 of Initiatives 1 & 2 asks: “If you are supportive of continuing the Shared Streets and/or Parklet program longer term, how much of a factor is the COVID-19 pandemic?” 

Answer: “Not at all a factor,” because it’s critical to document that shared streets are valued beyond the pandemic. We want our streets to work for people for the long run and not just the short term pandemic restrictions. 

Question 9 of Initiatives 1 & 2 asks: “Would you like to see Shared Streets and/or Parklets other locations in Asheville? If so, where?” 

Answer: “Yes, I’d like to see shared streets expanded throughout the City to areas like West Asheville’s Haywood Rd, the River Arts District, and Biltmore Village. I’d like to see the City embrace Asheville on Bike’s Circulator concept which would allow for more walking and biking into the city as that concept creates pathways for active transportation. The current plan is inadequate because it does not include any slow streets or traffic calming to create safer transportation connections for me to go to and from my neighborhood to reach the places I need to go. Integrate AoB’s circulator concept to build a network of shared streets into town from surrounding communities.

Initiative 4 focuses on the use of sidewalks 

The 3rd question of Initiative 4 asks: “What do you like least, or what would you change about outdoor dining (or merchandise) on sidewalks?

Answer: When business extends onto the sidewalk, it often obstructs or limits pedestrian movements therefore as this initiative continues, greater emphasis should be placed on the pedestrian experience. Prioritize universal design principles so that shared streets work for those who are most vulnerable and differently abled. 

The post Call To Action: Respond to City of Asheville’s “AVL Shares Space 2021 Survey” appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

There will be two meetings discussing the plans and introducing how to provide feedback with our new online survey.  The two meetings will be the same, there is no need to attend both. The virtual meeting times are:

• Wednesday, August 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (This meeting will be recorded and posted with the survey on the Close the GAP project page for anyone who wants to listen at their convenience) Meeting link

• Friday, August 27, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Meeting link 

Additionally, the Transportation Department would like to meet with neighborhood groups to discuss what the GAP Plans can do for you and hear your comments. Please contact Lucy Crown at lcrown@ashevillenc.gov to find out more information about the plans and to organize a time to meet with your neighborhood. 

“People ask me why it is so important to provide feedback for a plan that doesn’t directly lead to construction,” said Lucy Crown, the Greenway Planner for the City of Asheville, “Master Plans are guiding documents that help staff in the Transportation Department organize, prioritize and queue projects up for construction. If you would like better pedestrian facilities in your neighborhood, it is important to get it on the master plan now. If a project is not in the master plan, it is unlikely to be constructed. It is really important for staff to know what desires and concerns neighborhoods have regarding their transportation needs. YOU know more about your neighborhood streets and walking than anyone else, that is why it is so important we hear from you!”  

Find a copy of this press release on Asheville City Source.

Close the GAP Survey Now Open

The planning process, known as the Close the GAP, will identify a network of the pedestrian, greenway, and accessibility networks for our community as well as programs and policies to support it. The City of Asheville combined these plans because the pedestrian network will be a stronger one if the three aspects: Greenways, ADA transitions, and Pedestrian networks are planned at the same time.

Asheville residents are encouraged to take the Close the GAP survey to provide ideas and input for the street and greenway plan updates. The survey is now available to take online here.

The post Residents invited to virtual meetings on Asheville greenway and pedestrian master plans this week; survey to open too appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.