AoB has advocated for these types of changes for years and we have provided direct feedback for each of these plans, which you may remember from our past calls to action. Each of these corridor studies is built on sound engineering, rounds of public feedback, hard lessons from our current roads, and advocacy for designs more in line with Vision Zero, Complete Streets, National Association of Transportation Officials  (NACTO) guidelines. 

As part of our advocacy, we wrote to City Council in support of these corridor studies. You can read our letter here.

Now is the time for the City Council to vote and adopt the corridor studies, which call for bike lanes, increased pedestrian features, safer intersections, and other changes that revolve around making these roads better for all users. 

In November, instead of bringing up these proposals for a vote, the City council delayed until the December meeting. With Asheville still ranked as one of the most dangerous cities to bike or walk in NC, we cannot afford to delay approving the plans contained in these corridor studies. You may remember the long running effort to “study” Charlotte Street, when, even twenty years ago, evidence was clear that a different traffic pattern on Charlotte Street would be safer for everyone. We don’t want that to happen here, where further delays are akin to voting in favor of injury, death, and roads clogged with cars.

Email Asheville City Council and let them know that you support the adoption of the Hendersonville Road, Tunnel Road, and Biltmore Avenue/McDowell Street corridor studies.  Each study is a critical step in advancing Asheville’s active transportation network.

Taken together, these three plans point to a rejuvenated Tunnel Road that is bikeable and walkable; separated bike lanes for Biltmore/McDowell suitable for ebikes and scooters; and a multi-use path for Hendersonville Road. The proposals:

• Include National Association of Transportation Official (NACTO) treatments and design standards which the City’s Multi-Modal Transportation Commission endorsed in 2017.
• Embrace the change in land use from strictly commercial to dense mixed use redevelopment in response to our affordable housing crisis. 
• Serve to strengthen the integrity of Asheville transit system as pedestrian and bicycle facilities connect to transit hubs which increases mobility while it decreases cost of living.
• Include meaningful north – south connections for people traveling without a car

We need you to contact the city council and share that you support Asheville on Bikes’ position, as listed below, to adopt the corridor studies.

AoB’s Suggested Letter. You can copy and paste: 

Dear City Council,

Continued and robust investment in active transportation facilities is an important issue to me. It’s alarming that our city continues to rank as North Carolina’s worst city for pedestrian and bicyclist crashes. While many interventions are required to improve conditions in our rights of way, your vote to approve the  Hendersonville Road, Tunnel Road and the Biltmore Avenue/McDowell Street studies is the next action to take. Please do not delay this vote any further and vote to adopt these studies. 

I support Asheville on Bikes’ position on this matter.

Respectfully, 

(Your Name) 

Or draft your own letter of  support. Either way, AoB asks that you cc us on your letter to council using  ashevilleonbikes@gmail.com so that we can track support. 

City Council Members Email:

Mayor Esther Manheimer – esthermanheimer@avlcouncil.com

Vice Mayor Sheneika Smith – sheneikasmith@avlcouncil.com

Sandra Kilgore – sandrakilgore@avlcouncil.com

Antanette Mosley – antanettemosley@avlcouncil.com

Kim Roney – kimroney@avlcouncil.com

Sage Turner – sageturner@avlcouncil.com

Gwen Wisler – gwenwisler@avlcouncil.com

To share a message with all City Council members using one email that goes to each, send your email to: AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov.

Thank you! Please cc: ashevilleonbikes@gmail.com on your emails to council.

Read AoB’s letter to City Council, Nov 17, 2021, urging Council to adopt the findings from these corridor studies.

The post Call To Action: Ask Council to Vote Yes on Corridor Studies appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

The time is now to reach out to Asheville city council to share your support for active transportation improvements on the Charlotte St corridor north of Chestnut St.

This affects all cyclists and your attention is warranted. Charlotte St has the potential to connect a large residential area to downtown; it represents a key link in our future multi-modal grid. It will also be used as a safer route for recreational cyclists who come and go from Elk and Town mountain.

There is growing resistance for the Charlotte St road diet and that resistance needs to be countered by you. Council members have received several letters opposing safety improvements to Charlotte St. Now is the time to demonstrate your support for Charlotte St road diet.  

On Tuesday, Nov. 13 city council votes to fund the Charlotte St road diet design. If you support the establishment of an active transportation network it’s critical that you share your support. Support for Charlotte St sends a clear message that the Asheville community supports investments in active transportation options.

Asheville on Bikes asks that you do several of the following to support the expansion of Asheville’s active transportation network into Charlotte St.

• Email city council at AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov and share your support for Charlotte St road diet. Incorporate a few of the bullet points below. A personal letter of support is more compelling than a form letter. Include a personal experience and / or attach a pic of you, friends, and or family walking and / or cycling.
• CC AoB at ashevilleonbikes@gmail.com on your letter to city council.
• Share AoB’s Charlotte St position on your social media platforms and encourage people in your circles to support Charlotte St road diet. Encourage three more people to contact council in support.
• Reach out to your circles directly and encourage people to send emails of support to city council.

Items to include in your letter of support for Charlotte St road diet:

• I want to safely walk and bike from my house to Charlotte St businesses. Charlotte St Computers, Taco Temple,  City Bakery, Ultimate Ice Cream, Chop Shop, Ghan Shan Station, and Waterbird are just a few of local businesses on this corridor. Say the name of the businesses you love.
• Asheville, NC remains one of the most dangerous cities in North Carolina for all modes of transportation. It’s time to invest in multi-modal infrastructure.
• A road diet means more biking and walking, and more of that means lower rates of disease and chronic illness for me and my neighbors.
• By traffic volume, Charlotte St north of Chestnut is a perfect candidate based on the experience of other cities. Traffic volume is 12k-14k/day in the area of this project. Even Charlotte Street’s peak traffic volumes, 20k, which occur only for a few minutes on weekdays at the intersection with Chestnut, are well within the range recommended for road diets.
• A 4 to 3 road diet gives the corridor room sidewalk improvements and a bike lane.
• A 4 to 3 road diet reduces collisions for all users; one study of similar complete street designs found a 70% reduction in collisions across 36 projects that were tracked.
• No one is stuck behind left turning cars, because they use the center turn lane.
• A road diet improves school bus safety; buses stop in the travel lane and have fewer instances of cars whipping around
• Road diets improve retail sales in businesses along the corridor
• Road diets leave ample room for street trees, if we wanted Charlotte St to be a tree lined corridor again one day

This is an important project for the future of our City and your actions help determine our future. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Mike Sule

Supporting Materials that you may enjoy reading or watching:

1. What is a road diet? 5 min video on Vox
2. Charlotte Street project description on City website
3. Community support for Charlotte St road diet at April 24, 2018 city council meeting starting at 1:06:53
4. Federal Highway Administration’s Resources regarding Road Diets.
   1. Emergency Response
   2. Economic Impacts
5. AARP Road Diet Fact Sheet

The post Write Council RE: Charlotte St Road Diet appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Dear City Council,
Joel Burgess’s recent article in the Asheville Citizen Times, “Asheville, one of worst cities for crashes, looks for fixes,” coupled by the most recent hit-and-run incident which resulted in the death of Bradley Christopher Barnes, highlights our community’s ongoing struggle to provide safe transportation facilities.

Asheville on Bikes supports the establishment of “an equity based Vision Zero Task Force,” referenced in Burgess’s article, and encourages city council to approve the Street Tweaks Team tactical urbanism project slated for Coxe Ave., which is on the agenda for the Oct. 9,
2018, meeting.

AoB stands firm in its commitment to establishing a safe and robust active transportation network in the City of Asheville. Through the Street Tweaks partnership with AARP and Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, we’re demonstrating that our community is prepared and equipped to take innovative steps to improve access and mobility for all residents and visitors. As AoB continues to grow we are eager to partner with the City of Asheville, North Carolina Department of Transportation, and community stakeholders to improve our transportation network

Furthermore, AoB encourages city council to institute the following recommendations to advance the establishment of safe streets:

• Formally adopt National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) standards, which have already been endorsed by both the city’s Bicycle / Pedestrian Task Force and Multi-Modal Transportation Commission.
• Develop and adopt a tactical urbanism policy and permit process so that community members are empowered to build and test active transportation facilities.
• Make it City policy that all transportation-related requests for qualifications (RFQ) and requests for proposals (RFP) include a request for Complete Street and NACTO design experience.

Asheville on Bikes is a committed partner in improving our transportation systems. We look forward to working more closely with the city in addressing our transportation needs.

Respectfully,
Asheville on Bikes

Link to pdf version submitted to City Council members.

The post Letter to City Council RE: “Asheville, One of the Worst Cities for Crashes,” and Coxe Avenue Tactical Urbanism appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Dear Asheville City Council,

On behalf of the Asheville on Bikes Board of Directors, I’m writing to express our support for the original RADTIP design and urge council and staff to prioritize and accelerate the funding and completion of the Lyman St segment from the planned roundabout to the Amboy bridge which includes a two-way protected cycle track, sidewalks, and greenway.

AoB’s leadership appreciates council and staff’s willingness to explore alternative options following funding shortfalls. After review of the proposed alternatives, it’s evident that the best treatment for Lyman St continues to be the original design which includes a two-way protected cycle track, sidewalks, and greenway.

AoB’s position is that the Lyman St corridor, from the planned roundabout to Amboy bridge, is critical to Asheville’s future active transportation network because this segment provides essential connectivity and sets a precedent for future active transportation facilities along our river corridor. Lyman St is the hub that will one day connect Swannanoa, East Asheville, South Asheville, West Asheville, Kenilworth, Biltmore Village, Woodfin, Weaverville, and Marshall. Our community would greatly benefit from protected bicycle facilities and pedestrian infrastructure along Amboy Rd, Meadow Rd, and Riverside Dr as they would enable community members traveling by a variety of modes to connect to many different destinations safely. We urge city council and staff to prioritize funding and accelerate the completion of this critical segment of RADTIP so that future users can safely travel throughout our community.

AoB appreciates the robust community support for RADTIP completion and acknowledges that the need to phase construction is a disappointment to many in and beyond the AoB community. We acknowledge that a phased implementation approach for the project as a whole is necessary given budgetary constraints. However, we do not believe improvements to any particular section of the project should be phased. Building an active transportation network through the RAD has long term economic benefits, but it also imposes short term economic impacts on local businesses during construction. Completing Lyman St, including a two-way protected cycle track, sidewalks, and greenway, in a single phase minimizes impacts on RAD businesses and also reduces overall project costs by eliminating the need to update treatments in preparation for later phases. Further, AoB leadership remains cautious in embracing the phased approach because no one can predict future priorities and future city leadership support for completion of all RADTIP elements as currently planned.

As a step toward a more certain future, AoB requests that city council pass a resolution prioritizing funding and accelerating the completion of Lyman St from the planned roundabout to Amboy bridge with the inclusion of protected bicycle facilities, sidewalk, and greenway. The inclusion of these elements along Lyman St sets a precedent for future infrastructure projects, and a resolution prioritizing the completion of Lyman St sends a clear statement of support to future council for continued investment in active transportation on this critical corridor. Please find a draft of the resolution enclosed.

Respectfully,
Mike Sule

Executive Director, Asheville on Bikes

enc: Draft Resolution for Asheville City Council

Related Content: Click here for more posts about RADTIP.

The post AoB letter of support for original Lyman St segment design appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Asheville on Bikes, Western North Carolina Alliance, Asheville Design Center, and Blue Ridge Bicycle Club host a discussion of Asheville’s transportation issues.

Get There AVL returns to host a candidates’ forum focused on the issues of transportation. Join us Wednesday, Sept. 25th at Clingman Cafe from 6:30pm – 8:30pm.

The event provides mayoral and council candidates the opportunity to discuss their positions on transportation and how they intend to impact the city’s infrastructure.

“Asheville hosts several plans designed to enhance how citizens move about their city. The next generation of political leaders face the challenge of implementation and consolidation of city plans. The people of Asheville see the value of moving our city forward. They’re looking for candidates who can champion the implementation,” says Mike Sule, creator of  Get There AVL and Director of Asheville on Bikes.

Get There AVL provides each candidate a chance to address the challenges of Asheville’s transportation infrastructure. The format promises to be both dynamic and informative. “We’ve organized the event so that participants will have a chance to meet candidates before and after the formal question and answer period. It’s important that candidates have a chance to hear the varying perspectives around transportation,” says, Julie Mayfiled, Co-Director of Western North Carolina Alliance.

Get There AVL is co-hosted by Asheville on Bikes, Western North Carolina Alliance, Asheville Design Center, & The Blue Ridge Bicycle Club.

EVENT INFORMATION
Get There AVL
Wednesday, Sept. 25th, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Clingman Café, 242 Clingman Ave.
The event will be held in the parking lot of Clingman Café. Asheville on Bikes provides a bicycle corral. The restaurant will remain open throughout the event to serve beer, wine and snacks.

The post Get There AVL Candidates Forum appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.