In honor of Earth Day 2008, the newly-formed Savannah Bicycle Campaign (SBC) is sponsoring the Savannah Wheelie Earth Day Ride.  It will depart from Earth Day festivity-hub, Forsyth Park, at 3 p.m, on Saturday, April 19.

And…drumroll please…

Mayor Otis Johnson and County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis are leading the ride!  That alone will have me cheering front and center (especially should they sport padded bike shorts). What can I say, I’m a sucker for politicians in spandex.

The SBC was unveiled by representatives from the cycling community on Monday in Johnson Square.  The group will work through the political, public policy and citizen advocacy processes to develop more and better bicycle facilities in Savannah, such as improved bike lanes, racks, and signage, and to develop a public campaign to educate bicyclists and drivers about safe practices on and off the roadways (thanks to John Bennett with SustainableSavannah.com for sharing).

Looks like SBC may even advance my personal cycling complaints.  For one, why is there no southbound bike lane downtown?  I, do-di-do, bike safely and easily to work but risk my life heading back (southbound on Lincoln, a northbound one-way street and the only one with a bike lane).  I’m sure to get yelled at for admitting that.  My other complaint - why bike helmets are so fugly - is something I doubt they’ll address.  Oh well, one at a time.

While I’m sure our top elected officials enjoy a good ride, the Earth Day Wheelie jaunt reminds us that our Creative City is well on its way to being a bike-friendly place, a transformation that is beneficial to the health and vitality of our community.

As posted on the Creative Class blog by the “Creative King” himself, Richard Florida, this issue is a “simple public policy issue: to increase health, increase urban density and active transportation options.”  In one example, the recently-launched Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign has awarded platinum, gold, silver and bronze-level designations to various biker-friendly U.S. cities.  Among them are San Francisco, Boulder, the District of Columbia, Gainesville, FL (really?) and Ann Arbor, MI – all ranked among the top ten cities in the nation with the highest density of creative talent in their respective classifications (large, medium, mid-sized, small).

Ten-speed transportation is a no-brainer for Savannah.  It’s affordable, healthy and green.  And bicycling boasts economic benefits, as Bennett pointed out in a recent Savannah Morning News article.

“Look at Savannah’s biggest problems,” [Bennett] said, citing traffic congestion, parking and public health and safety.  Each of those situations could be improved if more people chose to ride bicycles to work…

Needless to say, the wheels are in motion… It all hearkens back to the ol’ quality of life argument: the Creative Class demanding healthier communities per (among other things) air quality, transportation and recreational opportunities.   We’ll see you, Otis and Pete on Saturday at the starting line.

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