Harrisonburg to be well represented at Nat’l Bike Summit

Harrisonburg, Virginia – The area will be well represented at the upcoming National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. on March 4-6, 2013.  Six locals, including staff from the City of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, James Madison University and the Northend Greenway as well as a volunteer from the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC), will be attending the annual event.

More than 800 cycling advocates, government staff and cycling enthusiasts of all types are expected at the annual National Bike Summit.  The theme of this year’s summit is “Bicycling Means Business”, and the summit will emphasize how bicycling puts money into the American economy, creates jobs and augments community development.

Thanh Dang, a planner for the City of Harrisonburg, and Rhonda Cooper, a planner for Rockingham County, will be at the Bike Summit, thanks in part to sponsorship from the non-profit, all-volunteer Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC).

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn new ideas from people who have implemented best practices to promote bicycling in their communities and to bring those new ideas back to Harrisonburg,” said Dang.

Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) President Kyle Lawrence will also be attending the Bike Summit and will serve as a presenter in a panel session titled “Navigating MAP-21 – Keeping the Money Flowing at the State and Local Level”.  The MAP-21 threatens traditional funding sources for bicycling projects; however, Lawrence will help explain how state and local advocacy has preserved – and even increased – funding for important bicycling projects.

“After attending the summit the past two years, I have found it an invaluable opportunity to meet the movers and shakers in bicycle advocacy and an unparalleled opportunity to highlight all of the great work of the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition in our local community,” said Lawrence. “As a presenter at this year’s summit, I will have even more opportunities to brag about our little corner of the world and all the great things that are happening.”

Harrisonburg Northend Greenway will be represented at the Bike Summit by Suzi Carter.

The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition has contributed $1165 to help sponsor the Bike Summit attendance of Dang, Cooper, Lawrence and Carter.

James Madison University (JMU) will be sending two representatives from its Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: Rich Harris, Director of Community Service Learning and Mike Dalmolin, Sustainability Coordinator of Facilities Management.  The school has a goal of becoming a League-certified Bicycle Friendly University and is embarking on its first ever bicycle and pedestrian master plan.

“JMU is committed to being a bicycle and pedestrian friendly campus and is actively engaged in this process both on campus and in partnership with the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County efforts,” said Harris. “JMU has an active Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and is currently seeking proposals for a JMU bicycle and pedestrian master plan. It is also actively participating in the development of the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Metropolitan Organization’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan scheduled to be completed this year.”

“JMU recognizes that a community that includes safe and inviting bicycle and pedestrian facilities improves the quality for life for all who live here,” said Harris.

Harrisonburg is already well known and recognized as a mountain bike-friendly locale after the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) designated bronze level Ride Center status in 2011.  Harrisonburg is the first mid-Atlantic city to receive such a designation.

The League of American Bicyclists awarded Harrisonburg bronze medal status as a bicycle-friendly city in 2011.

More recently, in the fall of 2012, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) was named a Bicycle Friendly University at the bronze medal level by the League of American Bicyclists.

Finally, efforts are ongoing to build local, bicycling-friendly greenways linking the northern and southern portions of Harrisonburg to downtown via the Northend Greenway and the Bluestone Trail projects.

CONTACT INFO FOR MEDIA USE ONLY:

Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition
Kyle Lawrence
lawrence.kyle.d@gmail.com
PH: (571) 277-8121