A big weekend of celebrating sustainable and equitable transportation in Charlotte!

What an amazing weekend for Sustain Charlotte, jammed-packed with events that promoted sustainable and equitable transportation!

First on the weekend agenda was Sustain Charlotte’s Art for All | Bikes for All on Saturday, May 6.  This was a wonderfully collaborative effort that brought together almost 60 people for an immersive guided cycling tour of West Charlotte’s Inside|Out art installations.

Despite some light drizzle in the morning, the clouds cleared for a wonderful day that showcased the newest Inside|Out art installations along the Stewart and Irwin Creek Greenways.

This was a wonderful collaborative effort between Sustain Charlotte, Inside|Out Charlotte, The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art,  Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and City of Charlotte Bicycle Advisory Committee.

We also had representatives from the Knight Foundation, Miss Black America, and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation with local start-up Wander Brew selling handmade cold brew and Charlotte B-Cycle providing 20 free bikes to anyone who needed them!

Then, on Sunday, we greeted thousands of people for Open Streets 704! The day began with Kate Cavazza, Sustain Charlotte’s Bike Program Manager, helping prepare the protected bike lane demo on The Plaza. She worked with CDOT staff and Kimley-Horn volunteers to spray-paint a protected intersection on Central Ave.

We also partnered with CDOT to distribute intercept surveys to riders as they came down the protected bike lane demo!  This valuable information will help CDOT decide if this project will move from demo to pilot to permanent!

Let City Council know that you want them to make this lane permanent, and that you want a safe, connected bike network across the city! Here’s their contact info: http://charlottenc.gov/CityCouncil/bios/Pages/ContactUs.aspx

Didn’t get a chance to see or ride The Plaza protected bike lane demo during Open Streets 704?  There will be a short, family-friendly ride scheduled for THIS Saturday (5/13) to show support for the project!  Organized by the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association, riders are encouraged to gather at Legion Brewing at 2:30pm.  Still skeptical of protected bike lanes? We encourage you to come ride this temporary installation with riders of all ages and abilities to see how their level of comfort and confidence increases in a protected bike lane!

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