Nearly 600 people explored South End and Uptown during Biketoberfest presented by the Charlotte Knights!

Thank you to everyone who made Sustain Charlotte’s 4th annual Biketoberfest presented by The Charlotte Knights a success!

We had:

  • 572 participants
  • 100+ volunteers
  • 30 sponsor stops
  • 2 routes for all levels of riders
  • 1 protected bike lane demonstration project
  • Perfect weather

Biketoberfest presented by The Charlotte Knights is an urban adventure that benefits Sustain Charlotte. We show participants how easy it is to get around the city by bike by providing route options that highlight local businesses along the way.

Families and beginner cyclists cruised Historic South End businesses along the Rail Trail on the South End Easy Ride, while more seasoned cyclists took on the full 10-mile loop around Uptown Charlotte.

Here’s what some of our participants had to say:

“It was fun! Made me feel like a kid again!”

“I liked getting to see a lot of places I’ve never seen in South End.”

“It really was a terrific way to see Charlotte and find places to visit that I would typically overlook.”

“[I enjoyed] biking with my kids, showing them new parts of the city, and feeling safe doing it.”

 

Protected Bike Lane Demonstration Project

For the second time, we partnered with the Charlotte Department of Transportation and 50 volunteers to create a protected bike lane demonstration project on 6th Street between N. Tryon and Pine Street.  City of Charlotte Landscaping donated 60 plants to beautify the bike lane. Torian Parker and Jennifer Dean volunteered their time and talent to add art to the lane, too! We love to incorporate art in unconventional spaces whenever we can.

One of the goals of Biketoberfest is introduce riders to all types of bicycle infrastructure, from mixed traffic to the protected Rail Trail and protected bike lanes.  Not surprisingly, the vast majority of participants who provided feedback after the event said they felt most comfortable biking on the SouthEnd Rail Trail and protected bike lane demonstration project, which confirms one of our primary advocacy goals: infrastructure that will let riders feel safe when they bike. We want to continue our tradition of quick builds and placemaking to encourage the City of Charlotte to plan for people instead of just cars when designing transportation infrastructure!

What can you do now?  

Stay engaged in the conversation about advancing biking in Charlotte and join us for our Shifting Gears public action workshop series. You can find upcoming event details here.

Let’s also keep the enthusiasm for protected bike lanes strong!  We are asking you to email Charlotte’s City Council and tell them how much you want to see protected, connected, and permanent bike lanes all across Charlotte!   Just click here to send an email.

Thank you for your support and we are looking forward to an even bigger and better Biketoberfest presented by The Charlotte Knights in 2019!

Check out even more photos from the event here. Photos by Grant Baldwin Photography.

Thanks for reading!

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