Need to Know: Latta Plantation, Traffic Violations and Cycling Groups (Queen City Nerve)

Back in March, Queen City Nerve made a call to readers through social media and their email newsletter, among other channels, asking what questions about the Queen City they were itching to find the answers to. They heard back from dozens of readers wondering about questions ranging from complex bureaucratic policy issues to the existential.

They’ve been finding answers to all of them over the last month, and today they released their first segment of Need to Know, with more answers on the way.

From Michael C. Question: We just moved here from Pittsburgh in November and are loving our new life in Charlotte. In Pittsburgh, there is a nonprofit organization called Bike Pittsburgh that advocates for cycling in Pittsburgh and puts on events including a once a year event called Pedal Pittsburgh, which is a large organized ride. Is there an organization like that in Charlotte?

Answer: Absolutely! A great place to start would be with episode 83 of our Nooze Hounds podcast, in which Ryan Pitkin speaks to two leaders of our cycling community — Shannon Binns with Sustain Charlotte and Dianna Ward of Charlotte Joy Rides — about bicycling infrastructure in Charlotte, from grading the city on where it stands now to discussing what it can do better in terms of safety and connectivity.

While Sustain Charlotte as an organization focuses on a number of different sustainability challenges faced by the city, they do a lot of advocacy work around cycling and cycling infrastructure. Each year, Sustain Charlotte hosts Biketoberfest, which encourages participants to bike, walk and use public transportation throughout the city to visit curated destinations while collecting stamps in an event passport. The day wraps up with an afterparty that includes prizes, live music, giveaways, and beverages. This year’s event, the organization’s 10th annual Biketoberfest celebration, is scheduled for Oct. 27.