Bike Program Issues Update
June 2007

Bike network
Fieldwork has been completed for Blount County, and UT Cartography will be producing the Blount County bike map this summer. Fieldwork for Anderson, Loudon and Sevier counties will be done later this summer.

We will schedule a meeting with City Engineering and City Public Service to talk about key improvement projects for the upcoming fiscal year. The next step is to look at Knox and Blount counties, Maryville and Alcoa to develop a list of improvement projects. These include repairing drainage grates and fixing pavement problems.

Road plans are reviewed to ensure that new or widened roads will include bicycle accommodation.

Counts
We completed bicycle/pedestrian counts in Knoxville at 10 locations and in Blount County at 3 locations in April 2007. These are conducted twice a year by volunteers and TPO staff.

Signage
We are working with the City of Knoxville to order and install greenway directional/wayfinding signs as well as warning/traffic signs. The first phase of the project is Third Creek Greenway.

Education/Safety
We have 7 certified League of American Bicyclists instructors to teach bicycling classes. A variety of classes are available for all ages and skills levels. We held Street Skills for Bicyclists class in April, and should be scheduling another one for later this summer.

Events
Smart Trips Month and Bike to Work Week were a huge success, with many people starting to commute by bike, or biking to work more often. The Bike Commuter Fair on Market Square during lunch offered many people the chance to look at bikes and commuter gear, or pick up the new bicycle map. For Bike to

Work Day, we had 120 people commute by bicycle! Also, 140 people biked to work at least two days during the week in order to be eligible for prize drawings.

Knoxville By Cycle, the new summer bike ride series, promises to be a hit. About 55 people turned out on June 23 for the Ice Cream Social, and we look forward to a good crowd for the Scavenger Hunt on July 21.

Enforcement
Roll call training on enforcement issues related to bicycling was provided to all Knoxville Police Department officers in March. Each officer received the handbook developed by the TPO. Training for other enforcement agencies will be targeted next.

Bike parking
More than 350 bike racks have been installed through the bike parking program, and these locations are now being put into GIS. Throughout the summer, counts of bikes locked to the racks will take place at various times to assess usage levels.

TDOT Coordination
TDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator left his position several months ago, and TDOT will be hiring a new coordinator soon. We look forward to working with the new coordinator on several ongoing policy issues.