BASC
BASC is not a “Department” of The City of Huntsville. It is a “Volunteer Advisory Committee” created jointly by concerned citizens and city officials in Huntsville.
Each community member represents a section of our very diverse cycling community ranging from bicycle commuters, cycling clubs, and advocate organizations.
All city participants are from official city departments. Representatives from…The Mayor’s office, City Planning, Traffic & Engineering, Police Department, Public Safety, and City Council.
Together we are dedicated to improving education, awareness, and current city infrastrucure. As well, we work collectively to shift ideologies that relate directly to both motorists and bicycles in our city streets. We strive to make Huntsville a “Bicycle Friendly Community”.
THE CITIZEN MEMBERS OF BASC:
PETER HANNAH (CO-CHAIR, COMMUTER)
JAMIE MIERNICK (SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL)
DAVID STONE (LEAGUE OF AMERICAN CYCLISTS)
MARJORIE HOLDERER (ALABIKE)
TIM BARNACK (S.O.R.B.A)
SHARON BAYLOR (SCCC)
CLINT PATTERSON (COMMUTER)
JOHN SCOTT (SOUTH HUNTSVILLE CIVIC ASSOCIATION)
CITY DEPARTMENT MEMBERS OF BASC
JAMES MOORE (CO-CHAIR) (PLANNING DEPARTMENT)
JO SOMERS/RICHARD KRAMER (TRAFFIC & ENGINEERING)
BILL KLING (COUNCIL REPRESENATIVE DISTRICT 4)
REX REYNOLD (DEPUTY MAYOR)
CAPTAIN RODNEY BAKER (DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY)
SCOTT ERWIN (SAFETY CITY)
Listed below is our joint “Purpose & Goals Statement”.
Purpose:
The Bicycle Advisory and Safety Committee’s (BASC) purpose is to provide knowledge about cycling to advance education, enable planning, encourage cycling, and develop safe transportation facilities in the Huntsville area.
Goals and Objectives:
The goal of BASC is to offer comprehensive guidelines to create a “more bicycle-friendly” environment in and around Huntsville by implementing and monitoring the objectives developed collectively by the committee.
1) Elevate motorist awareness and responsibility.
a. Develop knowledge for law enforcement and motorists about cyclists’ rights to the road.
b. Utilize traffic engineering to educate motorists with signs and road markings to increase multimodal awareness.
c. Assist planning to develop better infrastructure that minimizes conflict between vehicular and bicycle traffic.
d. Publicize motorists’ obligation to share the road.
2) Elevate bicyclists’ awareness and safety.
a. Provide information for law enforcement and cyclists’ regarding rules of the road.
b. Provide directional signage and road markings for safe access on roadways.
c. Facilitate bicycle education programs.
d. Publicize bicyclists’ rights and responsibilities.
3) Improve facilities for bicycles
a. A safe, continuous, all-inclusive bikeway network.
b. Develop traffic engineering and planning strategy to design safe roads.
c. Update and sustain a comprehensive Bikeway Plan.
d. Provide adequate facilities for bicycle commuting to include: bike racks/parking, bike-friendly traffic signals, and shuttle access.
4) Promote bicycling in Huntsville.
a. Develop media campaigns to promote bicycling as a viable means of transportation.
b. Advise and monitor planning policy to create a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC).
c. Encourage business’ support of bicycle commuting.
d. Aid city implementation of Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) and safe routes for commuters.
e. Create a City of Huntsville website link to BASC which provides information and collects public comments for review.
3 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
I have a conflict and can’t make the meeting. However, here are some of my thoughts on what could improve cycling. With the most recent fatality last Saturday morning, there have been 3 fatalities due to motor vehicle/bicycle collisions in 13 months. I’m glad we are taking action.
1) Traffic signals.– We insist that bicyclists follow the rules of the road, but most of the traffic signals can’t be trip-ed by a bicycle and this problem has existed for a couple of decades. Most cannot be tripped by a bicycle, but some can indicating that all could be made bicycle-accessible if we tried. The traffic signal at Holmes and Jordan is on a bike path but can’t be tripped by a bicycle. The signal seems to stay green for Jordan Lane except when tripped by traffic on Holmes. I’ve not been able to trigger the signal with a bicycle. Most of the time there is plenty of traffic on Holmes to trip the signal, but not always. Since this is a bikeway, the signal should be sensitive enough for a bicycle to trip it.
Some intersection signals work well. The signal at Bob Wallace and Gallatin, for example, trips reliably with a bicycle. The signal at Chateau Drive and Airport Road was worked on a couple of years ago and worked for awhile, but northbound does not work now. Some work–some don’t. The fact that some work reliably indicates that all could be made to work for a bicycle.
2) Bikeway Signage – I have been asked by two different non-cycling friends what the small signs with a bicycle and an number on them meant. These bikeway signs should be replaced with a larger and brighter sign to alert motorists to expect bicycles on the bike routes. At this time, the signs mean nothing to anyone. The only indication between downtown and UAH that Holmes is a bikeway is one very small sign with a picture of a bicycle and the number 60 on it. I’m sure this is never noticed by motorists. Larger signs with an indication that Holmes is a bike route should make motorists more aware of bicycle traffic.
3) Speed Limit – The bikeway plan lists the speed limit on Holmes as 35 mph but it is actually 40 mph, at least for the route from downtown to UAH. Many of the bikeways have a 40 mph speed limit (examples are Four Mile Post Road and Bailey Cove). A 35 mph limit would make the bikeways safer for cyclists.
Good luck generating action with the meeting.
Regards, Tom Bryant
I looked up this website specifically so I could make a comment regarding the cyclists who think riding their bikes on Dug Hill Road is ok. I nearly had a head on collision on that road a couple of weeks ago due to several bicyclists holding up traffic and causing people to pass in areas it is not safe.
Are these people crazy or do they just have a death wish? Do they not realize that is one of the most dangerous roads in the city of Huntsville? On nearly the entire length of Dug Hill road it is impossible to pass without taking a chance on causing a collision with oncoming traffic because there are so many blind curves. Do they not realize that?
I have always been very respectful of bicyclists in the past, but my near collision on that deadly road caused me to just about lose it. But what about the cyclists respect and common sense towards the drivers? I almost stopped to tell the cyclists to get off the road and to get their names because if I ever hear of anyone else having an accident on that road due to this reason I would know who was likely responsible.
Why Dug Hill of all places?? These people seriously need to think about what they are doing before they either kill themselves or cause someone else to be killed.
There are plenty of other safer places in this city to ride. How can people be so ignorant when it comes to their own safety as well as other drivers on the road?
Don’t think I am just simply blowing off steam here. I am very concerned that someone will be killed on that road if the cyclists continue to ignore the dangers of it. It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when..
re Mark:
The cyclists are not at fault, and if you had stopped to harass the cyclists, you might get visited by the police for that. Why did you not consider stopping the motorist who almost collided with you? Passing in such a situation is illegal. Why did you not mention the ignorance or disregard for safety of that motorist? The cyclists did not almost hit you.
There is no speed minimum or requirement to pass on Dug Hill road. The speed limit is 35 for much of it, and motorists regularly go faster than that. I am hesitant to signal anyone to pass with that sort of traffic speed, as I never do so unless I know it’s going to be clear for them to pass. If I knew everyone was driving 35 or less, I could signal motorists to pass more often. I ride in the middle of the lane or even towards the left when I know it’s not safe to pass. If a motorist chooses to try to pass in the other lane in that situation when I even signaled them to stay back, that is a bad and dangerous choice.
There are times when I have ridden by bike on Dug Hill road because that is the only route I can take. All cyclists have the same right to Dug Hill road as you. For instance, I rode it many times last summer to pick blueberries at the farm on that road, and I plan to do so again this year. Other times, it is the most convenient route to my gramma’s.