Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas (BACA)

Do you think it is possible to both commute to work and get a day's worth of exercise all in just 40 minutes and beat the high cost of gasoline? We believe it is, but there's only one way you can find out for certain.

And that's by attending BACA’s seventh annual Bike to Work Day event. Bike to Work Day showcases the utility of the bicycle and its usefulness to run errands, get to work and get physically fit. This event is probably the number one bicycling advocacy event of the year.

BACA is sponsoring two rides this year. One ride begins at 6:45 a.m. at the boat ramp parking area east of the Burns Park Golf Course in North Little Rock. The other ride starts at 6:45 a.m. at the boat ramp at Murray Park in Little Rock.

In addition you may view/print a Little Rock route map, North Little Rock route map, and a combined map with descriptions of the route.

Both groups will ride along their respective portions of the River Trail, merge at the entrance to the Medical Mile on Arch Street and proceed to the River Market where there will be a light breakfast sponsored by Boulevard Bread Co., a free t-shirt, and water bottle.

We urge people to pre-register. Registration forms will be at the May 1st BACA meeting and at local bike shops --Chainwheel, Arkansas Cycling & Fitness, the Community Bicyclist (in back of Tanglewood Shopping Center), Lewis & Clark Outfitters, and J&P Bike Shop. Alternatively, you may print out this PDF version now and drop it off at one of the local bike shops or fitness centers listed above.

Begin now to organize people at your workplace to form a contingent. Get your employer to help sponsor you. It is important that as many people as possible participate to demonstrate the feasibility of commuting by bicycle to work, and urge the development of bike friendly facilities and amenities.

In connection with promoting Bike to Work Day, we will be having a bicycle-commuter challenge on May 5th. Bicyclists will compete against the Mayors of Little Rock and North Little Rock. Stay tuned for more information as a bicyclist attempts to reach the River Market before the automobile commuter does.

Volunteers for this event are being recruited now. There’s lots of ways to participate. Be a bike buddy, work at registration before the ride or work at the finish handing out t-shirts and water bottles. Contact Judy Lansky at lanskygould@comcast.net or 225-5343 Ron Rizzardi at rrizzardi@comcast.net

We thank the sponsors of Bike to Work Day including: the Cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas Bicycle Club, Arkansas Cycling and Fitness, Boulevard Bread Co., CAE, Chainwheel, and Delta Trust & Bank & Trust.

May is National Bike Month and BACA has several activities planned. We are planning a Commuter Challenge on May 5th. Last year the Mayors of Little Rock and North Little Rock "raced" against a bicyclist from each place to see who could get to their respective downtown locations first. This year we hope to repeat the challenge. The event is part of efforts to promote the benefits of bicycle commuting and Bike to Work Day which will be May 16th. We need volunteers to help with all aspects of Bike to Work Day. If you are interested, please e-mail rrizzardi@comcast.net or lanskygould@comcast.net. On May 21st, we along with the Arkansas Bicycle Club will sponsor the Ride of Silence. The ride is in conjunction with the National Ride of Silence and honors bicyclists who have been injured or killed while riding. It is a moving event as bicyclists slowly ride two abreast in complete silence. Also, the Lance Armstrong Foundation will be sponsoring the Livestrong Ride on May 7th.

Stay tuned for more information on these events.

Over 60 people attended the April 3rd BACA meeting to learn about the 1992 lawsuit which ultimately stopped the building of an automobile road from I-430 to Jimmerson Creek. Part of the road which was planned still exists and now serves as a road for bicyclists, walkers, runners and in-line skaters.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Alice Andrews, Dave Gruenewald, and Barry Haas, along with their attorney Brian Rosenthal and fellow activists Nancy Clark and Ben Combs discussed the history of the dispute and their strategy to stop the building of the road. Counsel for the City of Little Rock Tom Carpenter and the Army Corps of Engineers Bill Adair, as well as Monica Denham, the law clerk for Judge Howard who decided the case, provided additional insight and information. The program was not only informative, but thoroughly enjoyable. Through the work of plaintiffs and their allies, the City stopped building the automobile road, the River Trail was ultimately extended, and the area was preserved for the building of the Big Dam Bridge.

At the conclusion of the presentation, BACA presented bicycle friendly certificates to bicycling's true advocates, the plaintiffs.

Also, BACA members approved the folowing slate of officers and at-large Board members: ron Rizzardi, President; Coreen Frasier, Vice-President; Steve Shepherd, Treasurer; Judy Lansky, Secretary; Judy McDowall, 2 year at-large; Charlie Hight, 2 year at-large. Minutes of the meeting are available on the meetings link.

Join BACA members, Tom Ezell and Willa Williams, both League of American Bicyclists' Certified Cycling Instructors, for a monthly casual ride through downtown Little Rock, Arkansas and learn some cycling tips from Tom and Willa. The Critical Manners ride is open to cyclists of all abilities and wishes to encourage responsible cycling in traffic. The ride will take place the first Wednesday of every month. For more information, go to check out Willa's blog. Willa will change the blog to give us constant updates on cycling issues such as roadway positioning, safety, bike fit, etc. Look for blog updates at least on the last Wednesday of every month. You can also contact Willa Williams LCI #1685 at mean.turtle@comcast.net or check her blog at meanturtlecycling.com

Next ride: When: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 4:30 PM Where: Arkansas Arts Center front parking lot Bicycle helmets required Lights are recommended(especially if you join us for dinner at an area restaurant)

Four representatives of BACA just returned from the National Bike Summit, held in Washington D.C. from March 4-7, 2008. For more information on the Summit, see the news link.

BACA has instituted a program to recognize individuals and organizations who contribute to making Central Arkansas a bicycle friendly environment. Certificates of appreciation will be presented at each meeting to those individuals or organizations who are recognized. At the October, 2007 meeting, BACA presented a certificate of appreciation to Betty Wineland, Director of Central Arkansas Transit, and Eric Meyerson, Planning Director for installing bike racks on all 58 of their buses. Kitty Lane, who is responsible for the carrot bike racks at the River Market, received the bicycle friendly award at the November, 2007 meeting.

If you would like to nominate someone to be recognized for his/her/its contribution to making Central Arkansas bicycle friendly, please let us know by mailing rrizzardi@comcast.net.

May has been a busy month for bicycle advocacy, in particular the week of May 14th. On Monday, May 14, Central Arkansas Transit Authority announced that it had bicycle racks on its buses. Our own Board Member and ABC president Jim Britt is now featured prominently in his yellow BACA shirt on CAT ads showing people how to use the bike racks.

On May 16th, about 150 bicyclists joined Team Rubicon and participated in a LiveStrong Day Ride along the North Little Rock Trail. LiveStrong is Lance Armstrong's organization devoted to fighting cancer. The bicyclists then biked over the Big Dam Bridge (BDB) to join the Ride of Silence. About 150 bicyclists rode single file along the Little Rock River Trail and over the BDB, slowly and silently. The group then continued two abreast on the North Little Rock Trail to the Burns Park Boat Ramp. Bicyclists had placards with the names of those bicyclists killed. The event was a moving memorial to honor those bicyclists who died while biking. In addition, we honored John Woodruff, a devoted bicyclist and runner and active supporter of BACA, who died recently of a rare form of cancer. John joined our First Fridays Bike to Work Day, even while undergoing harsh chemotherapy.

Then, on May 18th, about 150 people participated in National Bike To Work Day. We had two routes, one leaving from the boat ramp at Murray Park in Little Rock and one leaving from the boat ramp at Burns Park in North Little Rock. Police escorted both groups which merged at the Arch Street entrance to the Medical Mile and continued to the River Market. Bicyclists were treated to donuts and coffee, a free t-shirt and prize drawing. Many thanks to our sponsors.

In addition, BACA members helped sponsor two bike safety rodeos, one for Kaleidoscope for Kids and the other for North Little Rock.

About 50 people attended the annual BACA Membership Meeting on April 5, 2007. The membership unanimously approved the proposed slate of candidates for the BACA Board.

Officers for the 2007-2008 year are: President - Ron Rizzardi; Vice - President - Coreen Frasier; Treasurer - Steve Shepherd; Secretary - Judy Lansky.

At large Board members are: (one year term) - Charlie Hight and Judy McDowall; (two year term) - Claibanne Williamson and Gordon Fisher.

Jenn Shaw, Claibanne Williamson and Coreen Frasier, three of the four BACA delegates to the National Bike Summit in March, reported on what they learned & on exciting national developments that will impact bicycling in Arkansas.

Minutes of the April 5th meeting will be posted on the meetings link.