BACA News 2006

On November 9, 2004, BACA Board member Gene Pfeifer made a surprise presentation of the Paul Harris award at the Little Rock Rotary Club's meeting. A number of BACA Board members were present to join in recognizing Rob for his work on the Medical Mile. The Paul Harris award is presented by the Rotary Club for "Service Above Self." Thank you Gene for masterminding the award, and thank you Rob, for your untiring efforts in promoting the Medical Mile. The following are Gene's remarks at the presentation:

A string of Parks, The Millennium Trail, The River Trail. We have been busy changing the name of our vision but doing precious little. Little Rock was going to build a trail along the river connecting Lock and Dam #7 with the Riverfront Park downtown, but between the Riverdale area and downtown the trail remains some white lines on high traffic streets or places where the City allows cyclists to share a sidewalk with walkers and joggers.

Meanwhile, the vision has expanded to include 7 miles of the North Little Rock riverfront , already complete and a beauty, a bike and pedestrian bridge across the top of Lock and Dam #7 , now under contract, and the Clinton Library Foundation has committed to convert the Rock Island Bridge. When completed, our 14 mile loop including two exciting bridges will be the envy of every city in the country. It will be our tourism logo, a magnet for economic development, a fitness enhancer and just plain recreational fun. But what about that missing segment in Little Rock? Up steps my friend Dr. Rob Lambert with a solution and so I ask him to come forward to receive the presentation of a Paul Harris Fellow.

Rob was born a short 50 years ago in Chattanooga, TN and as an infant the family moved to Pine Bluff. He graduated from Duke, and obtained his medical degree at UAMS in 1980. After becoming a Fellow in Cardiology in 1986 he started his practice in the NLR office of Heart Clinic Arkansas. In 1982 he married Tonya Shirry who shares his love of cycling, settled in Norht Little Rock, and started a family of little bikers: Amy, a Jr at Univ. of North Carolina, Emily a senior at Mount St. Mary's and the triplets: Eleanor, William and Joseph all 4th graders at St. Edwards.

Neither Rob's family, his practice, nor his sense of community stop at the Arkansas River. When Rob realized the LR River Trail was languishing, this remarkable man did something about it. Rob and Heart Clinic Arkansas conceived of The Medical Mile. The idea: mobilize the area medical community to raise $300,000 toward finishing the trail. But typical of Rob, his achievement has exceeded his goal, at last count, raising $742,400 and counting. All that is needed for this money to be spent as planned is for the City to acquire easements and railroad right of way, thus far, incomplete prerequisites.

This project is another approach to treating the dreaded disease these Doctors see everyday, addressing Arkansas' shameful statistics of obesity by providing a fitness outlet for walking, jogging, in-line skating as well as cycling. Linking recreation with preventive healthcare has gained national attention, all the way to the White House. It matches perfectly with both of President Bush's fitness programs as well as Governor Huckabee's Healthy Arkansas program. It has received a Grant from the tobacco settlement fund in the amount of $113,300. It has been nominated for an award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for "Innovation in Prevention"

This non-Rotarian, North Little Rockian exemplifies Service Above Self, particularly as it applies to our LR River Trail. He would be a star citizen in any community and certainly is in ours.

My guests previously introduced are the President and Board members of BACA, Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas, an organization whose primary goal is completion of the River Trail. They join me in this presentation. Please rise and help us congratulate Rob Lambert on becoming our newest Paul Harris Fellow.

On September 11, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. Judge Buddy Villines officially opened the new Quorum Court Trail at Two Rivers Park. Over sixty bicyclists (mostly BACA members) & their bicycles were there. The new trail of over 4 miles runs along the Arkansas River and the Little Maumelle River. This trail is in addition to the older 3 mile trail. Both trails are truly wonderful. If you haven't tried them out, please do so. Many thanks to Judge Villines for his tireless efforts to enhance the liveability of Pulaski County through the development of parks and trails.

On June 28, 2004, BACA made a presentation of appreciation to Mayor Patrick Hays & the North Little Rock City Council at the Council meeting. Ken Gould, President of BACA, presented a beautiful plaque which contained the following inscription:

In grateful appreciation to Mayor Patrick Henry Hays and the City Council of North Little Rock for making Central Arkansas a more liveable community through development and promotion of multi-purpose recreational-commuting trails and related facilities.

Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas June 28, 2004 BACA Promoting bicycling and trail development in Central Arkansas

BACA was well represented with a number of members wearing their yellow BACA t-shirts. Most notable was North Little Rock City alderperson and BACA member Charlie Hight, who proudly donned the BACA t-shirt as he sat on the dais with fellow city council members.

Thanks to Mayor Hays, the North Little Rock City Council and especially Charlie Hight for all your support for bicyclists.

On May 19, 2004, the Headwaters Partnership sponsored a groundbreaking ceremony for the last leg of the River Trail. The event, held at the River Market, was in conjunction with the Out for Lunch Event sponsored by the Governor?s Council on Fitness. BACA Members Rob Lambert and Ken Gould were among the five speakers who participated in the event. The other speakers included Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey, Arkansas Department of Health Director Dr. Fay Boozman, and Pulaski County Extension Agent Beth Phelps. Rob, a cardiologist,spoke about disease prevention and community trails, while Ken spoke about trail advocacy and bicycling.

At the August 5, 2004, general meeting, BACA board members Ellen Brownlee and Monty Cole announced plans for a Share the Road campaign. Among possible projects are placing ?Share the Road? signs on roads frequently used by bicyclists; designing bumper stickers with the Share the Road message; developing an educational program and exploring the possibility of obtaining specialized ?Share the Road? automobile license plates. For more information on the Share the Road Campaign click of the Share the Road link to the left.

Meeting with Bryan Day and Mark Webre of the City of Little Rock of Parks & Recreation Department - Status of Progress on Development of the River Trail

Pursuant to an agenda item adopted at the November 23 Board meeting, a contingent of Board members met with Bryan Day and Mark Webre on December 5 to discuss the status of progress on development of the River Trail & to find out how BACA can help complete the Trail. We thank Bryan & Mark for a very informative & productive meeting.

A description of the projected route of the River Trail on the Little Rock Side of the River is helpful to understanding the items of significance discussed at the meeting which are summarized below the following Trail description:

A. Projected Route of the Portion of the Little Rock Side of the River Trail Yet to be Constructed:

The projected route for the River Trail from the eastern end of the Rebsamen Park Golf Course (the point at which it is now completed coming from the I-430 Bridge) going to the Trail's eastern terminus at the Clinton Library Bridge is as follows:

The Trail will cross Rebsamen Park Road at the end of the golf course and follow the top of the levee that runs along the north side of the railroad tracks that run parallel with Rebsamen Park Road after it branches off to the right at the end of the golf course. The Trail will continue to run on top of the levee, passing under the railroad viaduct on Cedar Hill Road, then back on the levee, crossing Riverfront Road just north of the Harvest Foods on Cantrell. From there the Trail will continue to run parallel to the railroad tracks that run between Junior Deputy Park & Cantrell Road & then between the railroad tracks and the frontage road parallel to Cantrell (in front of the new Bikeseller.com location). Then under the Cantrell Road viaduct to the western side of the Cathedral School. From that point to the east side of the LaHarpe Street (Cantrell becomes LaHarpe) viaduct over the Union Pacific Railroad track the Trail location is still open to several alternative routes: Behind or in front of the Cathedral School or behind or in front of Dillard's headquarters. The Trail location is set once the LaHarpe Boulevard viaduct is crossed just east of Dillard's. It then follows the abandoned Union Pacific right of way that runs to the east behind City Hall, in front of the Riverfront Park (behind the Peabody Hotel), and behind the Rivermarket area on down to the Clinton Library Bridge.

B. Summary of Items of Interest Discussed at Meeting with Bryan Day & Mark Webre:

1. The City of Little Rock is sending out a request for proposals (bids) for design of the sections of the Little Rock side of the River Trail not yet completed. In effect this covers the Trail from the end of the Rebsamen Park Golf Course to the Clinton Library Bridge. A provision of the RFP requires that the firm awarded the bid must involve BACA in the design process.

2. Construction of the bridge over the Murray Lock & Dam is slated to begin in June of 2004. The bridge must be a minimum of thirty-five feet above the level of the water and will be one of the longest, if not the longest, bicycle-pedestrian bridges in the United States.

3. The City of Little Rock is proceeding to acquire rights to the Union Pacific right of way from the Baring Cross Railroad Bridge (at the railroad viaduct on LaHarpe Boulevard just past the eastern end Dillard's headquarters) to the east through Riverfront Park. This acquisition will allow completion of the Trail down to the Clinton Library. The City hopes to begin laying asphalt on this section of the Trail by June of 2004.

4. Most of the property along the River Trail route going east from the end of the Rebsamen Park Golf Course to where the trail crosses Riverfront Drive just north of Harvest Foods is in private ownership. Oral commitments for easements across those properties have been secured from all but one of the property owners & no problems are anticipated with converting those oral commitments to written easements or with ultimately securing the easement across the property of the holdout owner.

5. The City's goal is to have all sections of the Trail completed by the time the bridge over the Lock & Dam is finished.

To involve as many bicyclists, trail users and supporters as possible in BACA, we charge no dues and rely on our annual fund drive to meet operating expenses, as well as liability insurance for events like Bike to Work Day, and participation and memberstip in national bicycle organizations from which we receive significant benefit in terms of information & support. If you are concerned about maintaining a viable voice for bicycle advocacy in central Arkansas, & haven't already made a contribution, please make a donation to BACA if possible. Send your check to BACA, 2720 Charter Oak Road, Little Rock, AR 72227-3004 No amount is too small to help BACA. BACA is a 501(c)(3) organization and all contributions are tax deductible.

Resolution of the Board of Directors of Central Arkansas Bicycle Advocacy in Regard to Immediately Needed River Trail Improvements, Maintenance & Repairs

Out of concern for the safety and convenience of bicyclists and other users of the River Trail, the Board of Directors of Central Arkansas Bicycle Advocacy urges that the City of Little Rock act on the following items:

Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines announced that the contract for construction of the bicycle/pedestrian bridge across the Murray Lock and Dam was signed at 4:00 p.m. on August 9th. Construction of the bridge will begin in September/October and will take about 2 years to complete.

Comprising 3,463 linear feet of bridge elevated 65 feet above the navigation channel, and 653 feet of walled embankments, the proposed pedestrian bridge over Murray Lock and Dam would be the longest Pedestrian / Bicycle bridge in the United States.

For more information and to see a computer-enhanced photo depicting the appearance of the Murray Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge visit http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/projmgt/murraybridge.html

On October 25, 2003 the members of BACA surveyed trail use along the River Trail on both the Little Rock and North Little Rock side of the river. There were three points along each side of the river where volunteers counted the number and types of users on the trails. Because this was a simple tally of users on the trail, some individuals may have been counted twice. The weather conditions were extremely overcast and windy, with the temperatures in the mid-50?s to low 60?s. There was intermittent drizzle throughout the day.

We received a request from Steve Weston, Bicycle Coordinator for the Arkansas State Highway Department and a BACA member, for information regarding accidents on the downtown trolley rails. A number of people responded, some with horrifying accounts of their accidents. We've included some of the responses below. We will post more responses over the next few months. If you have any information please e-mail steve.weston@arkansashighways.com with a copy to Ken Gould at ksgould@ualr.edu.

I read with interest Ken Gould's e-mail to the members of the AR Bicycle Club concerning crashes on the new trolley system in L.R./N.L.R.--for I experienced one firsthand on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. At that time I was pastor of First Baptist Church in Gillett and decided to ride from Gillett to L.R. to help raise some money for the AR Baptist Children's Homes. I made the 93-mile ride on my trusty Mongoose Pro mountain bike in a little over five hours--the fartherest I'd ever ridden at one time--in fine fashion. My original plan was to ride across the Broadway (?) bridge into L.R., but discovered it was closed due to the Riverfest. So, I turned around and headed back to Alltel arena. Upon reaching Broadway, my traffic light was green & I turned east, but in looking back for any on-coming traffic, my front tire slipped off in the slot next to the imbedded track--immediately wedging my tire & bringing my bike to an abrupt stop. I was clipped to my pedals and had no time to break my fall & crashed to the pavement with a thud. Thankfully, the eastbound traffic was still stopped by the light or I'd likely not be able to write this "saga" to you. Thankfully, the scars on my left elbow and knee are the only tangible reminders I have of my "up close and personal" encounter with the tracks.

*********** I'm one of those crashes. It was the first time I commuted through NLR just after the road was reopened after the track was put down. I commute from Sherwood to Children's Hospital and I go over the tracks in Downtown NLR. My crash happened just before the light by the NLR Fire Department. I had to get between the tracks and as a car was coming I wanted to move back over to the right to allow the car to pass. Long story short, tire went down in the groove between the track and the street and I wrecked. I was NOT hit by the car and only got a case of road rash. No medical bills. Personally, I think the River Rail is going to be great but yes, the tracks can be a little tricky.

********* This is a response to your query about bike accidents in association (caused by) the new downtown Little Rock/NLR trolley tracks. During Riverfest weekend, I was going east on Riverfront Drive, but found the road closed due to the festival activities. The attendants directed me north on Maple, so I decided to go up to Broadway and continue east at that point. Anyway, that is where the trolley tracks coming down Maple turn onto Broadway, so I guess they must have taken me by surprise, or I was distracted by auto traffic, or something, anyway I went down so fast there was not even time to extend my arm to break my fall. Following a 7-point landing, a cracked helmet (a passing motorist stopped & said my head hit the curb!), and considerable road rash (the bruising persisted for about 10 days) I determined the bike to be o.k. & was able to ride back to my car. But...my advice to other bicyclists is: be very cautious around those trolley tracks. Cross the tracks carefully, preferably at 90 degrees if possible, but do NOT ride on any street where the tracks go parallel. (If the street is wet, even crossing at 90 degrees may be problematic.) You can't always control your path precisely, and if you get on the tracks parallel, you're going down. I've been commute-riding for some 20 years, and my ride typically takes me across several train tracks, nevertheless, the new trolley tracks got me.

Thanks for the responses.