Road Diets

 

In our last update we talked about the good press coverage of the failed road diet for Old Buncombe Road, and since that time there continues to be stories, including an excellent Greenville Journal Editorial on 10 August 2012.

 

It looks like we lost this battle, but the publicity has been great in advocating the cause. More people are talking about having a more pedestrian and bicycle friendly infrastructure.

 

The important thing is for the public to continue to tell our elected officials that we need to be considering road diets in all repaving projects and debate whether they make sense for each situation.

 

We have several state legislators who were widely quoted during the road diet stories and are running for re-election. We have reached out to these candidates to make sure we capture their views on subjects important to our membership, as you can read below:

 

 

 

South Carolina Senate Candidate Questionnaire

 

  SC Senate District 6: Mike Fair, Republican Incumbent

 

Mike Fair e-mail received 17 September 2012:

I will support County Council as County Government should be the primary planner in Land and Road use. I live in the unincorporated area of the County. We elect Council by single member districts. We have worked hard to reduce and try to eliminate unfounded mandates to local state government subdivisions.

The state in many cases has funded construction of roads and still maintains many of them that criss cross Municipalities and Counties. However, just as the incorporated areas decide road diets within their areas, the County Governments should be acknowledged to do the same. This can and should be done without legislation forcing counties to do one thing or the other concerning bike paths.

Children should not be in the road, bike paths or not.

I might add that funding road construction also will dictate a decision to build roads other than in conventional ways. Road construction on state roads must still get approval from the State DOT Commission. So even if  the County says yes, it must get approval from the State DOT Commission unless the county is funding the construction and the roads belong to the county.

Hope this helps and this is what I think the current system involves. The delegation, as members of the General Assembly, vote on appropriations by the General Assembly. As a delegation, we rarely if ever vote on road construction.

 

Thank you for including me in the survey but I think this answer communicates better.
Mike

 

 

  SC Senate District 6: Tommie Reece, Republican, petition candidate

 

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed? 

 

Yes, I strongly support providing safe routes for children to walk or ride bicycles to schools.  My position on this is demonstrated by my support and recorded votes as a member of the Greenville County School Board to build paths and sidewalks on school property as we have renovated and built new schools. 
 
2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary - crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?
  
Providing safe sidewalks is clearly important not only to enable children and parents to reach the school, but to connect neighborhoods and provide an easy method for healthy exercise. Sidewalks are most likely to receive strong support when the initiative is a combined effort of residents, the school, the county, city and others. The school district (as mentioned in #1) builds sidewalks and safe access on school property. The connecting paths and walks can be developed via a partnership between the city, county, residents, businesses, etc. to provide free easements and seek construction funding from potential sources. Those funding sources might include the city, county, DOT, Federal Highway Administration programs such as Safe Route to School, STP-Urban, STP-Enhancement, or grants which promote health and wellness.

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in repaving projects?   

 

Yes. Complete planning and design simply makes sense. It saves taxpayer dollars as well as minimizes the inconvenience to people by doing all the construction in a systematic way, rather than what we so often see with the street being torn up repeatedly to accomplish different things.
  
4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation,transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county.  

 

My recent bicycle riding is very limited and only for recreation, but as a resident of northern Greenville County, I regularly experience sharing the road with bicycle riders, and observe the excitement and economic development created around the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Therefore, I see challenges as well as successes and very much welcome opportunity for planning and providing for safer routes for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.

 

5. Please comment on the recent road diet for Old Buncombe Road that was halted by SCDOT commissioner Edwards.

 

Like many people, I was surprised by the sudden halting of the Old Buncombe Road plan’s implementation. More disappointing than the plan’s being changed was the way in which it was abruptly stopped.

The plan seemed to have been well developed and supported by local area residents and businesses for a number of good reasons. It had professional approval with planning and design, and fit the requirements as I understand it. I have seen the road diet on both East North and Washington Streets work well, increasing the safety for all users, and decreasing wrecks involving left turns. So, the plan seemed to make sense.

More importantly, I was appalled that elected officials, expected to represent the citizens, would intervene to stop it without even talking with the citizens who had worked to develop the plan. If new concerns were brought forward, the right thing to do would be to bring people together for discussion, listen to the concerns, evaluate the strength of the plan and perhaps fine tune it if needed. Back door politics should not over-rule local residents.

 

 

  SC Senate District 8: Ross Turner, Republican

(Democrat candidate Jeff Dishner was taken off the ballot)

 

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed?
 

The Greenville Spinners are to be commended for all they work they do promoting bicycle safety. Giving out bicycle helmets and teaching bicycle safety skills will save children from potential head injuries and accidents. It’s Risk Management 101, which is what I do every day in my job.

 

I grew up riding my bicycle to elementary school and all over my neighborhood and would love for more children to have this opportunity. It is my understanding that the funding for sidewalk construction is primarily a municipal and/or county issue so I am sure improvements are most likely handled on a case by case basis for existing schools.

 

I was impressed with how Augusta Circle created safer routes for children to bike or walk to school by taking the initiative to obtain grant funds several years ago.

2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary - crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?
 
I agree sidewalks are important. It is my understanding that sidewalks were put in at Monarch Elementary using a combination of Greenville County School Funds and C funds.

 

I would love to see collaboration with public school PTA representatives such as those at Augusta Circle Elementary to provide creative ideas for making the desired sidewalks a reality for all schools who desire safe routes. If ACE parents were successful in combining grant funds with other funds that may be available, then maybe the same model could be replicated for other schools.

 

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in re-repaving projects?  
 

Of course safety is always a priority. Once in office I hope to gain a better understanding of what safety initiatives are in progress and how we can make positive progress.  I would be willing to pledge to make calls or write letters in support of private, state or federal grants that our local schools might have or be applying for.

 

4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation, transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county.

 

Unfortunately my cycling experience has been rather limited in recent years. As a child, I rode my bicycle everywhere! My children all ride, and I am looking forward to getting back into it as our nest begins to empty. 

5. Please comment on the recent road diet for Old Buncombe Road that was halted by SCDOT commissioner Edwards.

I am not familiar with the situation so do not feel I can make a comment.

 

 

SC Senate District 7: Karl B. Allen, Democrat

 

Unfortunately the candidate didn’t respond to our questions.

 

 

SC Senate District 7: Jane Kizer, Republican

 

 

Unfortunately the candidate didn’t respond to our questions.

 

 

 

 

 

Share the Road Signs

 

Did you ever notice and appreciate these signs in the City of Greenville, such as this one in Cleveland Park?

 

 

Did you ever wonder why there are not more of them in our County?

 

I started investigating the subject along with James Thomas and Pamela Wood Browne, and learned that it is possible for SCDOT to erect such signs on SCDOT maintained roads under the following conditions (from SCDOT Traffic Engineering Guideline TG-8):

 

• Observed bicycle traffic
• A higher than normal potential for conflict between cyclists and motorists, such as at the end of bike lanes, or at narrow bridges (those with no shoulders)
• Part of a formally adopted municipal, county, or the state bicycle route system”(Note we do NOT have a Greenville county bike plan)
• “One or more documented bicycle/motor vehicle accidents
• Where a traffic engineering study indicates the need for this type of sign
• It is generally inappropriate to use thus sign along roadways with designated bicycle lanes or a usable parallel bicycle path.
  

In August I developed a request for signs on popular cycling routes in the County, and submitted to SCDOT. SCDOT has a statewide bicycle coordinator, Tom Dodds, but he must defer to the SCDOT district engineers on getting such signs erected. Our district engineer was not too interested in working on this, but we a path forward through Greenville County has been established. With the support of Greenville County Chairman Butch Kirven, the Greenville County Planning Department will be preparing encroachment permits for these signs, and will be working with SCDOT and County Public works to get them installed. We will provide updates on this new project as it develops!

In March I prepared a request to County Transportation Committee to add bike lane markings:

 

 

 

I am pleased to report that the Committee asked SCDOT to take care of this, and on10 August 2012, eight thermoplastic bike lane markings were installed. So real results can be obtained by understanding how to work through the “system.”

 

 

 

 

Your advocacy chair has been following the proposed road diet for Old Buncombe Road for quite a while. (Please see our May 2012 update below where we discuss and show pictures of road diets)

 

Greenville County Transportation Planners had proposed the re-striping in conjunction with the SCDOT planned repaving project. They learned in May that the Greenville  County Transportation Committee (appointed by the County State Legislature delegation) had denied the requested funding to have a consultant prepare the required re-striping plans and signal change plans.

 

Despite this set-back- the County Staff went ahead and prepared the required plans in-house towards a July 1^st deadline by SCDOT.

 

In a meeting on developing a bicycle/pedestrian friendly advocacy campaign conducted by LiveWell Greenville 28 June, we learned that the project had been stopped by Councilman Willis Meadows, Senator Mike Fair, and SCDOT commissioner John Edwards.

 

With re-paving work about to be done, there seemed little that our advocacy community could do to turn around the situation.

 

We engaged Ben Szobody, who did an excellent job on the front page Greenville News story posted on 12 July 2012, which we have re-printed below.

 

Steve Bruss of the Editorial board followed up on 17 July 2012 with a great Editorial, “This is a sensible Diet”, also re-printed below. This story emphasizes the challenges we face to get our leaders to understandthe needs of cyclists and pedestrians. 

 

While I have said previously that we don’t spend enough on bike/ped projects and we need to find funding ... the most disappointing part of the story that this was a zero cost improvement and still we have opposition!

 

So what can Greenville Spinners members do about this?

 

• Our goal is to increase the percentage of people in favor of safe modes of transportation and who support a more walkable and  bikeable Greenville County
• Start making your views heard!  Write emails or call all your elected officials- County Council, State Legislature.  Tell them what you think
• We need many voices reacting to this story!

 

 

 

 

This is a Sensible Diet

11:57 AM, Jul16, 2012  

 

If you give a relatively small number of cars a wide track to drive on,inevitably they will drive fast.

 

That’s the scenario on Old Buncombe Road, where some local residents want to reduce traffic from two lanes in each direction to one and add bike lanes in a process that’s come to be known as a “road diet.” The road meets requirements for the reductions.

 

One reason for the road diet on Old Buncombe is to slow people down who now zip down this road well above the posted speed limit, according to reports in this newspaper. Another reason is that people who bicycle on the road — whether for pleasure or to commute to and from work or school — will feel safer with some separation between them and speeding vehicles.

 

The support this project has gotten makes it puzzling that the state has apparently nixed the project. And in the wake of the road diet being killed, a couple of state leaders are expressing outright disdain for the idea of bike lanes and narrower streets.

 

John Edwards, who represents Greenville on the state Transportation Commission, told the newspaper that he’s opposed to the road diets and that he doesn’t think bicycles belong on the road. State law, practicality and commonsense disagree.

 

Sen. Mike Fair told the newspaper that bike lanes aren’t an answer and they“create less space for cars.”

 

He misses the point. The purpose of a road diet is to give vehicles fewer lanes because that slows traffic; calms it in the parlance of urban planners. That makes motorists, pedestrians and cyclists safer.

 

The idea has worked on East North Street. Yes, there were some initial struggles getting used to the new traffic pattern, but things have settled down.

 

It’s hard to argue against the idea that a cyclist is safer if he’s in his own lane rather than mingled with vehicles that can outweigh him by 20 times or more, are moving more than twice as fast, and can be piloted by drivers who are also applying makeup, eating a cheeseburger or sending a text message.

 

Those who say cyclists don’t belong on the road ignore the facts of living in a 21st century, cosmopolitan community like Greenville. Cyclists are going to be there, along with children playing nearby, pedestrians, mopeds and slower-moving vehicles.

 

Using tactics like road diets, or whatever you want to call them, to slow traffic and give alternative vehicles a safer place to travel is sensible. It shouldn’t be rejected out of hand, against the wishes of area residents, simply because some state officials have an aversion to bikes being on the road.

 

If the diet makes sense — and it really seems to in the case of Old Buncombe Road — than these state officials should go along with the wishes of local residents.

 

Follow @SteveBruss on Twitter.

 

 

Old Buncombe Road Remake Stalls Over Traffic Concerns

1:00 AM, Jul12, 2012

Written by

Ben Szobody

Staff Writer

 

Some major city streets are under the knife, going on a diet and getting makeovers one by one, but pockets of residents out in the county are having trouble getting the phenomenon to spread.

 

On Old Buncombe Road, which stretches from Cedar Lane Road near downtown almost to Furman University, a grassroots effort to tame traffic while adding bike and pedestrian space with a “road diet” has run aground.

 

Some of the active residents working to breathe new life into area neighborhoods say public officials have nixed a plan that would have helped attract business and families while reducing car accidents and making non-car commutes for lower-income residents a safer way of life.

 

State officials say they’re concerned about potential traffic delays, and that they’re opposed to dedicated bike space at the expense of cars.

 

“I don’t agree with road diets,” said John Edwards, who represents the Greenville area on the state Transportation Commission and who said he intervened on the idea. “I think we’re tasked with keeping the roads to move people, and trucks and cars. I don’t think it’s a place for bicycles because I think it’s dangerous.”

 

Old Buncombe is dangerous, advocates respond, because it’s overbuilt for the light traffic it carries, and the ensuing speeds pose a hazard to anyone on foot or pedals.

 

State law prohibits bikes on the sidewalk while giving them a right to the roadway, and some of the people who live along Old Buncombe don’t have another option.

 

Asked about the law, Edwards said, “It gives mopeds a right to the road too, but that does not make it any safer.”

 

J.D. Harrison, a residential designer and furniture maker who lives on Old Buncombe, said he witnessed an accident in front of his house the day he moved in three years ago, and there have been four more since, including one involving a wheelchair.

 

Cars tend to fly well beyond the 35-miles-per-hour speed limit, Harrison said, and he and his neighbors say a road diet would also be safer for them, inp How many times does an accident have to happen before somebody begins to take notice?” Harrison asked.

The four-lane state road west of downtown carves through redeveloping neighborhoods such as Sans Souci, Poe Mill and Monaghan Mill and serves as a key route for both avid weekend cyclists and daily commuters.

On Wednesday, crews had already begun chewing up buckling, weed-cracked asphalt for a scheduled repaving project. Emerging with the smell of new tar isa debate about street space, and how it should be divvied up.

 

What's Safer?

Matthew Manley, a community planning coordinator with LiveWell Greenville, said he and some neighbors discovered state plans to repave Old Buncombe last fall and have been working ever since to gather nearly 400 signatures and hammer out plans for a road diet, which would restripe the road so that four driving lanes are replaced by two, with a center turn lane and bike space on the sides.

The idea, Manley said, is spreading.

“Our built environment really influences our behavior,” he said. “And when we create options and facilities for people to be able to make healthier choices, more environmentally responsible choices, those options will kind of enter into the mainstream.”

Manley said state and county staff made clear that the road qualified for such a redesign, and the effort was underway to produce detailed drawings when, mysteriously, the whole plan was killed in recent weeks.

He said the lack of transparency has been frustrating, and that inquiries with elected officials have turned up arguments about traffic congestion that he said are “inaccurate.”

Traffic counts on the road average between 6,000 and 8,000 vehicles a day, according to Manley and DOT documents, and Manley said that volume is well below the state threshold for road diets.

In the city, road diets on East North Street and Washington Street have been credited with slowing traffic that used to routinely exceed posted speed limits while making car turns, biking and walking safer. City officials have pointed to a study of East North that showed an additional 20 seconds were added to the drive time while the road continued to move roughly 10,000 cars per day.

At present, it’s true that Old Buncombe is dangerous for bikes, said Ryan Talty, a teacher at Cherrydale Elementary School and a Furman graduate student who commutes by bike.

The section in question is a popular part used for the USA Cycling National Championship race for years, by weekend cyclists as a route to Paris Mountain and by neighbors who have no other way to travel, Talty said, adding that the road has no shoulder in parts and that he’s been clipped by car mirrors.

Edwards said it doesn’t make sense to add bike lanes to the road because it runs parallel to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and “we spent a fortune on that thing.”

From work to Furman, however,Talty said he can’t avoid riding a piece of Old Buncombe, though he primarily uses the trail. The larger problem, he said, is that the trail brings cyclists out into the county, but then the safe routes to go anywhere else are limited.

State Sen. Mike Fair, who said he also intervened on the potential road diet, said he doesn't believe bike lanes will improve safety.

“Bike paths aren’t a solution,”Fair said. “It just puts a line, and there’s nothing in that line on the side of the road that’s going to keep a car from plowing into a biker.”

Asked about the safety value of creating more space, he said, “It creates less space for the cars.”

Old Buncombe would have been the first road diet outside a municipality, Fair said, adding that just because traffic engineers say it will work doesn’t mean it’s a better option.

Fair said he believes the issue should be solved at the local level, and both Fair and Edwards said they intervened after hearing from local officials.

Attempts to reach County Councilman Willis Meadows, who represents the area and who residents say has voiced objections, were unsuccessful Wednesday.

“I intervened, but not in a power role,” Fair said, adding that he does have legislative seniority. “I don’t have that authority.”

Debate Spreading

Fair, who is from the Old Buncombe area and is familiar with the traffic, said one complaint he’s fielded over the years is that bikes are getting in the way of cars.

In a meeting of neighborhood leaders at White Whale Studios off Cedar Lane Road, Manley said Fair’s solution is to preserve the problem instead of rearrange the road, whose lanes are currently much narrower than the DOT standard.

The meeting covered new ways that neighborhood activists hope to persuade public officials.

Tresa Lyle, a Poe Mill neighborhood leader, pointed out successful diets, such as East North. Manly described the downsizing of downtown Travelers Rest. Bigger petitions and a request to halt construction were discussed. Manley stressed that the road diet wouldn’t cost any extra money, and that being fiscally wise is essentially conservative politics.

They agreed it’s not primarily a bike issue, and Manley said he’s mystified that bikes have somehow ended up in a “communist liberal box.”

Tamer roads would attract families, said Caroline Lott, president of the Monaghan Revitalization Association, noting that she drives her car to ride the nearby Swamp Rabbit Trail because it doesn't feel safe to bike there.

Edwards said his priority remains traffic flow and safety, and he added that less driving space isn’t the way to meet those goals.

“If you get out on the road and drive as much as I do, you’re going to have to realize that you’re going to have to educate the people and they’re going to have to do the slowing down,”Edwards said. “I don’t think all the policemen in the world and all the road diets in the world are going to slow some of these drivers down.”

Fair said the length of the plan — from Cedar Lane Road to State 253 — is relatively short and would make little difference. Advocates say Old Buncombe shrinks down to two lanes after that anyway, making it all the more reasonable to streamline the wider part.

Fair said he could see traffic growing congested if just two driving lanes were available at rush hour. Talty said he bikes the road daily, and that even with lanes blocked off for recent construction, he’s never seen traffic hindered.

Then there’s the pedestrian Talty said he saw walking in the correct direction on the Old Buncombe sidewalk when a turning car nearly ran into him. The road, he said, simply needs “more pedestrian awareness.”

“Our town is a bike town —whether you want to admit it or not, it is,” Talty said, noting that the city is taking steps to build more bike facilities, thus attracting more riders to the roads.

In Talty’s view, it could soon be markedly more dangerous to walk or ride as soon as you leave the municipal boundary.

Manley said the frustration over Old Buncombe has some property owners who have invested in the area openly questioning the decision.
 

 

May Bike Month Activities

 

The City of Greenville has information on the Bike Month Activities at this link:

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/Trails/bikemonth.aspx

 

June 12 County Council Primary Elections:
Questionnaire to the Candidates

 

The Greenville Spinners Membership collectively can influence our elected officials regarding making our built environment more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. There is no better time to reach out to these people then during elections!

 

To that end Pamela Wood Browne and Frank Mansbach are in the process of preparing questions for the candidates to respond to and we will post their answers two weeks in advance of these primary elections.

 

The Primary Contests are as follows:

 

Republican Primaries

Council District 18         Joe Baldwin (incumbent) versus Michael Barnes

Council District 20         Sid Cates (incumbent) versus Scott Stephens

Council District 21         Jim Burns (incumbent) versus Fedra E. Campbell

Council District 22         Bob Taylor (incumbent) versus Jenn Webb

 

Note: Republican incumbents Liz Seman (Council District 24) and Herman (Butch) Kirven (Council District 27) and Democrat incumbent Lottie Gibson (Council District 25) do not have primary opposition and only face Constitution Party opposition in November.

 

A map of Council Districts can be found at this link:

http://www.greenvillecounty.org/pdf/ExhibitNo.20.pdf

Candidate Responses to Greenville Spinners Questionnaire

 

Thanks to Pamela Wood Browne for her work on this survey!

 

  Joseph Baldwin: District 18 Candidate for Re-Election

 

Thanks for the opportunity to respond. I am very supportive of bicycling as well as other forms of exercise. I believe that your members in the Greer area know me and realize that I am supportive of cycling. I would answer the specific questions posed to me as follows:

 

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed?

 

Yes to both questions

2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary -- crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?

 

I do believe that in most portions of the county that sidewalks are important and I support them. I believe that in populated areas that sidewalks should be mandated and made part of any development plan. I also believe that developers should give right of way for sidewalks at the time they are seeking approval for a new project.

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in re-repaving projects? 

 

I have supported this in the past and will do so in the future. I supported this in the past despite opposition from some self described taxpayer watchdog groups. I would not be surprised if my position on this may be used against me.

 

4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation, transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county. 

 

I do not ride a bicycle but I am a runner and have completed marathons. I basically run in Greer so I have had access to sidewalks most of the time.

Please communicate my positions to your organization and feel free to have them contact me should they wish to discuss this or any other issue that may come before the County.  

 

 

  Sid Cates: District 20 Candidate for Re-Election

 

 

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed?

 

When funds are available and the need is there, I have and will support sidewalks to all schools public and private.

 

2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary -- crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?

I am not comfortable singling out one school for sidewalk construction. The limited amount of funds available for sidewalks should go first to those with the greatest need. If sidewalks are needed at Monarch Elementary and the need is greater than other schools (public or private) then it should get any available funds. 

 

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in re-repaving projects? 

 

A complete or livable street proposal has been brought before County Council in the recent past. The proposal did not include detailed studies on the financial sustainability of the streets or pro/con arguments as to the need. I am open if convinced that they are needed, safer, and financially feasible.

 

4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation, transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county. 

The only bicycle I ride in Greenville County goes nowhere but gives me great exercise. Would love to have one and ride for fun and exercise....and will get one soon.

 

 

  Scott Stephens: District 20 Candidate

 

Thanks for the opportunity to answer these questions.

 

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed?

 

Ensuring the safety of our children is one of the most important responsibilities we have. I believe that it is important that we do all we canto provide safe routes for our children to walk and ride. I believe that wherever possible,sidewalks should be integrated into the road construction plans.

2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary -- crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?

Sidewalks are important for the safety of everyone. I believe it is important for the residents and their elected officials to work together to resolve issues that are a concern. This type of collaboration will bring about the synergy necessary to develop creative new ways to fund much needed projects without adding additional burden to the taxpayer.

 

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in re-repaving projects?  

I have just recently been made aware of the complete streets initiative by one of your club members. I see a lot of good ideas presented in the plan and I am certainly supportive of wise development that will benefit the citizens of Greenville County.

 

4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation, transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county.

 

Yes I do ride. I spend most of my time on trails rather than on the street. I live close to Paris Mountain State Park and utilize this resource whenever possible. We are blessed with so many beautiful areas to ride and I encourage everyone to join in!

 

 

  Jim Burns: District 21 Candidate for Re-Election

 

Thanks for your email and questionnaire. Please see my answers below to your questions. I would also encourage you to look at the voting records of each current member of council. We have had several issues related to trails and bikes that have come up in recent years. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you.

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed?

 

I support "complete streets" when building any new roads or re-working existing ones. These include both sidewalks and bike lanes. I have supported and continue to support safe routes to school including the effort to create sidewalks to Oakview Elementary working with faculty, county staff and others to get grants to help provide necessary funds.

 

2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary -- crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?

 

Providing sidewalks will cut down on the number of cars in the morning and afternoons, it builds community and is a healthier way for our children to get to school. The county has a sidewalk fund which has been used in the past and I would also follow the example at Oakview for obtaining grants for this case.

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in re-repaving projects? 

 

As stated above, I supported a resolution that Frank Mansbach of the Planning Commission brought forward saying that anytime a new road is completed or enlarged, etc. that the county and the state should look at the possibility of doing a "complete street".  The economics are such that not every road can be a candidate for this but we should go through the evaluation to do so. I also supported a resolution to create a fund where the county could financially participate on these projects if done jointly with state DOT

 

4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation, transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county. 

 

My family and I enjoy riding our bikes - most often on the Swamp Rabbit Trail through Greenville County. I have worked with the Recreation Department to not only endorse the expansion of the trail system but was also the author of the TRAC plan that provided the original funds to build the swamp rabbit.

 

 

  Bob Taylor: District 22 Candidate for Re-Election

 

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed?

 

Absolutely

 

2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary -- crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?

 

We get funds we can use for that purpose and have done so in the past.

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in re-repaving projects? 

 

Most county roads are minimum width two-lane roads, but I have encouraged public works to incorporate bike lanes when possible.

4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation, transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county. 

I do not ride but I have family members that are committed bikers.

  Jenn Webb: District 22 Candidate

 

1. Our club members are committed to promoting safe cycling for children through our Greenville Spinners Bicycle Safety Foundation. Do you support providing safe routes for children to schools including constructing sidewalks where needed?

 

Absolutely. Having two school aged children myself I have always felt that Greenville County needs more sidewalks and bike lanes to ensure our families are safe regardless of if children are riding their bikes or walking to a friend’s house. This also applies to safety for citizens in general. I have elderly neighbors that no longer drive and walk to the store. I am often very concerned for their safety, as there a no sidewalks that lead from the neighborhood to the shopping center near my neighborhood.

 

2. Residents are working to partner with the county to find funding for sidewalks around the county’s new school Monarch Elementary -- crucial to providing safe routes for the 650 students in a 1-mile radius to choose to bike or walk to school. Do you agree providing sidewalks is important? How would you handle funding them?

 

Yes, I feel providing sidewalks should be an important priority for the safety of our neighborhoods. I am a supporter of Complete Streets. The county has provided funding in the past for such initiatives, but I feel that taxes do not always have to be raised in these cases and that there are ways the people of the community could work with the county to receive external funding or grants to pay for much of the work.

3. Almost 75% of the urbanized area in Greenville County is outside of city limits. Will you support initiatives that create safer streets for county residents by incorporating complete streets designs in re-repaving projects? 

 

Yes. Anytime the county plans a repaving, incorporating Complete Streets should be considered and evaluated.

4. Do you ride a bicycle on the Greenville County roads or trails? Do you ride for recreation, transportation or other purposes? Please share any comments you have about your experience cycling in our county. 

I personally take a lot of indoor spinning classes, but my children and husband ride bikes on Greenville County roads and trails on a regular basis. I have many friends that are involved in spinning and cycle clubs in the county and the frequent complaint I hear is that there are not enough roads that in the County that are safe for bikers. I work for Lockheed Martin at the SCTAC business complex and we have bike clubs that meet on various days of the week to cycle Perimeter Road after work. While this area is a good area for bikers to ride because of the layout of Perimeter Road, it is still unsafe as there are not designated bike lanes provided.

 

 

Road Diets

 

A Road diet is when an existing road is re-striped – usually in conjunction with a repaving project to reduce car lanes and add bike lanesand sidewalks.  East North Street is an example in the City Of Greenville.

 

 

The Greenville County Planning Department is in the process of applying for funding to do road diet plans on Old Buncombe and West Parker Roads.  These roads will be repaved during the next year.

 

There are many roads within Greenville County that can benefit from road diets. Unfortunately there is no comprehensive plan for road diets.  If you have some suggestions of roads that may be candidates, please contact Frank Mansbach so he can pursue with County staff.

 

Anew report has just been issued by the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health “Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of Proposed Road Diet and Re-Striping Project on Daniel Morgan Avenue in Spartanburg, South Carolina”  

 

The study found that this road diet has high impact in traffic safety, medium to high impact in physical activity, medium to high impact in access to goods and services and low impact to air quality.

 

You can download the report at this link:

http://imph.org/2012/04/first-health-impact-assessment-in-south-carolina/

 

 

Peter Wilborn, Charleston Cycling Attorney, Spoke to Over 40 Spinners at the April 2, 2012 Club Meeting

Peter made a passionate presentation on “The Lost Art of the Group Ride” based on the article posted at Carolina Cycling News and reprinted below. Peter said that he wants to address cycling groups all over the country on this subject, based on the fantastic feedback he has received since posting the article in September 2011.

 

He had some specific suggestions for those who ride on Tuesday nights at SCTAC, and there was a lively question and answer period after his remarks, including Peter mentioning that the State of Georgia is considering banning two abreast riding which would of course end legal group rides.

 

The key take away for me was all riders in the group must learn how to ride in the group and must obey the law!  If you are unable to do this then go ride by yourself.

The Lost Art of the Group Ride by Peter Wilborn  

 

Every so often, I’ll ride a recreational group ride. I love the camaraderie of cyclists, the talk, the last minute pumps of air, the clicking in, and the easy drifting out as a peloton. “I miss riding in a group,” I’ll think to myself.

 

The magic ends by mile 10. The group will surge, gap, and separate, only to regroup at every stop sign. I’ll hear fifteen repeated screams of “HOLE!” for every minor road imperfection. And then no mention of the actual hole. Some guy in front will set a PR for his 30 second pull. Wheels overlap, brakes are tapped, and some guy in the back will go across the yellow line and speed past the peloton for no apparent reason. A breakaway?!

 

I curse under my breath, remembering why I always ride with only a few friends. Doesn’t anyone else realize how dangerous this ride is? How bad it is for our reputation on the road? There are clear rules of ride etiquette, safety, and common sense. Does anyone here know the rules? Who is in charge?

 

But no one is in charge, and the chaotic group has no idea of how to ride together. As a bike lawyer, I get the complaints from irritated drivers, concerned police, controversy-seeking journalists, and injured cyclists. It needs to get better, but the obstacles are real:

 

First, everyone is an expert these days. The internet and a power meter do not replace 50,000 miles of experience, but try telling that to a fit forty year-old, new to cycling, on a $5000 bike. Or, god forbid, a triathlete. No one wants to be told what to do.

 

Second, the more experienced riders just want to drop the others and not be bothered. It is all about the workout, the ego boost, or riding with a subset of friends. But a group ride is neither a race nor cycling Darwinism. As riders get better, they seek to distinguish themselves by riding faster on more trendy bikes; but as riders get better they need to realize two things: 1) there is always someone faster, and 2) they have obligations as leaders. Cycling is not a never ending ladder, each step aspiring upwards, casting aspersions down. It is a club, and we should want to expand and improve our membership.

 

Third, different rides are advertised by average speed, but speed is only one part of the equation. This approach makes speed the sole metric for judging a cyclist, and creates the false impression that a fit rider is a good one. Almost anyone can be somewhat fast on a bike, but few learn to be elegant, graceful cyclists.

 

Fourth, riding a bike well requires technique training. Good swimmers, for example, constantly work on form and drills; so should cyclists. Anyone remember the C.O.N.I. Manual or Eddie Borysewich’s book? They are out-of-print, but their traditional approach to bike technique should not be lost. More emphasis was given on fluid pedaling and bike handling.

 

Before the internet, before custom bikes, and before Lance, it was done better. Learning to ride was an apprenticeship. The goal was to become a member of the peloton, not merely a guy who is sort of fast on a bike. Membership was the point, not to be the local Cat. 5 champ. You were invited to go on group ride if you showed a interest and a willingness to learn. You were uninvited if you did not. You learned the skills from directly from the leader, who took an interest in riding next to you on your first rides (and not next to his friends, like better riders do today). Here is some of what you learned:

 

> To ride for months each year in the small ring.

> To take your cycling shorts off immediately after a ride.

> To start with a humble bike, probably used.

> To pull without surging.

> To run rotating pace line drills and flick others through.

> To form an echelon.

> To ride through the top of a climb.

> To hold your line in a corner.

> To stand up smoothly and not throw your bike back.

> To give the person ahead of you on a climb a little more room to stand up.

> To respect the yellow line rule.

> To point out significant road problems.

> To brake less, especially in a pace line.

> To follow the wheel in front and not overlap.

 

The ride leader and his lieutenants were serious about their roles, because the safety of the group depended on you, the weakest link. If you did not follow the rules, you were chastised. Harshly. If you did, you became a member of something spectacular. The Peloton.

National Bike Summit Report by Pamela Wood Browne

March 20-22 the annual National Bike Summit was held in Washington, DC. Summit organizers, the League of American Bicyclists, announced the big news that they are merging with Bikes Belong and the Alliance for Biking and Walking. The unified organizations expect to be more effective by consolidating their efforts. The first day and a half of the summit was full of informational seminars, great speakers and awards for bike advocacy work around the nation. I attended the seminars on "Increasing Engagement through Online Advocacy," "Boosting Economic Vitality in Cities," and "Finally, the Racing and Advocacy Worlds Collide." The third day - Lobby Day - was devoted to bike advocates' scheduled meetings with their members of Congress. I had a great experience as one of the advocates in the South Carolina group on Capitol Hill. I highly recommend that you consider attending in the future. My coverage of the summit (three articles) is available to read at Carolina Cycling News. Thanks to the club for being one of the sponsors!

 

Ty Houck of Greenville County Recreation District has Recently Written to His Email Distribution

We are seeking $600,000 in trail grants through the Recreational Trails Program grant. And this is the last year that we will be able to go for multiple projects. The projects include:

> Northern expansion of the GHS Swamp Rabbit

> Development of a paddling trail on the Saluda River
   (Reedy is still too polluted to allow paddling)

> Expansion of the Bike Skills Park at Gateway

> Development of an 11 mile multi-use trail network at Loretta C Woods Park
   (about 15 minutes outside of Simpsonville)

> A multi-use trail at Pleasant Ridge County Park that will include the first
   Barefoot sensory trail in North America

> Road crossing improvements on the GHS Swamp Rabbit

> Paved trail in Lake Conestee Nature Park that will connect across the river to Conestee Park

 

So those are the projects, now we need your help by  showing the grant reviewers that people want these projects. You don’t have to be a Greenville County resident.  Please, please, please go view our virtual meetings at http://www.greenvillerec.com/swamprabbit  spend a few minutes viewing the presentations and sending a confirmation e-mail. The more people that view the presentations the better our chances of funding!!!! Spread the word and view them before April 13th.

Greenville County Poster Child for Ignoring School Age Pedestrians & Cyclists

The newest school in our County, Monarch Elementary School, located on Five Forks Road, near Woodruff Road will open in August. Due to state laws that exclude school districts from having to have local planning commission review – this school that has 645 students within a one mile radius can only be safely reached by motorized vehicles!

 

 

The School District constructed turn lanes as shown above. The School District built a very short sidewalk that begs to be extended to the student’s homes. This road needs to become pedestrian and bike friendly!

Path Forward – Grass Roots support is being organized by Livewell Greenville, and community meetings are being organized, and the message to elected officials will be along the following:

We need to move on from how we got into this situation, and find a way to fund improvements to fix it. County Council needs to find ways to pay for transportation improvements.  Contacting County Council Members expressing this sentiment is important. Council contact information is found at this link: http://www.greenvillecounty.org/County_Council/

                 

Sorry, Mate, I Didn’t See You!

 

Road Bike Rider in the issue 522 has a great story that is important to all of us who ride on the roads:

http://www.roadbikerider.com/newsletters/issue-no-522-sorry-mate-i-didnt-see-you

It is based on the original story from Australia, "Why are cyclists so angry?"

http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/fitness/blogs/on-your-bike/why-are-cyclists-so-angry-201202

                 

Opinion: The Time is Now for Racers to Act on Advocacy by Nick Legan

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/road/opinion-time-is-now-for-racers-to-act-on-advocacy_211139

 

So how do you get involved?

Getting started is often the hardest step. Here are ways to make a difference:

 

> Start off by donating, whether to Bikes Belong or to local organizations.

 

> Join the League of American Bicyclists and get on its mailing list. That will bring you up to speed on the latest legislation concerning cyclists.

 

> You can also help by being and encouraging others to be responsible road users. Sugahara and others
   in Portland came up with this list of Do’s and Don’ts after several bad cycling/motorist interactions.

 

  Be courteous and share the road. Being courteous gains respect and helps make the roads safer
         for all cyclists.

  The law allows you to ride two abreast, but it may not be the courteous or safe option.
         If you hear a vehicle approaching from behind, ride single file. Don’t ride three abreast.

   If you’re blocking a whole line of cars and there’s a place to safely pull off be courteous and stop.

   Don’t wander all over the road. Try to ride predictably and as far right as safely as you can.
         This does not mean to ride in an area that is littered with road debris or places you at risk.

   Do take the lane if it safe to do so if there is a blind corner, high-risk junction or narrowing of the road.

  Use common sense – don’t pee in people’s yards or hang out across the entire road if you’re waiting
         for a regroup.

   Stop at stop signs and signals. By law, cyclists must obey all traffic control devices.

   Signal your intentions if you can safely do so. If you are turning, point in the direction you plan on going.
         If you are slowing, put your hand out behind you.

  If you wave a car around you, don’t get impatient. Remember that it is their decision to make
         as to whether it is safe to pass.

   If you’re in a group, take leadership, set a good example and do your best to make everyone
         ride courteously.

  Pay attention! While it is the responsibility of drivers to avoid hitting you, ride defensively to minimize risk!

   Remember the 5% rule. 5% of drivers are jerks. Don’t let that 5% get to you. Take a deep breath
         and move on.

  Be friendly. If someone is courteous to you and does the right thing, wave and smile.
         Everyone likes to be acknowledged for doing the right thing.

 

While finishing a recent Saturday ride in Simpsonville a few weeks ago, I had a chance to talk to one of our County Council members while he was repairing his fence. I told him of my new role as Spinners advocacy chair and offered that we need to spend more money on bike/pedestrian projects in the County -- not just in the City. He responded that, “most will say that is the Cities’ job -- not the County’s.” I responded that our County is becoming increasingly urban, and that it is time for the Council to recognize the need for a better ped/bike infrastructure.

 

The next week I followed up with a friend on the Greenville County Planning Department staff that provided me with some rather interesting statistics:

 

Almost 75% of the urbanized area of Greenville County is outside city limits! This data is from the 2000 census, and I was told the 2010 census data will be available later this year, and it will obviously show more urbanized area in our County. 

Research on Greenville County Transportation Spending

 

This month I was able to put together some facts on our actual transportation spending in Greenville County, and you may find this interesting:

 

> The County has invested $8.5MM in acquiring the right of way and constructing the
   Swamp Rabbit Trail -- including the Lake Conestee trails. (The City of Greenville has
   invested an additional $6.5MM to date, thus we have a total of $15MM spent.

 

> Sidewalks expenditures by the County total $5.5MM from 2001-2011 and bike lane
   expenditures are less than $100K

 

> Road Projects funded by SCDOT and the County for 10 years cost $1.088 billion
   ($968.4MM SCDOT and $120MM County repaving program)

 

Thus the percentage to sidewalks and bike lanes is ½ of one percent, with an additional 0.77 percent of our spending for the Swamp Rabbit.

 

The below chart is County and State Spending only and does not include spending by the six cities in Greenville County.

 

 

An interesting statistic -- we have 1700 miles of County maintained roads and the County had averaged 28 to 32 miles a year.  Starting in 2012 funding is half the previous total so only 15 miles or so will be repaved each year under the current plan.

 

There are only 35 miles of sidewalks on those 1700 miles of roads!

 

Recent Video from Chicago Shows How the Lane is Protected from Traffic by Parked Cars

 

http://www.streetfilms.org/kinzie-street-the-first-of-many-protected-bike-lanes-for-chicago/

 

http://www.streetfilms.org/

 

Green Lane Project: Sensible Solutions for City Streets

Cities across the country are remaking streets to help people move more quickly, more safely, and with less energy use while improving the quality of life in commercial districts and neighborhoods alike. One key strategy is making room for bicycles, as the density and compact character of cities makes riding a bike an incredibly effective transportation option. Leading cities are combining innovative new designs and traditional approaches to transform their streets.

 

http://www.bikesbelong.org/bikes-belong-foundation/green-lane-project/

 

Peter Wilborn -- Charleston Cycling Attorney will speak at  April 2, 2012 Club Meeting

 

Look for e-mail soon with full meeting information, and please plan to attend! Peter will speak about the lost art of the group ride and provide an update on legal issue for SC cyclists. Here is an article on the group ride he posted last fall:

 

http://carolinacyclingnews.com/2011/09/01/lost-art-of-the-group-ride/

 

Peter’s website:

http://www.bikelaw.com/

 

 

 

We have had a changing of the guard for Spinners Advocacy as Scott McCrary has decided
to step down after serving as chair for the past three years, and Frank Mansbach has taken
over this role.

 

As your new chair, I have been networking with many stakeholders to better understand what
we should be doing in this arena, and so far have developed this list:

 

We need to do a better job informing the Spinners membership of the need for cycling
       advocacy in Greenville County.

 

The first step is to increase the level of communications; look for regular monthly emails
        on advocacy subjects, and more updates to this web page.

 

We need a larger percentage of Spinners to become engaged in advocacy — Scott reports
        he had a rather small percentage of members engaged — this needs to grow!

 

We need to advocate spending at least one percent of our transportation budgets on bicycle
        and pedestrian projects in Greenville County.

 

We need more elected officials to get behind increased expenditures for pedestrian
       and bicycling projects.

 

There is a Greenville County Council Election in November 2012 where 7 of the 12 seats are
       to be chosen. We need to ensure that all candidate’s positions regarding bicycle issues are
       well understood by Spinners members.

 

We need to partner with other like minded organizations to have a larger advocacy voice.
       We have started discussions with some of these organizations (such as Livewell Greenville)
       and will have more to report on that collaboration going forward.

 

We need all Spinners to be engaged towards this goal:

        “To create a more pedestrian and bicycle friendly community in Greenville County”

 

 

 

 

Advocacy News

 

Mia Birk Visit to Greenville in September 2011

 

Some of you may remember that the Palmetto Cycling Coalition and the Palmetto Conservation
Foundation helped sponsor a visit by Portland Oregon noted cycling advocate Mia Birk to Charleston,
Columbia and Greenville in early September. I was fortunate to attend one of the sessions and
received a copy of her book Joyride (pictured below) which I highly recommend.

 

 

On 22 December 2011, Mia posted “50 Keys to Transforming Communities and Empowering People,
One Pedal Stroke at a Time,” on her blog at the below link. This 2 page document summarizes her
key findings that are found in her book, and I urge all to read her recommendations.

 

http://www.miabirk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Joyride-50-Keys.pdf

 

 

Transforming a community to be bicycle friendly is extremely difficult, but she has done it in Portland
and is now advising other communities through her work as President of Alta Planning and Design.

 

You can also find Mia Birk on YouTube — search for a TEDtalk she gave in Portland — which worth
watching and basically the talk she gave in Greenville!

 

 

Alliance Benchmarking Report Ranks Cities and States
on Bicycling and Walking

 

This report was posted on 23 January 2012 and the below graphic tells quite a story:

 

 

As for our state of South Carolina, the following are the sad statistics — out of the 50 states we rank:

 

Bicycling and Walking Levels –   44^th

Bicycle / Pedestrian Fatality Rates – 49^th

Per Capita Funding for Bicycle / Pedestrian –   46^th

Walking to Work – 40^th

Cycling to Work – 43^rd

 

If you want to learn more, you can download the 244 page report or a summary at this link:

 

http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/blog/alliance_benchmarking_report_ranks_cities_and_states_on_bicycling_and_walki/

 

 

 

 

Resources

 

Advocacy Websites                                 Twitter Feeds

  

http://www.bikeleague.org/                                            @BikeLeague

 

http://www.bikesbelong.org/                                          @Bikesbelong

 

http://www.pccsc.net/

 

http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/

 

http://bikegreenville.blogspot.com/

 

http://www.completestreets.org/                                    @completestreets

 

http://www.copenhagenize.com/                                    @copenhagenize

 

http://www.miabirk.com/                                                 @miabirk

 

 

Local Government Websites

 

http://www.greenvillecounty.org/gcpc/transportation_planning/gpats.asp

 

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/Trails/Bikeville.aspx

 

http://greenvillerec.com/parks/swamp-rabbit/

 

 

Local Advocacy Organizations

 

http://livewellgreenville.org/community-action/around-town/

 

http://greenvilleforward.com/visiontransportation.htm

 

 

 

 

Contact Information

Frank Mansbach

Spinners Advocacy Chair for 2012

frankmansbach@yahoo.com