Haven't had a Ft. Wayne post in awhile

Some Summit and bike lanes talk from Fort Wayne:

Amy Hartzog may not be a member of Bicycle Indiana but she will definitely be at the statewide bicycling summit this weekend in Indianapolis.

Hartzog is a Greenway Associate for the city of Fort Wayne and is a part of the bike planning committee that is shaping the city’s 10-year bike plan. A trip to the summit this weekend will provide information on what other cities around the state have been doing with their bike trails and routes.

Using the information culled from a survey and a bike summit last spring the Fort Wayne is trying to take what people want and implement it into a bike master plan. They are hoping to have the plan ready to go by January.

Hartzog says she wants to bring back from the summit, “new tools and knowledge to help with defining the bike network here in Fort Wayne, basically making Fort Wayne more bicycle friendly.” She is hoping to get information about what other communities have done around the state and apply what works here.

“We can certainly learn from other communities in Indiana to find out what is going on. … We like to plan with people, not just for people,” said Rachel Blakeman, city spokeswoman.

Full story here.

Some Summit Love from Carroll County

From the Carroll County Comet:

Bicycle Indiana, the collective voice of Indiana cyclists, is convening its first Bicycle Indiana Summit on Saturday, to address ways to make the state more bicycle-friendly. The event, to be held at the Indiana Government Center in downtown Indianapolis, will kick off with morning bike rides (free and open to the public), followed by lunch, a nationally known keynote speaker and breakout sessions for planning professionals, bicycling advocates and biking enthusiasts.

Full blip here.

Have you registered yet to attend?

Seriously, you need to go to this. We need to come out in droves. And, it's not just because of the speakers and breakouts. That's cool, too, and will be super informative. But think of it this way, too:

The more people who show up to this, the bigger the number Nancy and the rest of the BI crew can give to state and local legislatures to say, "Look. These are your consituents. This is how many people care about cycling in your state. This is how many voters you are ignoring when you vote against cycling infrastructure."

I can't stress that enough.

Summit Breakout Sessions

Bicycle Indiana released info last week about the various breakout sessions/seminars they're going to have at the Bicycle Summit. Looks like they've covered all their bases, having sessions for everyone from the advocate to the recreational rider to the commuter. Here's a run down of what's going to be there; if anything piques your interest, go here for more info.

For Planners:

Bike Lane Striping - the Devil Is in the Details
Safe Routes To School - How To Get Them
What It Will Take for Indiana to Break Away from the Pack

For Advocates:

Bicycle Friendly Initiatives - Welcome to the Five E's
Trails and Greenways: Where They Really Are Taking Us
Complete the Streets! Accommodating Cycling's Rightful Place on the Pavement

For Enthusiasts:
How To Get The Most From Your Ride
Smart Cycling - How to Promote Bicycle Safety in Your Community
Bike Fitting...It Is Not All About the Bike

Some press for the Indiana Bicycle Summit

Indiana Business Journal just upped an article overviewing the agenda for the Indiana Bicycle Summit happening next week:

Indianapolis, Ind.---Bicycle Indiana, the collective voice of Indiana cyclists, is convening its first Bicycle Indiana Summit on Saturday, October 17, 2009, to address ways to make the state more bicycle-friendly. The event will kick off with morning bike rides (free and open to the public), followed by lunch, a nationally known keynote speaker and breakout sessions for planning professionals, bicycling advocates and biking enthusiasts.

"Indiana has become more bicycle-friendly in the past few years, but we still have a long way to go to make bicycling a full-fledged transportation option," said Nancy Tibbett, executive director of Bicycle Indiana. "This summit is a first step toward joining together the voices of everyone who rides--whether they ride for fun, for exercise, to get to work or to run errands. Together, we can start to make the changes that will benefit all of us."

Full story here.

More info on the Indiana Bicycle Summit here. More info on what's happening at the Summit here.

This Summit is super important, and it's happening next Saturday, so I'm going to pummel you with info about it in the upcoming week, and you're just going to have to put up your dukes.