General Meeting
Brief Officer and Committee heads report
President: Matt Moritz Report: Attended Elmwood Neighborhood Association Meeting on Saturday 12Nov11. They are looking for Improved Road crossing safety around the Knight Library, the community center and the Buckland Park area issue with RIDOT Report from RIDOT addresses this area, road safety assessments done. Question: could there be bike lanes? Requested feasibility of bike lanes: would have to eliminate parking lanes, no bike lanes…will add sharrows. City of Pro planning not engaged.
Very little bike traffic on Elmwood Avenue. Just local bike riders. Letter of support to Elmwood neighborhood to develop Elmwood Avenue to become more bike friendly, perhaps a city bike route.

Legislative: Barry: TIP development, 3.5 million/year for bike program: need priorities: Barry and Sue are on priority setting Committee. Concern about Tiverton project. Barry will send out more information
Frank’s law: before the legislature, increases penalty for vulnerable user violators,
Treasurer report: no report
Secretary: will post October and November minutes

Membership/Technology update: Mark/Matt
The web site can generate the letter and fill in a membership card
Let’s turn it on as soon as possible. Mark et al, need to talk to the rest of the bike shops to see if they are going to grant discounts.
Volunteers for contacting shops: Blackstone: Leo, EMS: Leo, REI: Matt will talk to Rita at REI
Read the letter and send Mark any suggestions, edits, changes.
Launch on Friday 18Nov2011 if possible
PayPal integration needs to be completed

Commuter Guide Update: Leo
The guide is coming together. Leo has looked at a lot of examples of guides from other states and organizations.
Bikes Belong have a very good edition: Bruno Meyer is the Bike Belongs contact. Leo will contact him
Rough draft for beginning of January
How distributed? Bike to work day, shops, PDF at our site

Light Up The Night wrap up Matt, Betty
Distributed about 85-90 lights. 10-15 lights left over. Very successful event.
RAB would love to do an event in Olneyville square.
Bike Newport will be getting ~ $500.00 worth of lights. Newport is targeting restaurant workers in their Light Up the Night campaign.

Event
Ceremony honoring George Redman Tuesday, November 29, 2011 2pm state house. Be there if you can! Encourage others to attend.

Core Study: Providence street car project
We are a member of the CTC. $126 million for a 2 mile street car. RIBike should send a message to the CTC about the impact of the rails for cyclists. Matt will e-mail these concerns to the chair of the committee

Commuter Guide Project Update
Leo Corrigan will be the editor; Sue and Dick still involved collecting information until Nov 30.

Online Membership Update
Mark draft of the letter. Mark gets comments from Betty, Barry, Matt $25 single, $40 family membership. Link to website is complete. Mark will monitor for a while.

Blackstone Valley Bikeway through Pawtucket update
Open meeting last Wednesday. RIDOT has the money to repave Blackstone BLVD to Town landing in Pawtucket. Major road project. Roads will be striped to accommodate bikes, sharrows and about 1 mile of bike lanes. Complaints about loss of parking on Pleasant Street. Alfred Stone people don’t want change; they want no paint on their road. Mayor is supported of the bike lanes,. Michael Lewis from RIDOT attended.
State Legislation Update
Towns are asked to update TIP priorities.
Providence TIP meeting Tuesday, 18Oct11 at 5:45pm.
Late November tribute to George Redman.

Reflective Bumper stickers
Have 2 or 3 designs only : “ I rode RI”, “ice cream” “handle bars”

Board Meeting
Matt will suggest several dates in the near future

On the agenda for this months meeting:

• Light up the Night Project Update/Planning (volunteers needed)
• Commuter Guide Project Update
• Online Membership Update
• Blackstone Valley Bikeway through Pawtucket update
• State Legislation Update

We will have time at the end of the meeting for other topics of interest.

244 Thayer St
Providence, RI 02912

The meeting is open to the public.  No mention is given of what the specific opposition is to the signage and or lane striping.  If you live in Pawtucket, especially near this segment of the bike path, this meeting is your chance to learn the plans and have your voice heard.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 7 p.m.
Blackstone Valley Charter School
334 Pleasant St.
Pawtucket, RI

RIBike Monthly Meeting Minutes

Attending: Sue, Matt, Dick, Betty, Vance

Guests: Randall Rose (RIPTA Riders) , Abel Collins (Sierra Club)

President’s Report Matt

A brief discussion about having the RIBike monthly meeting in different locations OR inviting different groups to speak at the monthly meeting to highlight their recent activities.

Secretary’s Report Betty     No report

Treasurer’s Report Sue

We have money in the bank.

There is some money in the budget to develop a RI Commuter’s Guide.

There is money in the budget for “Light up the Night”

RI Commuter’s Guide Sue/Dick

General discussion with these conclusions:

• Sue and Dick are going to develop the Commuter’s Guide. Dick has already started to develop this guide.  A model for the RI guide is the Vermont Commuter’s Guide. Available on line.
• During October, November and December Dick and Sue will collect and organize information: solicit commuter routes through the RIBike web site and anyone who commutes especially in Warwick, Providence, Cranston, Newport, and Cumberland. RIBike members should contribute and solicit contributions to the guide.
• Sue and Dick will edit the material during January with a goal of having it printed in February for a timely distribution in March.

Light Up the Night Matt

There is money for a “Light Up the Night Event.” Matt and Jack will work out the details. Suggested date: at the end of October. Recycle-A-Bike will do a location as well.

RIPTA Riders Randall Rose, Abel Collins

The rest of the evening was spent in a discussion of the recent suggested bus route and schedule cuts. Cyclists often use the bus to transport their bikes. How can RIBike help? RIBike will post on the RIBike website a discussion about the RIPTA proposed changes and how they will affect cyclists.

General Discussion All

DOT meeting, the Environmental Council meeting, National Heritage Corridor meeting: the Sierra Club and RIBike make good partners at these meetings. Barry and/or Dick usually attend these meetings representing RIBike. Abel defined and discussed the ongoing Road Safety Analysis program

Upcoming events of interest

Wooney River Ride Sept 24, 2011

Blackstone Challenge also Sept 24, 2011

350. org Moving Planet Sept 24, 2011

The next general advocacy meeting will be held on September 12h @ 6pm in the Community Meeting Room inside the Brown University Bookstore (244 Thayer Street, Providence). Anyone interested in discussing bicycle advocacy or other issues facing cyclists in Rhode Island is welcome and encouraged to attend.

On the agenda for this meeting:

• Sharrows PSA Update
• Fall Bike Day/Light up the Night event (planning needed)
• Status Update on Membership processing
• Legislative Update
• Environmental Round table Quarterly Meeting update
• Commuter Guide Update

We will have time at the end of the meeting for other topics of interest.

UPDATE: The meeting has been moved to India Point Park due to the state holiday making our usual location unavailable.   I will have a sign on display and be situated at the picnic tables closest to the pedestrian bridge.  Parking on India Street, at the Radisson Hotel and on George M. Cohen Blvd.

The next general advocacy meeting will be held on August 8th @ 6pm in the Community Meeting Room inside the Brown University Bookstore. Anyone interested in discussing bicycle advocacy or other issues facing cyclists in Rhode Island is welcome and encouraged to attend.

On the agenda for this meeting:

• Sharrows PSA
• Fall Bike Day/Light up the Night event
• Tiverton Bike Path overview (tentative)
• Moveable Monthly Meeting

• Remaining NBW Small Grant funds

We will have time at the end of the meeting for other topics of interest.

The group as a whole made a pledge not to drop this issue and to keep the current momentum.  You will be hearing more on this blog, please engage in the process.  We will need the input, concerns, and support of all cyclists in the state in order to effectively make any change to the current laws.

Thanks again to Lori DiBiasio and Frank’s mother Sandra for attending last night and getting this advocacy effort start.  It’s now time for the cyclists to take the reigns and fight for laws that make sense.  The time and conditions are ripe for eco-friendly modes of transportion.  Let’s make 2009 the year of the bicycle in RI!