Congratulations to John Bennett, the new executive director of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign. From Connect Savannah:
Bennett will be responsible for coordinating the Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s events, including the annual Earth Day Wheelie ride and the Midnight Garden Ride. He will also oversee the establishment and operation of the organization’s Bicycle Reclamation and Education Center.
The facility, which will open later this year, will rehabilitate donated bicycles, which will be distributed to underserved populations to be used as dependable transportation to work and other destinations. It will also provide a space in which to offer cycling education programs and other services.
“Bicycling and livable communities have been the focus of my academic research and my civic involvement,†Bennett said. “I believe that bicycling can play a critical role in creating healthy, economically resilient and culturally vibrant communities. Savannah is poised to become a model for how bicycles make cities better.â€
Bennett is also the News Cycle columnist at Connect, and his column yesterday was especially on point. From Of parks & parking:
The first time I experienced Forsyth Park as an adult (I visited Savannah many times as a child) was on a Sunday afternoon in late August 1993. Just out of graduate school, I was in town for a job interview.
The park was full of people playing Frisbee, walking dogs or simply sitting in the grass enjoying the last days of summer. It was so idyllic; it almost looked as if it was staged for a movie or commercial shoot.
After seeing that, I pictured myself among the happy folks I saw. I knew I had to get the job. […]
Because of its varied spaces, the park can accommodate a variety of activities.
[…] from routine moments that pass without much notice to special events that are anticipated all year long, Forsyth Park is remarkably versatile and absolutely essential to civic life in Savannah.
Bennett’s column moves on to make a crucial point. If someone wanted to carve out space for a park like Forsyth today, the lack of dedicated parking would almost certainly kill the idea.
The whole column is well worth a read.
