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department of parks and recreation

Bikeville

The Bikeville Community Iniative is underway. And it's not too late for you to get involved!

Bikeville is the City of Greenville’s bicycle friendly community initiative to educate and empower every bicyclist and motorist to Share the Road. The goal is to provide safe bicycling facilities and useful educational resources about bicycle safety issues in our community.
Download Bicycle Safety Brochure

Background

The City of Greenville’s Bicycle Friendly Community Initiative began is 2006 by a City Council Resolution. The goal of a Bicycle Friendly Greenville is to provide infrastructure, education, and outreach to increase the number of trips made by bicycles. This will be achieved by improving our roads to accommodate bicyclist and the creation of programs that encourage alternative transportation.

Bicycle Friendly Community Award LogoBicycle Friendly Community

The League of American Bicyclists has honored Greenville with its prestigious Bicycle Friendly Community award. The League of American Bicyclists’ mission is to promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. Greenville was granted the bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation for four years and the League of American Bicyclists will provide the City with feedback on what it can do to make Greenville even more bicycle-friendly. Announcement of the Bicycle Friendly Community designation comes at an ideal time as the City plans to begin a comprehensive Bicycle Master Plan study in January 2010.

The City submitted its Bicycle Friendly Community application in August 2009. The application was carefully reviewed and scored by a committee, which also consulted with local cyclists in the Greenville community. Communities are judged in five categories, which the League of American Bicyclists refers to as the Five Es: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Evaluation & Planning. A community must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories in order to be considered for an award.

According to Bill Nesper, director of the Bicycle Friendly Community Program for the League of American Bicyclists, the award is presented only to communities with remarkable commitments to bicycling and is a national recognition of the City’s “tremendous efforts to create a truly Bicycle Friendly Community.”

View Video about Greenville's Bicycle Friendly Community Designation
 

View a slide show of some of the Bikeville initiatives

Bicycle Maps

The following links utilize Google mapping technology and are intended to help guide bicyclists along bicycle friendly routes. The hope is that you will use the interactive maps to discover which network elements are most convenient to your home, work, or frequented destinations. Our goal is to provide a convenient tool that can be used to discover our bicycle friendly community. Each map link will display a specific network type such as Bicycle Lanes, Greenway Trails, Bicycle Routes, and Mountain Bike Trails. Maps can be viewed without a Google account, however if you already have a Google account or decide to create one, you can Manage and "Save" each map in the "My Maps" section of Google Maps. We will be adding to these maps, so check back frequently to get the latest information.

 If you have any problems with the following links or maps, send an email to bikeville@greenvillesc.gov. Please remember to ride safe, wear a helmet and follow the rules of the road.

Current Bicycle Lanes Map
Current Greenway Trails Map
Current Signed Bicycle Routes Map
Current Mountain Bike Trails Map
Overall Bike Network Map
View Greenville County's "signed Bike Route" maps County Swamp Rabbit Trail Map

Photo of Greenway Bicycle RideGreenway Bicycle Ride

What: Lunch time Greenway Bicycle Ride
When: Third Friday of Each Month @ 12:00 p.m.
Where: Various locations along the Swamp Rabbit Trail
Who: Anyone with a bicycle and a helmet

Join Brian Graham, the City’s Greenway Planner, and Ty Houck, Greenville County Recreation District, for a bicycle ride along the Swamp Rabbit Trail. This is a great opportunity to get out of the office, enjoy some fresh air and get some exercise on a Friday afternoon. All level of bicyclists are encouraged to attend - the pace will be easy and no one will be left behind. We’ll meet at 12 noon at different locations each month and ride for about 30 minutes. A longer ride may be available for those who don’t need to make it back to the office in such a timely manner. All participants are encouraged to wear a helmet. All rides are rain or shine, heat & humidity or temperatures near freezing, so please dress accordingly.

 All participants are encouraged to wear a helmet. This ride takes place on the 3rd Friday of every month, so mark your calendar’s in advance. For more information, please contact Brian Graham at 467-4350 or bgraham@greenvillesc.gov.

Download informational flyer on the Greenway Bicycle Ride
Download the 2010 Ride Schedule

Celebrate Bike Month LogoBike Month Events
Each May, the City organizes annual events to celebrate National Bike Month. There are so many ways to join the festivities in May. View Bike Month 2009 Schedule
Bicycle Friendly Greenville Updates

On Tuesday, July 15th, 2008, the City of Greenville hosted a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) Workshop with the BFC Director for the League of American Bicyclist. 

View the Presentation
View the Workshop Results and Action Step Recommendations

Bicycle Friendly Workshop Meeting, July 15, 2008Summary of Action Step Recommendations as determined by the workshop attendees:
  1. Start a BFC Committee and set the goal of applying for the BFC application and reaching Gold by a certain time. To volunteer for the BFC Committee, email Andrew Meeker.
  2. Set up a League Cycling Instructor seminar to certify instructors who can teach children, adults, an motorists. Start regular class for each of these groups.
  3. Create a plan for improved signage (bike lanes, yield to bikes/pedestrians, share the road, bike parking) – start implementation on most traveled roads first.
  4. Expand the bicycle network and increase network connectivity through the use of bike lanes, shared lane arrows and signed routes. This will provide a broader range of facility choices for users of various abilities and comfort levels.
  5. Facilitate the creation of a stronger, more centralized advocacy group that will take the lead on education and encouragement program. Work with the PCC to launch this initiative
  6. Create a bicycling website for Greenville that will act as a central hub for bicyclists and potential bicyclists to gather education tips, local bike routes, people to ride with, and news about events and other cycling-related activities. This site will also act as a place for bicyclists to comment on current bicycle projects and to report facility maintenance issues, etc.
  7. Expand public education campaigns to promote the "share the road" message and the rights and responsibilities of all users. Develop public service announcements for TV, radio, and in print.
  8. Adopt a Complete Streets policy in the community.
  9. Develop a series of short (2-5 mi.) loops rides around the community and provide appropriate way-finding signage. Integrate these rides into a local bike map.
  10. Improve marketing and education of bike rack and bus bike rack use. Ensure that drivers are educated as well.)
  11. Fill out BFC application!
The following is a list of BFC initiatives already underway: View examples of some infrastructural improvements that you may see around town.
Downtown Bike Plan
In 2005, City Staff and members of the Greenville Spinners Bicycle Club collaborated to develop a Master Plan for bicycle infrastructure improvements. This plan was then presented and approved by Greenville City Council in 2006. Although much has changed in the years since the plan was originally developed, it is still used as a framework for a network of on-street bicycle friendly streets.
Bicycle Parking
The City's Bicycle Parking Ordinance is designed to encourage development projects to include alternative parking methods that accommodate bicycle travel. The Ordinance requires that any new development which provides vehicular parking areas, provide bicycle parking at a rate of 10% of the proposed vehicular parking. It also allows projects to substitute a percent of required vehicular parking by providing additional bicycle parking, thereby reducing parking lot areas. This Ordinance ensures that Greenville will continue it's efforts to meet the needs of it's citizens and visitors while protecting the environment.

The City has recently installed Bicycle Racks throughout downtown. See plan for locations. For additional information on types of Bicycle Racks and other Bicycle Parking Guidelines, click here
Photo of Bicycles loaded on a Greenlink busRack n Ride
All GreenLink buses now have the capacity to carry 2 bicycles. Bicycles ride for FREE. Loading the bikes is easy, just follow the directions on the rack., or view an instructional video now.

View Rack n Ride Instructional Video

 
H3006 Summary of Bicycle Law Revisions
History was made for cyclist’s safety in South Carolina in June 2008. Governor Mark Sanford Signed into law The Bicycle Safety Act, which amended Article 27, Chapter 5, Title 56 of the 1976 Code. The Act is designed to provide greater safety for bicyclists on South Carolina roads and to bring South Carolina statutes into greater conformity with the Uniform Vehicle Code. This effort was spearheaded by the PCC (Palmetto Cycling Coalition) and was supported by cycling advocates statewide. Review a Summary of the H3006 Revisions.
Complete Streets
The new Complete Streets Policy is an important step in the City’s Bicycle Friendly Community campaign. It also reinforces the City’s commitment to improving travel conditions and travel choices for people of all ages & abilities. The City of Greenville is now committed more than ever to providing appropriate accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders…while promoting safe operation for all users.

Planning for and accommodating all roadway users makes everyone safer, including motorists. Complete Streets have across-the-board benefits like improving air quality and public health while providing transit options. The Complete Streets Coalition cites one study that “found that 43 percent of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels, while just 27 percent of those without safe places to walk were active enough.”