BY LEE BURBAGE
Coming April 18th is the first Dump the Pump: Leave your car at home day for the city of Savannah. Several groups from around the community have been working in partnership with the city to organize this event. Kristen Hyser, a city of Savannah employee, and one of the people responsible for planning this event, had this to say “This is the first Dump the Pump: Leave Your Car At Home day sponsored by Savannah Development and Renewal Authority (SDRA) in partnership with the City of Savannah, Chatham Area Transit Authority (CAT), Savannah Bicycle Campaign and the Pedestrian Advocates of the Coastal Empire…The purpose of Dump the Pump: Leave Your Car At Home Day is to raise awareness about the benefits of using alternative modes of transportation and to encourage people from throughout the community who travel to downtown (employees, residents, students, shoppers, and diners) to commute by bicycling, taking the bus, walking, and carpooling. “
Charlie Brazil, a Savannah local, has also been heavily involved with the planning of this event. Brazil gives us a little bit of history in how this event was planned and some of their goals for the future. “We started working on it this a year ago. Instead of breaking off into committee’s we broke of into task forces for specific issues. The task force I am a part of is the parking and mobility taskforce. But because there are so many groups assigned to this area we decided to focus on a different way to solve this problem. We felt that switching to alternative modes of transportation is the solution to parking issues. After a month and half we had come up with the idea of Dump the Pump day. We are planning on having three [Dump the Pump] events this year in April, May and June and we hope to keep this going annually.”
Dump the Pump day is followed directly by the Savannah Wheelie on April 19th. Cyclists will be arriving at Forsyth Park near the Tennis courts at 3:00p.m. The event is free and everyone is welcome. “Savannah Bicycle Campaign is very pleased that SDRA has planned this event. This will highlight the role for bikes here in Savannah as a viable mode of transportation and a vital component of plans to reduce traffic and parking problems in the downtown area. This event will kick off a big weekend for bicycles, with the mayor and Pete Liakakis riding in Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s Savannah Wheelie April 19, and Stage I of Tour de Georgia April 21,” says Drew Wade, Chairman of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign.
All of this pedestrian and cyclist enthusiasm leads us into May, which also happens to be Bicycle month. For more information bikeleageofamerica.com is the official site of Bike Month. “The event on April 18th is the first Dump the Pump: Leave Your Car At Home Day to be followed by two additional event days on May 16 and June 20. The event in April will coincide with Earth Day (April 19), the event in May will coincide with the National Ride Your Bike to Work Week (May 12 -16) and the June event will coincide with the National Dump the Pump Day (June 21). “ says Hyser “If we see an increase in bike riders, walkers, and bus riders on Dump the Pump: Leave Your Car At Home Day then the day will be a great success!”
