Riding two abreast.

"Riding double file deters unsafe same-lane passing in narrow lanes and makes the cyclists as visible as a car from the front and behind."

"When cyclists ride near the right edge of a narrow lane, an overtaking motor vehicle driver may misjudge the remaining space in the cyclists’ lane, and fail to change lanes. This is the most common cause of car-overtaking-bicycle collisions in daylight. But when cyclists make it clear from a distance that a same-lane pass is not possible, motorists slow down earlier and plan their lane change sooner, reducing the cyclists’ risk of a sideswipe."

Thanks to BikeWalkNC for excellent article @ http://www.bikewalknc.org/2015/04/why-cyclists-ride-two-abreast/

Would you like to make Morgantown more Bicycle Friendly?

Bicycling: Economic Benefits

Here are links to the PowerPoint presentation to a September 18, 2013 presentation to the West Virginia Region VI Planning and Development Council -

download/view Bicycling: Economic Benefits pdf 18MB
download Bicycling: Economic Benefits PowerPoint 17MB
view Bicycling: Economic Benefits flash file 2MB (mouse-click on page to move forward)

Support South Middle School Bike Club

Dominion Post, Sept. 28, 2012 p. 7-A

Teacher running so students can ride

BY CHELSEA FULLER

The Dominion Post For Mark Thorne, a special education teacher at South Middle School, the work doesn’t end when the bell rings at 2:20 p.m. As the sponsor of the school’s bike club, Thorne has decided to run so that his students can ride. To raise funds for the bike club, Thorne started a pledge drive as he prepares to run in the West Virginia Trilogy, Oct. 12-14, at Spruce Knob in Seneca Rocks Recreation Area, he said. “The fundraiser is being done this way so that kids don’t have to go door-to-door and raise money for their club,” Thorne said. “I am going to run all three days of the trilogy, totaling 94.1 miles. I am asking for people to sponsor me, and all proceeds will go toward our bike club.”

The first day of the Trilogy is a 50-kilometer run, Thorne said. The second day is 50 miles and the final day winds down with a 13.1-mile run. “We cross over the highest point in the state right about daybreak. The fast runners finish the runs in the daylight, but I will finish with a headlamp on,” Thorne said with a laugh. There is no set pledge amount.

People are welcome to pledge cents-permile or single monetary donations, Thorne said. Pledges are due before Monday, but donations can also be made after the race. “All funds raised from the pledge drive will be used to purchase helmets, T-shirts and equipment needed to repair bikes,” Thorne said. “We have had several people even donate bikes.” The South Middle School Bike Club, now in its third year, meets every two weeks rain or shine, and has 42 student members, officials said. “We’ve grown in popularity. Several of the students don’t have the opportunity to do other extracurricular activities,” Thorne said.

Club member Shyan Weaver, 12, has used a wheelchair since she was a young child. The sixth-grader rides a custom-made bike with three wheels and a hand crank that propels the bike instead of pedals, she said. “Riding isn’t hard for me. The hills can be tough sometimes, but it’s not that big of a problem.” Weaver said being in the bike club has been a great experience for her. “I have only had one ride so far, but I am looking forward to the next one.” Bike club members are scheduled to take their next ride at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 4. They will ride from the school to Star City and back, Thorne said.

TO DONATE to the South Middle School Bike Club or to sponsor Mark Thorne in the West Virginia Trilogy, send money to South Middle School, Attention: Bike Club, 500 East Parkway, Morgantown, WV 26501.

Deckers Creek Trail to be closed in area of mile 9.2

Monday, September 24th- Wednesday, 26th from the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m

Decker’s Creek Limestone Company is to close down a small portion of the Deckers Creek Rail-Trail for repair and maintenance of the canopy located at approximately mile 9.2, just east of Dave's Snack Shack. The Deckers Creek mine property is located between the Masontown Trailhead (mile 13.5) and the Mellons Chapel Trailhead (mile 5.9). Please stay out of the maintenance work area during this time.

The canopy protects trail users from debris coming off the overhead conveyor belts at the Decker’s Creek Mine. The repair and maintenance will start on Monday, September 24 and be completed on Wednesday, September 26th.

Ella Belling
Executive Director
Mon River Trails Conservancy
P.O. Box 282
Morgantown, WV 26507
www.montrails.org
304-692-6782

MUB TO CLOSE RAIL TRAIL MAY 29 TO 31

MORGANTOWN, W.Va., May 25, 2012— The Caperton Trail, from the Seneca Center to the Arboretum, will be closed Tuesday, May 29; Wednesday, May 30; and Thursday, May 31. The closure is necessary to allow the installation of culverts across the Caperton Trail in conjunction with the Morgantown Utility Board’s (MUB) remediation/stabilization of a land slide affecting a MUB Interceptor Sewer Pipeline near Sixth Street. No detour will be available during the three-day closure. MUB management appreciates the public’s patience.

Morgantown named a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists

MORGANTOWN – May is National Bike Month, with hundreds of events and thousands of riders celebrating bicycling nationwide, and a growing number of U.S. communities taking steps to encourage residents to ride all year round — including Morgantown. Today, the League of American Bicyclists announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) and Morgantown was named a Bronze Level BFC.

“We are not surprised that this was the largest number of new and renewing applicants that we’ve ever had,” said League President Andy Clarke. “The popularity of this program is clear evidence that investment in bicycling is a major catalyst in creating the kind of vibrant communities people want to live, work and visit. Morgantown recognizes that simple steps to make bicycling safe and comfortable pay huge dividends in civic, community and economic development.”

The BFC program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. With this impressive round, there are now 214 BFCs in 47 states across America. The Bronze Level BFC award recognizes Morgantown’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.

The city of Morgantown first demonstrated its commitment to cycling by creating the Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board. In the past few years, the board has created and run a Confident City Cycling course, which educates cyclists of their rights and duties on the roadway and how to avoid crashes. The city has made infrastructure improvements, including installing bike rack loops on parking meters in the downtown area and pilot testing bike lockers at two city parking garages. The city also adopted the Greater Morgantown Bicycle Plan at its May 1st meeting, which recommends several bike-friendly improvements including designating bike-climbing lanes on portions of Monongahela Boulevard.

Morgantown is the first city in the state of West Virginia to officially be named a Bicycle Friendly Community. West Virginia ranks 50th on the League’s website for bicycle friendliness. Huntington has received honorable mention.

“Morgantown has been working hard the past five years to establish a balanced program of education, enforcement, infrastructure development, encouragement and evaluation to facilitate cycling not only as recreation, but also as a practical means of transportation to achieve our goal of having by 2020, 1 of every 20 vehicles on Morgantown’s streets be a bicycle,” said Frank Gmeindl, Morgantown Bicycle Board Chair. “Receiving the LAB’s Bicycle Friendly Community Bronze designation indicates that we’re on the right track but there is much work to be done.”

The BFC program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application has become a rigorous and an educational tool in itself. Since its inception, more then 500 distinct communities have applied and the four levels of the award – platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve.

To apply or learn more about the free BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community. To learn more about the activities of the Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board and cycling in Morgantown, visit bikemorgantown.com.

About the Bicycle Friendly America Program
The Bicycle Friendly Community, Bicycle Friendly State, Bicycle Friendly Business and Bicycle Friendly University programs are generously supported by program partners Bikes Belong and Trek Bicycle’s One World, Two Wheels Campaign. To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/

The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of America's 57 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org.

For more information, contact Public Communications Manager Susan Sullivan at 304-284-7426.