2025 Quarter 2 Newsletter
Tennessee Bike Walk Summit
Bike Walk Tennessee is looking forward to hosting the 2025 Tennessee Bike Walk Summit on November 13 and 14 in Chattanooga, Tennessee! The Summit brings together cyclists and pedestrians, advocates, planners, engineers, and elected officials from across the state to share resources and best practices related to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, funding, education, outreach, and policy. Through a series of keynote presentations, breakout sessions, and mobile workshops, the Summit is a valuable educational and networking experience. We look forward to an incredible keynote presentation from Jon Jon Wesolowski, “the happy urbanist”, and so much more! Be on the lookout for more details coming soon!
Interested in presenting at the Summit? The Call for Proposals is open now! Submit your application by August 10!
Would you or an organization you’re affiliated with like to support the important work we do at Bike Walk Tennessee and sponsor this year’s Summit? Sponsorship opportunities are available right now - we appreciate your generous support!
Committees
Brentwood
Organizational Leadership
Bike Walk Brentwood is transitioning our leadership, and are excited to announce these changes in early August. We look forward to working alongside the Board of Commissioners and continuing to serve the needs of cyclist and pedestrian safety in our community!
Chattanooga
Safety Education
White Oak Bicycle Co-op has partnered with two different cities in Hamilton County to open the region’s first traffic gardens. Traffic Gardens are miniature streetscapes where children can practice bicycle handling skills, learn the rules of the road, and learn to ride in a car-free space. White Oak partnered with the City of Red Bank and opened the Red Bank Traffic Garden on April 9. On June 12, the South Chattanooga Traffic Garden opened with a bike rodeo for the community center children.
Advocacy
Bike Walk Chattanooga continues to advocate for several different grassroots initiatives throughout the city. Several different neighborhoods in Chattanooga seek to have slower streets and implement traffic calming measures. These discussions have led to excitement around several neighborhood greenway projects.
Bike Walk Chattanooga continues to coordinate and engage with the city on several projects including the paving of Cherokee Boulevard, the closure of the Walnut Street Bridge, and the closure of the Riverwalk due to the new Erlanger Park baseball stadium construction.
Cleveland
Education and Advocacy
Bike Walk Cleveland was delighted to engage in discussions, raise new questions, and attend the presentation from the third cohort of the Urban Greenspace Research Collaborative, focusing on their work regarding the Cleveland Bradley Greenway. They shared intriguing studies and subprojects, including research on walking to school, the effects of foliage on microclimates, and the influence of biodiversity on the Greenway. It was inspiring to connect with future planners, engineers, ecologists, and computer programmers who shared our enthusiasm for walking and biking! For more details, be sure to explore their complete project!
Urban Greenspace Research Collaborative
Public Engagement
Bike Walk Cleveland is thrilled to continue our support for Family Promise of Bradley County during their annual Cleveland Circuit Ride. This year, we will again provide rider assistance by sweeping the metric century route. There’s nothing quite like the reassurance of not finishing last to encourage riders to explore a new distance. We guarantee we'll be the last ones to cross the finish line!
It’s been wonderful to see so many riders of all ages and abilities come out year after year to experience this fantastic tour of southern Cleveland, while also supporting the vital work being done by Family Promise to assist families transitioning through homelessness. We would love to see more riders from all over Tennessee join us for this great event!
Franklin
Safety Education
Our Bike Rodeo was back for its second year at the city’s Touch A Truck festival, and saw more than 340 kids come through the course. This time we had a real traffic light, speed bumps, and street signage that young riders may encounter. We’ve also been pleased to bring this course to several local daycares and summer camps, further expanding the reach of our educational programming.
Walk and Roll to School
Our inaugural Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day with Liberty Elementary was a tremendous success. More than 100 students and parents joined us at Pinkerton Park for our longest journey to a school yet — 1.4 miles! The school’s SRO helped watch traffic for us, and teachers lined the route to cheer on the kids. Our thanks to school leadership who helped us pull off this event with just a few weeks planning. We loved getting to meet so many Liberty families, many of whom live close enough to campus they are regularly walking or biking with their children. This school marks the fourth campus in the Franklin Special District that has joined in our Walk and Roll to School Days.
Celebrating the 4th!
The City of Franklin asked us to be on site to facilitate bicycle parking during the 4th of July fireworks celebration at Harlinsdale Farm. With thousands of families in attendance, biking in is a great way to avoid traffic after the show. We distributed dozens of LED bike lights for people to use on their ride home.
Knoxville
Whittle Springs Walk with Elected Officials
On April 22, Bike Walk Knoxville staff led a Walk with Elected Officials exploring the Whittle Springs area. Mayor Indya Kincannon participated, alongside several members of City of Knoxville staff representing Vision Zero, Engineering, Sustainability, and more. Also in attendance were several candidates for Knoxville City Council, representatives from Whittle Springs Middle School, Knoxville Area Transit, and the Tennessee Department of Health. The event was a phenomenal opportunity to highlight Safe Routes to School and Vision Zero efforts in the area, and we look forward to continuing to host these impactful tours!
Programs and Events Coordinator
Bike Walk Knoxville is thrilled to welcome Hannah Kitterman to the team as our new Programs and Events Coordinator! Hannah is from Clarksville, TN and is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in English Literature and French. After college she served a year in AmeriCorps with the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and their I Bike KNX program, teaching their Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety course to the greater Knoxville area. She is very excited to be working on projects concerning bicycle and pedestrian safety again!
Advocacy
Our organization has been hard at work partnering with various organizations and projects across Knoxville to make our community a better place to bike and walk for folks of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. This includes working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation on a Pedestrian Roadway Safety Initiative project on Middlebrook Pike, collaborating with City of Knoxville Sustainability on climate pollution reduction grant initiatives, and contributing to the East Knoxville Community Transportation Action Plan. To learn more about our work and involvement with the community, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram) and subscribe to our emails!
Support Our Work!
We rely on your donations to support all that we accomplish across Tennessee. We have a small staff and a grand vision. Help Tennessee realize the social, economic, health, and environmental benefits of bicycle and pedestrian friendly communities by supporting Bike Walk Tennessee. You can support our work by donating to Bike Walk Tennessee or directly to any of our regional subcommittees!
Brentwood || Chattanooga || Cleveland || Franklin || Knoxville