February 2010 News

- Bike Month Event planning continues as we move closer towards May which is National Bike Month! The event schedule for Nevada County Bike to Work Week has been set; you can view the events by clicking here: Bike Month Event Schedule

- APPT’s Treasurer Becca Ismesis has sent off the preliminary paperwork needed for establishing our group as 501c3 non-profit organization. Thank you for all your hard work Becca!

- One of APPT’s many goals is to be a voice for the walking and biking community and help bridge the communication gap between local government agencies and the public. Including, assisting the local agencies to identify new hazards and safety issues, becoming more being proactive in the repair process. APPT intends to build a working alliance between government and community to better meet all of our transportation safety needs and concerns. We have joined the SeeClickFix organization and integrated a Hazard reporting interface into the APPT website so citizens in our community have access to this powerful resource. The APPT Hazard Map and reporting function is somewhat automated, for now we (APPT and/or the users) are still required to initially report each hazard and then follow up on reported hazards to the responsible repair agency. Repair agencies will be able to report progress as well, including repair status, projected repair time, any issue relating to the reported hazard.

The SeeClickFix interface is designed that:

• Citizens can report issues on the go, and set up watch areas to monitor their block (aka "eyes on the street").
• Neighborhood groups and advocates follow reports of blocked bike lanes, sidewalks and roadways in need of repair, obstacles in roadways, etc.
• Allows government and agencies to watch and monitor for potholes and cracked sidewalks, safety issues, etc.
• Citizens vote on neighborhood issues, or promote more efficient community governance by instantly forwarding them to a person who might be able to help.
• Neighborhood groups, elected officials and advocates monitor key issues, and publicly propose solutions on how to resolve them.
• Governments and other entities responsible for the public space (such as utilities and property owners) become more accountable to the public by acknowledging problems and providing effective communication about solutions.

Read the APPT February 2010 monthly meeting minutes here: 2.10.10 Minutes

2.01010 - Jim Rogers, a well-known Nevada County bicyclist was killed Sunday afternoon on Highway 174. It is with a very heavy heart I report this to the group. For those of you who have not already heard this unfortunate news, we have lost one of our own in a tragic accident on Sunday afternoon. Jim Rogers was riding his bicycle southbound on Hwy. 174 climbing out of the Bear River canyon yesterday and was struck by a vehicle and lost his life. Jim was wearing a bright jersey, helmet and riding on the far right, doing everything right. That is what we know for now.

He will be greatly missed. He had an ability to remind us all why we ride bicycles, the pure love and passion of being on a bicycle. Jim’s sense of purpose and passion for cycling helped form this area into one of the best known and revered bicycling communities in the United States.

Jim Rogers is and will always remain an icon to this community, may he rest in peace.

There are no words to accurately describe our feelings regarding this unfortunate event. However we would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the Roger's family in this most difficult time.

Sincerely,
Rich Looney - APPT

January 2010 News

Despite poor weather and less than ideal road conditions turn-out for the first APPT Board of Directors Elections and regular monthly meeting was great!  New and old members provided positive energy and enthusiasm to the meeting’s agenda items!  Considering that APPT is a fairly new organization it was wonderful to see so many inspired people come together with a shared vision for our community.  It is was evident by the number of people in attendance that there is a shift in our community regarding alternative transportation and we are happy to be this community’s advocacy group leading this effort and helping citizens incorporate walking and biking into their daily routines!  The results of our first elections are below.
Elections were held and the results are below:

APPT Board of Directors:
Chairman: Rich Looney
Vice-Chair: Eric Mayer
Treasurer: Becca Imseis
Secretary: Rod Brown
Board Members:
Tom Grundy
Monica Hughes
Mike Pettengill

We would like to thank these people for their commitment to the APPT organization and wish the first elected APPT Directors continued success over the next year in guiding APPT through its infancy!

- National Bike Month planning continues as committees have now been formed and the first steps to promoting Bike to Work events begins.  Please contact us if you are interested in becoming involved in APPT’s promotions for Bike Month or any related Bike to Work events.

- APPT non-profit status: Our newly elected Treasurer, Becca Imseis, is heading up this effort and has reported that the necessary paperwork for APPT to file as a 501c3 Non-profit organization is in transit!  We want to thank Becca for her commitment and hard work regarding this process! We are in good hands!

- A Bike Route Map is now up and running!  A big thanks to Board Member, Mr. Tom Grundy for his tireless hard work and energy spent designing this map!   Please visit the maps page on this website and please feel free to provide any input you may have.  You can send us an e-mail at: appt-group@att.net with your suggestions.
Read the APPT January 2010 monthly meeting minutes here: 1.20.10 Minutes

December 2009 News

- Our monthly meeting had many Nevada County advocacy groups in attendance showing support of one another. It was encouraging to have APPT, SEBC, FTA, and BONC members all in attendance and collaborating, evidence that there is a real shift in our community with regards to biking and walking advocacy. We look forward to all our groups continuing to meet. We believe, with a great deal of optimism, that ALL our efforts in the coming years will help make our community an even better place to live by inspiring people to begin incorporating alternative means of transportation into their daily lives, thanks again to ALL who attended!

- Elections were announced for the first APPT Board of Directors, this election will be held on Friday January 22, 2010 @ the Briar Patch in Grass Valley.   At this meeting we all agreed that APPT was ready for a BoD and a non-profit status.  A few of our immediate goals is to build a structured leadership, position the APPT organization for advocacy grants, and create a more cohesive group.  If you are interested in becoming an APPT BoD please feel free to contact us so we can add your candidacy to the agenda for the January meeting.

- We discussed National Bike Month which is held every May.  We all agreed that May will be here before we know it, so APPT has formed a Bike Month Promotions Committee and will begin to discuss the steps needed to get our community biking and walking to school or work for the month of May!  If you are interested in becoming involved in National Bike Month, Bike to Work Week, or Bike to Work Day please contact us!

Read the December 2009 minutes here: APPT Meeting: 12.17.09 Minutes