THANK YOU so much to all of the sponsors, supporters, committee members, volunteers, and visitors who made The Great Topeka Bike Fest a smashing success for 2018. We learned a lot through practice, and we hope to deliver an even better event experience next year.
In the meantime, check out our final event report, and stay tuned for more photos from the event.
Final report: web version
Final report: print version with full resolution photos
Event permits are underway, maps are being drawn up, schedules are being created – this event is happening!
Let’s get together for our monthly hackathon to keep going on the event plan and continue to work out details.
Join us Saturday, March 24th, 9am-11am at Quincy Street Station, south boardroom (by the bike racks). Donuts and coffee will be provided!
As usual, the Topeka St. Patrick’s Day Parade was a blast.
Thanks to all who made it awesome!
Join us again at 9am on Saturday, March 24th, for the next planning meeting for the Great Topeka Bike Fest!
We’ll meet at the south conference room at Quincy Street Station, 9th & Quincy in downtown Topeka. Enter the south doors near the bike racks.
We had a great group last time, hope you can make it again!
Join us on Saturday, February 24th, from 9am-11am at Quincy Street Station again to work on more details about this summer’s Great Topeka Bike Fest.
We’ll have proposed event schedules to decide on, and we’ll need to finalize the date. We have some group conflicts with Sept. 22nd, but Sept. 30th is a possibility.
How about a potluck this time! We’ll provide coffee, but sign up here if you’d like to bring something else: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sbBxP86_1Demo-RAfS3JHGnXB8r24TB4Iw9n1EgqDe0/edit?usp=sharing
How can we make Cyclovia even better this year?
Let’s get together for a planning meeting:
9am-12pm on Saturday, January 13th,
at the Quincy Street Station south boardroom (9th & Quincy downtown).
Coffee and snacks will be provided. If you plan to attend, RSVP here:
Republished from KDOT. By Chris Bortz.
By Chris Bortz
Annually, about 60,000 crashes occur in Kansas. This equates to more than 150 crashes each day in the state. Four of the top five contributing circumstances listed on the crash report are driver-related behaviors. The contributing circumstances surrounding a crash are typically: speeding, too fast for conditions, failure to yield at a stop sign or stop light, following too closely, texting and/or other distraction. All these factors are 100 percent preventable. The decisions that every driver makes not only impact themselves and their passengers, but everyone else on the road.
Using the word ‘crash’ instead of accident more accurately identifies the event – it doesn’t give the perception that no one was at fault. The word ‘accident’ implies no one was at fault or that the event couldn’t have been prevented. That is a pretty hard pill to swallow if you were the victim in a crash and the other driver was going too fast for conditions and/or was distracted.
You may have noticed that I didn’t include the circumstance of ‘impaired or drunk’ in the paragraph above. Choosing to drive impaired is a horrible, conscious decision and the ramifications of this decision lead to around 100 deaths, 1,300 injuries and 2,300 crashes in this state every year. In Kansas, You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.
I don’t believe that people get behind the wheel and say, “I think I will injure or kill someone in a car crash today.” Just because it was not intentional, doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been prevented. Most drivers rate themselves as great drivers and will say the problem is the other driver(s). However, driving is a privilege, not a right. You are sharing the road with all drivers and it is important for you to drive as if your life depends on it. Oh wait, it just might.
On the Drive to Zero fatalities, you are in the driver’s seat.
Chris Bortz is the Traffic Safety Manager at KDOT
