Sometimes it’s impossible to discern the intent of  Vox Populi comments in the Savannah Morning News. Take this one:

“Savannah will always be as bicycle friendly as the Autobahn is to a Moped rider.”

Is this an indictment of Savannah’s aggressive drivers? A warning to cyclists? An affirmation of the absolute dominance of cars on local streets? We will never know.

When evaluating Savannah’s bicycle friendliness level, it all depends on how you look at it.

This weekend hundreds of cyclists visited Savannah to participate in a ride benefiting a very good cause. As they turned right onto Habersham Street from Washington Avenue, they were greeted by an unwelcome sight: several large mounds of yard waste piled in the bike lane. I’m not sure how a person gets the idea that a heavily travelled bicycle lane is an appropriate place to dump trash (ever heard of composting?), but nevertheless there it was and there it remains as I type this, several days later.

Earlier in the week, a friend and colleague narrowly escaped an encounter with a motorist, who clearly meant to do him harm. He provided a vehicle description and license plate number to the police, but the motorist is still out there driving around as I type this, several days later.

And last week, for the first time in a long time, I received a profanity laced scolding from a motorist simply because I was operating my bicycle in accordance with state law. 

Yet last week was an excellent week for Savannah cyclists. The League of American Bicyclists announced Bicycle Friendly Communities for 2009. Momentum seemed to be building on the long-delayed Truman Linear Park Trail. Young cyclists participated in a terrific event in Daffin Park. And, again, hundreds of cyclists visited Savannah to participate in a ride benefiting a good cause.