Runoff Advanced/Absentee Voting

You can vote in advance for the Republican Primary Runoff in Cobb County this week. This includes the Joe Thompson and Bob Ott District 2 Cobb Commissioner runoff. You do not to give a reason to vote in advance. Voting is open Monday thru Friday. You need to vote in person at one of the following locations at the listed times:

Elections and Registrations Office
736 Whitlock Avenue
Marietta, GA 30064
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

South Cobb Service Center
4700 AUstell Road
Austell, GA 30106
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

East Cobb Service Center
4400 Lower Roswell Road
Marietta, GA 30068
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

North Cobb Senior Center (Kenworth Park)
3900 Highway 293 (Old Hwy 41)
Acworth, GA 30101
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

West Cobb Parks & Recreation District Office
(Lost Mountain Park)
4845 Dallas Highway
Powder Springs, GA 30127
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Regular voting will be Tuesday August 5.

Again, you do not need to give a reason to vote early. If it is easier, do it. Any registered voter who voted in the GOP Primary or who did not vote at all in the primary is eligible to vote. Only those who voted in the Democratic Party primary are ineligible.

For those of you who do not remember, Joe Thompson is the commissioner who introduced the anti-cycling ordinances in an attempt to ban many cyclists from Columns Drive, a very bad precedent for all cyclists. (A history can be found at: http://bikecobb.blogspot.com/)

Bob Ott seems to be more interested in traffic solutions which include access for cyclists.

Bob Ott Signs Vandalized

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Bob Ott has forced anti-cycling Commissioner Joe Thompson into a runoff for the Republican nomination in Cobb County's District 2 Commissioner race. Thompson received 45% of the vote while Ott received 40%. This is a great chance for cyclists to show support for officials with balanced transportation plans that support cycling, and to help show that we will work against those without. Story on the primary here. The winner of the GOP primary in District 2 will win the election.

During the primary and now leading up to the runoff, there have been reports of Ott's large signs being vandalized, including one on Johnson Ferry near Columns Drive, which has been destroyed repeatedly. Hopefully awareness will help stop this.

For your own signs, and to help support a pro-cycling candidate, visit Bob Ott's website.

Joe Thompson is the commissioner who introduced the anti-cycling Columns ordinances. Supporting his opponent will show that cyclists take such behavior seriously. The runoff is August 5, and any registered voter in District 2 who did not vote in the primary or who voted on the GOP ballot During the primary is eligible to vote. Only those who voted in the Democratic primary is excluded from the GOP runoff election.

Election on July 15th!

Answers to questions you may have about the election on July 15 for the evil Cobb County Commission.

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Every single incumbent voted against the Column's issue and none spoke favorably on cycling during the two contentious hearings. I would say they are all anti-cycling.

Concerning District 2, Bob Ott has done triathlons in the past and has done loops on Columns. I do not know if Ron Sifen cycles. Bob has a much better graphics designer. I do not know who designed Sifen's signs, but they really blow. You almost have to get out of the car and walk over to see what they say.

Vote for either and hope we can hold Thompson under 50% so we get a run off. Then vote for whoever is not Thompson during the run off.

Remember, to vote you will need a picture ID now. When you arrive at your polling place, you will be asked which primary ballot you want. You can take either a Republican or Democratic ballot. In Georgia you do not declare your party when you vote- although your choice in the primary binds you in case there are any runoff election. Thompson, Ott and Sifen are on the Republican ballot. If you wish to vote against Thompson, it is advisable to take the Republican ballot. Some guy is running for District 2 on the Dem ballot, but he will never win in Cobb County District 2, and to my knowledge, the Dem has not even campaigned. (Nothing partisan implied, just the facts.)

Basic Map:

http://www.cobbcountyga.gov/boc/index.htm

FAQs on voting here:

http://www.lwvga.org/elections/index.html

Sample Ballots:

http://www.cobbelections.org/

Vote, and get everybody you know to vote. If cyclists can help take out one incumbent, other politicians will be much more likely to listen to us.

Hyde Farm Saved!

According to the AJC, a deal has been reached to save Hyde Farm. This could be very significant to cyclists in Cobb County, and Roswell, if we act. Now that Hyde Farm becomes a public park, bike trails could connect many current cycling areas. A little over 1 mile of trail could connect Johnson Ferry to Hyde Road, which connects with Lower Roswell. And with a few miles of bike lanes, which some East Cobb residents have sadly been fighting, we could connect Northside Drive at 285 to Azalea/Riverside Drive in Roswell.

Think of being able to cycle from Northside Drive, through Cochran Shoals, up Columns, through Hyde Park, up Hyde Road, turning onto Lower Roswell Road, onto Willeo Road, right onto Azalea, which turns into Riverside, past Martin's Landing all the way to Eves Road. This would be almost 15 miles of paths and bike lanes, many very family friendly and safe. This would not only increase property values in the area, but most like decrease the bike traffic on Columns- I think many folks would rather have a longer ride than doing repeats in the same area. Map of possible route.



Naturally, there would be some resistance to such a bike path by non-cyclists. However, I think pointing out the benefits to families, the possibility of less cyclists on streets without bike lanes and paths, and the possibility of increased property values, can remove a lot of the resistance.

I think this is a great idea to push to Cobb County and The Trust for Public Land.

Commissioner Thompson Gets Challengers!

Remember the big Columns Drive Flap when Cobb District 2 Commissioner Joe Lee Thompson tried to restrict, if not ban, cycling on Columns? Remember how he basically refused to listen to cyclists and ended up getting a bill rammed through the commission that is probably unenforceable and certainly at odds with state law?

Well, Thompson has two Republican challengers for the District 2 election, Bob Ott and Ron Sifren and one Democrat, James Royal.

Bob Ott is a former president of the East Cobb Civic Association, was a member of the Cobb County Planning Commission & Board of Zoning Appeals through the first of this year,is president/owner of DBO software and is a Delta Airlines Pilot. More information can be found at his website, www.bob4cobb.com, which sadly has music playing when you go there. (He has a picture of his children on bicycles during a slide show- perhaps he would be interested in family friendly bike paths?)

Ron Sifen is a former president of the Vinings Homeowners Association and the Cobb County Civic Coalition. I can find no website for his campaign. Update: Ron Sifen's website is http://ronsifen.com, sadly it resizes some browsers. He has been corresponding with cyclists on the Cobb Cycling Yahoo Group. He was against the Columns ordinance.

I can find no information at all on James Royal, other than he has filed and is running.

There was a candidate forum for the 3 Republican candidates Friday evening- it looks like James Royal was not invited. Joe Thompson declined to participate, and Bob Ott and Ron Sifen squared off on Development along Johnson Ferry Road. Article here.

If you are interested in sending a message to Commissioner Thompson, perhaps you should support one of these other candidates. Bob Ott seems to have the best chance against Thompson. Cobb County tends to keep incumbents in office and Republican party does not take kindly to people challenging its old guard, but this is a chance to send a message.

Great Article On Who Pays For Roads

David Neiwart writing in the Seattle PI:

Indeed, most bicyclists in fact also own cars, so they're also paying the licensing fees and gas taxes as well. But by using their bikes in place of cars, the wear and tear (and subsequent maintenance costs) they inflict is exponentially less than that caused by cars and trucks.

A 1995 study titled "Whose Roads?" by cycling advocate Todd Litman laid all this out in detail. The study estimated that automobile users pay an average of 2.3 cents per mile in user fees, including fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, while they actually impose 6.5 cents per mile in road service costs. Who pays the difference? It's picked up by general taxes and property assessments. So while bicyclists pay an equal share of those taxes, they impose costs averaging only 0.2 cents per mile in road service costs.

The amount bicyclists overpay leaps out when you look at the costs of local roads, the roads cyclists use most. Litman found that only a third of the funds for their construction and maintenance comes from vehicle user charges; local property, income and sales taxes pay the rest. Automobile user fees contribute only about 1 cent per mile toward the costs of local roads but simultaneously impose costs more than six times that amount.

Read the entire article! Some great information to use against those folks who feel that cyclists don't belong on the road because they do not pay for them.

Only a third of construction and maintenance costs of local roads come from "vehicle user charges." Only a third!

Assault on Columns

From Sadlebred (Southeastern Cycling) and the Cobb County Police:

Columns Dr. From the Cobb County Police: "PENS Alert Aggravated Assault (05/17/07 @ 1130 hours in Zone 3) The Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit is investigating an aggravated assault on Columns Drive in Marietta, Georgia.

According to investigators, the white male victim was jogging along Columns Drive when he got into a short verbal dispute with the black male suspect. The victim continued on his way and was later confronted by the suspect in a blue/green pick up truck. The suspect got out of his vehicle and ordered the man to apologize. The suspect then produced a handgun and fired a shot at the victim as he ran away. As the victim got the tag number off the truck, the suspect tried to run him over. The suspect fled the area before responding officers arrived. Suspect: Black male, light complexion, 6’00”- 6’03” tall, muscular build, close cropped hair, and armed with a stainless steel semi-automatic handgun.

Anyone with information about this incident should contact the Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit at (770) 499-3945."

Support Bike Racks!

Drive Your Bike To Work Day!

It’s Bike Month!

You’ve got a bike, right?

The purple Schwinn mountain bike you were were going to ride every day. The one you crammed into the back of your car when you drove out west from Minnesota, now collecting dust in your garage.

Or the 1980's Bianchi Pista fixie conversion you bought pre-built off of Craigslist and walk the two blocks from your $1,800/month studio to Ritual every Tuesday night.

Or the Giant OCR that cost a pretty penny, but felt so light when you picked it up in the store that it seemed crazy not to buy it. You know the one.

Well, it's Bike Month, and it’s time your bike got the fresh air and exercise it deserves.

That’s right, Drive Your Bike to Work Day is almost here! On Monday, May 14th, hoist that bike onto the roof of your car and drive it to work!

C'mon everybody, show your support!

License Check on Columns!

Very strange going ons indeed! There was a drivers license check on Columns Drive yesterday. When I drove home from work at a little after 5 o'clock this picture was taken of officers stopping all cars and checking for licenses and insurance/registration. This caused about a 15 minute delay.

When I cycled out to join a group ride the Cobb County officers were still checking. They were not bothering any cyclists, and just waved them on through. At a little after 6 o'clock there were 8 officers checking motorists. They were also writing tickets, and had a few people pulled off the road while they wrote.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a license check and I have certainly never seen one on Columns Drive. I wonder if the residents are experiencing some unexpected blow back for harassing the Cobb County Police concerning cyclists. I have yet to hear of a cyclists getting a ticket- warning yes, but no ticket. I have seen many motorists getting tickets due to the increased police presence.

Last year I did see police out with a radar car and several motorcyclists getting speeders midway down Columns. I would love to see the Cobb Police do this again. In any case, I am glad the police are being more visible there. After the BS ordinance was passed, many residents got very aggressive towards cyclists. This should help them rethink that attitude.

I would love to hear how many motorists got upset over the delay and gave the police grief for stopping cars and not cyclists. The officer I talked to was very nice and waited patiently while I dug through all the crap in my glove compartment looking for my registration. He even chuckled at all the stuff I had jammed in there. I have a very visible bike rack on my car, so he knows I was a cyclist. I was very polite and nice to him, and he checked my stuff and sent me on through.

May is National Bike Month!

Check out AtlantaBike.org for tons of activities! And remember that May 18th is National Bike to Work Day.