In August 19, 2009, Pat Clements, Bruce Day, and Tom Evans formed Tennessee's first bicycle advocacy corporation, Bike Walk Tennessee. Tom did the legal work, paid the fees, and Pat and Bruce signed as incorporators.
Although the three have long time retired, the corporation is still active. Like proud papas, on 1/6/25 we received a copy its latest Newsletter
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Tennessee Bike Walk Summit
Bike Walk Tennessee was proud to host the Summit in Knoxville, Tennessee for the second year in a row! On Thursday, November 14, Bike Walk Knoxville staff and volunteers led a bike ride exploring South Knoxville and downtown, followed by a networking social at a local brewery, Crafty Baker Creek. Friday, November 15 began with a welcome from Bike Walk Tennessee Board Member Jeff Schenkel and City of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, as well as an opening plenary from Preston Elliott, Tennessee Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner and Chief of the Planning Bureau. The rest of the day featured informative and exciting breakout sessions from individuals across the state covering a wide variety of topics related to biking and walking. Conor Semler, Kittelson and Associates Principal Planner, delivered the Keynote Address, highlighting how we can redefine conversations about transportation to truly prioritize safety. The Summit wrapped up with a closing plenary from John Vick, Tennessee Department of Health Office of Primary Prevention Director, Kelly Ware, Tennessee Department of Health Southeast Region Healthy Development Coordinator, and Cameron Taylor, Tennessee Department of Health East Region Healthy Development Coordinator, and comments from Bike Walk Tennessee Board Member Bert Kuyrkendall.
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TDOT Project Scoping Guide
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has recently released a Project Scoping Guide (PSG), which supports TDOT’s Project Delivery Network (PDN) by informing specific stages of the project development process and provides guidance for development of project deliverables and documentation. The PSG integrates a performance- and context-based planning and design approach and becomes a primary resource for planning and design guidance and criteria within the five contexts (Rural, Rural Town, Suburban, Urban, and Urban Core). The PSG aligns with a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Safe System Approach (SSA) by emphasizing a broad, all-encompassing framework for creating safer public spaces and supports project teams with developing and implementing projects that improve the safety performance of the transportation system.
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Brentwood
Local Advocacy
Bike Walk Brentwood continues to advocate to our City Commissioners for more support for greenways and safer connectivity throughout the community. We are working to engage more members of the Commission with our organization, expanding the reach of our vision to
local government. One of our main advocacy goals is connecting the East and West side of Interstate 65 within Brentwood with greenways. This is an ongoing effort that we look forward to continuing to build support for.
World Day of Remembrance
As a committee of Bike Walk Tennessee, Bike Walk Brentwood partnered with Walk Bike Nashville and their Families for Safe Streets initiative to host World Day of Remembrance. The group planted one thousand yellow flags at the state capitol, symbolizing the roughly 1,000 people killed each year on Tennessee’s roads. Dozens of attendees heard from victims’ families and signed a petition calling on the state to reduce fatal crashes. In addition to victims’ families, Mayor Freddie O’Connell, State Senator Heidi Campbell, Metro Council Member Burkely Allen, and staff from the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure were in attendance.
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Franklin
Bike Rodeo
Our popular “Bike Rodeo” obstacle course for kids was back for Franklin Parks Family Day at Harlinsdale Farm in November. The course included real-life riding scenarios like traffic signals, overhead obstacles, stop signs, and a railroad crossing. Our volunteers made sure every rider was properly fitted for a bike helmet, and helped select a balance bike or pedal bike that was a comfortable size.
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Walk Roll to School Day
We were thrilled to be back at Franklin Elementary on October 22 for their third Walk and Roll to School Day. Around 30 students plus their parents met up at the county library building. Franklin Police provided bike patrol officers to help us get across Battle Avenue. It’s always fun to try new ways of getting to ! We will be back at more Franklin Special schools in Mayso watch for announcements!
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Christmas Ride
Our second annual Ride the Lights Westhaven was a huge success! More than 115 bike riders of all ages joined in our tour of neighborhood Christmas lights, along with neighbors in golf carts and Santa Claus himself! The Harpeth Bike Club also helped us map a course and monitor intersections for car traffic. The Franklin firefighters at Station 8 welcomed us inside after the ride, where we warmed up with hot chocolate and cookies.
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Knoxville
Walk with Elected Officials
On Tuesday, October 22, Bike Walk Knoxville staff and volunteers were joined by folks from across the Knoxville community for a Walk with Elected Officials highlighting Henley Street. City of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon participated, as well as At-Large City Council member Debbie Helsley. Also in attendance were members of City staff, a member of the Knoxville Transportation Authority (KTA) Board, and folks
representing a wide variety of downtown businesses and organizations. We would like to thank everyone who came out to walk with us for sharing their expertise and listening to community concerns! Read the tour report to learn more about what we discussed!
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World Day of Remembrance
On Sunday, November 17, Bike Walk Knoxville staff and volunteers joined with families of road crash victims and street safety advocates to gather in Market Square and commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims. The event was one of hundreds which occurred across the nation, and one of three that took place in Tennessee. Bike Walk Knoxville was proud to join Walk Bike Nashville, Families for Safe Streets, Bike Walk Tennessee, and Innovate Memphis in a call to action for state leaders: reduce the number of fatal crashes in Tennessee. Locally, advocates encouraged quick-build projects on locally-owned streets at dangerous intersections. This type of project is a cost-effective way to address safety concerns for vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians, and would support the City in reaching its Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities on city-controlled roads by 2040.
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Tour de Lights
On Saturday, December 14th Bike Walk Knoxville collaborated with Visit Knoxville to host Tour de Lights, our annual free, family-friendly holiday bike ride. People gathered before and after the ride for a Holiday Market & Expo featuring a costume contest, food trucks, local crafts, music, and more! The ride was larger than ever, with over 3,000 estimated participants. Tour de Lights is one of our favorite events of the year and we’re excited to return for the 19th Tour de Lights in 2025!
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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
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CORPORATE CHARTER
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