On May 5, 2005, City of Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam proclaimed it to be National Bicycle Greenway Day in honor of the National Mayors’ Ride. A press conference was held in front of the City-County Building at 1:30 p.m. Despite the rain, about 50 people turned out to welcome Concetta Curtis, Jason and Jeff Reser. Bicycle Coordinator Kelley Segars introduced Mayor Haslam, who expressed appreciation for the inclusion of Knoxville in the Mayors’ Ride. He wished he could have done the ride himself instead of just issuing a proclamation, since he enjoys bicycling. In fact, April 21 was Bike to Work with the Mayor Day, and he had biked to work downtown with about 20 other bicyclists. The crowd welcoming Concetta to Knoxville, and seeing off Jeff and Jason on their way to Cincinnati, included employees of the City, Knox County, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, the Regional Transportation Planning Organization, the Health Department, members of the citizen Bicycle Advisory Committee and many local commuter bicyclists. A table was located at the event with the recently released Bicycle Comfort Level maps of the center city, brochures about the Knoxville Bicycle Program and Bike Mentor Program, a Bike Commute Guide, and other materials. Concetta, Jason and Jeff were presented with Smart Trips program t-shirts and water bottles. They were happy to get the long-sleeved t-shirts since the temperature was well below normal for early May!

Kelley Segars, AICP
Senior Transportation Planner
Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization