Nearly 200 bicycle advocates, industry representatives, planners and elected officials will roll into Carrollton for the 2020 Georgia Bike Summit, September 18-19.
“We are very excited to bring the 11th Annual Georgia Bike Summit to Carrollton,” said Georgia Bikes Executive Director Elliott Caldwell. “With the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) also coming to Carrollton this summer, 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for bicycling in the area.”
Georgia Bikes is a state-level affiliate of League of American Bicyclists, an organization that advocates for bicycling as a safe and healthy form of transportation and recreation. They work to improve conditions for bicycling by focusing on state policy, bicycle education and developing local advocacy organizations. In 2017, the League designated Carrollton as a Bicycle Friendly Community (one of 12 such communities in Georgia as of 2020) and the University of West Georgia as a Bike Friendly University.
Each year, Georgia Bike Summit brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to share best practices, disseminate information and collaborate in building a bicycle-friendly Georgia. A secondary purpose of the summit is to showcase the bicycle culture and amenities of communities throughout the state.
“Carrollton has really focused on being a great place to ride a bicycle,” said Caldwell. “The dedication of many community members, the local government in creating the GreenBelt, as well as better on-road infrastructure, is bearing fruit with these kinds of events coming to Carrollton.“
The Bike Summit is Georgia’s only statewide gathering for bicycle advocates. This is the first time the event is being held in Carrollton after being held in larger cities and on the coast for its first 10 years. Caldwell said the 2016 Georgia Trails Summit in Carrollton, which several Bike Summit organizers attended, positively influenced the decision to award the city the 2020 event.