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The Worlds Fastest Wheelchair Scroll down to read about the Carrollton Greenbelt Project June 20, 2006 If you are a mountain biker, or if you just want to help us defend cyclists' and equestrians' access to the trails at McIntosh Reserve here in Carroll County, then stay tuned to this page - we will need your help soon. The new 'passive recreation plan' the county has paid an outside company to develop excludes off-pavement mountain biking at McIntosh. There will be a meeting soon with the county commission to discuss the issue - please contact us to learn more. PLEASE TELL EVERY CYCLIST AND EQUESTRIAN YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE. § February 1, 2006 1000 PLATE MINIMUM - WE NEED YOUR HELP! The Georgia SHARE THE ROAD specialty license plate is really going to happen... once the state receives at least 1,000 applications of $25 each in 2006. Stop in at Perpetual Motion and get an application that you can mail in or drop off at the tag office. Beginning January 3, present your application and $25 to your local tag office (by mail or in person) to apply for the Georgia SHARE THE ROAD specialty license plate. Be sure to save your receipt or cancelled check. Once there are a minimum of 1,000 applications the state will begin manufacturing the plates and distributing them to those county tag offices where applications were submitted. You will get your tag on your normal renewal date; or you have the option of getting the plate early for an additional $25. The standard fees will be a one-time $25 plate manufacturing fee (which will be credited if you provide your application fee receipt) and the annual, $25, specialty license plate fee. You are still responsible for your standard, annual, $20, registration fee and any of your applicable ad valorem taxes. Note that ALL of the $25, annual, SHARE THE ROAD specialty license plate fee is to go to the Governor's Office Of Highway Safety (pending the state's yearly general appropriations process) for use in motorist and cyclist safety, education, and awareness projects and programs. Note too that the $25 application fee will be refundable in the unlikely event that 1,000 are not received by the end of 2007. Information in this article compliments of Georgia Bikes! More details and an online application available at http://www.georgiabikes.org § January 30, 2006 The Carrollton Greenbelt Bicycle and Pedestrian Project is the recipient of $300,000.00 in Georgia DOT Transportation Enhancement (TE) program funds for FY06 and FY07. The grant application was a team effort, comprised of officials and citizens at all levels. Erica Studdard, Carrollton Planning and Zoning, Kent Johnston, Carrollton Parks and Recreation, and Mikki Griffin of Perpetual Motion Bicycles, Inc. spearheaded the effort under the guidance of Mayor Wayne Garner and City Manager Casey Coleman. Local enthusiasm for this project has been steadily growing since its inception in 2002. Carroll Tomorrow’s Slater Barr and Carrollton citizen Chris Kasselder both wrote letters to accompany the application while many others showed their support of the Greenbelt by sending emails and postcards to our US Representatives Phil Gingrey and Lynn Westmoreland as well as US Senator’s Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. Excitement for the project is contagious as both Representative Phil Gingrey and Representative Lynn Westmoreland wrote exceptional letters of recommendation to include in the TE application submitted in September 2005. This follows hot on the heels of their joint effort to list Carrollton’s Greenbelt as a High Priority Project on the Federal Highway Transportation Bill. This bill was passed by Senate in August 2005 and granted $280,000.00 in federal funds to the Carrollton Greenbelt Project over the next five years. Building a pathway of this scope takes time and money. In good faith, the City of Carrollton has utilized a Water and Land Conservancy Grant of $125,000.00 plus direct investments valued at $50,000.00 to the Greenbelt. In addition, they set aside $60,000.00 in matching funds to this state TE grant, giving our community a good start for the project. The City owns the land located on Hays Mill Road for the Carrollton Greenbelt trailhead and the groundbreaking is anticipated for this winter. The pathway is expected to head through the City Schools using Buffalo Creek as a guide, then squeeze between SMI, Inc. and Allison Circle, before continuing on to McIntosh Plaza near Southwire’s Family Medical Center. The Carrollton Greenbelt will serve as a recreational outlet for young and old alike, as alternative transportation options for short trips, and as a Safe Routes to School connector for the City. Citizens wanting to see projected route maps or interested in becoming active and involved in this project or the Safe Routes to School committee are encouraged to stop in Perpetual Motion Bicycles, Inc. on Maple Street or call (770) 834-3278 for details. § August 4, 2005 CARROLLTON GREENBELT PROJECT FUNDING The multitude of extensions are finally over and the Transportation Bill passed with the Carrollton Greenbelt Project on it! Thanks to your emails, phone calls, letters and postcards, we were able to place and keep our community project in the High Priority Project Funding list. We were granted $280,000.00 over the next 5 years to jump start our 14 mile pathway. For those of you unfamiliar with the Carrollton Greenbelt Project, please stop in at Perpetual Motion Bicycles, Inc. and see the map of the proposed route. In addition to your hard work, we owe a great deal of Thanks to our friends in DC, Representative Phil Gingrey and his transportation staffer Jim Irwin took the bull by the horns and submitted our project to the House committee. Then Representative Lynn Westmoreland and his staffer Joe Lillis sat on the House Transportation Planning Committee and fully backed the Carrollton Greenbelt Project. Next, on the Senate Side, Senator Johnny Isakson and his transportation guy Mike Quiello sat in the joint conference committee and protected the funding the House initially submitted. And finally, Senator Saxby Chambliss and his staffers Monty Philpot and Tyler Thompson were the first to congratulate us on making the budget! Remember these friends of the bicyclist the next time you vote. § February 11, 2005 - Tea-21 Update Getting it in just before the deadline last Friday (working with very short notice), and submitted WITH a letter of endorsement from City Manager Casey Coleman, our proposal in IN. We received telephone calls at the shop earlier this week from the offices of Phil Gingrey and Lynn Westmoreland in Washington DC confirming that our project was indeed received in time and is to be included again in the pending Tea-21 legislation. Last year the entire Tea-21 renewal was dropped by Congress in light of budget restrictions. As a High Priority Project before Congress for the third time now, our Greenbelt Project has as good a chance as any of approval. We have asked for six million dollars to help with the city's 30 year project. That amount could significantly accellerate the plan to have multi-use trails in and around Carrollton. Keep your fingers crossed!! Mikki is hoping to attend the annual Bicycle Summit in DC next month, as she has done for the past two years as part of the Georgia delegation, comprised mainly of members of the North Georgia Bicycle Dealers Association, working to make cycling better in Georgia for YOU. Special thanks to Kent Johnston and Tracy Dunavant, Carrollton city employees, for their extra efforts in coordinating the steps necessary to get our sumbission to the Capitol on time. Kudos for Kent and Tracy!! §

Mikki's latest addition to the wall of fame is John Tomac, perennial World Mountain Bike Champion. This chance encounter occured at Interbike 2004, in Las Vegas this past September.

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June 6, 2004
Perpetual Motion employee Jonathan McGee was the first finisher in the 100 mile option of the annual West Georgia 100 American Heart Fund Raiser on June 6. Jonathan covered the distance in 5 hours and 3 minutes on his new Giant TCR racing bike. Do the math - 20 mph average for 5 hours, one stop, five Power Gels and a Twinkie! Now that's pedalling a bike!
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May 20, 2004

Mikki with Wave and Win winner Betty Phillips and her new bike!

March 21, 2004
Carrollton has a High Priority Project before the US Congressional Transportation committee. Mikki has been part of an award winning Georgia delegation of North Georgia Bicycle Dealers Association members to the annual Bicycle Summit in Washington DC for the past two years. The first week of March this year was spent meeting with Senators Zell Miller and Saxby Chambliss and all of the Georgia State Representatives, including Mac Collins and Phil Gringrey from the Carroll County district. We are very excited regarding the direction the proceedings have taken. Mayor Wayne Garner, City Development Director Tracy Dunnavant, and City Manager Casey Coleman have been very supportive of the Carrollton Greenbelt project we submitted just under the deadline in March 2003. Citizens wishing to express their support of these and other Enhancement, Greenspace, and Bicycle and Pedestrian safety projects are invited to stop in the store and fill out a postcard that we will personally deliver to the Representative in your neighborhood!

The NGBDA hosts annual fundraising events in support of advocacy, but every member of the delegation spends considerably on their own to be part of the Annual Bike Summit.

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September 4, 2003
Today the US House of Representatives voted to restore funding for the Transportation Enhancements program in the 2004 Transportation Appropriations bill with over a hundred Republicans voting yes! The bi-partisan effort was led by Representatives Petri (R-WI) and Olver (D-MA).

Huge thanks to everyone who wrote letters, made calls and let Congress know that the Enhancements program was important. Your voice was heard!

This victory not only restores $600 million in dedicated funding for 2004, it puts the bicycle and pedestrian community on strong footing for the bigger battle over the reauthorization of TEA-21, the 6 year transportation funding bill.
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August 30, 2003
SAVE FUNDING FOR BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PROJECTS
CALL CONGRESS TODAY!

On Thursday, September 4th, the US House of Representatives will vote on the 2004 Transportation Appropriations bill. Currently, that bill contains language which eliminates funding for the popular Transportation Enhancements program, the major source of federal money for projects such as multiuse paths, bike lanes and safety education efforts.

Two good friends of bicycling, Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI) and Congressman John Olver (D-MA) will offer an amendment during debate on Thursday to restore the funding.

Call your Representative today and ask them to support the amendment by Petri (pron 'PEE-try') and Olver to save the Enhancements program by striking Section 114 of HR 2989. Make the call on Tuesday, September 2 or Wednesday, September 3.

To figure out who represents you, visit www.house.gov. Call their Washington office. The main Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121.

Since 1991, the Enhancements program has built over 16,000 locally-initiated projects in communities across the country. For more info, visit www.americabikes.org.

Let's make some noise in Congress! Please call today and forward this action alert to all friends of cycling.
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July 12, 2003
Jittery Joe's Pro Cycling Team gets its support solely from the sale of Jittery Joe's awesome coffee! If you're a coffee drinker and you like full, rich flavored coffee, you'll love Jittery Joe's. Now available ground or whole bean in two pot packs or one pound bags at Perpetual Motion. Give Jittery Joe's a try today!!!

June 11, 2003
As a member of the YaYa Bike! dealership cooperative, Perpetual Motion is able to offer West Georgia residents the co-op's Partner comfort bikes, spec'ed against major competition for value and performance - and they deliver. In our store, these bikes carry the designation 'Perpetual Motion Machine' right on the top tube. Here's a photo of Doug Bozeman, the first owner of a Perpetual Motion Machine!

June 9, 2003
WEBSITE GETS A FACELIFT TheFolks@PerpetualMotionBikes.com are pleased to launch this latest version of the website, thanks to WGa-Net. Several refinements and additional features may be noticed by return visitors. Our goal is to keep the site useful and fun to visit! One new feature is how we plan to use page two to archive the 'latest news' that first appears on page one.