Press release form Strive Beyond:
STRIVE BEYOND is pleased to announce our 30th annual Strive Beyond Week (previously called Strive Not to Drive). This year, we will be hosting both small outdoor in-person gatherings, solo/family options and virtual events throughout May 2021. The virtual and in-person events begin May 13 and are coordinated by AARP Mountain Region, Asheville on Bikes, Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, Connect Buncombe, NC Safe Routes to School, MountainTrue, Land of Sky Regional Council, and French Broad River MPO.
Our Virtual Kick-Off Event:
May 13th 2021 at 12:30PM: Getting Around Car-Free Webinar
AARP Mountain Region and Mountain True, in cooperation with partners of Strive Not to Drive, will be hosting an online webinar on May 13 at 12:30 pm to highlight some alternative modes of getting around town that might inspire people to leave their cars in park for a while. The goal is to inform people about recent infrastructure changes, plans for future improvements, and new facilities. The program will cover three main topic areas: transit, streets & sidewalks (make-overs to complete streets), and greenways. Pre-register here: Getting Around Car-Free
Strive Beyond Week runs May 17-23, 2021 with details, events resources, and mapping tools at http://strivebeyond.org/.
May 17th 2021 – Strive Not to Drive Pledge – Region Wide
Committed to being carless? Curious about your other options? Or are you just a carpooler waiting to get back into the pool. If so, consider taking a 1-week pledge to go carless (or near carless) and ditch your single occupancy vehicle for seven whole days.
There are many ways to get around without using a personal vehicle. We hope you will use this year’s Strive Not to Drive Week to explore new ways to arrive at familiar destinations and see what new adventures you can have or friends you can meet along the way! Whether you take the bus, take a walk, hop on a scooter, or ride a bike, you will be a success during Strive Not to Drive anytime you leave your car in park.
The Pledge is a simple google form (available here: Strive Not to Drive Pledge) that we provide with additional resources and tools on the ShareTheRideNC platform for those wishing to track the environmental and economic benefits of a carpooled, biked, or walked trip. Special thanks to MountainTrue for setting up the pledge!
May 18th 2021 9am @ Junaluska Elementary School Front Parking Lot – 2238 Asheville Rd. Waynesville
Learn How to Walk-Audit – Junaluska Elementary School Walk Audit Safe Routes to School NC, working with the French Broad MPO, NCDOT and Junaluska Elementary School will be hosting an in-person, distanced Walk Audit for those wanting to learn how to walk-and-talk walking infrastructure needs with community leaders. This will be a training session to learn how to both conduct a walk audit, learn important terms and concepts, as well as provide the AWESOME Junaluska Elementary School a Walk Audit they can use moving forward to provide better walking and biking access for their students and families. We will be following CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidance for small outdoor gatherings and are still encouraging best practices and distancing.
Important Note: This Elementary school was built during an era when many new schools were built outside of municipal limits and non-motorized infrastructure. The school is very-much car and school bus dependent. While there are some non-motorized amenities in/around the school, we selected this site as a good example of where there are gaps in walking/biking access. Multimodal alternatives are encouraged within your comfort zone.
May 19th 2021 Ride of Silence – Region Wide!
In conjunction with the international Ride of Silence, the Strive Week is encouraging our community to make a silent ride on May 19th during any part of the day in which you can make a ride. There is no organized group ride this year. We are riding to mourn those killed or injured by motorist on the roadways and the rides should be kept to under 12 mph when possible. Everyone is invited to ride, as long as they wear a helmet. Arm bands are strongly encouraged. Black for everyone (solidarity in mourning lost cyclists). Red for those who have been injured by motorists. For those in the Asheville Area, Asheville on Bikes is providing a map of the last group Ride of Silence route held in 2019. It is an 8-mile-long route.
May 20th 2021 at 9am – Walk-and-Talk Solutions with the experts about Riceville Rd and Tunnel Rd. -Meeting at 9am in the parking lot of Ingles located on 1141 Tunnel Road.
Powerpoint & Zoom presentations can show how things work but taking a tour of our community’s infrastructure is always better. The French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization is hosting a Walk-and-Talk event with NCDOT engineers as well as City of Asheville staff about future planned options, project, and considerations to improving both motorized and non-motorized travel at the Tunnel and Riceville Road Intersection. This area has been pointed out as a spot that could see some improvement and the MPO is responding with a focus on multimodal options.
We will be following CDC guidance for small outdoor gatherings and are still encouraging best practices and distancing. The public is invited to participate safely.
May 21st 2021 – Friday Roll Out – Region Wide!
In conjunction with the National Bike to Work Day, we are also encouraging a Friday Roll Out for all folks in our region to take time on Friday and go for a Bike Ride. If commuting, bike to work! But if you don’t currently have a daily commute, take time Friday afternoon for some active transportation and begin the weekend right with a car-free evening. Take a non-vehicular trip top your favorite spot and share via your favorite social media platform.
Also, May 21 is the final day of Connect Buncombe’s Greenway Challenge celebrating the Wilma Dykeman Greenway and her 101st birthday. So Check it out! Connect Buncombe Greenway Challenge
For more information visit http://strivebeyond.org/.
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