Saga of the Bike Troll

I was on Facebook. Yes, I use Facebook. I posted a comment on the Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission FB page. I get a snarky comment from a KBBC follower, and then another. Next thing you know, I'm getting "Trolled" over the issue of bicycle helmets for children. (BTW, I support mandatory bicycle helmets for children under 18 years of age) Then it occured to me, I had been Bicycle Trolled!

So, I go to google. I google "Bike Trolls". And on eBay, I see them.

I LOVE BIKING! TROLLS!

Winchester and Clark County have done some amazing work with bicycling opportunities since January 2014. It started with Tourism recruiting the 2014 Preservation Pedal Bicycle Ride to Clark County. This event brought hundreds of riders from across Kentucky and the United States to participate in 100 mile, 50 mile, and 25 mile, non-competitive bicycle rides. It was a huge success. Since that event, Clark County has converted those routes to rural bicycle rides.

The Clark County Activity Coalition, Tourism, and the Clark County Health Department also noticed an underused resource, hiding in plain sight in Winchester. The historic town plan of Winchester has meant that there are tons of alleyways that are lightly travelled by vehicular traffic. The Activity Coalition had the idea that these alleyways would make perfect bicycle routes. So, Clark County GIS and The Activity Coaltion got to work. We did survelliance and mapped the best routes for bicycle rides, using the old alleyways as the main attraction. This project is currently known as the Winchester Alley Tour. One route has been fully marked with pavement markings and signs. This is the College Park Route, and it begins at College Park Gym on Wheeler Avenue.

Additional Alley Routes are in progress. The challenge is to connect these new routes to the addtional opportunities that are popping up across the city. The Winchester-Clark County Tourism Office has maps available for visitors and residents to explore these hidden bicycle opportunities.

Back to the trolls. The people that have worked the hardest, this far, have adopted the Bicycle Troll as their inspiration and companion through the process of establishing bicycle opportunities in Clark County. The Clark County Health Department, as part of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), has committed to finalizing a Walk-Bike Master Plan for Clark County by the end of 2016.

It looks like the trolls have quite a bit of work to do.

Stay tuned and see what the trolls have in store for the future!