On March 8, 2011 Bike Charlottesville was recognized and honored by the Charlottesville Planning Commission as the Citizen Planner of the Year. Following is an excerpt of what Jason Pearson, Chairman of the Planning Commission said on that occasion.During this time each year, Planning Commission presents awards to recognize great planning efforts in the community for the previous year. There were many worthy projects to consider and Planning Commission had a difficult time narrowing the listing. Ultimately Planning Commission decided to award the following:For Citizen Planner of the Year: Bike Charlottesville Instrumental in bringing together the Charlottesville and surrounding area bike community (cycling clubs, advocacy organizations, retailers, employers, and individuals). Their dedication to communicate and lobby safe cycling for transportation, recreation, and sport, both on and off-road is to be commended. They are also a vital asset to policy makers and planners for their research and their ideas to help retrofit our city for better biking lanes and better future planning for alternate transportation. This falls right in line with how we are now thinking about our future and our goals to make Charlottesville a “Green City.”A hearty cheer of thanks to all of the many members who gave generously of their time and talents over the past year to help us earn this high praise. Special thanks to our Advocacy & Public Policy Committee whose efforts and leadership most directly advanced our goal of getting more people biking more places, more often, more safely: Scott Paisley, Ruth Stornetta, Mac Lafferty, Ron Enders, Stephen Bach, Sarah Johnson, and past member Vince Caristo.Are you passionate about cycling? Do you have an idea for promoting cycling in our region? We need YOU. If you’d like to see our community become more Bike Friendly where biking is safe, convenient, and encouraged, please get in touch today.