Marshall County High School’s Mountain Bike Team Coach, Steve Beckett, and Paducah bicycling advocate Martha Emmons will be among the presenters on the speaker’s stand at the Kentucky Bike Walk Summit in Lexington this week.
Over the last decade an increased number of people in the United States and in Kentucky are bicycling and walking as a form of recreation and transportation. The Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeways Commission, a part of the state transportation cabinet, is the title sponsor of a state-wide conference designed to help connect decision makers, planners, and bicycle advocates to make Kentucky communities safer, healthier and more prosperous.
Steve Beckett will present an overview of what interscholastic mountain biking can mean for schools across the state and what has been done in western Kentucky. He is the head coach of the five-time state champion Marshall County team which competes in the Tennessee Interscholastic Cycling League. Partially as a result of the Marshall County team’s success, Paducah/McCracken County formed a composite team three years ago and has already been successfully reaching boys and girls with a sport they can enjoy for a lifetime. Beckett, a member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, will present in the advocacy and education division of the conference.
Martha Emmons, one of the owners of BikeWorld in Paducah, has been active for many years in connecting communities in western Kentucky with funding and resources for bicycle projects. She will present in the policy and funding portion of the event, sharing examples of public/private partnerships which have worked in Paducah, Mayfield and Ballard County. She will provide ideas for utilizing such partnership to create more bike-friendly places.
Summit organizers believe the more than 200 participants coming from across the state to the conference will gain knowledge and foster ideas to build upon Kentucky’s continued progress in becoming a more bike and pedestrian friendly state.
Over 200 people from around the state are registered for the conference which is being held on the Transylvania University campus Thursday through Saturday.
Erin Lewis, of the McCracken County Library will be in attendance at the event. She is one of the staff responsible for adding Beary Bike to the library’s services. Beary Bike is a three wheel adult trike which is pedaled by library staff to local events. A rear mounted cabinet allows library patrons to browse books, bookmarks, flyers and library information while attending festivals or visiting a park.