Memphis bike/pedestrian coordinator Kyle Wagenschutz has announced his resignation. He’ll be taking on a new role as Director of Local Innovation at PeopleForBikes, a national bicycling advocacy organization, in Boulder, Colorado.
Wagenschutz, the city’s first bike/pedestrian coordinator, was hired for the role in 2010 by former Mayor A C Wharton. In that role, Wagenschutz oversaw the implementation of 60-plus miles of bike lanes across the city and helped move the city from one of Bicycling Magazine’s worst cities for bicycling in 2008 to one of the most improved cycling cities in 2012.
At PeopleForBikes, Wagenschutz will handle the day-to-day administration of the Green Lane Project, which accelerates implementation of protected bike lanes and low-stress cycling networks.
Wagenschutz has said he’ll continue to work with the city in an advisory role, as the city moves forward with implementing a bike-share program and prepares to host the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals Conference in 2017.
“Rest assured, the administration and engineering staff are still fully committed to making walking and bicycling a priority in Memphis and plan to continue the aggressive development of infrastructure and programs that were started under my stewardship,” Wagenschutz said in a prepared statement. “The process to hire a replacement has already begun and I anticipate the city will be filling the position as quickly as they can.”
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland posted an announcement about Wagenschutz’s departure on March 18th.
“Obviously, we’re sad to see him go. Under Kyle’s watch, we have greatly expanded bicycling infrastructure in Memphis and continue to make our city more pedestrian-friendly. I reaffirm our commitment to these initiatives, and I’m happy to report that we’ve already initiated the process to find Kyle’s successor. Please join me in wishing Kyle the very best,” Strickland wrote.
