Biking and Walking News 5-25-12
Ira Weiss
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Biking & Walking News
Ira S. Weiss, Editor May 25, 2012
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
MORPC Accepting Applications to fund Transportation Projects
MORPC is seeking applications to fund transportation projects and programs from local public agencies located in Franklin and Delaware Counties, the City of Pataskala and Etna Township in Licking County, and the City of Pickerington, the Villages of Carroll and Lithopolis, and Bloom and Violet Townships in Fairfield County. The funding will be available for State Fiscal Years 2014–2019. A workshop on the funding process will be held this Tuesday, May 22 from 2:30 to 4:30pm at MORPC, 111 Liberty Street, Suite 100 in Columbus. Those interested in attending may contact Kym Possible at 614-233-4131 or kpos...@morpc.org. Initial Applications for funding are due Friday, June 29. An online Initial Application Form will be available by June 1 at www.morpc.org/transfunding.
Pipeline of local road projects refilling despite lack of funds
MORPC seeks bids, even as big jobs face likely delays
By Robert Vitale
The Columbus Dispatch Monday May 21, 2012 4:48 AM
A lack of federal and state funding has delayed fixes to some of central Ohio’s biggest highway headaches for nearly two decades. Despite the setbacks, officials are preparing more requests to fund more transportation projects. State officials say project planning must continue, but some wonder whether it’s a waste of time. Regional planners have asked 44 local governments in central Ohio to submit plans for more than $40 million expected from Washington in coming years for roads, sidewalks, bike paths or programs designed to cut pollution and congestion. Although the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission has told local officials in Franklin, Delaware, Licking and Fairfield counties that the money can be used for “almost any surface transportation project or program,” agency leaders said it’s not enough to shorten potential delays in bigger highway projects. Work is needed beyond the interstates, they say, and planning must continue for times when budgets improve… But MORPC also is seeking requests for federal money that will be available between 2014 and 2019. Lawler said the projects typically funded through that process are smaller in scale or are part of a larger construction effort. Recent funding has been reserved for projects including widening Hilliard-Rome Road on Columbus’ West Side, adding bike paths and sidewalks to roads in Pickerington and Delaware, and buying new buses for the Central Ohio Transit Authority… MORPC also has contributed money toward reconstruction of the I-71 interchange with Rt. 665 in Grove City… http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/21/pipeline-of-road-projects-refilling.html
We're thrilled to launch Bike Score and our first ranking of the Top 10 Most Bikeable U.S. Cities http://frontseat.createsend1.com/t/y-l-jlhltyl-ikfiuljd-n/ . Your city not listed? Vote between now and the end of National Bike Month on May 31, 2012 to get Bike Score added for your city. Vote today for your city to get Bike Score http://frontseat.createsend1.com/t/y-l-jlhltyl-ikfiuljd-p/
RIDES
Tour de Cure pedals to battle diabetes June 9
By JENNIFER NESBITT
ThisWeek Community News Wednesday May 23, 2012 2:58 PM
It affects nearly 1 million people across Ohio, and much work remains in the effort to raise awareness and money to fight diabetes in the Buckeye state. The American Diabetes Association's 2012 Tour de Cure, a bicycling event, will begin at 6 a.m. June 9 at Westerville Central High School. "Every 17 seconds, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes," said Tisha Reynolds, the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure coordinator. "There are also thousands of people living with diabetes who don't know they have the disease." Nearly 840,000 Ohioans have been diagnosed with diabetes, Reynolds said, and 300,000 to 400,000 Ohioans are estimated to be living with the disease without realizing it. "(With the tour), we're trying to raise money for advocacy information, research and education for people that have diabetes," Reynolds said. The 2012 Tour de Cure includes 30-, 60- and 100-mile bike rides, as well as a 12-mile family-fun ride. The longer rides are more difficult, allowing all levels of riders to participate, said Frank Bibens, Emerson Network Power president and chairman of the Tour de Cure. "There are rides for all levels of people, and so 100 miles goes through Knox, Delaware, Coshocton counties. ... It's for the more experienced riders who are willing to put some training in and go through the nice countryside," Bibens said. "The family-fun ride is something for all to enjoy. It goes along the bike path along Hoover Dam…" http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/northland/news/2012/05/22/tour-de-cure-pedals-to-battle-diabetes-june-9.html
Claude Ford Memorial Walk
June 9, 2012 10 AM
Meet at the Midwest Parking Lot at Lutz & John Sts.
Pot Luck Block Party to follow at the Midwest Shelter House located between Midwest Fabricating & the trail. Hot Dogs & Hamburgers will be provided. Bring a covered dish to share and your own drinks.
Thanks for your help and enjoy the beautiful day
Anna
Pelotonia-related series to begin Thursday
May. 23, 2012
GRANVILLE -- Granville-area Pelotonia riders have organized four events called "Bars, Bands and Bikes" in conjunction with area restaurants and bands to raise funds to cure cancer. The first will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Bella Restaurant and DaVinci Lounge. The Late Show featuring local musicians Steve Bain, Robin Brown, Amy Fraley, Jack Hire, Lindsay McCutchan, Paul Richards and Mark Hartman will perform. A $15 cover charge will include two drink tickets and $10 can be directed to a Pelotonia rider to help him or her reach a fundraising commitment. Other "Bars, Bands and Bikes" hosts and dates, also from 6 to 9 p.m., are:
» June 28, Brews, Granville
» July 26, Red Oak Tavern, Newark (currently Adornetto's)
» Aug. 17, Cherry Valley Lodge, post-ride celebration
For more information, email Blaine Franz at blaine. fr...@hiusa.org. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20120523/NEWS01/205230325/Pelotonia-related-series-begin-Thursday
Fairfield County residents to bike to Pennsylvania town, raise funds
6:23 AM, May. 23, 2012
Written by
Michelle George
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
LANCASTER -- Sixteen-year-old Trevor Kohen is used to long bike rides -- the farthest he's ridden is 142 miles. However, the Fairfield Union High School student will set a personal record Thursday when he and three friends ride 185 miles from Fairfield County to Canonsburg, Pa., to help raise money for a family in need. "It's going to be hard," Trevor said. "But it's for a good cause and I love biking." Trevor and bikers Steve Oxley, Andrew Clayton and Mark Clingan, who is pastor of Gloryland Church of the Nazarene in Carroll, are doing the ride for Nathan Colusci, a 33-year-old Pennsylvania man whose brave battle with complications from congenital hydrocephalus has inspired all four riders. After learning of the financial struggles Colusci and his parents, Linda and Dennis Colusci, are facing, Clingan said he knew he wanted to do something to help… http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120523/NEWS01/205230303/-1/NLETTER01/Residents-to-bike-185-miles--raise-money?source=nletter-news
Sponsors, participants sought for inter-city ride
6:44 AM, May. 18, 2012
Written by
Marion Star staff report
MARION - Local businesses and groups who want to get involved as sponsors for the upcoming Inter-City 10K Bicycle Ride are asked to contact an organizer by today. This first community fun ride is hosted by Kings Temple Men's Ministry, and will be from 9 a.m. to noon June 9 at Sawyer Ludwig Park. There will be a cookout after the ride, with free dogs and burgers and other refreshments. WVXG - Classic Rock 95.1, Mount Gilead, will provide entertainment and report on the event. There is no entry fee, but each rider must wear a helmet. For information or to register your group or organization, contact Richard Young at 740-383-1293 or at rwy...@yahoo.com. http://www.marionstar.com/article/20120518/NEWS01/205180308/Sponsors-participants-sought-inter-city-ride
SAFETY
Despite warnings, ‘wipe-out’ bridge claims its share of bicyclists
By Dean Narciso
The Columbus Dispatch Thursday May 24, 2012 7:56 AM
John Friedman approached the Worthington bridge with typical caution. It was a drizzly afternoon on May 2, and this was his second pass. Caution signs warn bicycle riders to slow down at the spot many know as “wipe-out” bridge near the west end of Tucker Drive along the Olentangy bikeway. The bridge rises and curves slightly, joining two sharp turns in the trail. Friedman recalled his pace as 6 to 7 mph when he fell: “As I turned onto the bridge, my wheels just went right out from under me.” His 6-foot-2-inch frame hit the trail hip-first, breaking bones in four places. Someone called 911. Worthington paramedics took him to Riverside Methodist Hospital. The spill and injury ended a 50-year cycling career for the former English teacher who returned to his Clintonville home on Tuesday after three weeks at a rehabilitation center. “I just can’t take another incident like this,” the 77-year-old Friedman said. The two bridges that cross creeks in the city are both posted with signs warning riders to slow down. Periodically, the wood planks are stripped and repainted… http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/24/despite-warnings-wipe-out-bridge-claims-its-share-of-bicyclists.html
Unidentified Bicyclist Dies At Hospital After Crash
Columbus Officers Are Still Working To Identify Him
By: Jason Mays & Donna Willis | NBC4
Published: May 22, 2012
Updated: May 22, 2012 - 9:55 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio --
A unidentified bicyclist who was hit on East Broad Street Sunday night dies at the hospital late Monday afternoon. A male bicyclist was traveling westbound in the right, westbound lane of East Broad Street, near North Hamilton Road, at about 10:23 p.m. Sunday. Driver Davenna Ferguson, 22, hit the bicyclist from behind, CPD said in a report. Paramedics transported the unidentified bicyclist to Grant Medical Center in critical condition. Doctors pronounced him dead at 4:28 p.m. Monday. CPD hasn't been able to identify the bicyclist. He is a black male who is between 30 and 40 years old. He was riding a gray bicycle with red lettering. Anyone with information on the deceased bicyclist's identity should call CPD at 614-645-4767. Charges against Ferguson are pending, according to the report. http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2012/may/22/2/john-doe-hit-while-riding-bike-dies-hospital-ar-1045233/?sc_cid=CMH-NEWS-TopStories
Unidentified bicyclist dies from crash injuries
By Kathy Lynn Gray
The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday May 22, 2012 9:21 AM
A man struck by a car Sunday night while riding a bicycle on the East Side died at Grant Medical Center yesterday afternoon, Columbus police said. He has not been identified. Police described him as a black man between the ages of 30 and 40. He was riding a gray bicycle with red lettering west in the right westbound lane of E. Broad Street near Hamilton Road at 10:23 p.m. when he was struck from behind by a car driven by Davenna Ferguson, police said. Ferguson, 22, stopped and remained at the crash scene. No charges had been filed by this morning. Anyone with information about the victim is asked to call police at 614-645-4767. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/22/bicyclist-dies-after-sunday-crash.html
Police Identify Bicyclist Struck And Killed On E. Broad St.
By: Brianne Betts | NBC4
Published: May 23, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio --
Columbus police has identified a bicyclist who was hit and killed on East Broad Street earlier this week. Police say Ernesto Galvez-Jacobo, 35, of El Salvador, was traveling westbound in the right, westbound lane of East Broad Street, near North Hamilton Road, at about 10:23 p.m. Sunday. Driver Davenna Ferguson, 22, hit the bicyclist from behind, CPD said in a report. Ferguson stopped the vehicle and remained at the crash scene while officers and paramedics responded. Charges against Ferguson are pending, according to the report. Paramedics transported Galvez-Jacobo to Grant Medical Center in critical condition. Police say he died at the hospital on Monday night. According to police, Galvez-Jacobo had no known regular local address. http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2012/may/23/police-identify-bicyclist-struck-and-killed-e-broa-ar-1047210/
Police identify bicyclist fatally struck by vehicle
By Theodore Decker
The Columbus Dispatch Thursday May 24, 2012 4:31 AM
Columbus police have identified the bicyclist who died after being struck by a car on Sunday night on the East Side. Ernesto Galvez-Jacobo died Monday afternoon at Grant Medical Center. Police said Galvez-Jacobo was headed west in the right lane of E. Broad Street near Hamilton Road when a car struck him from behind. The driver, Davenna Ferguson, 22, stopped. She has not been charged. Sgt. Brooke Wilson of the accident investigation squad said Galvez-Jacobo was from El Salvador but had been living in Columbus for several years. He had no regular address, and available identification shows him to have been either 35 or 36 years old. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/24/police-identify-bicyclist-fatally-struck-by-driver.html
Child on bicycle struck on Hubert Avenue
May. 24, 2012
LANCASTER -- City police reported a child on a bicycle was struck by a motor vehicle on Hubert Avenue around 9 p.m. Wednesday. No other details were available, including the child's name or condition. Fire department personnel said the child was taken to Fairfield Medical Center. http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120524/NEWS01/205240325/Child-bicycle-struck-Hubert-Avenue
Cyclist hit near Coffman High School
Thursday May 24, 2012 9:59 AM
A traffic incident May 24 sent a Dublin Coffman High School student to the hospital. At about 7:30 a.m. May 24, a student riding a bicycle to Coffman High School was struck by an SUV at the intersection of Coffman Road and Tara Hill Drive. “At 7:27 this morning we got a call that there was a crash at Coffman Road at Tara Hill Drive involving a black Toyota Rav 4 and a student on a bicycle,” said Dublin Police spokesperson Megan Canavan. “The driver of the black Toyota Rav 4 had already been cited for a traffic control signal and failed to yield when turning right on red. That’s when the bicyclist was struck.” The cyclist was transported to Nationwide Childrens Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Canavan said. The name of the 15-year-old victim has not be identified… http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/dublin/news/2012/05/23/web-trafficcrash.html
Bicycle Stems Recalled by Ridley Bikes Due to Fall Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: 4ZA Threadless Carbon Bicycle Handlebar Stem
Units: About 105
Distributor: Sinclair Imports, of Reno, Nev., and Quality Bicycle Products, of Bloomington, Minn.
Manufacturer: Race Productions NV, Belgium
Hazard: The bicycle handlebar stems can crack or break, posing a fall hazard.
Incidents/Injuries: The firm received one report of a handlebar stem breaking resulting in minor injuries.
Description: The recall involves all 4ZA 31.8 threadless bicycle handlebar stems sold as individual aftermarket components. The stems are black and have the words "4ZA Cycling Performance" painted on the carbon extension between the steerer clamp and handlebar clamp. The recalled stems range in extension lengths from 90mm to 130mm, approximately 3.5 to 5 inches.
Sold at: The stems were sold at specialty bicycle retailers and via websites from January 2005 through April 2010 for about $59.
Manufactured in: Taiwan
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using their bicycles and contact the bicycle retailers where the stems were purchased to obtain a free replacement stem. Other bicycle shops can handle the replacement process by contacting the manufacturer's current distributor, Quality Bicycle Products, Inc.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Quality Bicycle Products, Inc. ("QBP") toll-free at (877) 745-7703 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit www.ridley-bikes.com
To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12183.html
Outlook | Trends shaping our world
Bicycle thieves use social media
People who own expensive custom-made bicycles might want to think twice before discussing their costly vehicles on the Web. Police in southern California have broken up a ring of thieves who over the past two years stole almost 200 bikes worth thousands of dollars apiece. The crooks found their targets by trolling through Facebook posts about bike racing or ads on Craisglist for valuable bicycles or parts. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/insight/2012/05/20/1-insbrfs-0520-art-gfchb32a-1.html
Distracted driving puts young drivers at risk
Our survey finds them engaging in bad habits
Consumer Reports magazine: June 2012
It’s dangerous to use a cell phone behind the wheel. But many teenagers and other young drivers still play the odds by talking or texting on a handheld cell phone or operating a mobile device while driving. Those are the findings of a recent nationally representative survey of drivers 16 to 21 years old by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Almost half of the respondents said they had talked on a handheld phone while driving in the previous 30 days. Close to 30 percent said they had texted in that time. And some had operated smart-phone apps (8 percent) or used e-mail or social media (7 percent) while behind the wheel. Yet almost all of them considered texting, using smart-phone apps, or accessing the Internet to be dangerous while driving; about 80 percent thought it was very dangerous. Also, 63 percent of those surveyed saw talking on a handheld phone while driving as dangerous. Moreover, most respondents had seen their peers doing similar things in that time. Eighty-four percent saw other young people talking on a handheld phone, more than 70 percent witnessed texting, and about a third saw peers using apps, e-mail, or social media behind the wheel. Why is that dangerous? Motor-vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for teenagers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And 11 percent of teenage drivers who died in crashes in 2010 were distracted. Our survey results indicate that young drivers are engaging in behavior that causes them to take their eyes and minds off the road, creating risks for themselves and others. Young drivers were also asked about the driving habits of Mom and Dad. Forty-eight percent witnessed their parents talking on a handheld phone in the previous 30 days, and 15 percent saw them texting… http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/06/distracted-driving-puts-young-drivers-at-risk/index.htm?EXTKEY=NW0S01205
Travel safety
Traffic deaths hit an all-time low on U.S. roadways
Friday May 18, 2012 5:22 AM
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the bearer of glad tidings: Traffic deaths fell to their lowest level on record in 2011, according to a report released last week by the agency. The preliminary figures, the lowest since the government started keeping records in 1949, show the continuation of several years of declines in the number of people killed in car crashes; 2010 and 2009 were previous record-low years for fatalities. Since 2005, when fatalities hit 43,510, traffic deaths have fallen a dramatic 26 percent. The reduction is attributed to several factors, including safer cars and better-designed highways. Fewer miles driven also appears to be a factor, though the 1.7 percent reduction in fatalities from 2010 to 2011 — the number was 32,310 last year — exceeded the 1.2 percent drop in the number of miles that U.S. drivers logged. Officials attribute the reduction in driving to high gas prices and the soft economy, which are clearly the cloud accompanying the silver lining… http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2012/05/18/travel-safety.html
Man posing as officer approaches kids along bike path
Police ask residents to be on the lookout
2:53 PM, May. 21, 2012
Written by
Francesca Sacco
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
LANCASTER — Police and residents are looking for a man who has approached children along the Lancaster Bike Path and pretended to be in law enforcement. Police are asking residents near Cenci Lake Park to be on the lookout for a man posing as a sheriff’s deputy or park ranger. The man is approaching young children as they play along the Lancaster Bike Path. Heather Oatney’s young daughters were approached by the man on Thursday. “I always felt that the area was safe,” said Oatney, who lives nearby. “I would have never dreamed of something like this happening.” Oatney said her children and their cousins were playing in the area when the man approached them and told them to get out of the creek… http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120521/NEWS01/120521005/Man-posing-officer-approaches-kids-along-bike-path
Police arrest suspect in park incidents
3:42 PM, May. 22, 2012
LANCASTER — Lancaster Police this morning arrested a homeless man who matches the description of a man who reportedly approached children near Cenci Park on Monday, according to a news release from the Lancaster Police Department. Police arrested the man on a probation violation. Additional charges are being presented to the Fairfield County Prosecutor’s Office, according to the news release. Lancaster Police Officer Jared Howell was on patrol in the 300 block of East Main Street in Lancaster today when he saw a man matching the description of a man who approached children Monday with a badge and identified himself as a park ranger, according to the news release. Officers Chad Helser and James Schorr also responded to the scene, and Lt. Greg Seesholtz coordinated the investigation, according to the news release… http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120522/NEWS01/120522004/Police-arrest-suspect-park-incidents
Homeless man accused of approaching kids near Cenci Park is arrested
Police think homeless man, who has previous conviction, approached kids
May. 23, 2012
Written by
Francesca Sacco
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
LANCASTER -- A man who was convicted of hitting children with a fishing pole at a local park again has been arrested and accused of approaching kids along the Lancaster bike trail. Police arrested Eric M. Brown, 21, who is homeless, on Tuesday after several area residents claimed a man approached children near Cenci Park this past week and pretended to be in law enforcement. An officer patrolling the area Tuesday spotted Brown, who matched the description given in four police reports, and arrested him on a probation violation. Additional charges are being presented to the Fairfield County Prosecutor's Office, according to the news release. Brown was convicted of criminal mischief, a first-degree misdemeanor, in 2009 of hitting kids over the head with fishing poles in Martens Park… http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120523/NEWS01/205230301/Homeless-man-accused-approaching-kids-arrested
HEALTH
Study: Cases of youth diabetes, pre-diabetes soar
May. 21, 2012
Written by
Nanci Hellmich
USA Today
Diabetes and pre-diabetes have skyrocketed among the nation's youth, jumping from 9 percent of the adolescent population in 2000 to 23 percent in 2008, said a study out today. The findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, are "very concerning," said lead author Ashleigh May, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "To get ahead of this problem, we have to be incredibly aggressive, and look at children and adolescents and say you have to make time for physical activity," said pediatric endocrinologist Larry Deeb, past president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. May and colleagues examined data on about 3,400 adolescents ages 12 to 19, from 1999 through 2008. They participated in the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, considered the gold standard for evaluating health in the U.S. because it includes a detailed physical examination, plus measures of blood pressure, blood sugar levels, height and weight. May noted the diabetes findings should be interpreted "with caution" because the fasting blood glucose test was used and there are disadvantages associated with this test. Instead, many physicians use the A1C test, which looks at a person's average blood sugar levels for the past three months… http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120521/NEWS01/205210303/-1/NLETTER01/Study--Cases-of-youth-diabetes--pre-diabetes-soar?source=nletter-news
LOCAL NEWS
Blacklick Creek Bridge Completed
“Recreation and Parks, in conjunction with the Franklin County Engineers, is excited to announce that the connector bridge across Blacklick Creek at Portman Park is now in place. For many years, a dilapidated unsafe road bridge was used to cross Blacklick Creek and access the park and Blacklick Trail. Columbus removed the bridge two years ago, and many cyclists, runners, and walkers on both sides were left without a connection. The project still needs a little paving and seeding work, but will be open to the public within the next few days.” From Brad Westall…
Lancaster Bicycle will move this summer
6:23 AM, May. 24, 2012
Written by
Jeff Barron
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
LANCASTER -- Dan Peters is running a little behind schedule, but he still plans to relocate Lancaster Bicycle to the former Essex building this summer. He wants eventually to open an indoor bike park, an indoor rock-climbing attraction and tracks for remote-controlled cars, along with paintball and airsoft areas. He also wants to sell outdoor equipment in the shop after he moves. Peters planned to have the bike shop opened by now, but renovations of the building, 219 N. Columbus St., are taking longer than expected. That's partly because some of the electrical wiring dates back to the 1930s and 1940s and must be replaced, he said. So, Peters is looking at a late-June or early-July opening… http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120524/NEWS01/120524002/-1/NLETTER01/Lancaster-Bicycle-will-move-this-summer?source=nletter-news
Metro Parks chief not part of tragic Everest climb
3 dead, 2 missing, but O’Meara was safely in base camp
By Mark Ferenchik
The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday May 22, 2012 5:37 AM
Illness prevented John O’Meara from reaching the summit of Mount Everest over the weekend, but that might have proved lucky for the Metro Parks director. Three people died on their way down and two are missing after what had been good climbing weather turned brutal on the mountain. One climber blogged that temperatures had dropped to minus 31, with winds blowing as fast as 40 mph. A bout of bronchitis prevented O’Meara, 56, from making the final push to the top, his wife, Helen, said yesterday. He had to return to base camp from a camp near 23,000 feet. Everest is the world’s tallest peak at 29,035 feet. O’Meara might still attempt to reach the top before returning home if he feels better, she said. “The window is still a little open,” said Mrs. O’Meara, a climber herself. “His health is the No. 1 concern. He’s leaving his options open.” O’Meara had trained since the fall to climb Everest and is part of the International Mountain Guides team. Members of that team were among the earliest to head for the summit and reached the top before weather conditions worsened, according to Peg Hanley, the Metro Parks spokeswoman who was talking with Mrs. O’Meara and tracking her boss through blogs… http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/22/parks-chief-not-part-of-tragic-climb.html
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
Fredericktown receives safe routes grant
By Chuck Martin, Mount Vernon News
May 23, 2012 11:02 am EDT
FREDERICKTOWN — The village has been informed that its Safe Routes to School project has been approved by the Ohio Department of Transportation, Mayor Alan Kintner told village council Monday. The village will receive $500,000 to construct or rebuild safe walkways and bikeways to the school campus. The money is pending a final meeting to set the scope of the project and develop cost estimates. The project must be completed by fiscal year 2015. The village was also informed that the SRTS project to implement safe walking and biking curriculum, conduct annual education events, improve safety patrol training, provide reflective tape to walkers and bikers, and encourage the use of route maps and walking groups has been approved for up to $5,000… http://mountvernonnews.com/local/12/05/23/fredericktown-receives-safe-routes-grant
National Center Releases Resource on Measuring Students Walking and Biking to School
The National Center for Safe Routes to School has released a new resource that includes a sample of programs that measured their walking and bicycling numbers and found an increase. The resource aims to assist and inspire Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs to measure student travel patterns to look for possible changes over time. Getting Results: SRTS Programs That Increase Walking and Bicycling to School provides an overview of eight programs that sought to increase walking and bicycling rates and measured their achievements. It outlines methods that local SRTS programs can use to measure the progress of their activities. “This resource highlights the value of programs measuring baseline walking and bicycling numbers and comparing those numbers after SRTS efforts have been underway,” said Nancy Pullen-Seufert, associate director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School. “This evidence is tremendously valuable. It’s the first step to learning more about strategies that have the greatest success with increasing active travel.”
Ultimately, the collection of school travel data and subsequent analysis can enable a SRTS program to measure the efficacy of its programs, determine how successful it is and communicate its success to the community and potential funders. “Putting numbers behind the ideas we’re talking about makes it all a bit more concrete. I think collecting data provides a good objective measure of where you’re at and where you’re going,” said Amy Thompson, coordinator of the SRTS program at Heatherwood Elementary School in Boulder, Colo., winner of the 2011 James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award. To read Getting Results: SRTS Programs That Increase Walking and Bicycling to School, visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/program-tools/getting-results-srts-programs-increase-walking-bicycling.
Getting Results: SRTS Programs That Increase Walking and Bicycling to School is the third installment in a series of resources on getting and measuring results with SRTS programs. To read more about measuring and evaluating the results of an SRTS program, visit Getting Results: SRTS Programs That Reduce Traffic and Getting Results: SRTS Programs That Reduce Speeding and Distracted Driving
Safe Routes Coaching Action Network Webinar - June 14th (1pm ET)
Slowing Drivers Down: Why It Matters and Two Communities' Solutions
Presenters:
Scott Bricker, Executive Director, America Walks
Elizabeth Stampe, Director, Walk San Francisco
Mark Lear, Traffic Safety Programs, Portland Bureau of Transportation
Traffic safety, especially the speed of cars around schools, is one of the biggest barriers to walking and biking to school reported by parents. Reducing the speed of traffic around schools is a good step to make routes to school safer and encourage families to walk and bike. This webinar highlights strategies used by two communities to successfully slow vehicle speeds around schools. Scott Bricker, Executive Director of America Walks, will review relevant research around speed and pedestrian and bicyclist safety and provide a general overview of steps your community can take to slow vehicle speeds around schools. Then, Elizabeth Stampe, from Walk San Francisco, will discuss how Walk San Francisco worked with the City's transportation department to enforce an existing state law and helped to reduce speed limits around 181 schools. Finally, Mark Lear, from the Portland Bureau of Transportation, will describe the City's development of a "neighborhood greenways" network with speed limits of 20 MPH. He'll present some basic design elements of Portland's greenways and discuss how they built a diverse community coalition to achieve their goals. This webinar is part of the SRTS Webinar Series, developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School. For more information please contact Michelle Gulley at: mgu...@americawalks.org:resenters
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hosting a free webinar:
FEDERAL FUNDING 201 How Safe Routes to School Projects Actually Get Built: An Overview of Obligation and Obligation Authority/Limitations
THURSDAY, June 7, 2012
2-3pm eastern/1-2pm central/12-1pm mountain/11am-12pm pacific
Our May webinar, Federal Funding 101, covered the basics of the complex federal funding process. On June 7, 2012, we will discuss the final phase of federal funding, obligation. Obligation is the final stage of the federal regulatory process; once a project or program is obligated, it is ready to begin, but not before. It can take a long time to get Safe Routes to School and Transportation Enhancements projects and programs to this point: learn how the process works, and what you can do to help your state program and local applicants to get through this complex process. And learn about obligation authority/limitations, or how and why some of the federal funds may not even be made available to communities in your state. Find out the answers to these and other questions, and ask your own!
Speakers:
Darren Flusche, policy director, League of American Bicyclists,
Advocacy Advance program
Robert Ping, technical assistance director, Safe Routes
to School National Partnership
Dawn Foster, SRTS coordinator, California
Department of Transportation (Caltrans )
Highlights include:
- How federal funding gets officially 'signed off' on, or obligated
- How and why states decide how much federal money to make
available to local communities - How the California Safe Routes to School program manages to
obligate funding each year. - How advocates at the state and local level can help expedite the
process. - A Q&A session via a chat function with webinar attendees.
This webinar is the second in a series of monthly webinars on topics related to Safe Routes to School and other policy and program initiatives that can increase walking and bicycling to school and in daily life. REGISTER HERE: https://saferoutespartnership.ilinc.com/register/mtjhtbt
Call for Applications: 2012 Safe Routes to School Award
Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award. The Award recognizes schools and communities that have improved the safety or increased the number of elementary and/or middle school students who walk and bicycle to school. Every year, the National Center for Safe Routes to School gives the Award to an exemplary Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program in the United States. The application deadline is Thursday, June 28, 2012, at midnight Eastern Time. To learn more and to download the application, view the Call for Applications. http://saferoutesinfo.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55978ef31b4a403489524d3b8&id=598176971e&e=d0be8f88ec The Award is named for James L. Oberstar, former chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (2007-2011) who served as U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District from 1975-2011. The federal Safe Routes to School Program, which strives to create safe settings to enable more children and parents to walk and bicycle to school, was begun under his leadership.
Past winners include:
- 2011: Heatherwood Elementary School (Boulder, Colo.) and Omro Middle School (Omro, Wis.) both received the Award. Heatherwood took on ambitious infrastructure, education and encouragement activities that increased the percentage of students regularly walking and bicycling to school. Omro integrated active commuting into its school culture through an innovative cycling program using a fleet of 35+ bicycles maintained by the school’s “Young Mechanics.”
- 2010: Alpine Elementary School (Alpine, Utah) increased the percentage of children who regularly walked and bicycled to school and encouraged families to shift habits to a less car-focused commute.
- 2009: Ben W. Murch Elementary School (Washington, D.C.) built community support and infrastructure for safe walking and bicycling to school and overturned a school policy that had discouraged walking and bicycling to school.
- 2008: Bear Creek Elementary School (Boulder, Colo.) engaged 70 percent of the student population in walking and bicycling throughout the school year.
· 2007: The Michigan Department of Transportation successfully and expeditiously implemented a statewide Safe Routes to School program.
60 Mich. Students Suspended for Riding Bikes to School
2:47 PM, May 22, 2012
Written by
Jake Wade
WALKER, Mich. (WZZM) - 60 Kenowa Hills High School students are suspended after they rode their bikes to school as part of a 'senior prank.' The students are in 12th grade and today was their last day of school. However, when they arrived to class Tuesday morning, principal Katie Pennington suspended them for causing an inconvenience to other drivers along 4 Mile Road NW. "It was causing a problem, they were taking up a lane of traffic,' said Pennington. So it was an inconvenience for parents, teachers, but it was also a safety risk," said Pennington. The students notified Walker Police and had an officer and Walker Mayor Rob VerHeulen escort them. But Kenowa Hills High School principal, Katie Pennington says she was not informed. She says the bike ride caused a traffic back-up and created a safety hazard. Walker Mayor Rob VerHeulen disagrees with Pennington, telling WZZM 13 "I know when I was with the students they were respectful and polite and the officer I was with felt that the public safety issues were being satisfied." Parents and students started contacting the WZZM 13 Information Center as soon as they learned about the disciplinary action. Parent Paula Norris said, "I feel these kids should be back in school where they belong, they need to finish what they started. Get lockers cleaned out, walk the halls and say goodbye." Student Mitch Breuker said he thought they had followed proper procedures, "We called police, we had an escort, lights on, the mayor sitting in front seat of police car. I thought we did this completely right." According to the district website, Katie Pennington was named principal of Kenowa Hills High School less than one year ago, in July 2011. http://www.13wmaz.com/news/article/182462/155/60-Mich-Students-Suspended-for-Riding-Bikes-to-School
High school seniors suspended for biking to school
By Sarah Laskow
On Monday, 64 Kenowa Hill High School seniors biked to school in Walker, Mich. Nice, right? Well, the principal didn’t think so. She suspended the kids for the day and threatened to keep them from walking in their graduation ceremony. Somehow, this one story manages to encapsulate everything that is wrong with American attitudes towards biking. The group ride was conceived as a less-destructive alternative to the traditional vandalize-the-school, get-everyone-out-of-class brand of senior pranks. Skipping lightly over the fact that a few dozen students riding bikes qualifies as a “prank” rather than a “Monday,” these kids actually deserve a lot of praise for organizing a group activity that’s healthy for them, the planet, and the community, instead of just pulling fire alarms. And indeed, they got some praise — the mayor even showed up to hand out donuts. But when the “bike parade” arrived at school, the principal had a major freakout and sent the kids back home. Someone with a cell phone captured her panicking over the risk the students took: “If you and your parents don’t have sense enough to know your brains could end up splattered on Three Mile and Kinney, Fruit Ridge, then maybe that’s my responsibility,” she is heard telling students on the cellphone video obtained by 24 Hour News 8. Now, the kids were actually pretty safe because they had a police escort to school. The worst consequences of the biking were some traffic delays, which made some teachers and students late for school (which I believe is one of the classic senior prank goals — delay of class, if not all-out chaos that means all students miss a day of school). But it’s sad in its own way that for just a small portion of this school’s students to safely arrive by bike, they needed a police car guarding their rear. And it’s way sadder that the kids arranged a safe, healthy, sustainable, mayor-approved activity and got punished for it. Update: The principal apologized for freaking out. http://grist.org/list/high-school-seniors-suspended-for-biking-to-school/
Biking Kenowa Hills seniors punished
Senior prank rolled over school officials' toes
Updated: Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 9:45 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 10:12 AM EDT
By Joe LaFurgey
WALKER, Mich. (WOOD) - As high school seniors get set to walk commencement, toilets are exploding, lockers are getting graffitied and doors are getting super-glued. The vandalism is part of the tradition known as senior pranks. But a decision by Kenowa Hills seniors to do something a lot less harmful has drawn the ire of their principal. The plan was to hold a bike parade as a nice, non-destructive, healthy senior prank. Seniors called police for an escort, and even called Walker's mayor, who rode in the parade. "Police escort, with the mayor, who brought us donuts. ...The mayor brought us donuts..." said a group of seniors following the ride. But school official weren't told in advance, hence the word prank, and were not happy with the event. They kicked the seniors out of school for their last day and threatened to keep them from walking in graduation ceremonies set for May 30. Cellphone video caught audio of principal Katie Pennington in a post-prank gathering in the school's performing arts center. "...Get your butts home. You're not participating in senior walk today…" http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/Kenowa-Hills-bike-ride
Are long car commutes killing us?
By Tyler Falk | May 18, 2012, 3:30 AM PDT
Not only do long car commutes waste time and gas, and test your patience, but a new study suggests they’re linked with poor health. The research, published in the forthcoming edition of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, provides “important evidence about potential mediators in the relationship between time spent driving and cardiovascular mortality,” according to the study. Researchers studied the health of more than 4,000 car commuters in the Dallas and Austin, Texas metropolitan areas, measured the distance they commute by car to work, and looked at the associations between commuting distance from home to work with cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity levels, and metabolic risk indicators (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.). The longer people drove, the study found, the less time they engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity. They also had greater body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Even when physical activity was adjusted for, there was still a strong association between long commutes and high blood pressure, and, to a lesser extent, waist circumference and BMI. More specifically, commuters travelling more than 15 miles to work were less likely to exercise (at moderate or vigorous levels) at the recommended rate. They were also more likely to be obese. Commuting distances of 10 miles or more were associated with high blood pressure… http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/cities/are-long-car-commutes-killing-us/3121?tag=nl.e660
Los Angeles Lives by Car, but Learns to Embrace Bikes
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
LOS ANGELES — It was a warm April morning in downtown Los Angeles, and there was not a car on the road. For five hours, the streets were commandeered by nearly 100,000 people on bicycles — old and young, wearing spandex and silly hats, dogs and babies perched on handlebar baskets — in a celebration that produced a sight that once would have seemed inconceivable in this city of cars. It was the fourth time this city closed its streets for the event known as CicLAvia, and it was the largest one yet. These days in Los Angeles, there are midnight bike rides, East Side bike rides, women’s bike rides and nude bike rides rolling out nearly every day. In the past 18 months, close to 40 miles of bike paths and lanes have been created across the city and the City Council passed a measure to prevent bicyclists from being harassed by motorists. On one recent evening, drivers came to a (mostly) uncomplaining stop as swarm after swarm of cyclists breezed through an intersection on Wilshire Boulevard, complete with a police escort. And on Tuesday, there was a “Blessing of the Bicyclists” — with a rabbi, a water-sprinkling priest and bikers in attendance — at Good Samaritan Hospital, which has treated its share of injured bikers over the years. Bicycling is no longer the purview of downtown messengers or kamikaze daredevils. Its advocates include hipsters who frequent the bicycle repair cooperative known as the Bicycle Kitchen (which, experiencing growing pains, is about to move to bigger quarters) and middle-class riders who hum along a bike path on the beach in Venice and Santa Monica. There are biker-commuters who like to shock people by boasting that they do not own a car. And the mayor, Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who broke his elbow in a bike accident involving a taxicab and has since become one of cycling’s biggest cheerleaders, is intent on resurrecting a plan that he acknowledged had been “kind of languishing a bit.” For years, bicyclists in Los Angeles were just another renegade subculture in a city that is teeming with all manner of subcultures. These days, they have become downright mainstream… http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/us/in-los-angeles-drivers-and-bicyclists-learn-to-co-exist.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120520&pagewanted=all
KBOO Bike Show: Congressman Earl Blumenauer
Listen to the show (mp3, 27.1MB)
Earl discusses cycling and transportation policy and funding, both locally and nationally with Tori and Steph. Timo Forsberg from the Portland Bureau of Transportation talks about events for May's "PDX Bike Month". http://traffic.libsyn.com/portlandtransport/kboobike_20120502.mp3
May 18, 2012
National Bike to Work Week: 10 Awesome Pieces of Bike Tech
Make your ride safer (and geekier) with these biking gadgets and accessories.
By Jennifer Bergen
We're more than half way through National Bike Month, at the end of National Bike Week, and today happens to be National Bike to Work Day (held annually on the third Friday in May). In other words, it's all about the bike during the month of May. And, for us at PCMag (and you, our readers), that means it's all about bike tech. While bikes have kept their same basic look, they've come a long way in the last century. Back in 1818, the Drasine didn't even have pedals and was intended mostly for rolling downhill. It wasn't until about 50 years later that pedals became standard and the modern bicycle truly came about. Nowadays, bikes can be built out of material so lightweight that the rider feels as if they're practically floating on air. Though there are still plenty of people who are content to ride their vintage cruisers over even the most San Francisco-like hills, there are some who'd prefer to hop in the car. And for those who are timid about a tough ride, don't despair; there are electric bikes to assist with steep inclines and make the ride less of a workout and more of a joyride. Use National Bike Month as an opportunity to become a first-time two-wheeled commuter, renew your view of your city, or change up your workout. Whatever your reason for picking up biking, be sure to check out the 10 awesome pieces of bike tech that we've rounded up. Then strap on that helmet, saddle up to your steel horse, and enjoy the ride… http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/297992/national-bike-to-work-week-10-awesome-pieces-of-bike-tech
2011 Community Preference Survey "What Americans are looking for when deciding where to live", conducted by the National Association of Realtors.
From their executive summary: The 2011 Community Preference Survey reveals that, ideally, most Americans would like to live in walkable communities where shops, restaurants, and local businesses are within an easy stroll from their homes and their jobs are a short commute away; as long as those communities can also provide privacy from neighbors and detached, single-family homes. If this ideal is not possible, most prioritize shorter commutes and single-family homes above other considerations. http://www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/smart-growth-comm-survey-results-2011.pdf
America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities
To determine our top 50 bike-friendly cities for 2012, we evaluated cities with populations of 95,000 or more, using data provided by the Alliance for Biking and Walking and the League of American Bicyclists, as well as input from local advocates and bike-ped coordinators. To make the list, a city must possess both a robust cycling infrastructure and a vibrant bike culture. Read on to find out how your city stacks up. —Ian Dille http://www.bicycling.com/news/advocacy/america-s-top-50-bike-friendly-cities
What Drivers Really Think About Bikers: The History and Psychology of Sharing the Road
Amanda Hess
Lifestyle Editor, GOODMay 22, 2012 • 3:00 am PDTWhen I lived in “bike-friendly” Washington, D.C.—the 68-square-mile District is painted with 48 miles of bike lanes—I rode my bike to work almost every day. My commute was often punctuated with contentious interactions with pedestrians and drivers. Once when I was stopped at a light, a man in a gold Cadillac emptied a bottle of water onto my lap, laughed, and sped away. A woman driving a black Range Rover veered into the bike lane, then rolled down her window to tell me to watch where I was going. Every morning, I rode past a white-painted ghost bike chained to the intersection where a young cyclist had been flattened by a garbage truck. The investigation concluded that no one was to blame. Of course, only one person was dead. I always wondered why it was so difficult for drivers to just pay attention and not be assholes. Then I moved to Los Angeles and got a car. Here, we do not operate our vehicles so much as we hang out in them. Hunkered in my sedan, I’m now comfortable juggling an iced coffee and the radio dial while “courtesy” honking the car in front of me. Only when I jump back on my bicycle do I become a little bit scared about the person that I become when I’m behind the wheel… http://www.good.is/post/what-drivers-really-think-about-bikers-the-history-and-psychology-of-sharing-the-road/
Why Workers Should Bike at Work
by Dr. Woody
The Career Hot Seat
Published May 21, 2012
FOXBusiness
With gas prices still squeezing consumers’ wallets and our nation’s obesity levels at unhealthy levels, biking has been gaining momentum as an alternative mode of transportation. May is National Bike Month and Friday, May 18 was National Bike to Work Day. According to the League of American Cyclists, “National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride.” The latest American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau reports that less than 1% of Americans bike to work on a regular basis. Although small, this represents 40% growth in commuter biking since 2000. Even car commuter bastions like Los Angeles are getting in on the act. Just last year traffic-heavy Los Angeles approved a 30-year plan to build 1,350 miles of bike-friendly pathways around the city to encourage cycling as an alternate means of transportation… http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/05/21/advantages-biking-to-work/
Past issues are available here: http://www.considerbiking.org/category/newsletters/
Contact Information
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Web site - www.considerbiking.org
Facebook - Facebook Page change to http://www.facebook.com/considerbiking
Twitter - @Consider_Biking http://twitter.com/#!/consider_biking
Biking and Walking Newsletter Editor, Ira S. Weiss - iwe...@insight.rr.com
Consider Biking Staff, http://www.considerbiking.org/contact/ 614-447-8894
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Ira S. Weiss
11735 Eddington
Pickerington, OH 43147