WBWC May-June 2009 Newsletter
Bob Krzewinski
Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition
May/June 2009 Newsletter
WBWC Meetings
WBWC Board Meetings - WBWC Board meetings are held at the Ecology Center (117 N. Division in Ann Arbor - just north of Huron) on the first Thursday of every month (i.e. starting at 7pm.
For previous WBWC Board meeting minutes, visit http://www.wbwc.org/minutes.htm. Bicycle (and auto) parking is available right behind the Ecology Center.
For a pdf copy of this newsletter, visit http://wbwcnewsletter.googlegroups.com/web/WBWC%20News%20May%20June%2009.pdf?hl=en&gsc=PODy0QsAAABoiqKu1ksCza2rbaQmzX35
Local News
May National Bike Month Activities
During the month of May, activities will take place around Washtenaw County centering around Bike Month, a national event designed to promote bicycling as a form of recreation and transportation. Locally, there will be events in Ann Arbor and in Ypsilanti, with the Bike Ypsi Spring Bicycle Festival on May 10th (see the separate item below on this). For more Ann Arbor specific May events, visit http://www.getdowntown.org/programs/events/. For more general information on Bike Month, visit www.lab.org.
Bike Month - Bike Ypsi Spring Ride & Festival 2009
Bike Ypsi will hold it’s second annual Spring Ride and Bicycle Festival on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 at Ypsilanti’s Recreation Park on the corner of Congress and Elm Streets. Bicycle rides start at 10am with the Festival activities beginning at 12noon. The event is free and open to the public.
The group rides include a short, family-friendly neighborhood ramble/scavenger hunt, a medium length ride of 13 miles (with an optional 6-mile add-on), and a longer ride of 33 miles. At the noon Festival, there will be activities for every age, a barbeque meal, bike polo, bike related games, info booths, and more. For more information, visit www.bikeypsi.org.
Bike Month - Local Bicycle Traffic Skills Class
The Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (AABTS) is sponsoring a Traffic Skills 101 class on May 17, 2009. It will take place at The Health and Fitness Center at Washtenaw Community College, 4388 East Huron River Drive, between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. There is an early registration fee (received before May 1st) of $25 per person with a discount rate to AABTS members of $20. After May 1, the cost is $30 per person and $25 for AABTS members.
Traffic Skills 101 is a one-day class that includes classroom, parking lot for maneuvers, and road riding for confidence and education building. To register, or for more information, contact Carole Hann at carol...@comcast.net. For information about the AABTS, including how to join and their daily ride calendar, visit www.aabts.org.
For those unable to make AABTS May 17th Traffic Skills 101 course but still interested in the training, the course will also be held in Jackson, Michigan on Saturday, May 30th. For information on the Jackson course, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/programs/education/course_detail/2413 or email John...@gmail.com.
Bike Month - New Local Bicycle Route Book & Author Discussion
Joel Howell, a local cyclist, has just his new book published, “Washtenaw County Bike Rides: A Guide to Road Rides in and around Ann Arbor “. The book is designed for people who are new to the county, are new to bike riding, or simply want to expand their repertoire of rides. All routes described in the book start or end in Washtenaw County and have been selected with a preference for rides outside of the city. All the routes are paved. Joel Howell details the roads, the areas that require caution, the difficulty of the rides, and routes that can be extended for longer rides. The book includes routes and maps for Dixboro, Dexter-Chelsea, Gallup Park, Hell, Huron River Drive, Manchester, Waterloo, East Lansing, and more, as well as an overview map and ride log.
There will also be an author discussion and signing of the book at Ann Arbor’s Shaman Drum Bookshop, 315 South State Street, Wednesday, May 20th at 7pm. The book is published by the University of Michigan Press.
Bike Month - Worst Streets of Ann Arbor Ride – May 1st
On Friday, May 1st, join Eli Cooper, Ann Arbor Transportation Program Manager, and other city officials on a tour of AA streets to assess their safety and rideability and raise awareness of bicyclists' special needs. A discussion at a local restaurant will conclude the ride. The ride will be approximately 20 miles long and depart from the Ann Arbor City Hall (corner of 5th and Huron) at 4pm. For more information, contact Craig Stephan at 734-926-1231 or at cste...@mailaps.org.
Bike Month – Ride Of Silence
On Wednesday, May 20th, there will be “Rides Of Silence” in both Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, with both events starting at 7pm. A Ride Of Silence is a relatively short (8-10 miles), silent ride to commemorate cyclists who have been either hurt or injured by motorists while riding. Participants are asked to wear a black armband (or red if they personally have been struck), obey all traffic laws and also wear a helmet. The Ann Arbor ride will start at Wheeler Park on Depot Street, while the Ypsilanti ride will start at Recreation Park (Congress and Elm). For general information about the Rides Of Silence, visit www.rideofsilence.org.
Walk, Talk and Chalk with WBWC – May 19th
Join the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition for a fun walk around downtown Ann Arbor. Meet local walking advocates and chat about how to make Ann Arbor a more walkable city. We'll record the meeting with sidewalk chalk as we meander through downtown. Key ideas will be photographed for posterity and shared with policy makers and city staff at a later date. Come alone or bring a friend. Tuesday, May 19th at 6:30pm. Rain Date: Tuesday, May 26th at 6:30pm. Meet outside Sweetwaters Cafe, 123 W Washington Street in Ann Arbor.
Border To Border Trail Survey
There is a great volunteer opportunity where you can spend some time on the Border To Border Trail (B2B) and help Washtenaw County pull off a B2B trail study. The study will take place starting in early May and volunteers will be a 4 different locations along the trail (at Riverside Park in AA, Gallup, EMU, and Ford Lake in Ypsilanti) counting trail users and asking folks to fill out brief surveys. The study is being coordinated by trail research experts up at MSU in partnership with several Washtenaw County departments (Parks and Recreation, Planning, and Public Health). Interested in getting involved or have questions? Contact Anya Dale, Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment at 734-222-6848 or da...@ewashtenaw.org or visit http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/planning_environment/planning/B2Bvolunteers.
City Of Ann Arbor Bicycling Page Updated
The Bicycling in Ann Arbor page (http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/Transportation/Pages/Bike.aspx) has been updated. Updates include, explicitly identifying "pothole to be repaired" as the place to put bike lane requests and added the number of bike lanes added each year, starting in 2007. Also, the page promises that 2009 bike lane additions will be "coming soon".
WBWC Priority Project Update
From WBWC Board Member Frank Schwende
The WBWC has identified a number of countywide projects as high-priority with approximately 20 items on the list. It was difficult to focus on just 20, so the subcommittee tasked with this effort determined a number of criteria. The list of projects and criteria for selection are in a document on the Files section of the WBWC Google discussion group.
The construction of an underpass rail crossing at Ann Arbor’s Bandemer Park is one of the WBWC high priority projects and one that was thought could be addressed quickly. The WBWC has met with Amy Kuras and also Linda Brauer of the City of Ann Arbor, with Linda Chairing the citizen committee that advises the Parks and Recreation Department. Linda asked an insightful question, "If the Argo Dam is removed, will the water level drop sufficiently to allow an
underpass to be built at the existing rail trestle?" Pathway under a rail trestle? Confused? This is what was done at Barton Dam. It's a nice solution, one way cheaper than the procedure required to build a rail underpass.
Larry Deck and I went out to Bandemer recently and measured the distance between the bottom of the railway support beam and the water level, and it is currently around 8 feet. The underwater topography in the area of the existing structure seemed to have a steep slope - that's very unofficial bathymetry, based on the by-gosh/by-golly approach, along with sonic effects of the tossing of a few rocks (more kerplunk than kerplink). If the dam is removed, and if the water level drops at least 2-3 feet, then a pathway under the existing trestle is possible, but would require additional path construction along the river's edge to and from the trestle area.
At this point we need more engineering data to figure out how to move forward. Unofficially, it looks like a decision on the underpass project depends on the fate of the dam. Full or partial removal of the dam is almost certainly going to increase the clearance to at least 10 feet.
The Ann Arbor capital improvement plan for 2011 has $250,000 budgeted for an engineering study for the rail underpass. The WBWC is committed to moving this project forward once we have definitive data, and we're close. Stay tuned!
Ann Arbor Bike Fest
Ann Arbor’s 2009 Bike Fest will be on Friday June 12th from 6-9pm. For more information visit wheelsinmotion.us/goto/bikefest
Cyclovia – Closing City Streets (Temporarily) For People
WBWC participated in a teleconference (Bring Cyclovia to Your Streets. Lessons From Experts, 19-March-2009) conducted by the Biking & Walking Alliance (formerly the Thunderhead Alliance).
Cyclovia are community events where a short section of road (from several blocks to a few miles) is closed and strolling, walking, games, biking, skating, ... are encouraged - much like a linear block party.
The idea is to get people out and to experience/appreciate local sites, such as parks, that they may pass each day in their cars without taking notice. The successful Chicago and San Francisco efforts were highlighted. The teleconference went through the steps necessary to build momentum and to gain support and acceptance from local authorities, the community, businesses and health agencies. San Francisco for example made the smart move of ending their route at local businesses who were fearful of the impact of road closings - the businesses did much better than on a normal Sunday! Maybe a Cyclovia event using Huron River Drive is in our future!
PEAC Rides
The Programs to Educate All Cyclists (PEAC) is having a monthly community ride in Saline this spring & summer. The first ride will be on May 11th at 6:30pm, meeting at city hall on North Harris. The rides will vary in length, the shortest being a 2-mile loop. PEAC also sponsors a family ride (open to all cyclists) at Willow Metropark’s Washago Pond area (Willow Metropark is located off exit 11 of I-275 just south of Detroit Metro Airport, about 25 minutes from Ann Arbor). For more information, or if you need to borrow a bike for the rides, contact Karen at PEAC (734/255-5930) or visit http://www.bikeprogram.org.
National Bike Summit Report
From WBWC Board Member Frank Schwende
I attended this year's National Bike Summit in Washington DC, a meeting for bicycle advocacy with a national scope organized by the League of American Bicyclists and, this year, the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). The meeting ran from Tuesday through Thursday, March 10-12, with a morning Congressional Bike Ride on Friday. After a brief orientation for first timers like me on Tuesday afternoon, there was a banquet dinner with a keynote presentation by Andreas Rohl, the Bicycle Program Coordinator for Copenhagen, Denmark. I thought Europeans were into bicycling forever, but, in fact, after WW-II the mode share for bicycling in Copenhagen dropped greatly - I can't recall the number but it was about 10% or less. The Danes decided it was in the best interests of everyone to change that trend, and today the mode share for bicycling in Copenhagen is 36%, greater than cars or mass transit. When it snows in Copenhagen, the city plows the bike pathways first, then the roads for cars!
I won't try to provide a synopsis of the entire meeting here. You can get that from the LAB website, or we could get together! My overall impression was - Wow! Attending the National Bike Summit is an experience everyone should enjoy, at least once! I got to hear James Oberstar (D-MN) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), two really enthusiastic congressmen whose bicycle politics are described in Pedal Power. I met and talked with all sorts of people at the breakfast and dinners - that was the best part! I got to talk to Roger Geller, the Bicycle Coordinator for the City of Portland; Kristen Steele, communications director for the Alliance for Biking and Walking; Ryan and Bryan from New Belgium Brewing, the folks who organize Tour de Fat. And on and on.
I stayed with a member of the Washington Area Bicycling Association (WABA), a home stay, in Fairfax, VA, a 4 mile bike ride to the Metro subway station, then a train ride to town. It was so cool to experience real urban commuting like that. On Friday I took my bike on the train to the city to do the Congressional Bike Ride, and after the ride had some more urban bicycling experiences up and down Pennsylvania Ave. Read Robert Hurst's The Art of Cycling, then get your bike into a big city for a real adventure!
The point of the summit is to prep attendees for lobbying on Thursday. We visited Dingle's office, Stabenow, and Levin. I went along with a group who talked with Schauer, then I went back to my home stay to repair a flat on my bike. Of course, we didn't actually meet congress members - we met with their staff. It was a very cool experience.
Are you pumped up to get over to Washington DC for next year's summit? Hope so! But here are some things that ought to be done better. First, the Michigan "delegation" ought to know, well in advance of the meeting, who from Michigan is attending. We could easily share rides (it's drivable; I did the 9 hr drive alone) and maybe share hotel rooms or set up with home stays.
Secondly, the LAB did a poor job of setting us up with appointments. There's an easy fix! Because many LMB folks gave the Lansing office as their address, the congressional appointments were limited to that district. Home addresses ought to be looked at as well. But maybe these shortcomings were due to the fantastic turnout - something like 600-700 attendees! You don't have to be a big-shot professional bicycle advocate or a paid staff member of any group to attend the summit. It does cost bucks, though ($350 registration; ouch!). Well worth it! Come away from this meeting and feel pumped up - like my flatted tire, now repaired!
U of M ASD/DS Bicycle Training Camp
During the summer, the University of Michigan Research Study will conduct a free bicycle training camp for children with autism spectrum disorder & Down syndrome.
The bicycle training camps are a research project for the Center for Motor Behavior and Pediatric Disabilities. The aim of the study is to assist children and adolescents to learn to ride a two-wheel bicycle without training wheels, and measure the outcomes of learning on their health, patterns of sleep, and participation and integration into community activities. These data are needed to help change educational and health policy related to ASD and Down syndrome. The children will be trained 75 minutes per day for 5 days on an individual basis with specially designed bikes that tip much slower than a typical bike. The bikes are adapted throughout the week according to the child’s skill level. Our past bicycle studies for children with ASD had a 71% success rate, while the studies for children with Down Syndrome had a 54% success rate.
Who can participate? Children with autism spectrum disorder & Down syndrome between the ages of 9-18 with a desire to learn how to ride a two-wheel bike are
> eligible to participate. Due to experiences from past intervention studies, children with the following characteristics are discouraged from participating: extreme obesity, major health problems (cardiac problems and uncontrolled seizures), & strong negative emotional reactions to new situations. These children have been shown to have little success in learning to ride a bike.
The classes start in early July, will be held in the Ann Arbor area and for more information, contact Christie Jaszewski at cjas...@umich.edu or telephone (734) 936-2607.
Art Fair & Heritage Festival Valet Bike Parking
For 2009, the WBWC is planning to not only assist with bicycle valet parking at the August Ypsilanti Heritage Festival (which it has done with other groups for the past few years), but for the first time ever offer guarded bicycle parking at the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
At last years Art Fair, in conjunction with Art Fair organizers, a potential site was identified that is in a central location, and at the present time talks are being completed with the City of Ann Arbor to finalize the site location. Both Art Fair organizers and City officials are enthusiastic about Art Fair bike parking as could cut down on the number of cars entering the City during the event.
The idea behind bicycle valet parking is that a basic enclosure is created where a person brings their bike and either locks it themselves, or is given a claim ticket to retrieve the bike later in the day, with the bikes being guarded by valet parking staff. The service will be free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the Program To Educate All Cyclists (PEAC – www.bikeprogram.org), which assists individuals with disabilities to be able to ride bicycles.
Plenty of volunteers are needed to help staff the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti valet parking areas, and if you can help out for a few hours on any day, please contact the following individuals…
Ann Arbor Art Fair Valet Parking – July – Frank: schw...@sbcglobal.net
Ypsilanti Heritage Festival Valet Parking – August – Bob: wolv...@gmail.com or 487-9058.
The Friends of the Border To Border Trail is an offshoot group of the WBWC, formed to work towards the completion, expansion, and enhancement of the Washtenaw Border To Border Trail. The group has a Google discussion group (please consider signing up at http://groups.google.com/group/border-to-border) as well as a web page at www.bordertoborder.org. Friends of the Border To Border Trail meetings are held every other month with the next meeting being Thursday, May 21st, 7pm, at Bombadills Coffee House, 217 West Michigan Avenue (next to the downtown library) in Ypsilanti.
Bicycle Hit and Run Victim Recuperating Locally
On January 21st of this year, Donald Hall was a victim of a hit-and-run driver and left on the side of the road for six hours before someone found him. Donald rode his bike to work everyday in Lavergne, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. Donald is paralyzed from the accident and was recently moved to the University of Michigan Hospital to be close to his family. Donations can be made to Donald's family to help support his on-going medical expenses. All donations received for the Donald Hall Family Fund will be disbursed to the family in full. Donations made through the Foundation are tax-deductible. Please include your return address and email so we can acknowledge your donation.
The WBWC Ride Around Town (RAT) bicycle rides are held every month both in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, with the goal of not only allowing people to ride in a social setting, but also to demonstrate how cyclists can ride in an urban setting and obey all traffic laws.
Ann Arbor RAT rides start at Plaza Park, Liberty and Division in Ann Arbor at 6pm on the second Friday of each month, and are generally five miles in length. Ypsilanti RAT rides, held in conjunction with Bike Ypsi, are held on the first Friday of the month starting from the Corner Brewery on the corner of Norris and Forest. Since the RAT rides are a demonstration that biking in an urban environment can be done safely, all participants are asked to follow all traffic regulations, wear helmets, and be fully equipped for legal riding (i.e. lights and reflectors).
Hard-copy WBWC Newsletter Recipients - Please Pay Your 2009 Dues!
With postal rates on the rise it is more important than ever for the WBWC to recover costs for mailing hard-copies of our newsletter to area bicyclists. Because our electronic distribution is covered by our normal web-based costs we will continue distribution of the web-based newsletter to non-dues paying members, but we cannot afford to do the same for those requesting mailed hard-copy issues.
Membership fees can be a low as $10 to students or volunteering non-students (our active volunteer discount requires only 1 hour of volunteer time for the WBWC). If you want to continue to read this newsletter as hard-copy, please pay your 2009 dues before July. Send your check or money order to WBWC, 117 N. Division St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
Michigan News
From WBWC Board Member Paul Alman
On March 28th, Kris Talley, Bob Krzewinski and I traveled to Lansing for the second annual Michigan Bicycle Summit, hosted by the League of Michigan Bicyclists. Approximately 70 people attended, including all the LMB Board of Directors except for one, with the staff represented by Executive Director Rich Moeller and Assistant Executive Director John Lindenmeyer.
After an initial opening, the group moved into a series of simultaneous workshops of about an hour each. Between the three of us, we managed to cover most of them all, but what was of particular interest to me, was the number of attendees who focused on advocacy, governmental planning, legal issues and Act 51 concerns. Coming to the meeting with my long standing bias that LMB was really not much more than a bike touring organization with an expected agenda of various bicycle related agency/legislative initiatives (way down on the priority list) I was genuinely surprised and pleased to see that the major thrust of the LMB staff, board and the attendees, was much more oriented toward what LMB could do to improve the overall involvement and safety of all cyclists in Michigan. I came away with more respect for the organization than I had expected, and am now less concerned about being on the Board. The level of knowledge and enthusiasm of the staff (particularly John) and the attendees was impressive. There is much going on in the State that I was not aware of and there are resources available now that didn’t exist even a year ago.
My major “take away” (and we certainly can summarize the actual presentations – most will be made available through LMB –) was the willingness of all to share what is going on across the State, a desire to establish a much closer and more formal communication network between various regions and groups, and the strong mandate given to LMB to facilitate these.
In attendance were some old friends (of mine and of WBWC) and making these contacts again was extremely valuable. John Waterman (PEAC), Jim Carpenter from Downriver Phil Wells, Lenny Provencher, Rory Neuner from the Lansing area, and many others all seemed ready and willing to work in promoting cycling throughout SE Michigan. Some of the presentations included “Complete Streets” – the new initiative which LMB is strongly promoting – by John Lindenmeyer; the “Detroit Bicycle Registration” story and results by Todd Scott; “Viewpoint of a City Planner” by Andy Kilpatrick; “Bicycling and the Law” by Todd Briggs; “Act 51 Tracking” by Josh DeBruyn (MDOT Bicycle Coordinator). And many others. I think you can see the theme here; much more “what can we do to improve the environment and financial situation for bicycling in Michigan, than how can we ride our bikes more. It was also of note that pedestrian concerns (as well as those of children, students and even motorized road users) were part of almost every discussion.
Of particular value were the two brainstorming sessions done by the Advocacy and the Education Committees where many new and innovative ideas and shared experiences were discussed. These will be summarized and distributed to all participants and could become an excellent outline regarding WBWC and our future programming and direction.
I know I got more out of the meeting than I expected, and I definitely will plan on attending the 2009 Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day in Lansing on Thursday, May 28th. It will be an opportunity to bring our concerns and agenda to our State legislators and hopefully we can bring a strong Washtenaw County contingent to the State Capitol that day.
According to a recent National Complete Streets Coalition newsletter, "The Complete Streets Act of 2009 was introduced in both houses of Congress on Thursday, March 12. Senator Harkin (IA) sponsored S. 584 with Senator Carper (DE) as original cosponsor. "In the House, Congresswoman Matsui (CA-5) sponsored H.R. 1433 with Representatives Tauscher (CA-10), Maloney (NY-14), and Wu (OR-1) as original cosponsors. The Complete Streets Act of 2009 defines effective complete streets policies that are flexible enough to use in daily transportation planning practice. The introduction of these bills is a key step in ensuring safer, better-designed streets across the country.
"Organizations from the YMCA to the National Association of Realtors have lined up behind the measure, because they see the benefits complete streets will provide on issues ranging from the obesity epidemic to greenhouse gas reduction to providing inexpensive transportation alternatives in tough economic times." For the latest, go to: http://tinyurl.com/385d4w
Visit this quick online form letter - http://tinyurl.com/43xafp - to let your Senator and Representative know about this important bill and ask them to sign on.
National News
National Safe Routes To School Task Force Releases Report
According to the July 28th issue of NCSRTS News, "The National Safe Routes to School Task Force has released its final report, 'Safe Routes to School: A Transportation Legacy -- A National Strategy to Increase Safety and Physical Activity among American Youth.'
"The Task Force was called for in law and established by the U.S. Department of Transportation to study and develop a strategy for advancing programs that enable and encourage children to walk and bicycle to school. Among the recommendations made by the Task Force are to effectively spend current Federal SRTS funds, initiate innovative solutions to advance SRTS and encourage support from SRTS stakeholders at the local, state and national level. The Task Force also recommends an increase in funding for the program at the Federal level.
"'The demand for Safe Routes to School programs in communities across the US exceeds the available amount available,' said Lauren Marchetti, director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School and Task Force member. 'In nearly every state that has awarded program funding so far, there were more applications than what the states could fund.'..."
For more info, and to download the full report, go to http://tinyurl.com/yccrtv.
Study Indicates Walking Popular In Old, Urban Areas
According to a July 29th Salt Lake City Tribune article, "Mark Vlasic and his family weren't thinking about walkability when they moved into Salt Lake City's east Liberty Park neighborhood several years ago. But its pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined streets and proximity to work, parks and local businesses have enhanced the family's life.
"'We've been recreating by biking around the neighborhood. We've discovered a new way of enjoying the city that is becoming part of our family entertainment,' said Vlasic, a landscape architect with two teenage daughters. His Browning Avenue home is midway between his office in Sugar House and his wife's downtown workplace. With spiralling gasoline prices driving up the cost of commuting, they have stepped up their use of leg-powered transportation to get to work.
"It's hardly surprising, then, that a new University of Utah study suggests that older, walkable neighborhoods like the Vlasics' aren't just convenient and cost effective, but healthier as well. Crunching data on nearly 500,000 Salt Lake County driver licenses, researchers documented a strong correlation between residents' body-mass index and the kind of urban environment they inhabit. Those who live in walkable neighborhoods are leaner than those in newer areas designed around automobiles, according to the study, published today in the 'American Journal of Preventative Medicine."
More Kids Walk As School Bus Fuel Costs Rise
According to an August 18th BayNews9-TV story, "...Many schools are eliminating or reducing bus service because fuel had jumped to $4.50 per gallon, 36 percent more than a year ago, and is busting budgets. In California, districts are eliminating busing for thousands of students. Districts in Washington state, Idaho and Maryland and elsewhere are consolidating bus stops, canceling field trips and forcing students to walk longer distances to school to control costs. Worried parents in Massachusetts have called WalkBoston, a nonprofit group that promotes walking, asking for help after their communities cut back on busing.
"Health advocates long have encouraged students to walk, stressing the fitness benefits. But school and transportation officials say they fear that abruptly reducing bus service could lower attendance rates, increase traffic congestion or endanger students if they cannot walk on sidewalks and crosswalks. 'If you remove a school bus from the road, you're adding 40 to 50 cars in the morning and in the afternoon,' said Bob Riley, spokesman for the American School Bus Council, which represents school transportation officials. Major cuts loom in California, where schools are not required to provide transportation to campus. As a result, districts squeezed by fuel prices and fewer state dollars are trimming millions from transportation budgets..."
Source: http://tinyurl.com/5kxb5d
One Third Of Americans 50+ Hang Up Keys To Walk, But….
According to an Aug. 13th Market Watch article, "A new poll by AARP finds that while many Americans ages 50+ are trying to move away from car transportation as a result of high gas prices, their attempt to go 'green' is challenged by inadequate sidewalks and bike lanes, as well as insufficient public transportation options. 'More Americans age 50+ are trying to leave their cars behind but face obstacles as soon as they walk out the door, climb on their bikes or head for the bus,' said Elinor Ginzler, AARP Senior Vice President for Livable Communities.
"Almost one of every three people (29%) polled say they are now walking as a way to avoid high gas prices. But as those people set out to walk, almost 40% of the 50+ population say they do not have adequate sidewalks in their neighborhoods. Additionally, 44% say they do not have nearby public transportation that is accessible. Almost half (47%) of poll responders say they cannot cross the main roads safely -- 4 in 10 pedestrian fatalities are over the age of 50..."
AARP Calls For Transportation Reform
According to a March 24th news release from the AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons), "As Congress debates budget priorities, AARP this week joined the Transportation for America Campaign endorsing its call for renewal of our national transportation program for the 21st Century.
"This new brochure joins our existing brochures on bicycle safety and kids activity," said brochure author John Williams. "The other two brochures have been very popular. We've created dozens of artwork files for organizations and local groups across the country, and they in turn have printed and distributed more than 200,000 copies to local constituents."
The artwork sets for all three of the 4-page brochures are available in both English and Spanish; customized artwork is free to the requesting organization or agency by completing a simple on-line request form. The brochures and artwork sets are produced as a part of the outreach program of the Active Living Resource Center, supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. You can take a look at the newest brochure in the series at http://www.activelivingresources.org/assets/Neighborhood_safety_English.pdf Request a customized artwork set at http://www.activelivingresources.org/links6.php
Traveling To The St. Louis Metro Area?
Check out www.Trailnet.org, a volunteer run active living group who have the support of local municipalities, parks authorities and the Missouri Department of Transportation. They have formed an extensive and growing trail system on both sides of the Mississippi River, and sport an urban Rails-to-Trail that will eventually link western suburbs with the river and an interlinked Eastside trail system.
In St; Louis and St. Louis County an informative (and frequent) roadside signage system gives directions and distances to sites of interest for motorists, cyclists and walkers, as well as directions to trails and bikepaths.
Bicycle Tire Tax?
In a July 2008 Roads & Bridges magazine article on potential funding for the reauthorization of federal transportation projects, the author, Bill Wilson suggested a few sources: "Some sort of customs or container fee for freight and a tax tacked on to rail tickets also have been discussed, even a tire tax slapped on bicyclists that would help pay for new bike paths that are built with federal dollars."
To which, Greg Cohen, president and CEO of the American Highway Users Alliance, replied, "Currently those users just take; they don't give into the federal program at all. I think it is reasonable to diversify the revenue source a bit." For more on this story, visit http://tinyurl.com/6hlopp
And More Potential Bicycle Taxes...
In Oregon, there's a move afoot to charge bicycle owners $54 every 2 years (per bike) for a license and registration. The law would apply to people 18 or older who ride their bike(s) on public roads. Four state legislators have introduced the bill, which stipulates various other fees and requirements. The revenue would go toward development and maintenance of bike lanes, paths and related "transportation improvement projects." Some cyclists aren't too happy. More details at http://tinyurl.com/dhtevq
Four members of Oregon’s House of Representatives have put forward a new bill that would require all bicycles in Oregon to be registered. House Bill 3008 would establish a “bicycle registration and licensing system.” The bill would also create new offenses for altering bicycle serial numbers or licenses and for failure to register your bicycle. In addition, the bill states that, “bicycle ownership information” would be made available to law enforcement agencies and that registration, renewal and other fees would go into a Bicycle Transportation Improvement Fund that would then be used to fund “bicycle related transportation improvement projects”. The fee proposed in the bill for bike registration would be $54 and it would have to be renewed every two years for another $54.
Web Resources
AARP Magazines Healthiest Hometowns
Report on cities that have made robust living, and active retirement, a priority. -http://tinyurl.com/5rslvq
Railroad Abandonment Early Warning System
Be the first to know when a railroad line is on the chopping block for abandonment, and use as a potential rail to trail conversion. Sign up to receive railroad corridor abandonment notices for your area via the Rail To Trail Conservancy’s Early Warning System. To sign up, visit http://tinyurl.com/d4h8qm and to check the latest abandonments visit http://tinyurl.com/cupps2.
Safe Routes To School 2009 Policy And Progress Reports
http://tinyurl.com/d82wlu and http://tinyurl.com/dyh4ta
University of Colorado Football Offers Valet Bike Parking
In a move that may draw 'only in Boulder' eyeball rolling in some corners of the Big 12, the University announced a valet parking for bicycles with a bicycle corral at the stadium. It will be manned by volunteer students, as will the composting and recycling bins inside the stadium. - http://tinyurl.com/6e4n65
Places For Physical Activity
”Facilitating Development of a Community Trail and Promoting Its Use to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth and Adults;" Report from the Partnership for Prevention & Center For Disease Control - http://tinyurl.com/64blks
Social Support For Physical Activity
Establishing a Community-Based Walking Group Program to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth and Adults;" Report from the Partnership for Prevention & Center For Disease Control. - http://tinyurl.com/57k5j2
“Know Your Numbers” Gives Doctors New Tool
The first multi-dimensional disease-specific risk assessment tool to predict an individual's likelihood of developing chronic preventable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. - http://tinyurl.com/6s7ujs
Can’t Afford Gas? Try A Commuter Bike
One up side of high gas prices is that many people are choosing alternate and more environmentally friendly means of transportation such as bicycling is on that list. Sean Cole reports on a bicycle hand made for commuters. - http://tinyurl.com/6z5afx
University of Colorado Announces Football Game Valet Bike Parking
The University of Colorado announced a valet parking for bicycles with a bicycle corral at their stadium. It will be manned by volunteer students, as will the composting and recycling bins inside the stadium. http://tinyurl.com/6e4n65
Columbus Ohio Residents Using Walking Maps
Promoting Physically Active Communities For People with Disabilities
Report by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport. - http://tinyurl.com/5w4nxm
Places For Physical Activity
“Facilitating Development of a Community Trail and Promoting Its Use to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth and Adults;" Report from the Partnership for Prevention & CDC - http://tinyurl.com/64blks
Social Support For Physical Activity
“Establishing a Community-Based Walking Group Program to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth and Adults;" Report from the Partnership for Prevention & CDC - http://tinyurl.com/57k5j2
Accessible Sidewalks
A four-part video developed by the U.S. Access Board to illustrate access issues and considerations in the design of sidewalks for those with wheelchairs, low vision, are blind or have ambulatory impairments. Can be watched online; a free DVD is also available - http://tinyurl.com/5gp5t6
Calculating Non-Auto Travel Times
Report from the Transportation Research Group, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota - http://tinyurl.com/6jmpkq
A report from the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport - http://tinyurl.com/5w4nxm
Pedestrian Access To Roundabouts
"Assessment of Motorists' Yielding to Visually Impaired Pedestrians and Potential Treatments To Improve Access.” - http://tinyurl.com/dl2cwz. Related PowerPoint presentation: http://tinyurl.com/dj5r2x
Rain Sensitive Traffic Lights
In a town in the Netherlands, traffic lights have been installed that sense when it is raining and then give preference on signals for cyclists. - http://tinyurl.com/b2kvq8
Broken Windows, Crumpled Fenders, and Crime
Article on how poor traffic infrastructure can lead to a downward spiral in a community. - http://tinyurl.com/cjecbo