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M II A II R II K Nov 30, 2011 6:33 PM
London’s Bicycle Network: Good for Commuters, Bad for Communities


Nov 23rd, 2011

By Joe Peach

Read More: http://thisbigcity.net/london-bicycl...d-communities/

Quote:
Amsterdam’s bicycle network is the envy of cities all over the globe, receiving praise for the economic, environmental, and social benefits it supposedly brings to the city. Yet with independent retailers struggling, air quality issues, and portions of society still not embracing bicycle use despite an extensive network and cyclist-friendly legal system, there are obviously limitations to what a bicycle network can achieve. But just a few hundred miles away, London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson, is desperately trying to turn the British capital into a cycling city, and barely a week goes by without some kind of proclamation on the transformative potential of an improved bicycle network.

- Transport for London (TfL) has stated its belief that bicycle networks can ‘strengthen London’s economy by improving access to local town centres’. Whilst numerous studies suggest economic benefits from developing a city’s bicycle network, the flaw in TfL’s logic is that London’s more recent bicycle network developments exist to improve access to the city centre, not the town centres that surround it. Launched in Summer 2010, London’s ‘Cycle Superhighways’ are bright blue bike lanes stretching from outer to central London, following main roads to offer the quickest routes into the city. The Greater London Authority – the administrative government body for the Greater London area – states the ‘Cycle Superhighways’ are built ‘to improve cycling conditions for people who already commute by bike and to encourage those who don’t to take to pedal power’.

- The ‘Cycle Superhighways’ are being used as intended, but not in a way that improves access to local town centres, and not in the way that TfL believe bicycle networks can be economically beneficial. Considering the lack of emissions associated with bicycle use, developing London’s bicycle network could be viewed as an opportunity to improve air quality. Consistently failing to reach the minimum standards set by the EU, London’s air quality is the worst in the UK, and among the worst in Europe. However, the enormity of tackling the city’s poor air quality is beyond the capabilities of its bicycle network. London’s congestion charging system resulted in a 20% drop in car use, the fastest growth rate for the city’s bus system since the 1940s, and a 16% drop in CO2 emissions within the charging zone itself, yet due to the zone’s relatively small size, CO2 emissions across the city as a whole have barely changed.

- The design of London’s newest bicycle network additions is also troubling. As with the ‘Cycle Superhighways’, London’s cycle hire scheme prioritises the city centre, launching with all 352 of its cycle hire stations in an area of London that houses only 300,000 of the city’s almost 8 million residents. Those living in that area might get improved access to nearby services, but for the remaining 7.7 million of us, it’s a bit more complicated. Thankfully, the success of the city’s cycle hire scheme means it is expanding eastwards through more residential areas in time for the 2012 Olympics. In addition to its limited geographical distribution, London’s cycle hire scheme has been criticised for failing to attract a broad range of users. Notably called a ‘posh-boy toy’ by Guardian journalist Tim Lewis, the typical user is young, male, white, and not exactly on the poverty line, if you get my drift. Whilst this problem is indicative of bicycle use in the UK as a whole, it suggests that London’s newest bicycle network addition has failed to make cycling a real alternative for those who wouldn’t already consider that mode of transport.

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http://thisbigcity.net/wp-content/th...405&w=610&zc=1

202_Cyclist Dec 1, 2011 4:31 PM
Fifty bikeshare stations planned for stations along the Red Line
 
Fifty bikeshare stations planned for stations along the Red Line
Montgomery County officials still seek funding for project

by Kristi Tousignant, Staff Writer
Maryland Gazette
11/30/2011

"Commuters could keep on riding even after they exit Metro trains if 50 bikeshare stops proposed around the Red Line open as early as next winter.

Montgomery County officials and residents discussed Tuesday adding bicycle stations that would connect to the bike network in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va.

The county hopes to add 50 stations with 400 bikes along and around Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail Red Line, focusing on places like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Forest Glen and Wheaton..."

http://www.gazette.net/article/20111...mplate=gazette

M II A II R II K Dec 2, 2011 9:19 PM
Occupy Amsterdam? How Mass Protests of Cars Fostered Dutch Cycling Policy


December 1, 2011

Read More: http://sustainablecitiescollective.c...ir-cycle-paths

Quote:
.....

The video below offers vital historical perspective on the way the Netherlands ended up turning away from the autocentric development that arose with postwar prosperity, and chose to go down the cycle path.

- It lists several key factors, including public outrage over the amount of space given to automobiles; huge protests over traffic deaths, especially those of children, which were referred to by protesters as “child murder”; and governmental response to the oil crisis of the 1970s, which prompted efforts to reduce oil dependence without diminishing quality of life.

- The Netherlands is often perceived as an exceptional nation in terms of its transportation policies and infrastructure. And yet there is nothing inherently exceptional about the country’s situation. As the narrator says at the end of the film, “The Netherlands’ problems were and are not unique. Their solutions shouldn’t be that either.”

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• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o" target="_blank">Video Link

M II A II R II K Dec 5, 2011 3:40 PM
How San Francisco Became a Cycling City Against the Odds


Nov 30th, 2011

By Joe Peach

Read More: http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/3212/

Quote:
.....

The success of the bicycle in Amsterdam is often attributed to its flat terrain. By this logic, cycling would be unpopular in San Francisco. Yet the truth is the opposite of this. In the USA, bicycle use is (rather strangely, to this Brit at least) measured nationally by the percentage of trips taken to work by bike, reaching 0.6% in 2009. However, in San Francisco this figure was 3.2%, with local studies for all trips (yes, even those rare occasions when you aren’t going to work!) raising it to around 6%. A small figure compared to Amsterdam, but still notably higher than both the American national average and London’s dismal 2%.

- Much of the city’s success with cycling has happened in the last five years, with a 58% increase in levels of cycling witnessed between 2006 and 2010. However, what is most impressive about this growth is that between these dates the city was legally incapable of developing its bicycle network. San Francisco has, by North American standards, a long history of supporting multi-modalism. Enacted in 1973, the city’s Transit First policy was introduced to encourage ‘the use of transit and other alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle’. Whilst early versions neglected to explicitly mention bicycle use, the Transit First policy set the tone for the city’s approach to transport modes.

- Later updates specifically endorsed the bicycle, and the city published its first bicycle plan in 1997. This resulted in the development of San Francisco’s early bicycle network, but by 2005 the city was ready for something more comprehensive. Plans were drawn up and released as part of the Bicycle Plan Policy Framework (BPPF), aiming to create more dedicated bike lanes and places to securely stow bikes. Presenting near-term and long-term plans to improve the city’s bicycle network, its goals were, by Dutch standards at least, relatively modest. Despite this, the proposed implementation received some criticism. Although part of a large policy framework, sections of the BPPF were treated as ‘individual projects’, thus bypassing mandatory environmental-reviews.

- Yet as San Francisco’s bicycle network remained static, levels of cycling did the opposite. Program Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Andy Thornley, attributes this to the attitude of San Francisco’s citizens: Well, for sure, there’s no place else like SF, with the combination of mild climate and urban density and smart, self-defining culture, the traditions of environmentalism, social justice, participatory politics, street theater and un-self-consciousness - we’re not people who get hung up on what we’re supposed to be doing or thinking, or how we look when we’re doing our thing, so the “childishness” and “down-class” stigmas of riding a bike don’t discourage us so much.

- Cycling activism also has a history in San Francisco. Critical Mass - an event which sees large groups cycle a designated route through a city - started in San Francisco in 1992, before spreading all over the globe. Could it be that the people of San Francisco just want to cycle, regardless of the bicycle network they have to cycle on? Despite topographical and infrastructural differences, Amsterdam and San Francisco have more in common than a water-influenced urban form. Amsterdam’s cycling resurgence, whilst dependent on numerous external factors, was initiated by the Dutch people. Similarly, the impressive increase in cycling seen in San Francisco, whilst again dependent on external factors (of the non-infrastructural variety), could not have happened without citizen demand.

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http://americancity.org/images/cache...6849575f14.jpg

M II A II R II K Dec 5, 2011 6:22 PM
Are urban bicyclists just elite snobs?


Dec 4, 2011

By Will Doig

Read More: http://www.salon.com/2011/12/04/are_...obs/singleton/

Quote:
In March, New Yorker columnist John Cassidy blogged about the city’s new bike lanes. He was annoyed that they made it harder for him to drive his Jaguar around Manhattan, and bemoaned the city’s bicyclists as a privileged, insular aristocracy, a “faddist minority intent on foisting its bipedalist views on a disinterested or actively reluctant populace.” The Internet pounced. Cassidy’s blog posts usually get around a dozen comments. This one got 109, and not all were adoring fans. “The most tone-deaf, philistine commentary I’ve ever seen in these pages,” read one. “Honestly, if you love driving so much, please move to the Midwest,” another suggested. “Philistine and desultory drivel.”

- Urban bicyclists have an image problem. They’ve become stereotyped as pretentious, aloof jackasses, and a lot of this has to do with the changes taking place in cities right now. During the last decade, dozens of urban cores were inundated by young, well-educated newcomers. Places like Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Washington added tens of thousands of these new residents. And one thing’s for sure: These kids really like bikes. An analysis by Atlantic Cities showed that bicycle ridership in these cities soared during this period. In some cases, it more than doubled. The rise in bicycling compelled cities to make themselves more friendly to bicyclists, and the friendlier they became, the more people starting riding. But as miles of bike lanes were striped and bike-share systems were installed, some of those cities’ residents started to criticize what they saw as major changes being made for a few new arrivals.

- “It got associated with young people and newcomers, and so people see cycling as something that’s accompanied by gentrification,” says Ben Fried, editor in chief of the online magazine Streetsblog. Bicycles and bike lanes became the most visible, most concrete representation of the demographic shifts transforming cities — and all the tensions and growing pains such a transformation entails. The bicyclists-as-gentrifiers trope turns out to be more perception than reality, though. Over the last decade, the share of white bicyclists fell in proportion to riders of color. And ridership is remarkably equal across income groups.

- But design is only part of the image problem. The other is bicyclists themselves, who are viewed as inept at best and a grave threat to the walking public at worst. But this, too, is mainly the result of urban norms not keeping pace with fast-changing cities. For years, most cities let bicyclists operate by what you might call “road rules lite” — coasting through red lights, for instance, if it was done cautiously. But once bikes started saturating the streets, local residents demanded riders be held to the same legal standards as drivers (ignoring the fact that drivers are rarely held to those standards themselves). Crackdowns ensued, which only inflamed tensions and widened the cultural divide. Philly ticketed 600 bicyclists in two months.

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http://media.salon.com/2011/12/bikes2-460x307.jpg

M II A II R II K Dec 8, 2011 4:51 PM
Take two for Rio de Janeiro’s bicycle rental program


December 7, 2011

By Tais Moraes

Read More: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/glob...al-program/993

Quote:
As the 2016 Summer Olympic Games nears, Rio de Janeiro is taking steps to become more sustainable. One of the most prominent involves two-wheeled transport. One of the city’s latest efforts, a program to stimulate Cariocas to use bicycles as a primary mode of transport, was relaunched a month ago. “Bike Rio” is the new version of “Pedala Rio,” a biking rental program that ended in 2010, which survived for just over a year. This time, City Hall says its efforts are going to stick around. The new program models its structure on those in Amsterdam and Paris, and the rate to rent a bicycle is now half of what it used to be. Organizers also say the security system that failed in the previous try is improved. There are also many more bikes and stations than the program’s previous incarnation.

In partnership with Itaú Bank and Serttel — the latter which developed the new system — the “laranjinhas” (”oranges,” referring to the color of the bikes), can be seen on the streets and at the 35 stations around the city. More stations are planned; the promise was 60 in total, with 600 bicycles available by the end of the year. To use the bikes, riders must register online. A monthly pass costs 10 reais (approximately US$5.57) and a one hour ride costs five reais. Customers can check bicycle availability online, as well as find open station spots to drop the bicycle off when they are finished with it. (There is a 60-minute time limit on rides.) “I’ve been using it mostly to go to the gym, and I thought it was really organized,” engineer Daniel Oberling said when SmartPlanet dropped by. “[However] it is impossible for me to go to work with it because I work far from home and there’s no station there.”

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http://i.bnet.com/blogs/bike-rio-bic...range-med.jpeg

M II A II R II K Dec 13, 2011 4:39 PM
Bike Lane-less Dallas Inches Forward


December 13, 2011

By Angie Schmitt

Read More: http://streetsblog.net/2011/12/13/bi...nches-forward/

Quote:
.....

[In] a list of the top 30 US cities by population … of all the cities listed, Dallas is the only one with no on-street bike lanes. Also, of the cities listed, almost half have upped the ante by applying for and receiving official “Bike Friendly Communities” status from the League of American Bicyclists, which means they have shown a high dedication to the LAB’s “5 E’s”: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation and planning.

- The good news is, Dallas is getting its first bicycle boulevard, on Seventh Street, as Bike Friendly Oak Cliff later noted. It will be a shared roadway, so that won’t count as dedicated bike infrastructure, but it’s an improvement none the less. Another sign that notoriously car-centric Dallas is urbanizing, ever so slightly.



Dallas can do better for these folks, pictured on the Annual Ride of Silence. Photo: Ride of Silence

http://streetsblog.net/wp-content/up...start_Keel.jpg

M II A II R II K Dec 14, 2011 4:22 PM
Cycling to Meet Europe’s Greenhouse Gas Reductions


December 13, 2011

By Itir Sonuparlak

Read More: http://thecityfix.com/blog/cycling-t...hg-reductions/

Quote:
The climate change policy talks in Durban finally wrapped up and participating nations agreed to pursue a new course of action in the global fight against climate change. Despite the inspiring agreement, one thing is still unclear and that is the strategy with which the world’s nations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve limited temperature rise. Perhaps the new study from the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) on how cycling can reduce greenhouse gas emissions can play a role in defining that strategy.

- The study finds that if cycling across the EU’s 27 nations was as widespread as it is in Denmark alone, then bicycling can help reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions for the transportation sector by up to 26 percent. Though, the percentage reduction would vary depending on which transport mode the bicycle replaces. This could go a long way in helping the EU achieve its much-needed goal of a 60 percent GHG reduction for the transportation sector by 2050.

- If we consider the current GHG reduction targets of the EU, an individual would only be able to travel 2,170 kilometers (1,348 miles) by car, 5,822 kilometers by bus (3,618 miles), and 28,000 kilometers (17,398 miles) by bicycle per year. So basically, if you wanted to limit your driving to meet the EU GHG reductions, you would only be able to drive 1,348 miles per year, which, if you’re traveling at 60 miles per hour, would be about only 23 hours of continuous driving per year.

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http://thecityfix.com/files/2011/12/...an-Cycling.jpg




http://thecityfix.com/files/2011/12/...79ecc5a_z1.jpg




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http://thecityfix.com/files/2011/12/...a5fce37e_z.jpg

M II A II R II K Dec 14, 2011 8:27 PM
4 Types of Cyclists


December 14, 2011

Read More: http://www.carfreeinbigd.com/2011/12...-cyclists.html

Four Types of Cyclists PDF: http://www.portlandonline.com/transp...44597&a=264746

Quote:
The key to bike ridership is not converting the "Interested but Concerned" into "Enthused" or "Fearless." Changing people is far more difficult than changing the infrastructure (unless you are the City of Dallas). Instead, you have to tap into that population base. But why?

For one, despite the various regional geographies and mindsets we might personally identify with, these percentages are pretty consistent no matter where the question is posed. Portland, Dallas, or Amsterdam. The difference is how amenable the infrastructure is.

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http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wjroUEdDYX...bicyclists.jpg

M II A II R II K Dec 14, 2011 9:25 PM
L.A.'s Bike Lane Blues


December 14th, 2011

By Nate Berg

Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/com...ane-blues/719/

Quote:
The city of Los Angeles recently followed the lead of cities like San Francisco and New York by altering two of its streets and adding new bike lanes, part of a pilot program that included painting the entire width of the lanes bright green. These new lanes have been welcomed by the bicycle community and by ribbon-cutting local politicians as a bold green sign of the city’s efforts to become a safer and friendlier place to bike. Riding down one of these new lanes, a 1.5-mile section of Spring Street downtown, it’s easy to feel the difference from other streets in the car-dominated city, with the neon green lane practically impossible to miss. But after a few blocks of riding, that bright green starts to dim, with sometimes huge splotches chipped off and eaten away, revealing the black pavement and gray concrete beneath. And that’s after a second coat of paint had been added. In a month.

- “By the first rainstorm they were compromised,” says Tim Fremaux, a traffic engineer and bikeways project manager at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. And that first rainstorm came early. Despite a fairly clear forecast, rains drizzled shortly after crews laid down paint the weekend of November 19. According to Bruce Gillman, LADOT’s public information officer, the $15,000 coat of paint couldn’t properly set because of the moisture. In addition, passing buses, cars, bikes and pedestrians further affected the paint’s ability to dry properly. “Cones weren’t left in place long enough to control the traffic,” says Gillman. Within days, much of the paint on a long stretch of the new bike lane looked like it had gone through years of service.

- So two weeks later, they tried again. “We re-applied with a different paint, but recent rainstorms compromised that coat as well,” says Fremaux, of rains that fell earlier this week. The second coat of paint, which included an epoxy base to help it stick to the ground, cost another $15,000. But again, the bike lane is now fading away on about half of its 11-block stretch, with chipped paint drifting into gutters and down the street. The bulk of the paint remains, but the visible decay is at the very least troubling for a project with only a few weeks under its belt and already two faulty coats of paint. “Whatever paint they’re using, it’s not working,” says Alexis Lantz, planning and policy director at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. She points to success in cities like San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and New York, which have installed similar painted bike lanes in recent years. “I don’t believe they’ve seen these kinds of issues with the paint peeling up.”

- Gillman argues that 100 percent success wasn’t necessarily the main objective. The Spring Street bike lane was intended to serve as a test of how future lanes could be implemented, he says. The problems with the paint have proven to be effective lessons of what not to do. The other test in this pilot – on certain high traffic areas like intersections on 1st Street – used a higher-grade and more expensive thermoplastic paint similar to what’s used to line streets. No problems have been reported on this street. But at about double the cost of the Spring Street paint, Gillman says this option isn’t widely viable in the current economic climate. For now, the chipping paint represents maybe 10 to 20 percent of the stretch of lane in question, but it hints at a rapid deterioration that could decrease the attention-gathering safety these lanes are intended to provide. Gillman says LADOT will be sending a crew out to evaluate the latest damage and determine whether yet another coat of paint is needed. Fremaux says the city’s not likely to keep covering up the problem without finding a more permanent solution.

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http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img...ne/largest.JPG

M II A II R II K Dec 17, 2011 4:02 PM
Emanuel, Quinn hope bicycles fill the missing link in mass transit


December 16, 2011

By Jon Hilkevitch

Read More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,3771067.story

Quote:
Going from bicycle to train and even to airplane could be a breeze thanks to new funding designed to encourage creative solutions to urban congestion, officials said Thursday. A $20 million federal transportation grant for Chicago that was first announced Monday will allocate $16 million toward repairs on the CTA Blue Line O'Hare branch and $4 million for the city's planned bicycle-sharing project set to start next year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Pat Quinn said during an event at the Logan Square Blue Line station, 2620 N. Milwaukee Ave.

The Logan Square neighborhood near the CTA stop is a candidate to get one of 300 bike-sharing stations in 2012, Emanuel said. The city plans to provide 3,000 bikes for short-term use, for free or a modest fee, starting in June, to encourage less driving and more use of mass transit, and to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. The mass transit-bicycling connection encourages bike use before or after using transit, officials said. Users will pick up a bike from a self-service docking station, ride to their destination and drop off the bike at the nearest station.

Officials expect to expand the bike-sharing program to 4,000 bicycles and 400 stations near bus stops and rail stations by 2013. The total cost of the Blue Line and bike projects is estimated at $64.6 million, according to a document provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation. While the CTA and Chicago Department of Transportation are getting a total of $20 million, Chicago's original grant application totaled $50 million — $40 million for the CTA and $10 million for bike-sharing, CDOT spokesman Bill McCaffrey said. Forty-six transportation projects nationwide will get a total of $511 million in this funding round, according to the U.S. Transportation Department. The top single amounts awarded were $20 million apiece to four projects, including Chicago's.

.....



Gov. Pat Quinn, from left, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gather Thursday at the Logan Square CTA station to announce a $20 million federal grant for Blue Line repairs and a bicycle-sharing program. (José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / December 15, 2011)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/...2/66804248.jpg

TysonsEngineer Dec 17, 2011 8:05 PM
http://www.gazette.net/article/20111...mplate=gazette

Capital Bikeshare in Washington DC has been one of the most successful transportation initiatives in this region in years. Not only is the company doing well (bucking what most said would never work in the Capital) but they are even expanding into Maryland and Virginia along existing and future metro stations. Unfortunately most of these metro stations have yet to integrate bi-modal transportation systems outside of cars to this point but the new Silver line in northern virginia gives a blank slate for design ideas at this point. We should be seeing some new bikelanes in Tysons Corner specifically being integrated in some of the secondary thoroughfares at some point in 2012 which hopefully along with our really good bus system and future metro can help reduce traffic and office park sprawl in the region.

s.p.hansen Dec 20, 2011 1:03 AM
Salt Lake City is on track to open a downtown bike sharing program in the spring / early summer (500+ bikes).

I have it from a reliable source (who works for the city) that Salt Lake City just scored a hefty little grant to build barrier separated 7ft wide bike lanes on one of the streets downtown.

tallboy66 Dec 20, 2011 2:16 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K (Post 5520120)
Emanuel, Quinn hope bicycles fill the missing link in mass transit


December 16, 2011

By Jon Hilkevitch

Read More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,3771067.story






Gov. Pat Quinn, from left, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gather Thursday at the Logan Square CTA station to announce a $20 million federal grant for Blue Line repairs and a bicycle-sharing program. (José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / December 15, 2011)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/...2/66804248.jpg
This is good for people who occasionally visit the city but a bike rental station to another fixed destination station won't fill gaps in transit. A comprehensive bike trail will. The blue line just had a ton of construction and upgrades supposedly allowing it to top 55 mph in spots out to O'Hare

Besides most people in Logan sq. or points south (Wicker, West Town) have bikes already. How about covered bike racks or more bike parking along East/West routes along the Blue line?

How about finally making the Bloomingdale into a multi use path?

J. Will Dec 20, 2011 3:22 PM
We can't allow bike lanes, because they might be used by terrorists!.

M II A II R II K Dec 20, 2011 9:08 PM
How to Boost Biking and Walking Even Further in Your City


12.20.11

By Jay Walljasper

Read More: http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-to...r-in-your-city

Quote:
.....

People here biked and walked 16 percent more in 2011 than in 2010, when Minneapolis was crowned “#1 Bike City” by Bicycling magazine. The same is true for St. Paul and some inner ring suburbs. Biking rose 22 percent across the Twin Cities compared to 2010, according to data just released by Bike Walk Twin Cities. And it’s up a whopping 53 percent since 2007, when the organization began counting bicyclists and pedestrians at 42 locations in the two cities and adjoining suburbs. Walking is also on the rise in the Twin Cities. Pedestrian traffic rose 9 percent compared to 2010, and 18 percent since 2007.

- Furthermore, Minneapolis gained more national recognition this year as one of America’s best walking cities. It ranked number #9 (2nd in the Midwest after Chicago) on a list of America’s 50 largest cities, compiled by WalkScore—a prominent website that measures the walkability of neighborhoods around the country. That put it ahead of Portland (12) and Denver (16). (St. Paul is not among the 50th largest cities, but if it was it would rank 15th, #3 in the Midwest.) Bike Walk Twin Cities has conducted bike and pedestrian counts over the past five years as part of the federally funded Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program, which is focused on implementing proven strategies and finding innovations that allow some Americans to switch from driving to biking and walking for many short trips.

- The pronounced rise of two-wheel and two-feet travel between 2010 and 2011 is attributable in part to an array of street improvements—including more bike lanes and special bicycle-and-pedestrian boulevards—installed around town in the past year as part of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Project. The Twin Cities was one of four communities around the country designated as transportation laboratories in the legislation, which was passed by a Congress in 2005 and signed by President George W. Bush. “The goal of this project from Congress was to shift some trips, and this data shows it is happening,” says Joan Pasiuk, director of Bike Walk Twin Cities. “The implications for overall health and transportation access are outcomes the community will realize from the numbers we’re reporting.”

- Bike and pedestrian counts on just one bridge across the Mississippi River, for example, show that the increase in biking translates to 96,000 fewer auto trips at that location during 2011 compared to 2007, explains Tony Hull, Bike Walk Twin Cities’ Nonmotorized Evaluation Analyst. He arrived at that figure by using a model developed as part of the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Protocol by Alta Planning & Design of Portland. Overall, people made 1.1 million bike and pedestrian trips across the bridge in 2011. “This is a massive number of people that need to be factored in our transportation policies,” Hull notes. “It’s not just nice that people are biking and walking more today. It’s a significant form of transportation” which he says offers positive results for public health, the environment and our sense of community.

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http://www.shareable.net/sites/defau...dcb2de98_0.jpg

zilfondel Dec 21, 2011 12:17 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Will (Post 5522854)
We can't allow bike lanes, because they might be used by terrorists!.
I think we found your terrorist!

Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K (Post 5523421)

M II A II R II K Dec 23, 2011 4:54 PM
Cincinnati wants cyclists to grade city on its bicycle infrastructure and policies


December 23, 2011

By Randy A. Simes

Read More: http://www.urbancincy.com/2011/12/ci...-and-policies/

Quote:
The City of Cincinnati is looking for bicyclists to share their thoughts about how the city is progressing with its bicycling infrastructure and policies. From now until December 31 bicyclists can give their feedback to the Department of Transportation & Engineering (DOTE) about what would make them feel safer and use their bicycle more often. In 2010 bicyclists gave the city an overall grade of “C” for its progress, just as they did in 2009, and city officials are hoping the feedback can help guide policy decisions to improve the atmosphere for bicycling in Cincinnati.

“We’re working to create a bicycle friendly city, so that Cincinnatians of all ages and abilities can use bicycles for everyday trips,” stated DOTE director Michael Moore. “The report card survey is a great tool for publicly measuring our progress.” This is the third year in which the city has solicited such feedback to help guide its bicycle program. Over that time the city has also worked to implement new bicycle parking and lane infrastructure, along with new policies intended to improve bicycling culture in Cincinnati.

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M II A II R II K Dec 23, 2011 5:26 PM
Carnegie Mellon University industrial design students Jonathan Ota and Ethan Frier developed the Aura system that brings attention to bicyclists by lighting up their bike. The students incorporated six groups of three tri-colored LEDs attached to the rims of a bike. The lights are powered by a generator built into the front hub.



Video Link

Ch.G, Ch.G Dec 23, 2011 7:26 PM
^ My favorite Gold Panda song! It doesn't really make me think of nighttime though...

M II A II R II K Jan 3, 2012 9:53 PM
Safer roadway designs: How Danes make right turns


December 28, 2011

By Steven Vance

Read More: http://gridchicago.com/2011/safer-ro...e-right-turns/

Quote:
I went to Copenhagen, Denmark, in January 2011, and I was there for about 48 hours. I met Mikael of Copenhagenize, who lent me his Velorbis bike. I biked as much as possible, at all hours of the day, and I encountered a lot of the cycling infrastructure that makes it easy to bike and encourages the hundreds of thousands of trips by bike a day – even in winter! This photo essay shows one of the ways you can design an intersection to facilitate safe right turns and through-maneuevers, for both people driving and cycling, as seen in Copenhagen.

- Why do this? Separating the different vehicles and especially their movements creates a safer transportation systsem. The injury rate in Denmark is several times lower than in Chicago (or any American city for that matter), and their cycling rate is several times higher. I look forward to the complete bike crash and safety report being written by the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the Chicago Department of Transportation. It will have more analysis than I could do on my own for Grid Chicago.

- If we are to meet our ambitious goal of cutting injuries in half by 2015, we should take road design more seriously. I’d love it if there was a “CSI” team that would investigate each bike crash and test changes to infrastructure design to reduce the likelihood of crashes there again. The essential factors that make cycling safe are increasing the number of people doing it, and building separated infrastructure. Cities around the world find that the latter, “building separated infrastructure”, has a major impact on the former. I don’t think Chicago experiments with different designs as often as many other cities.

- Providing an exclusive signal display recognizes the differences between motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, and it separates bicycles from conflicting movements. I just confirmed that if Chicago wanted to do this, it, too, would have to receive a “Request to Experiment” from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) because the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) doesn’t list bicycle signals as an approved traffic control device.

.....



A centered bike lane and right-turn lane at Augusta Boulevard and Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. It makes you feel trapped. There have been four crashes with five cyclists along the bike lane here over 4 years, starting at the beginning of the green bike lane, and ending at the intersection.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/...e3504a1cbe.jpg




I’m approaching the intersection of Amager Boulevard and Klaksvigsgade in Copenhagen.

http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7154/...eebd129376.jpg




I wait behind another person on their bike in the bike through lane while drivers turn right in front of us. Look in the top right corner of the photo and you’ll see a miniature green light indicating that cyclists can turn right.

http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7158/...27d01c4484.jpg

FREKI Jan 4, 2012 12:08 AM
Home sweet home :)

kw5150 Jan 13, 2012 5:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick. (Post 5398189)
its hell of easy dog, if you ride on the road you need a license
Hi, stop coming into the threads just to be an a-hole, thanks.

zilfondel Jan 13, 2012 9:55 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K (Post 5536067)
I wait behind another person on their bike in the bike through lane while drivers turn right in front of us. Look in the top right corner of the photo and you’ll see a miniature green light indicating that cyclists can turn right.

http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7158/...27d01c4484.jpg
This seems like it would be a problem in the USA, when many drivers just blow through red lights.

I don't think I've seen a car stop at a red light before making a right turn (right-on-red) since 1986.

Strangely, I've heard that some places in the world don't allow right turns during red lights. And not just in the UK/Australia/Japan/HK, either. :shrug:

philvia Jan 14, 2012 8:22 PM
^^^right on red is illegal in NYC. I'm sure there are other cities in the US that have similar laws.

M II A II R II K Jan 16, 2012 8:21 PM
Cycles and cents: One city sets out to prove that bikes are good for business


11 Jan 2012

By Mark Hertsgaard

Read More: http://www.grist.org/biking/2012-01-...bikes-are-good

Quote:
Look out, Minneapolis and Portland. Long Beach is making its move, aiming to surpass you as America's Most Bike Friendly City. Does that sound odd for a city whose chief claim to environmental fame has been its massively polluting port and offshore oil facilities -- a city that, like the rest of Southern California, has long been in thrall of the car? Well, all that's changing, and the change is coming from the top. Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, who says he tries to bike 100 miles a week, actually laughs about the car addiction of his mega neighbor to the north. "I love that scene in L.A. Story where Steve Martin gets behind the wheel, backs out of his driveway, and drives to his neighbor's driveway," Foster says. "He won't even walk as far as his neighbor's house!"

Of course, there are still plenty of cars in Long Beach (though Foster himself drives an electric one), but bicycles are getting more respect, not to mention resources, than ever before. With help from state and federal grants and pressure from local cycling enthusiasts, the city government has installed 130 miles of bike trails, established protected bike lanes (that is, lanes separated from vehicular traffic by physical barriers) on major commuter thoroughfares, created bike boulevards that enable kids and parents to bike or walk safely to and from school, and installed 1,200 new bike racks. Perhaps most innovative has been the city's effort to establish bike-friendly shopping districts -- the first in the country, officials say -- engaging local merchants by showing them how, contrary to common belief, biking can actually bring more customers and vitality to shopping districts.

.....



http://www.grist.org/phpThumb/phpThu...altarrrr&w=315




http://www.grist.org/phpThumb/phpThu...altarrrr&w=315

M II A II R II K Jan 17, 2012 5:39 PM
A New Cycling Superhighway. Not in the U.S.A.


January 16, 2012

By A.K. Streeter

Read More: http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/new-...ay-not-us.html

Quote:
If you want to find an unassuming place where bicycling is a way of life and nobody makes a big deal about it, head south. The south of Sweden, that is, where the small university town of Lund has a big bicycle habit. They just don't advertise it. In Lund, 60% of the populace bikes or takes public transport to go about their daily tasks. And then there's Malmö, Sweden's third largest city - only 20 miles southwest of Lund. Malmö also doesn't have a reputation for fantastic biking. But some say it is the country's best biking city - ahead of both Stockholm, the capital; Gothenburg, the second largest Swedish metropolitan area, and a host of smaller bike-friendly burgs.

Just across the Øresund sound from Copenhagen, Malmö has always lived a bit in the shadow of the Danish capital. But in the last few years it has done a lot to take a place among the great biking cities of Northern Europe, mostly by its investment in infrastructure and pure commitment to get people on their bikes. That has paid off - cycling has increased 30% each year for the last four years, while car trips under five kilometers have dropped. Now Malmö is upping the stakes by putting up 30 million Swedish crowns (about US$4.1 million) toward the building of a four-lane super cycling highway between it and its bike-happy northern neighbor city Lund.

The Swedish Traffic Authority (Trafikverket) has already studied the feasibility of building the bicycle superhighway between the two cities. What remains is for the central government (and Lund and the smaller towns between the two areas) to put their money down. Trafikverket has planned a route for the superhighway running roughly parallel to railway tracks, which makes it easier and less expensive to build, as right of ways are already in place. The proposed bicycle superhighway would, in addition to four lanes (2 in each direction) have exits but no intersections, two types of wind protection (low bushes as well as solid fencing) periodic bicycle service stations, and would take eight years to complete.

.....



http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i...mo_to_Lund.jpg

Swede Jan 18, 2012 8:58 AM
I really like that plan, I can think of a couple more places in Sweden that could use such a bike-highway (Södertälje-Stockholm-Uppsala and Norrköping-Linköping). Here's another pic from one of the local papers (www.sydsvenskan.se)

http://www.sydsvenskan-img.se/archiv...l_1032778a.gif

"motorväg" means motorway. Not the best word-choice :P

M II A II R II K Jan 18, 2012 5:13 PM
What would a motorvag be, a plug-in fleshlight with a motor pump inside or something....

--------------------------------

Getting Around Near and Far — The Supercharged Bike-Sharing Card


January 18, 2012

By Angie Schmitt

Read More: http://streetsblog.net/2012/01/18/ge...-sharing-card/

Quote:
.....

According to Network blog The Bike-Sharing Blog, a bike sharing membership card could soon come in handy at a subway turnstile or even on a vacation in Florida. One of the hallmarks of the fourth generation of bike-sharing will be the single transportation card. A pass that is operative on the bus, metro, tram, light rail, taxis, car-sharing and car parking. We wrote about the experiment with the Mobilitätskarte (Mobility Card) of Berlin in our Bike-sharing World — June 2011 as a step in this direction. Another hallmark will be an inter-operative card between bike-sharing systems. A good example is Boulder B-cycle members can use Denver B-cycle and vice versa. In Germany, a registration, by card or telephone, with Metropolradruhr or nextbike will work in all their locations. Bicincittà is in the process of making all their bikes available to all their card holders.

- Last week, the bike-sharing service in Wuhan, China (currently the largest in the world with 5,000 more bikes than Hangzhou) announced an intent with the bike-sharing service in Haikou, China to give reciprocity to each other’s card holders. Wuhan is in central China on the Yangtze River and has harsh winters. Haikou is on a large island in the South China Sea with warm winters. According to reports by the Chinese Bicycle Association, the intent is to allow leisure and business travelers to enjoy bike riding in the tropical climate of this ocean city! What a complementary pair of services. This conjures up whole new avenues for bike-sharing. The systems of Scandanavia, such Stockholm City Bikes, could have reciprocity with Barcelona’s Bicing with less harsh winters. The Polish system in Rzeszow, RowRes, could exchange with Batumivelo on the Black Sea. B-cycle in Madison, Wisconsin could let its University of Wisconsin members enjoy spring break with B-cycle in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in the USA.

.....



Haikou Public Bicycles in Haikou, China recently formed a reciprocity agreement with bike-sharing users in Wuhan, China. Some of those types of agreements are already at work with bike-sharing systems in the U.S. More cooperation could change bike-sharing for the better. Photo: The Bike-Sharing Blog

http://streetsblog.net/wp-content/up...ic+Bicycle.jpg

fflint Jan 19, 2012 3:34 AM
Largest Used Bicycle Markets in America by Raw Volume
 
http://blog.priceonomics.com/post/16...xie-bike-index

"[W]e look at raw volume of bicycles offered for sale by city to determine which are the largest markets."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3387895/Bike%20Market%20NEW.png

M II A II R II K Jan 19, 2012 4:29 PM
Bike Sharing: It's Global City Cycling's Gateway Drug


January 19, 2012

By A.K. Streeter

Read More: http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/bike...eway-drug.html

Quote:
Washington D.C.'s Capitol Bikeshare started small in 2010, and with little fanfare. It wasn't as large as Paris' Vélib bike share system, or as immediately popular as Barcelona's Bici. It didn't have especially bells-and-whistles bikes like Denver's B-cycle program, nor was it as comprehensive as the Chinese city of Hangzhou's bike sharing scheme.

Never mind. Capital Bikeshare has become copy editor Bill Walsh's (and a lot of other DC commuters') gateway cycling drug of choice anyway. Walsh, who lives and works in the nation's capitol, has over the last eight months become a dedicated cycle commuter, using Capitol Bikeshare for more than 90% of his commutes - causing him to christen the service a "gateway" transportation drug. In other words, once you use it, you are hooked on city cycling.

And that's good for cities. Bike sharing systems are an investment, and frequently one that is hard to find the money for in cash-strapped cities (such as Portland, Oregon), but bike sharing is far cheaper than building subways, paving new freeways, or adding bus services, and it pays off not only in reducing car traffic but also in making citizens just a bit more conditioned.

The next wave in bike sharing is to make systems friendlier - making it easier for users (tourists and city dwellers) to get on other forms of public transport when they are done cycling. In Berlin and Paris, passes can be used for different transport, and in the case of Berlin, for car parking and taxis, too. In another experiment in Munich, Mo! combines car sharing and bike sharing in a single system.

.....



http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i..._World_Map.jpg

Swede Jan 20, 2012 9:08 AM
I wonder what a combo of the München and Berlin consepts would result in after a few years in terms of peoples habits. An integrated car pool, bike share, parking, taxi & transit payment system. I like the idea.


Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K (Post 5554540)
What would a motorvag be, a plug-in fleshlight with a motor pump inside or something....
:sly: Some people are linguistically challenged (admittedly, not the average SSP:er). :)

M II A II R II K Jan 20, 2012 8:05 PM
Hippest bike cities as ranked by Craigslist


January 19, 2012

By Richard Masoner

Read More: http://www.cyclelicio.us/2012/bicycle-sales-top-cities/

Quote:
Bike riding Priceonomics researcher Rohin Dhar dug into six months of Craigslist posts to find the top cities for cycling in the United States. Rohin counted the number of used bicycle “for sale” Craigslist postings nationwide and found that San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Orange County had the most bike listings. Given the populations of these areas, this isn’t too surprising, so Rohin normalized the data for population and came up with these rankings.

For bike sales per capita, Boulder, Colorado comes out on top, followed by Bend OR, Portland OR, Eugene OR, Reno NV, and San Francisco CA.

Which is all kind of boring, so for fun Rohin filtered just for “fixies” and “fixed gear” in his dataset as a proxy for a city’s hipster quotient and discovers California is the epicenter of today’s fixed gear bike sales. The top cities for fixed gear bike listings? In order, they are:

Orange County
Los Angeles
San Jose
San Francisco
Santa Barbara
Chico
Modesto

California cities get the top seven spots in Rohin’s hipster rankings. Sacramento is at number nine, San Diego and San Luis Obispo come in at 11th and 12th. New York City places 36th on Rohin’s list. Allentown and Worcester tied for last place with zero fixed gear bike listings.

.....



http://www.cyclelicio.us/wp-content/...a-710x1024.png

202_Cyclist Jan 20, 2012 9:43 PM
M A II A II R K:
Quote:
Bike riding Priceonomics researcher Rohin Dhar dug into six months of Craigslist posts to find the top cities for cycling in the United States. Rohin counted the number of used bicycle “for sale” Craigslist postings nationwide and found that San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Orange County had the most bike listings. Given the populations of these areas, this isn’t too surprising, so Rohin normalized the data for population and came up with these rankings.
Orange County? This seems a bit surprising but you have excellent weather and limited transit, making biking a better travel option if you don't want to drive.

M II A II R II K Jan 21, 2012 12:36 AM
Making Streets Safer With On-Street Bike Parking




Video Link

Illithid Dude Jan 21, 2012 1:49 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist (Post 5557842)
M A II A II R K:


Orange County? This seems a bit surprising but you have excellent weather and limited transit, making biking a better travel option if you don't want to drive.
Orange County has been one of the most progressive biking areas in Southern California.

natiboy Jan 21, 2012 5:32 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K (Post 5558066)
Making Streets Safer With On-Street Bike Parking
Cool video!

Here's a picture of an on-street bicycle coral in Cincinnati:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...BikeCorral.jpg
By: UncleRando on UrbanOhio

M II A II R II K Jan 21, 2012 11:42 PM
Cold Climate Can’t Stop Minneapolis’s Surging Bike Rates


January 20, 2012

By Ben Goldman

Read More: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/01/20...ng-bike-rates/

Quote:
.....

The compilation of cycling-related data shows a marked increase in the number of cyclists and a steadily decreasing injury rate to go along with substantial investments in bicycle infrastructure on city streets. According to the report, some 7,000 Minneapolis residents used a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation to and from work in 2010. That’s nearly twice as many as in 1990 or 2000, when the number of cyclists stayed relatively flat. And, as a share of all commuters, it’s good enough to rank Minneapolis the number two city for bike commuting in the U.S.

- The news is yet more evidence that cold weather cities can make cycling an attractive option. In fact, according to the rankings compiled by Copenhagenize, many of the cities with the highest cycling rates are in Northern Europe and Japan. While bicyclists in Minneapolis account for four percent of commute trips, compared to 55 percent in Copenhagen, the number is growing. “I anticipate that we will see this report as a regular register of our collective bicycle accomplishments throughout the city,” Mayor R. T. Rybak writes in the report. “Minneapolis is going to keep at it, and we can all look forward to the benefits as we become a truly welcoming and world-class bicycle city.”

- The mayor is serious about cycling in Minneapolis, and he has plenty to brag about already, including the launch of the Nice Ride Minnesota bike-share system and the growth of the city’s bike network to 167 miles of on-street bikeways, a 75 percent increase from 2010 to 2011 alone. The report comes on the heels of Minneapolis’s first ever Bicycle Master Plan, adopted in July, which set ambitious goals for the growth of the city’s bicycle network over the next 30 years. Additionally, in December, the city hired its first full-time bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, Shaun Murphy. The report also highlighted the city’s steadily improving record of bicyclist safety.

- The number of “regular commuters” comes from the U.S. Census and the American Community Survey, but in 2007 the City of Minneapolis inaugurated its own bicycle count in an attempt to measure casual and recreational riders, whom the Census doesn’t capture. Since then, the number of bicyclists in the city has grown some 47 percent, from about 22,000 to about 32,000 (the number is higher because it is not strictly limited to city residents). This puts the city on pace to meet its goal of having 35,000 cyclists using its streets by 2014, a 60 percent increase over 2007 levels.

.....



As more people bike in Minneapolis, the rate of cyclist-involved crashes has decreased. Image: Dept. of Public Works

http://dc.streetsblog.org/wp-content...s-1024x422.jpg

M II A II R II K Jan 23, 2012 11:29 PM
Alliance Benchmarking Report Ranks Cities and States on Bicycling and Walking


January 23, 2012

By Carolyn Szczepanski

Read More: http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org...ite/blog/3932/

Quote:
In a new report, Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report, the Alliance ranks all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities on bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors. This report comes at a critical moment, as Congress takes up the imminent passage of the next federal transportation bill, which dictates how billions of tax dollars will be spent over coming years. The Benchmarking Report reveals that, in nearly every city and state, pedestrians and bicyclists are disproportionately at risk of being killed, and currently receive less than a fair share of transportation dollars. While 12 percent of trips in the U.S. are by bike or foot, 14 percent of traffic fatalities are bicyclists and pedestrians. Pedestrian and bicycle projects receive less than 2 percent of federal transportation dollars.

- The report compiles persuasive evidence that bicycle and pedestrian projects create more jobs than highway projects, and provide at least three dollars of benefit for every dollar invested. The report also highlights the health benefits of active transportation, showing that states with the highest rates of bicycling and walking are also among those with the lowest rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. “The data points to one conclusion: Investing in biking and walking projects creates jobs, leads to more people biking and walking, and improves safety and public health,” Miller says. John Pucher, a professor at Rutgers University, emphasizes: “The wide range of environmental, social, and economic benefits of walking and bicycling, so clearly documented in this report, justify greatly increased investment in facilities and programs to encourage more walking and cycling, and to improve the safety of these most sustainable of all transportation modes.”

Other highlights from the report include:

• In 2009, 40% of trips in the United States were shorter than 2 miles, yet 87% of these trips are by car. Twenty-seven percent of trips were shorter than 1 mile. Still, Americans use their cars for 62% of these trips.

• While bicycling and walking fell 66% between 1960 and 2009, obesity levels increased 156%.

• Seniors are the most vulnerable bicyclists and pedestrians. Adults over 65 make up 10% of walking trips, yet comprise 19% of pedestrian fatalities. This age group accounts for 6% of bicycling trips, yet 10% of bicyclist fatalities.

• Bicycling and walking projects create 11-14 jobs per $1 million spent, compared to just 7 jobs created per $1 million spent on highway projects. Cost benefit analysis show that up to $11.80 in benefits can be gained for every $1 invested in bicycling and walking.

• On average, the largest 51 U.S. cities show a 29% increase in bicycle facilities since the 2010 report. Cities report that 20,908 miles of bicycle facilities and 7,079 miles of pedestrian facilities are planned for the coming years (much of this contingent upon funding).

.....



http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org...l%29_thumb.jpg




http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org...copy_thumb.jpg




http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org...copy_thumb.jpg




http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org...copy_thumb.jpg




http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org...copy_thumb.jpg

hammersklavier Jan 24, 2012 12:15 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swede (Post 5554242)
"motorväg" means motorway. Not the best word-choice :P
"Cykelväg" I could get behind. Or cycleway or bike highway to describe limited-access roadways built for bikes.

I wonder how it would translate into other languages...? Fahrradbahn? Véloroute? Via bicicleta?

Swede Jan 24, 2012 9:36 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by hammersklavier (Post 5561424)
"Cykelväg" I could get behind. Or cycleway or bike highway to describe limited-access roadways built for bikes.

I wonder how it would translate into other languages...? Fahrradbahn? Véloroute? Via bicicleta?
Cykelväg kinda just means bike path though, and in Swedish there's no "freeway" or "highway" just "motorway". Cykelled is a possibility, but that's already used to mean any bike route. I wonder what the Dutch are calling 'em?

M II A II R II K Jan 24, 2012 11:24 PM
Semi-turbo roundabout with right of way for cyclists - Hilversum, The Netherlands


• Video Link




The dangers of turbo roundabouts


• Video Link

M II A II R II K Feb 1, 2012 11:39 PM
Chicago Applies NACTO Urban Bikeway Guidelines


January 30, 2012

By Itir Sonuparlak

Read More: http://thecityfix.com/blog/chicago-a...ay-guidelines/

Quote:
Last year, the National Association of City Transportation Officials released a technical guide on how to implement bike lanes in urban areas. We now see that Chicago is applying these guidelines to create safe biking paths across the city.

We previously wrote about Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s commitment to providing safe and protected spaces for bicyclists, so it’s no surprise to see the city taking leaps towards this goal.

In order to communicate the city’s efforts, NACTO released a video highlighting Chicago’s bike lanes and the exchange of knowledge among experts in the transportation world.

.....



• Video Link

The Gibbroni Feb 2, 2012 5:08 AM
This is a great cycling video. Such dedication!

Video Link

M II A II R II K Feb 3, 2012 6:09 PM
Capital Bikeshare program looks to spread into the Washington suburbs


February 1

By Ashley Halsey III

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...EjQ_story.html

Quote:
.....

By summertime, the bikes should be rolling through the streets of Rockville and Alexandria as the popular Capital Bikeshare program expands into several outer Washington communities. If grant applications come through, they might also appear in the inner-ring areas of Bethesda, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Friendship Heights and Forest Glen. The development of White Flint and Wheaton make those neighborhoods likely candidates as well. College Park, with thousands of students looking for cheap transportation, is also a tempting location. Greenbelt is in the mix, as are Frederick, Howard and Prince George’s counties.

- A key reason the bike program has flourished in the District and Arlington has been the expansion of bike lanes and bike-related improvements to encourage cycling. As Bikeshare moves to areas outside the city, the same accommodations are important, said Shane Farthing, director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. “I do think that the next places that come along are going to have to step it up a little bit to make sure that conditions are right, that people are safe, that there’s space for people to bike, and that drivers and cyclists are educated on how to ride responsibly,” Farthing said.

.....



http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/ima...IKESHARE-2.jpg

M II A II R II K Feb 7, 2012 5:14 PM
Boehner Bikepath Blog is … Baloney, say Bicyclists


Read More: http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2012...ay-bicyclists/

Quote:
Speaker John Boehner’s weekend claim that 25% of the highway dollars are “siphoned off for non-economic projects – such as beautification and bikepaths” came as a bit of a shock. The nation’s bicyclists must have gotten a big raise over the holidays, because last November Boehner and his buddy Eric Cantor were claiming only ten percent of highway funds were “diverted” this way.

Neither figure is anywhere close to the truth, of course. Boehner continues to use “bikepaths” as a whipping boy for everything that he thinks is wrong with our transportation system – he knows, and his colleagues know, that “bikepaths” get barely 1.5% of Federal transportation dollars. They also carefully avoid inconvenient facts like:

- The 1.5% of funds that go to bicycling and walking projects compares to the 12% of trips and 14% of fatalities for which these two transportation account nationwide.

- “Bikepaths” make up a small percentage of investments made in safer bicycling and walking infrastructure – most of the funds go to popular and cost-effective projects including sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, trails, bike parking, Safe Routes to Schools programs and a host of other safety projects that benefit all road users.

- The Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to Schools programs are among the only programs that give local governments the opportunity to compete fairly for transportation dollars that are fiercely controlled by state highway agencies; these funds are typically over-subscribed by a factor of three or more.

.....



http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog//blo...rt-244x300.jpg

M II A II R II K Feb 10, 2012 5:25 PM
Paris cyclists given right to break traffic laws


07 Feb 2012

By Henry Samuel

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ffic-laws.html

Quote:
A new government decree has just authorised cyclists in the French capital to go through red lights, after road safety experts deemed the measure would cut road accidents. bIt follows a fierce three-year campaign by cyclists' associations. Under the new system, which will be first tested on 15 crossroads in the East of the French capital, cyclists are allowed to turn right or go straight ahead even when the lights are red.

They must, however, make way for pedestrians and incoming traffic on the left and will be held responsible in the event of an accident. Red and yellow signposts posted on traffic light poles will inform cyclists that they can ignore the lights in designated 30km per hour zones. If judged feasible, the scheme will then be rolled out to 1,700 crossroads in Paris. The text for the new rule, approved by Paris councillors last week, justifies the measure by saying: "Experience shows that adding specific traffic lights for cyclists can create confusion for motorists."

.....



http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...e_2131621b.jpg

M II A II R II K Feb 11, 2012 8:07 PM
San Francisco Will Pioneer Electric Bike Sharing


February 10, 2012

By Sarah Laskow

Read More: http://www.good.is/post/san-francisc...-bike-sharing/

Quote:
San Francisco is putting a new spin on car- and bike-sharing services. With federal backing, the city is partnering with a local car share service to offer members access to electric bikes, too. The program will launch this year with 45 bikes being integrated into the system, and an additional 45 will come into circulation in 2013, The New York Times reports.

- That bike’s designer, Tony Pereira, told judges that his bike could replace a car. The San Francisco pilot program is asking more directly whether that’s true. Researchers at University of California-Berkeley will be studying the extent to which car share customers choose an electric bike over a car. In theory, there should be a threshold at which a bike makes more sense than a car.

- The rider might rule out a regular bike because she needs to reach a destination quickly, or doesn’t want to arrive sweaty, or doesn’t want to face a particular hill. But she might not need the full power of a car to solve those problems. Since the pilot program will price the electric bike at half the rate of cars or even lower, car share members will have an added incentive to choose the e-bike — a vehicle that will have a smaller environmental impact.

- The Value Pricing Pilot Program, the federal transportation initiative that’s chipping in for the e-bike share, also supported the parking program, which raises the cost of parking where demand is high and lowers it where demand shrinks.

- In both programs, pricing helps nudge consumers towards more efficient decisions. Perhaps drivers don’t need to park on the street they’ve always favored when another one is cheaper. Perhaps that trip to the grocery store doesn’t require a car. These are small decisions, but the more often consumers make smarter ones, the more emissions from transportation—one of the biggest contributors to climate change—will decrease.

.....



http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/po...07bikehill.jpg

M II A II R II K Feb 16, 2012 3:23 PM
Not Every City Can Be the 'Most Bicycle-Friendly'


Feb 14, 2012

By Emily Badger

Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/nei...friendly/1222/

Quote:
A couple of weeks ago, Chicago transportation commissioner Gabe Klein mentioned to us that Mayor Rahm Emanuel had set a goal for his hometown to become the bike-friendliest city in America. This was right around the time Nate Berg reported on Long Beach, California, which is awkwardly planning to do the same. A quick Internet search reveals that this is more than just a two-town contest. Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis didn’t even realize other cities seriously thought they were in the running.

Davis, California, already has the official motto on lock-down as “most bicycle friendly town in the world” (not to mention the most bicycle-friendly municipal logo). Boston is aiming for the slightly less measurable promise of becoming “the leading bike-friendly city.” Meanwhile, New Orleans also has its eye on the mantle. As do bike advocates in Buffalo, New York, Columbus, Ohio and Flagstaff, Arizona.

This is a great development for the U.S. bike scene. Nothing motivates Americans (and our elected officials) quite like the race to appear in a magazine as the “best” at something. Unfortunately, we can’t all be superlative at the exact same thing at the same time. And so as a public service to the collective imaginations of these and other cities out there, we thought we’d propose a couple of civic distinctions they could aspire to instead. In a world where it will hopefully soon no longer be so notable to befriend cyclists, who wants to fight for these titles?

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M II A II R II K Feb 21, 2012 3:10 PM
Bipedal? Curious? Americans give walking and biking a try


15 Feb 2012

By Claire Thompson

Read More: http://grist.org/transportation/bipe...-biking-a-try/

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While biking and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in the U.S., they receive only 1.6 percent of federal transportation funding, according to the report. If House Speaker John Boehner & Co. get their way, that percentage would drop to zero. But Americans — particularly young ones — are sick of sitting in traffic, both literally and figuratively. Biking and walking numbers are up, and they will rise even more if we just support the growing desire to drive less.

- Nationwide, the number of people who bike to work is up 57 percent since 2000. It’s still a tiny fraction — 0.6 percent — of all commuters, but there’s reason to believe that more people are interested in making the switch: Grassroots bicycle advocacy is on the rise, and participation in adult bike education courses has grown a whopping 267 percent since 2006. Consider, too, that 40 percent of all trips in the U.S. are less than 2 miles. Clearly, we could be doing a lot more biking and walking, and a lot less driving.

- The Alliance’s report gives an in-depth look at the chicken-and-egg way cycling and walking grow: More cyclists and pedestrians on the streets signal to local governments that those modes of transportation deserve more infrastructure investment; improved infrastructure encourages more people to bike and walk; and the cycle continues. Not surprisingly, cities with the most biking facilities (Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle) generally rank high for biking and walking levels. Places at the bottom of the rankings, like Fort Worth, Dallas, and Jacksonville, have little infrastructure.

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