Urban Cycling Developments

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Bike Advocacy Roundup: Using State Rankings and Finding Additional Funding


Read More: http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2012...ional-funding/

Interactive Map: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/b...friendlystate/

Equally impressive is the response from bike advocates across the country, who have been using the rankings and feedback to make the case for bike-friendly policies, programs, and infrastructure.

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• Complete Streets policies have been adopted in 26 states to create safer, more livable streets for everyone.

• Safe passing and vulnerable road user laws in 22 states are working to increase awareness of cyclists on the road and provide law enforcement an additional tool to create safer streets. Sixteen of these laws are safe passing, while six are a combination of safe passing and vulnerable road user. Legislation is pending in five states (MI, CA, MA, RI, and CT), with Washington’s law going into effect in July.

• In order to spend federal safety funds on bicycles, they first have to be in the state’s strategic highway safety plan. Thirty states (including seven of the 10 least safe states for bicyclists) already include bicycles in these plans. Florida deserves credit for being the best at using these funds to address their bike safety problem.

• Only 15 states have a statewide bicycle plan, a pretty sad statement about how state DOTs treat bicycles as part of the overall transportation system. To be fair, some states do include bicycles as part of their overall transportation plan (though the quality of this inclusion runs from recognizing they exist to just as good as a stand-alone plan).

• The economic impact of bicycling is becoming one of the most potent arguments to win over state and local officials. So far 14 states have conducted some sort of economic impact study, most of which are focused on the overall impact to the state’s economy. Two of our favorites? Iowa and North Carolina.

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A Hybrid That Runs on Foot Power and Beer


May 30, 2012

By SALLY MCGRANE

Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/wo...orld&seid=auto

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A kind of pub on wheels, propelled by pedaling, the beer bike — which in Europe is usually but not always steered by an employee of the tour company rather than by one of the partygoers — is thought to have been invented in the Netherlands in the late 1990s.

- But in recent years, the contraption, variously promoted as a social lubricant; an original, environmentally correct way to see a city; and a healthier, calorie-burning alternative to sitting in a bar, has expanded its appeal beyond the Dutch border to several European countries and the United States. “We are just human beings,” said Ard Karsten, who started building beer bikes and running tours in the Dutch capital in 2005. “We like enjoyment.”

- “Tourists like to see Amsterdam in a new way,” Mr. Karsten explained. But the beer bike is increasingly international. “We receive requests from countries I’ve never even heard of,” said Zwier van Laar, the Dutchman who claims to have invented the first beer bike in 1997 as a way to help a pub owner advertise his establishment in a local parade. Udo Klemt, a German lawyer, saw his first beer bike while on a trip to the Netherlands. “I fell in love immediately,” he said, and imported one of Mr. van Laar’s machines to Cologne in 2005.

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Cleveland: Building Public Support With Pop-up Cycling Infrastructure


June 4, 2012

By Angie Schmitt

Read More: http://streetsblog.net/2012/06/04/cl...nfrastructure/

Decisions about cycling infrastructure don’t really come down to money, or technical knowhow, or even the availability of street space. Ultimately, if you establish community consent and political will to make streets safe for cycling, the rest will follow.

- For one week, a downtown street was converted to a two-way cycle track — the first ever on Cleveland streets. Cleveland is especially ready for pop-up cycling infrastructure. The city recently adopted a complete streets ordinance, and what better illustration for city staff, as well as the general public, than a live demonstration of the desired outcome.

- Going beyond two-dimensional drawings used in typical public meetings, Pop Up Rockwell allows people to physically experience a future vision of the city in three dimensions, in a real environment, and provide feedback before large financial and political investments are made.

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Video Link

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Bike lanes 2.0: now or soon in a city near you


June 4, 2012

By Kaid Benfield

Read More: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kb...ld%27s+Blog%29

Cities in the US, including Washington, DC where I live, are making significant investments in bicycling infrastructure. Two categories that have appeared just in the last decade, for example, are bicycle sharing and urban bike stations where cyclists can store bikes and get repairs. Bike lanes, or painted stripes marking bicycle travel space on roadways, have been around longer, but some of the new ones are much more sophisticated than what we had ten or twenty years ago.

- In particular, one new generation of bike lanes is called “cycle tracks,” comprising bike lanes that are on the roadway but physically separated from motor vehicle traffic. We have one on 15th Street NW in DC right in front of my office (see photos, taken a few blocks north). It is immensely popular as a bike commuting route. Advanced cycle tracks even have their own traffic signals. The DC-based advocacy blog WashCycle says that cycle tracks “increase ridership by 18-20 percent compared to 5-7 percent for [conventional, non-separated] bike lanes.”

- There is a legitimate debate among cyclists about the efficacy of separated bike lanes compared to full recognition and respect of bicycles as vehicles entitled to use the same roadways as motor vehicles. I’ll confess to a bit of personal ambivalence about it all, especially outside of dense downtown areas. What we tend to call “bike trails,” for example, are actually multiple-use trails where an experienced cyclist must share space with pedestrians, dog walkers, baby strollers with nannies on cell phones, small children on their first, zigzag bike rides, and the like. I generally find cars more predictable and roadways safer for the pace I like to ride. Especially when cars are likely to be turning, I’d rather be in the main roadway where I am more visible.

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Video Link

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Seattle wants to attract 'willing but wary' riders with bike-friendly lanes


June 3, 2012

By Phuong Le

Read More: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/201...WS03/706039864

For many in Seattle, the image of a typical cyclist is a Spandex-clad, yellow-jacketed two-wheeled warrior who braves the steep streets of this city. But as the city prepares to overhauls its five-year-old bike plan, some want to make the city safer and friendlier to those not so accustomed to navigating the streets on two wheels.

There's a new push to get "willing but wary" cyclists on their saddles with protected bike lanes buffered from traffic, designated bicycling boulevards where traffic is slowed and walkers and bikers have priority, and traffic calming features like speed bumps. "We want to make sure we're building infrastructure for people who are eight or 80," and not just for the more experienced commuters, said Blake Trask, statewide policy director for the Washington Bicycle Alliance who formerly headed Seattle's bike advisory board.

The city is planning to build seven miles of walking and biking boulevards in five neighborhoods this year, with more likely on the way. So-called neighborhood greenways modeled after ones in Portland, Ore., are designed to make it safer for walkers and bikers to get between their home and school, the grocery store and park. The city is taking public comment on the new plan, which would also consider features that separate cyclists from cars, called cycle tracks. They're common in bike-friendly European cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam, but more U.S. cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City are trying them out.

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Study says rail-trails are a boon


Jun 04, 2012

By AD CRABLE

Read More: http://lancasteronline.com/article/l...re-a-boon.html

Lancaster County communities in the midst of new rail-trail projects might be emboldened by a new survey that shows the existing Conewago Recreation Trail and Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail are valued by area residents and stimulate local economies. "They're good for the quality of life and they're good for the economy," said Carl Knoch, who helped oversee the user survey and economic analysis for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The work was funded by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The trails attracted an estimated 125,244 people in 2011 and pumped $875,320 into the local economy, according to the study.

- A majority of trail users, 64.5 percent, were from Lancaster, Lebanon or Dauphin counties. Just over half said they used the trails at least twice a week or more. A majority of users were between 46 and 65 years old. The most common use was for bicycle riding, followed by walking/hiking. Other less-common uses included jogging, dog walking, horseback riding and geocaching. In winter, some went cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. Nearly 60 percent of respondents used the trails to improve their health, and 35 percent used them as a form of recreation. "The trail is an enhancement to my life," one trail user wrote. "Thank you for the trail," wrote another. "I don't have sidewalks, so this is a place that I feel is safe to walk and my daughter can ride her bike without worrying about getting run over." Another trail user said his/her family used the trail so much that they sold a home in Lancaster County and moved to a home along the trail.

- Users spent money to use the trail, according to the economic analysis. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they had purchased some sort of durable good, such as shoes, bike supplies and other items for use while on the trail. And 56 percent said they bought snacks, lunches, ice cream or drinks for each trip on the trail, a practice that pumped an estimated $875,320 into the local economy. A bike rental shop and Twin Kiss are among the businesses along the trail. Combined with the purchase of durable goods, it's estimated the trails had a $1.3 million impact on the local economy in 2011. "There are some obvious economic benefits to rail-trail attractions from people outside the area bringing money into local communities," said Michael Domin, principal planner for the Lancaster County Planning Commission. "The trick is we need to connect to urban areas. The Conewago doesn't, so we don't see that full benefit." In the future, Domin hopes there can be a "spine" trail built to connect the Conewago trail to Elizabethtown and surrounding communities.

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A gas station that likes bikes


June 4th, 2012

By Jonathan Maus

Read More: http://bikeportland.org/2012/06/04/a...=Google+Reader

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When my brother's new Lexus CT Hybrid was nearly empty, we pulled into Propel. I could instantly tell it was a different kind of gas station. Not only do they have warm and fuzzy marketing banners that say things like, "I choose a healthier future for kids"; pumps that dispense all sorts of fuel concoctions like E85 ethanol and biodiesel; and the ability to offset your carbon footprint right at the pump as you fill up; they also have a sweet little spot for bikes...

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The Rise of the Citizen Cyclist


Jun 05, 2012

By Sarah Goodyear

Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/com...-cyclist/2186/

Next month, New York City will start rolling out a bike share program that will eventually add 10,000 bikes to the city’s streets. The time may finally have come to get over the idea that biking in New York is for outlaws and renegades. That goes for the police. And it goes for bikers, too. First, to the police: They seem to be busy with the annual ritual of bike ticket blitzes for things like not having a bell on your bike and riding on pedestrian paths in Central Park. These blitzes, as the Village Voice points out, are not announced ahead of time, unlike similar efforts that target drivers. Still can’t figure out the logic on that one. That kind of inequity only reinforces the impression that bikes are marginal and cars are mainstream.

- Next to the people on bikes: Thanks to bike share, bicycles will soon – at last! -- have the official imprimatur of the city as a legitimate mode of public transportation on a level with buses and subways. We can’t pretend any longer that it’s OK to flout the rules of the road because we aren’t recognized as legitimate users of the road. The Wild West days are over. A bicyclist in New York will be, and should be, increasingly a domestic creature. I’ve heard a lot of cyclists complaining about being tamed. They don’t like the fact that the new protected bike lanes make you ride more slowly. It used to be so much more exhilarating to pedal up First Avenue with a flock of cabs swooping and honking around you. Too bad. What cyclists are giving up – death-defying thrills – is nothing compared to what we stand to gain, which is the right to bike in safety.

- Being accepted as a legitimate member of society means learning better manners. Yes, I'm talking about stopping at red lights and stop signs and riding in the direction of traffic. Transportation Alternatives’ Biking Rules campaign, which emphasizes both bikers’ rights and their responsibilities, is a good place to start. I’m hoping, and expecting, that the bike share kiosks will have clear and comprehensive rules of the road posted in several languages. But for cyclists to feel like it makes sense for them to behave, drivers need to be held to the same standard. A few months back, I advocated for a "broken windows" approach to traffic enforcement, and I don’t have a problem with people on bikes getting tickets. But the approach has to apply to drivers as well as cyclists, even if cyclists might be easier for the cops to handle.

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Small Decrease in Driving = Huge Decrease in Congestion


Read More: http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2012...in-congestion/

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In 2011, total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States declined 1.2%. That means, due to the economy and other factors, Americans drove slightly less in 2011 than they did in 2010. But what makes that remarkable is the striking result: Congestion decreased 30%.

- Bicyclists are everywhere, but we tend to flock to large dense cities – many of the places faced with the most congested roads and most likely to benefit from commuters leaving their cars at home in favor of their bikes. Don’t worry if you’re not a bike commuter. It’s not just work trips that contribute to congestion. About half of all peak-hour trips are not work-related. If you’re riding instead of driving during morning and afternoon rush, you’re helping to ease congestion.

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Is Philly About to Cycle Into the Wrong Lane?


06/06/2012

By Sean Andrew Chen

Read More: http://americancity.org/daily/entry/...the-wrong-lane

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Philadelphia is perfect for cycling “with its density, grid layout, flat topography, large population of university students and existing population of bike commuters (first in the country out of the top 10 biggest cities).” With already about 200 miles of cycle lanes and paths, it would seem Philly was in the right direction.

- But Philly might be heading in the wrong lane. Recently, Councilman William Greenlee has introduced a bill to the council that, if passed, would give the city council the power approve or veto the creation of new cycle lanes. If passed, Philadelphia would be the only city in the United States that would require city council approval for new cycle paths.

- The new version of the bill no longer gives the council the ability to approve test lanes, but still retains the Council’s right to give final approval to lanes currently in the testing process. Proponents, including Greenlee himself, say that the bill is “not anti bike or anti bike lane,” but simply an effort to give local communities a chance to have a say in the creation of cycle lanes. The councilman hopes “the establishment of this ordinance will make it clear you have to work with everybody.”

- But will the move to add a layer of council politicking to cycle lane creation harm Philly’s move towards bikeability? Detractors from say the bill likely bog down bike lane plans in bureaucracy, adding to the potential that plans will never make it out of city hall. Sarah Clark Stuart, policy director of Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, argues in an interview with newsworks.org, that this extra bureaucracy could weigh down new cycle lanes to death: “If there’s a delay, that will kill a bike lane, because bike lanes can only go in when streets are repaved and repainted.”

- But all is not lost. Recently, the Mayor’s Office of Transport and Utilities (MOTU), announced it is teaming up with the Dutch Embassy to find what Philly can learn from the cycling-savvy Netherlands. It seems that while City Hall is worried about who gets to make what decisions, city administrators and locals continue to crusade ahead to bring more cycling to Philadelphia. MOTU, alongside with representatives of the Netherlands, will host the ThinkBike workshop on June 18 and 19. Similar sessions have been held in Chicago, D.C., Miami, San Francisco, and L.A. Bringing together Dutch expertise, local planners, and cyclists, the workshops hope to identify ways Philadelphia can become more cycle friendly.

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House GOP Threatens to Wipe Out Local Control Over Bike/Ped Funding


June 8, 2012

By Tanya Snyder

Read More: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/06/08...keped-funding/

The House GOP couldn’t pass a transportation bill of their own, so now they want to undo one of the major bi-partisan achievements in the Senate transportation bill. As part of its counter-offer to the Senate in conference committee negotiations over the transportation bill, the House appears to be proposing the elimination of the Cardin-Cochran amendment, which would allow local jurisdictions to control funds for bike/ped projects.

The House proposal, sent to the Senate yesterday, would would effectively block access to bike/ped funding for many towns, cities, and regions located in states where the department of transportation places a low priority on street safety. Politico Pro reported that House conferees confirmed that the first part of its counter to the Senate offer would “retain the Transportation Enhancements program’s overall structure but would let states opt out.” Transportation Enhancements is one of the principal funding mechanisms for bike/ped projects. Neither Politico nor Streetsblog has seen a copy of the couter-offer, so it’s unclear exactly how the proposal is framed.

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How To Build a Culture of Bike Safety


06/08/2012

By Erin Chantry

Read More: http://www.newgeography.com/content/...bout+places%29

As I've settled into life in Florida, I've found myself for the first time using a bicycle as a form of transportation instead of as a form of leisure activity. And, as an urban designer involved in a team that designs bicycle and pedestrian master plans, I've become increasingly aware of the factors that make urban bike use a feasible — or not so feasible — choice.

The Risk & Fear Factors: While I might actually be safe riding my bike down a neighborhood collector road on a dedicated bike lane, when I'm alongside two 10-foot lanes of traffic I do not feel safe. Therefore, I don't ride there. It's a question of perceived risk vs actual risk. As it turns out, I am not unique. Linda Baker in Scientific American has suggested that, when cycling, women are more adverse to risk than men.

The Gender Gap: Baker has also suggested that cycling to work impedes a woman's ability to conform to social norms, including makeup, dress, and hairstyles. That issue would be a big bite to chew, so I'll put aside addressing it here. But consider: While cycling has become a big grass roots movement through organizations like Pro Walk/ Pro Bike and The National Center for Bicycling and Walking, there is an enormous gender gap among users. Planner Jan Garrard states, “If you want to know if an urban environment supports cycling, you can forget about all the detailed ‘bikeability indexes’—just measure the proportion of cyclists who are female.” .....

The Infrastructure Factor: Substantially lowering the risk of cycling can be best accomplished through a change in infrastructure. Cycle tracks, like the one in New York City, are becoming more popular. Because of the complete physical separation from the threat of cars, all users perceive — and experience — a lower threat to their safety. The problem, besides the constant challenge of funding, is finding the right-of-way to accommodate bikes, especially in a car-centric culture like Florida. There has to be evidence of a high enough level of ridership to justify cutting out a lane from a congested street. It's a chicken and the egg conundrum: there is not the required ridership now because a majority of 50% of the population doesn't feel safe.....

The Get-More-Riders Factor: Building a bike culture is more than just infrastructure, but building appropriate spaces is an integral piece. As Billy Hattaway, a Florida DOT official pointed out to me, if we don't create bike lanes that cater to a larger part of the population we might lose the justification to have bike lanes at all.....

The Land Use Factor: People will only choose cycling as a mode of transportation if it is convenient and efficient. Ridership in parts of the city without mixed-uses and with low density will be low compared with more urban areas with many commercial/residential/institutional uses nearby and close together. Riding to a local grocery store to get a gallon of milk is realistic. Riding to a Wal-Mart for your weekly shopping is not. But Marshall's research showed that the biggest aspect of achieving bike safety is intersection density. The more intersections there were in a development, the safer it was for riders. At first thought this seems to go against common sense, because intersections are the sites of many crashes, but more connectivity = slower speeds = more awareness. Connectivity also allows for more mixed-uses and higher densities.....

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Amsterdam looks at rooftops for automatic bicycle parking


01 June 12

By Duncan Geere

Read More: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/...es-on-rooftops

Engineers at the IBA, the Amsterdam department of engineering, have come up with a handy way of solving the problem of bicycle storage -- automatic hangers mounted on the city's roofs.

Amsterdam has a problem. There are 300,000 bikes in public spaces in the city at any one time, but only 200,000 official bicycle parking spots, meaning that 100,000 are parked unofficially, and in some cases illegally. A company called Velominck has been building underground bike parking garages in the city since 2005, but its latest plan is to site them on the roofs of buildings instead.

Here's how it'd work. When you arrive at your destination, you find a Velominck station and swipe a transport card a little like one of London's Oyster cards against a terminal so it knows who you are. A door opens, and you clip your bike into a robotic arm, which then pulls it up a transparent elevator to the roof. It can then be safely stored there until the owner returns and swipes the card again -- which summons the bike down from the rooftop.

Matthijs Griffioen, the leader of the project at IBA, said ( in Dutch) that the bicycle-parking problem in Amsterdam can't be solved easily. He added that parking in the city needs to be denser, and investment in infrastructure needs to bring value-for-money.

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Bicycles in Rome


11 Jun 2012

By Karen Parolek

Read More: http://bettercities.net/news-opinion.../bicycles-rome

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There are bicycles, everywhere. As we wander down the curved cobblestone streets, bicyclists often wind their way past, generally slowly and courteously, just another part of the urban life. As we cross the bridge to Trastevere, bicyclists ride their way around the city down at river level. It’s a mode of transportation in the eternal city that I thought was long gone. Who ever thought bikes would fit into a world of cobblestoned streets, elbow-to-elbow pedestrians, motorini and cars?

- The reality is, they blend right in. It seems to have something to do with the general process of getting through this ancient city. Everyone must always be aware and take responsibility for their potential to harm and be harmed, while also being generally courteous of others trying to make their way. Pedestrians walk confidently anywhere and everywhere, but are always on the lookout for a car trying to pass, and generally step out of the way. Bicyclists wind their way carefully among the pedestrians, moving at a slightly faster pace, but never flying through the streets. Motorini and cars also make their way through, but typically at about 5 mph, and as far as I have seen, always aware that they are the ones crowding the street, not the other way around.

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NJ Transit may allow bikes on most trains


June 10, 2012

By KAREN ROUSE

Read More: http://www.northjersey.com/news/stat....html?page=all

Following dozens of complaints from bicyclists who, in the past year, found themselves banned from some rail stations but accommodated at others, the agency is expected to adopt a new Bike Aboard program that allows bikes on all trains and at all stations — though with limitations. The NJ Transit board is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Monday at 1 Penn Plaza in Newark. Biking advocates have been using blogs and other social media to urge fellow cyclists to attend. If adopted, the Bike Aboard program would take effect July 1.

- Kevin O’Connor, head of NJ Transit’s rail division, has said the agency didn’t change any rules; rather, he said, it clarified a rule limiting bikes to high platforms. It was clarified because there was confusion among riders and conductors, he has said. Low-level stations require the bicyclists to lift the bike up stairs, which NJ Transit officials said created a hazard to customers. The policy is particularly troubling to cyclists in Bergen and Passaic counties because North Jersey has many low-level platforms. As a result of the policy, cyclists who boarded at high-level stations have not been permitted to dismount at stations such as Essex Street in Hackensack or even in Hoboken, because those have low-level platforms.

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‘Cycling is the new golf’: The rise of an on-trend activity


Jun. 11 2012

By Oliver Moore

Read More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle4246149/

The charity bicycle event has swelled from almost nothing a decade ago to become a major player in Canadian fundraising efforts. Helped by cycling’s rising popularity, there are rides in every part of the country. Tens of millions of dollars have been generated for the fight against cancer, diabetes, heart and stroke disease, multiple sclerosis and myriad other causes.

- It’s a trend seen across the country. Cycling Canada said recently that its number of licensed riders – 10,000 competitive and 24,000 recreational – has been growing at about 10 per cent annually. The Bicycle Trade Association of Canada says that sales by independent retailers jumped 21 per cent from 2009 to 2010, climbing to $250-million. Some attribute it to the Lance Armstrong effect, arguing that the seven-time Tour de France winner helped popularize the sport in North America. Others believe it is driven by boomers seeking a lower-impact activity than running. And the rise of Cervélo is often cited as a factor – the Canadian company makes top-line bikes, including those ridden to victory by British Columbian Ryder Hesjedal in the Giro d’Italia last month.

- In a twist that lets rider keep raising funds in the fall, when weather become iffier, the Ride for Diabetes Research is done inside on spinning bikes. With more than 22,000 participants at locations across the country last year, the events raised more than $7.2-million. They are aiming for $7.9-million this year. And more than 10,000 people are expected to participate this year in the 22 one- or two-day MS Bike Tour events taking place nationwide between this month and September. The Ride to Conquer Cancer holds separate events across the country. Last year, 11,665 riders raised a total of $43.8-million: in British Columbia ($11-million); Alberta ($8.6-million); Ontario ($17.5-million); and Quebec ($6.7-million). Including totals from this weekend’s ride, between Toronto and Niagara, it has raised nearly $150-million nationwide in the past five years.

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An Ultra-Orthodox Neighborhood Goes Against Bikes


June 11, 2012

By Ted Mann

Read More: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012...against-bikes/

As bike infrastructure has expanded, city officials have faced a persistent push back from an insular religious community in Brooklyn’s South Williamsburg neighborhood. Local leaders, many of whom identify with the Satmar Hasidic Jewish movement, successfully fought to have a Bedford Avenue bike lane removed in 2009. Now, as the city prepares to roll out its new bike-share program next month, the map of locations bypasses South Williamsburg completely.

- Previous press reports have suggested the primary issue is modesty, particularly concerns about the attire of women bikers. As the surrounding neighborhoods gentrified over the past two decades, more bikers began to traverse the insular area. One Hasidic man expressed that view recently, telling The Wall Street Journal that passersby on bikes sometimes seemed “more naked than clothed.” But opposition to bikes goes deeper than attire. Shulem Deen, who identifies as a former Hasid and runs the website Unpious.com, recalled his childhood in nearby Borough Park, Brooklyn, where biking wasn’t exactly forbidden. Still, he said, “it was still common for people to say it’s vulgar.”

- Deen sees the focus on modesty as an oversimplification of the broader issue at the center of the bike pushback. The greater objection, he said, stems from a community that conscientiously seeks to be inwardly focused and feels overrun by new and different neighbors, many streaming in on two wheels. “They just like things the way they are,” said Deen, who frequently visits friends in Williamsburg and was part of a recent protest there over the handling of sexual-abuse cases. “They’re really, really sensitive when anything threatens the cohesiveness of their community.” As if to underscore the point, the New York Post reported over the weekend that schools run by the United Talmudical Academy in Brooklyn had issued a ban on children riding bikes to school.

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Want to Increase Cycling? Sharrows Won’t Cut It


June 12, 2012

By Angie Schmitt

Read More: http://streetsblog.net/2012/06/12/wa...s-wont-cut-it/

PDF Report: http://streetsblog.net/wp-content/up...2/06/10041.pdf

Shared-lane stencils for bikes, a.k.a. “sharrows,” definitely have their place in a balanced and healthy street system. But these friendly reminders to drivers to share the road have their limits as a tool to boost safety and create more inviting streets for biking.

- In the last year, San Diegans have seen the increasing number of shared-lane markings, also called “sharrows.” Sharrows are appearing everywhere: Adams Avenue, Park Boulevard, Broadway, El Cajon Boulevard, Grand Avenue, Voltaire Street, Chatsworth Boulevard, Hotel Circle South, Pacific Highway and more. However, these sharrows are being used as a cheap band-aid instead of implementing real change on our roadways that would increase the number of people riding their bicycle for transportation or recreation.

- For starters, San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan recommends sharrows on roadways that are too narrow for bike lanes. Sharrows are recommended on roads that have a minimum width of 14 feet. Bike lanes are recommended on roads that have a minimum of 15-17 feet. El Cajon Boulevard, for example, has three travel lanes in each direction – it has more than enough room for a bike lane.

- So how can the City of San Diego increase the percentage of people who ride a bicycle? A recent report from the Mineta Transportation Institute, an institute that was established by Congress to research “multimodal surface transportation policy and management issues,” concluded that in order to attract a wide segment of the population, a bicycle network’s “most fundamental attribute should be low-stress connectivity, that is, providing routes between people’s origins and destinations that do not require cyclists to use links that exceed their tolerance for traffic stress, and that do not involve an undue level of detour.”

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A 10-year-old girl mixes with 30 mph traffic on a San Diego street that may be wide enough for bike lanes. Photo: BikeSD

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MIIAIIRIIK:

An Ultra-Orthodox Neighborhood Goes Against Bikes


June 11, 2012

By Ted Mann

Read More: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012...against-bikes/

Oy vey!

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As in the 1800s, Bikes and Trains Could Boom Together in Florida


06/12/2012

By Matthew Peddie

Read More: http://transportationnation.org/2012...ntral-florida/

In central Florida the car rules. A network of wide highways link sprawling cities. But now two machines which saw their heyday in Florida more than a century ago are making a comeback: the train and the bike. With the arrival of the SunRail commuter train in 2014 some cities are looking to bicycles as a way to get passengers to their final destination.

- In Winter Park — built in the late 1800s — the city’s sustainability coordinator Tim Maslow is thinking about how to incorporate cycling into the transportation mix. Maslow says the new SunRail and Amtrak train station could be a starting point for bike sharing. “We see having a station here with maybe ten bikes at first to see how it goes,” says Maslow. ”You could go up to 20 bikes per station with some of the companies we’ve been looking at.”

- Some cities along the rail line are ideally situated for this back to the future approach to getting around. Tim Maslow, from Winter Park, points out his city was designed so passengers could easily walk to and from the train station. “That was before the automobile was so prevalent in everyone’s lives, so when they came down to the train station they actually had to go to different locations that were no longer than a 15-20 minute walk, because in Florida no one would walk that far,” says Maslow.

- In Florida at that time, rail barons were laying a network of tracks across the state, and the whole country was gripped by a cycling craze. “It was huge in this country, huge,” says Tim Bustos, the executive director of the Florida Bicycle Association. “Next to the railroad, bicycling was like the most powerful transportation lobby out there. [Bicycles] were expensive, so it was mostly well to do and influential people that could afford them.” And in the late 1800s, well-to-do people were taking the train to cities like Winter Park to spend their winter vacations.

- The Florida Bicycle association’s headquartered in Deland, and Tim Bustos dreams of making the city a hub for cycling in the state. He says SunRail’s completion in 2016 could help, by giving riders better access to a network of cycling trails. Bike share could also be part of the mix. “People that would have rented a car five years ago, are now using bike shares,” he says. “It’s cheaper, it’s easier, it’s more enjoyable.” Some DeLand cyclists have reservations- they say a safe route first has to be found from the train station to the city’s downtown, five miles away.

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Winter Park's train station will be demolished and rebuilt (photo by Matthew Peddie)