Urban Cycling Developments

[M II A II R II K]

Bike-sharing plans get traction in Atlanta

Read More: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/bike-sh...atlanta/nTBbx/

Bike-sharing is not just for European hipsters anymore. It started with a batch of white bikes used communally in Amsterdam in the 1960s. Now, the concept of setting up stations around an urban hub to provide shared bicycles for short-term rentals has popped up in Charlotte, Chattanooga, Miami Beach, New York, Washington, D.C., and on Georgia Tech’s campus.

Atlanta officials and local biking advocates point to a new study that indicates large-scale bike-sharing could be feasible here. City planners look to Decatur, the Beltline and in-town neighborhoods close to MARTA stations as fertile ground for bike-sharing. And it’s not just for the skinny-jeans set either. Despite metro Atlanta’s car-centric reputation, bike advocates believe reduced gas costs, connections from buses and trains to jobs centers and the opportunity to burn a few calories while seeing the city on two wheels would prove appealing if bike-sharing goes mainstream.

“That’s kind of the beauty of it,” said Rebecca Serna, executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, who helped organize the feasibility study. “The bikes are so accessible that it doesn’t appeal to only one demographic.” The challenge: There is no dedicated money stream for building a bike-sharing network in Atlanta. Federal grants aimed at congestion mitigation and air quality could be one option, but there’s no guarantee that money will be available. Organizers are pondering corporate sponsorships as one way to bridge the gap.

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Bike-Powered Disaster Response Gets National Spotlight

Read More: http://streetsblog.net/2012/11/21/bi...nal-spotlight/

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In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Americans saw closer-to-home images of how bikes can help people in the face of disaster. We heard stories about New York City commuters who hopped on their bikes for the first time in years, when the subways were shut down but workplaces were back up and running.

- It’s been a good year for the idea that bikes are the ultimate disaster response vehicles. At the end of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show last night, host Rachel Maddow shared the story of how partial subway service is being restored to the Rockaways, a section of Queens that was devastated by Sandy. During the segment, as Maddow described how the Rockaways have been cut off from the rest of New York, I was pleasantly surprised when she mentioned bicycles.

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Bike share, not white share: can Chicago’s program achieve diversity?

Read More: http://gridchicago.com/2012/bike-sha...rid+Chicago%29

There’s a common misconception that transportation biking is only for privileged white folks. Recently Tribune columnist John Kass expressed this attitude when he dismissed cyclists as “the One Percenters of the Commuter Class,” but in reality people from all walks of life use bikes to get around. Many of these folks are the so-called “invisible riders,” low-income individuals who ride, not because they’re looking to get exercise or save the planet, but because they need cheap, efficient transportation.

Chicago’s new bike-sharing system, slated to launch next spring and grow to 4,000 vehicles by the end of the year, is a great opportunity to broaden the demographics of cycling here to include more residents from underserved neighborhoods and communities of color. By providing cycles for short-term use, to be ridden from one automated rental kiosk to another, it will function as a second public transportation system and remove some of the major obstacles to cycling: the need to purchase, store and maintain a bike, plus fear of theft. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) will first install rental kiosks in the Loop and nearby neighborhoods, but coverage will eventually expand to serve an area generally bounded by Devon Street, California Avenue, 63rd Street and Lake Michigan. The roughly 400 kiosks will be located at transit stations, retail and employment centers, schools, hospitals and other convenient places.

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[Columbusite]

There is a logical correlation between educated areas getting more attention first than others as far as bike infrastructure goes, and it has nothing to do with race like that idiot John Kass insinuates. The neighborhoods where the population is better educated obviously are going to be healthier economically and have lots more reasons to bike: more jobs, more destinations. Could Chicago debut all bike share stations in the most under-educated neighborhoods first and go on from there? Sure, but the fact is those places aren't going to get many commuters, because there are not enough employers, let alone tourists, and there's little to bike to expect for corner markets, fast food joints, and used car lots. Maybe Mr. Kass can check out a real city (Mpls) where there's a "Three Percenters of the Commuter Class" that's still growing and where even the most crime-ridden neighborhoods have bike lanes, a couple of bike share stations, and are poised to get an additional bike boulevard. And yes, black people ride bikes over here too, even poor ones, although I don't know what that has to do with anything.

Not only that, but his suggestion to spend bike facility money for fighting gangs with police is just as asinine especially when transportation dollars are used for transportation. Of course, there's not a single complaint about motorist-oriented infrastructure, which by his logic makes the $4.7 million to be spent on bikes look like a drop in the ocean and could have been spent fixing up dozens of run-down Chicago neighborhoods, so really Mr. Kass doesn't care about people dying in gang wars as long as he gets more lanes for his motoring commute. Or did I miss his article bemoaning wasted dollars on motorists instead of improving these areas?

[fflint]

A cool piece of bike infrastructure was just completed today in SF. One-third of outbound cyclists on Market Street turn left onto Valencia (and into the Mission District), but up until today that meant merging through three lanes of traffic and crossing two sets of often-slippery streetcar tracks at a crappy angle. No more:





Source: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SFMTA-...3813637?ref=ts

[M II A II R II K]

Why is there no safety in numbers for London's cyclists?

Read More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...sts?CMP=twt_gu

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Since he was elected for his first term, the mayor has made some improvements. The cycle hire scheme has been a huge – if relatively expensive – success, and the cycle superhighways, even if badly designed and implemented, have seen rapid increases in cycling. But cycling levels, previously rocketing upwards at 10-15% a year, appear to have reached a plateau. In the second quarter of this year, cycling levels dropped 10% on the year before, which Transport for London attributes to poor weather conditions in April to June.

- Until 2007 the risk of cycling was falling while cycling increased. Since then both nationally and in London, cycle casualties have been increasing faster than the rate of cycling, undermining the idea that if you get more people cycling, it will inevitably become safer. In evidence to the London assembly, cycle safety experts from Denmark and the Netherlands both pointed to the fact that safety of cycling in cities such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam has improved at the same time that cycling has increased - the "safety in numbers" idea.

- So why hasn't this been happening in the last few years in London? Well, the idea of safety in numbers is not purely a result of a relative increase in cycling. CTC has pointed out that safety must be improved, but the focus must be on interventions that also increase cycling levels, not measures that restrict, or put the responsibility solely on cyclists. To achieve safety in numbers you need to overcome the barriers to cycling – chiefly the fear of injury – and tackle the sources of danger. Broadly speaking, this requires reduced speeds and better quality cycling infrastructure, together with improved road user behaviour.

- The problem with so much existing cycle infrastructure is that it does little to improve safety, but also undermines the status of cycling, relegating them to a narrow, unhelpful cycle lane the users of which must give way to all other road users. Part of the problem the assembly report has identified is that regulations outlaw the simple measures that are commonly used in the rest of Europe to provide good quality facilities – things like small traffic lights at cycling eye-level or simple markings to give priority over motor traffic. The London assembly has called not only for more resources to go to the junction review - which is reviewing the 500 worst junctions in London –it also wants the mayor to follow the lead of New York, which has introduced cheap and cheerful - but reasonable quality - cycling facilities by taking away space from motor traffic.

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Ontario Moves Forward on Cycling Strategy

Read More: http://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2012/1...-strategy.html

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A draft cycling strategy has been released for public feedback until Jan. 29, 2013. It outlines potential improvements to cycling infrastructure, public education and legislation, including:

• Creating a provincial cycling network to connect destinations and establish recreational cycling and tourism routes.

• Supporting municipalities in the development of local cycling networks, including making cycling infrastructure eligible for funding under the Municipal Infrastructure Strategy.

• Running public education campaigns with cycling safety partners such as Share the Road, the Canadian Automobile Association and EnviroCentre.

• Updating the Driver's Handbook to include better guidelines for cycling and sharing the road with other vehicles.

• Providing cycling safety and bike maintenance information with any new bike sold.

• Consulting with the public, cycling groups and municipalities on possible amendments to the Highway Traffic Act to support cycling.

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[202_Cyclist]

Bicycle traffic signals get a green light

Tracy Loew and Elida S. Perez
USA TODAY
December 2. 2012

"Drivers in bike-friendly cities may be doing double takes, as bicycle-specific traffic signals pop up alongside the traditional round red, yellow and green signals controlling intersections.

At least 16 U.S. cities, including Austin, Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C., have installed the lights, which feature a bicycle-shaped signal, according to an October study commissioned by the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. They signals are common in Germany, Sweden and Australia, according to the study.

The reason for the new signals? Bicyclists can be at risk when entering an intersection on a yellow light that allows enough time for cars to clear the intersection, but not for bikes, the study found. Even traditional green lights may not allow enough time for a bicyclist starting from a stopped position to make it across. Bicycle signals can also help prevent collisions when a motorist is turning right and a cyclist is going straight, by allowing the cyclist a few seconds head start..."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...gnals/1739299/

[M II A II R II K]

As Hubway closes for winter, officials look to expand

Read More: http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...LxJ/story.html

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Hubway recorded 533,755 rides before shutting down for the season Wednesday night, pushing the cumulative total to 676,044 since its July 2011 launch, roughly 50 percent better than planners had hoped.

- Now, officials are envisioning a future with Hubway running year-round and fanning out across all Boston neighborhoods and many surrounding communities, beyond the current 105 stations — 72 in Boston, 22 in Cambridge, eight in Somerville, and three in Brookline — and 1,003 bicycles.

- A typical station with bikes costs about $50,000 and requires $10,000 in annual subsidies, though operations are expected to be covered fully by user fees and advertising as Hubway matures. Those costs make expansion contingent on grants, private sponsorship, and local taxes, and the outward march is incremental — far-flung stations do not succeed in a system designed for short trips and rapid transit.

- But a winterized Hubway could happen by December 2013. Current contracts and permits call for a nearly four-month closure, but the two-thirds of Hubway stations located on plazas and sidewalks could remain in place without posing an obstacle for street plowing. Local officials followed the lead of established bike-sharing networks in Montreal and Minneapolis in making Hubway seasonal. But Toronto’s BIXI, which opened the same year as Hubway, has kept going through the cold, encouraging ridership with “Winter Warrior” contests.

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BBC cycling documentary is 'irresponsible', says MP

Read More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...responsible-mp

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The War on Britain's Roads claims to show" the battle that is raging between two-wheeled road users and their four-wheeled counterparts" but presents a commercially-produced film of reckless stunt cycling in London as ordinary footage as if it is normal behaviour by everyday cyclists.

- Ian Austin MP – who has seen the film - said it was "stupid, sensationalist, simplistic, irresponsible nonsense". He said it "was about as representative of ordinary cycling in Britain as a James Bond car chase is of ordinary driving". And he has written to Tony Hall demanding other BBC programmes "present the reality of cycling and driving in Britain in a much more sensible, considered and accurate way".

This is the latest BBC statement on the programme:

- War on Britain's Roads is a serious examination of the relationship between cyclists and other road users. It uses actual footage of real incidents to provoke discussion and investigates the outcomes and consequences of several of the incidents captured. Raising awareness of these issues, on a primetime BBC One programme, can only be a positive thing for both cyclists and other road users.

- The courier race sequence is genuine footage of a bicycle courier road race, shot by one of the cyclists involved, and uploaded to YouTube. The footage has since been released commercially, but the fact remains that it depicts real behaviour on the streets of London. It is clear from the reactions of those interviewed that this is extreme and atypical behaviour.

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Video Link

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by fflint

A cool piece of bike infrastructure was just completed today in SF. One-third of outbound cyclists on Market Street turn left onto Valencia (and into the Mission District), but up until today that meant merging through three lanes of traffic and crossing two sets of often-slippery streetcar tracks at a crappy angle. No more:



Source: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SFMTA-...29234557115666

That's called a "Bike Bay". I saw a similar one in Cambridge, MA:

[SFUVancouver]

We have one in Vancouver on the west end of the Burrard Bridge cycle track.

[fflint]

Cirrus, do you know if there have been conflicts between bikes turning and bikes heading straight ahead? The Harvard Square bay looks much more spacious than ours and allows for a better sight line.

[Cirrus]

No idea.

[M II A II R II K]

Chicago Bike Lane Envy Sweeps the Nation

Read More: http://streetsblog.net/2012/12/05/ch...ps-the-nation/

Who would have thunk it just two years ago: Portland, Seattle — even some New York City residents — jealous of Chicago’s cutting-edge bike infrastructure. But here we sit, roughly a year and a half into Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s first term, and the city of Chicago has a protected, bi-directional bike lane running directly through the heart of its downtown. Bike advocates from major cities are taking notice.

- Here’s what Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland had to say: That’s a segment of over one mile on a high-profile downtown street in one of America’s largest cities. “That’s huge and symbolic,” tweeted Portland Mercury News Editor Denis Theriault upon hearing the news, “[Would] Be like putting one here on Washington or Everett.” Yeah. If only. While excited by what’s happening in Chicago (and D.C., and San Francisco, and so on), I can’t help but think how great it would be if Portland could muster something this big.

- Tom Fucoloro at Seattle Bike Blog just came out and said he’s “envious” in a recent post: Seattle can’t wait longer. We’re suddenly in a place where we’re envious of Chicago’s bike lanes. That’s crazy. We are falling behind because we are not making bold and smart investments in cycling infrastructure where we need it most. There won’t be a huge increase in the number of people cycling until we make significant improvements to the streets people need to use the most.

- Even New York City residents have been impressed by Chicago’s determination to reallocate space from cars to bikes. I think Chicago’s burgeoning reputation for bold street redesigns was exactly what Rahm Emanuel had in mind when he got elected and picked Gabe Klein to lead his transportation department. Looks like he’s living up to his reputation as a guy who can get stuff done.

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[Nexis4Jersey]

Newark's Washington Street bike lane


Bike lane on Washington Street - Newark,New Jersey by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

[M II A II R II K]

Cyclists and Pedestrians Can End Up Spending More Each Month Than Drivers

Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/com...-drivers/4066/

Kelly Clifton has heard this stereotype a number of times: "Cyclists are just a bunch of kids who don’t have any money," says the professor of civil and environmental engineering at Portland State University. "They ride their bikes to a coffee shop, they sit there for four hours with their Macintoshes, they’re not really spending any money." If you’re a shopkeeper with such suspicions, you’re probably not on board with any plan that would cut down on parking right outside your door. Cyclists are the ones with time to kill; drivers are the ones with money.

- This perception is problematic in a place like Portland, where the bike-friendly city government is now looking to extend the reach of bike infrastructure – and the appeal of bikes themselves – to newer riders and neighborhoods farther afield from the urban core. "As we move out beyond those areas into more auto-oriented areas," Clifton says, "we start to see businesses say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. You’re taking away on-street parking to put in bike lanes, you’re taking away the one parking spot in front of my store to put in a bike corral. I don’t see many bikers around here. So what does this mean for me?" Until now there hasn’t been much empirical evidence to allay such concerns.

- They surveyed 1,884 people walking out of area convenience stores, restaurants and bars, and another 19,653 who’d just done their supermarket shopping. Some of the results are unsurprising: Drivers still make up a plurality of customers to all of these businesses. And, with greater trunk capacity, they far outspend people who travel to the grocery store by foot, bike or transit. But for all of the other business types examined, bikers actually out-consumed drivers over the course of a month. True, they often spent less per visit. But cyclists and pedestrians in particular made more frequent trips (by their own estimation) to these restaurants, bars and convenience stores, and those receipts added up. This finding is logical: It’s a lot easier to make an impulse pizza stop if you’re passing by an aromatic restaurant on foot or bike instead of in a passing car at 35 miles an hour.

- There are obviously some other factors at play here. Families with cars are less likely to eat out than single young professionals on a bike. And we'd all prefer that drivers run up smaller bar tabs than pedestrians. Clifton also raises another possibility (although this particular study can’t verify it): "Does Portland have a green dividend?" she asks, citing a concept coined by economist Joe Cortright. Cars are costly. And Portland's green infrastructure means many people don’t have to foot that expense. "Do we then have more money in our pockets," Clifton asks, "to spend on other things?" As Portland begins to make tougher decisions about bike infrastructure, this is an intriguing point. The "young and fearless," as Clifton calls them, are already biking there.

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This first one shows how much consumers spent on average per trip, by transportation mode:






Here, people estimated how many trips they took per month:






And this is the total estimate of consumer spending per month:

[M II A II R II K]

That much exaggerated war on the roads documentary.



• Video Link

[202_Cyclist]

"However, bicycle deaths rose 8.7% to 677 and pedestrian deaths rose 3% to 4,432, the NHTSA said....The NHTSA said 70% of all bicycle-related deaths involve head injuries but that barely one-third of cyclists wear helmets"

http://www.latimes.com/business/auto...,7268820.story

[M II A II R II K]

Nutter to seek Council appropriation for Philadelphia bike-share program

Read More: http://articles.philly.com/2012-12-0...-andrew-stober

The Nutter administration plans to seek $3 million from Philadelphia City Council for a "bike share" program that would put the first 650 bicycles on the street by early 2014, the deputy mayor for transportation, Rina Cutler, said Friday. A second phase would add 550 bikes in 2015, city officials said.

The program envisions 120 stations where commuters, tourists, or shoppers could help themselves to a bike that they would then leave at a station near their destination. To take a bike, a rider would need to buy a daily, monthly, or annual membership from a vending machine at a bike station. Then the first half-hour on the bike would be free, with costs of about $5 per half-hour after that, based on the experience of other cities with bike-share programs.

The city envisions contributing $3 million, with an additional $5 million to $6 million from federal, state or private funds, to buy the bikes, set up the stations, and establish the program. The operating costs of the program are to be paid for by riders, advertising on bikes and stations, and corporate sponsors, under the city's plan. City officials estimate operating costs will be about $23,000 per 10-bike station per year. The area to be served by the bikes, at least at first, would be from the Delaware River to about 41st Street in West Philadelphia, and from South Street north to Temple University.

The bikes typically are heavy (about 40 pounds) three-speed models with broad seats, step-through frames, fenders, and wire baskets. Their very unhipness may be a deterrent to theft, said Andrew Stober, Cutler's chief of staff. Next week, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council will issue a request for proposals to develop a business plan for the bike-share program, to refine cost estimates and operating plans. Next spring, the city will then ask companies to bid to operate the program. The administration will ask Council for $1.5 million a year in each of the next two years to launch the bike-share program, Cutler said Friday.

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[DTW]

Detroit's new bicycle economy

Like the growth of the monthly bike ride known as Critical Mass, the two-wheel economy has reached its own critical mass in Detroit. Though minuscule compared with Detroit’s car companies, the manufacture, sales and service of cycling is gaining legitimacy as an industry.

Perhaps most symbolic, two months after the 2012 North American International Auto Show, Detroit Bike City was inaugurated, the region’s first annual bike show and swap meet.

A century after Henry Ford transformed the quadricycle into an automobile, urban Detroit is re-discovering two-wheelers. Roads are becoming bike-friendly and people are taking cycling seriously as a means of transportation as well as leisure.

In the first floor of his carriage house in the historic Boston-Edison neighborhood -- two blocks from the original Henry Ford mansion -- Zak Pashak built the prototype for a bike he intends to manufacture for $500: one style, one color, much like Ford’s original Model T: a vehicle common folks could afford. Pashak’s company, Detroit Bikes, purchased a factory on the West Side and expects to begin mass production in late 2012.

Shinola, a national firm that makes fine watches, leather goods, and high end, stylish cycles, located its assembly facility in Midtown. The bikes will have a vintage aura with modern mechanisms, marketed in the range of $2,500 to $3,500. By coincidence of their shared location in the Argonaut Building, Shinola struck up a relationship with College for Creative Studies. One of the Shinola models, The Flattop, was designed by a CCS student.

http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/...eecon1012.aspx

[M II A II R II K]

Chicago likes bikes — and it’s about to prove it in a big way

Read More: http://grist.org/cities/chicago-like...-in-a-big-way/

Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 PDF: http://www.chicagobikes.org/pdf/2012...ycling2020.pdf

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With 30 miles of protected bike lanes already completed and another 70 promised before the end of Emanuel’s first term in 2015, the city’s new cycling infrastructure will weave through every neighborhood, assuring a path within a half-mile of every Chicagoan’s home. The unveiling takes place on Chicago’s once taxi-, auto-, and bus-infested Dearborn Street. The city spawned a wave of envy among national bike bloggers this month when it removed a motor vehicle lane from the downtown artery, replacing it with a two-way protected cycling lane complete with bike traffic signals.

- Michael Amsden, a project manager for the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Bike Program says swiping a lane from drivers took “lots of political know-how,” adding that “no other city has cut through dense traffic” in that manner. While other cities have been putting in bike infrastructure for years, what sets Chicago apart, Amsden says, is the sheer super-speed at which the city has laid down protected bike lanes, going from “zero to second-most in the country in just 18 months.” City officials hint that converting car lanes into bike lanes is the way of Chicago’s future.

- But the plan’s strongest asset, say supporters, is its backing from the public: It’s a grid designed by the people for the people. To create it, CDOT teamed up with the Active Transportation Alliance, a local nonprofit advocacy group that set up community meetings in nine areas of the city. Alliance volunteers met monthly for a year with residents in neighborhood bars, restaurants, and homes to discuss where they wanted to see the bike lanes installed. Major obstacles included the city’s numerous rail lines, waterways, and high-crime areas. Large maps detailing the routes were delivered to CDOT engineers. “To my knowledge,” says Lee Crandell, the Alliance’s director of campaigns, “no other city has involved the public as much as Chicago has.”

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A Few Surprises in New Bike Scores

Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/nei...e-scores/4197/

Bike Score: http://www.walkscore.com/bike

The website Walk Score announced Tuesday the extension of its "Bike Score" rankings for neighborhoods and places to 25 cities. The cities are scored on a 100-point scale based on four factors: bike lanes, hills, destinations and road connectivity, and bike commuting mode share. It was developed in collaboration with researchers at Simon Fraser University and The University of British Columbia. Here's how the scoring breaks down.

Scores from 90-100 are classified as "biker's paradise," where daily errands can be completed by bike. None of these 25 cities fall into this category. The next ranking, with scores from 70-89, are cities that are "very bikeable" where biking is convenient for most trips. Eight of the cities fall under this ranking. The third category, "bikeable," includes scores from 50-69 and means that the city has some bike infrastructure — 11 of the cities are in this category. The lowest category, with scores of 1-49, indicates that the city is "somewhat bikeable" and has minimal biking infrastructure — six cities fall under this final ranking.

Many of the cities that top the list are familiar. And it's clear you don't have to be a warm place to be bikeable, as the high scores for Minneapolis and Ann Arbor attest. There are a few surprises at the bottom of the list — low scores for Austin and San Diego, for example, which are both mild places with large knowledge economies and college populations.Bike Score maps are also available for 11 Canadian cities — Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Halifax, Victoria, Saskatoon, Charlottetown, St. John's, and Moncton.

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25 U.S. Cities Ranked by Bike Score

Ranking City Score

1 Boulder, Colorado 86
2 Minneapolis, Minnesota 79
3 Fort Collins, Colorado 78
4 Ann Arbor, Michigan 76
5 Eugene, Oregon 75
5 Tempe, Arizona 75
7 Portland, Oregon 70
7 San Francisco, California 70
9 Boston, Massachusetts 68
9 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 68
11 Madison, Wisconsin 67
12 Washington, D.C. 65
13 Seattle, Washington 64
13 Tucson, Arizona 64
15 New York, New York 62
15 Chicago, Illinois 62
17 Miami, Florida 57
17 Oakland, California 57
19 Los Angeles, California 54
20 Houston, Texas 49
21 San Diego, California 48
22 Austin, Texas 45
23 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 39
24 Tyler, Texas 38
25 Cincinnati, Ohio 37




Bike-share company plans to start in downtown L.A. this April

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...&dlvrit=649324

Bike Nation, the Southern California-based company that has pledged $16 million toward Los Angeles' first bike-share network, will announce Thursday that it plans to begin rolling out its program in downtown this spring.

The details are scheduled to be unveiled this afternoon at a news event with Bike Nation executives, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and L.A. Clippers basketball star and cycling advocate Caron Butler, who will be on hand to help give away bikes and helmets to youth just ahead of Christmas. “We are excited to put stations on the ground in downtown Los Angeles and begin the process of rolling out our bike share program and providing a safe, low-cost, healthy transportation alternative to Los Angeles residents,” Bike Nation's Chief Operating Officer Derek Fretheim said in a prepared news release.

The company said it plans to start small in April and test several locations in downtown before trying to expand to other parts of the city. The locations where the company hopes to place rental kiosks are Union Station, the Caltrans building on Main Street, City Hall, the County Hall of Administration, Los Angeles Police Department headquarters and at El Pueblo on Olvera Street. City and Bike Nation officials said the permits for those kiosks have not yet been issued, but they are working on them. Bike Nation officials said they hope to use the $16 million to eventually install as many as 400 bike-share kiosks with 4,000 rental bikes across the city.

Villaraigosa announced Bike Nation's investment pledge in April during a CicLAvia event as an innovative way to bring a bike-share system to L.A. without the city having to invest any taxpayer money. That plan has drawn praise from some who say a bike-share program would be years away if the city had to subsidize it. But it also has drawn skepticism from some who worry the city could be missing out on future revenues from sponsorship deals and advertising on the bikes and kiosks.

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[M II A II R II K]

How Britain Is Helping Its Citizens Buy Bikes

Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/com...ans-life/4194/

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Field’s health was at risk. His father, also obese, had died of related problems at the age of 55. "I was following in his footsteps," Field says. Field says he decided to get the bike because he wanted to spend some quality time with his kids, and because the government program, called the Cycle to Work scheme, made it affordable.

- Here’s how it works: an employer fronts the cost of a bike, up to £1,000 (about $1,600), and the employee pays it back over 12 months with pre-tax payroll deductions, with one final payment at the end of the period. There are several variations on the payment model, and if you pick the right bike at the right price, you can end up saving as much as 40 percent of the bike’s purchase price. Since the program was implemented in 1999, government figures say, some 400,000 people have participated, and the resulting drop in carbon dioxide emissions each year is equivalent to the output of the city of Hereford, home to nearly 60,000 people. Some participants combine biking with transit, and can even buy two bikes if they need them for two ends of a transit commute.

- Considering studies that have shown the negative effects that car and even transit commutes can have on your health, cycling to work looks like a darn good investment for individuals and governments. But in America, parking receives by far the biggest tax incentive. In 2012, the tax code allowed for a $240 per month parking incentive (up from the previous year’s $230) and $125 per month transit incentive (down from $230), but only a token $20 per month bicycle benefit that can only be used if you claim no other commuter tax benefit (which rules out people who might take transit on snowy days, for instance, but ride when it’s fair).

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• Video Link

[M II A II R II K]

Deaths of cyclists and pedestrians on Scotland's roads to overtake those of car users

Read More: http://road.cc/content/news/72562-de...hose-car-users

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Car casualties are declining sharply, and as people start cycling and walking more, transport experts say that safety priorities must be adjusted to ensure the safety of more vulnerable road users.

- The Scotsman reports that statistics, being highlighted by the Scottish Transport Studies Group think tank," reveal that the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in Scotland last year increased by 10 per cent from 504 to 556, while the figure for cyclists went up by 12 per cent, from 145 to 163 – making a combined total of 719. "By contrast, the casualty toll among car drivers and passengers fell by 16 per cent, from 1,007 to 845."

- “If the recession continues to bite, we will have more people walking and less driving, so this might happen sooner rather than later.” Halden, also the director of Edinburgh-based transport consultancy DHC, added: “Far too little has been done for 
pedestrians and there are few towns in Scotland where parents can feel relaxed about a child walking to the local shop or to the park, given the lack of safe routes.” Halden said far more spending was required on improving walking routes, which accounted for 80 per cent of journeys.

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Car airbags for cyclists


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