05.19.08
Posted in Bike Commuting
by Mark Dieterich at 10:41 pm
Another major publication, US News & World Report, published an article leading up to Bike-to-Work day about bicycles. This one was entitled 6 Myths About Commuting By Bicycle and included on their list is:
- It’s too dangerous
- It’s too far
- I’ll need an expensive bike
- It’s impossible to carry the stuff I need
- There’s nowhere to shower
- Biking will make me impotent
Of all the reasons I hear from people, #1 is certainly the most common. Is there anything else they should have had on their list? I have to admit, after reading the list, I went back and confirmed my suspicion that it was a male author; I doubt #6 would have made the cut otherwise!
Permalink
Posted in Advocacy, Bike Commuting, East Bay
by Margherita at 7:17 am
Inertia at the Top
Belated, Patchy Response Further Hamstrung By Inadequate Federal Attention, Experts Say
By Susan Levine and Lori Aratani
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, May 19, 2008; A01
The problem at first was that the problem was ignored: For almost two decades, young people in the United States got fatter and fatter — ate more, sat more — and nobody seemed to notice. Not parents or schools, not medical groups or the government.
But since the alarm was finally sounded in the late 1990s, the problem has been the country’s reaction: a fragmented, inchoate response that critics say has suffered particularly from inadequate direction and dollars at the federal level.
“The sense of this as a national health priority just doesn’t come through,” said Jeffrey P. Koplan of Emory University, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and chairman of the Institute of Medicine’s 2004 study of childhood obesity. The top recommendation of that seminal report was for the government to convene a high-level, interdepartmental task force to guide a coordinated response. No such body has been assembled.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
Posted in Advocacy
by Margherita at 7:01 am
May 19, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Stranded in Suburbia
BERLIN
I have seen the future, and it works.
O.K., I know that these days you’re supposed to see the future in China or India, not in the heart of “old Europe.”
But we’re living in a world in which oil prices keep setting records, in which the idea that global oil production will soon peak is rapidly moving from fringe belief to mainstream assumption. And Europeans who have achieved a high standard of living in spite of very high energy prices — gas in Germany costs more than $8 a gallon — have a lot to teach us about how to deal with that world.
If Europe’s example is any guide, here are the two secrets of coping with expensive oil: own fuel-efficient cars, and don’t drive them too much.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
05.18.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Mark Dieterich at 9:26 pm
Now Closed — Thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out our survey. We will be working on analyzing the results and let you know where they lead us.
The PBC has put together a quick survey asking about how you use your bike and what, if anything, can be done to get you on your bike more frequently. Our goal of the survey is two fold:
- We want to better understand the community of cyclists interested in the PBC and our activities
- We want to get some input on where we should focus our energy
Please take a moment and fill out our survey. Thanks to the generosity of The Hub and Providence Cycle, we are able to reward those of you who fill out the entire survey!
Permalink
05.16.08
Posted in Bike-to-Work Day
by Mark Dieterich at 2:02 pm
For the second week in a row now, the weekly Providence City News publication has featured an article on Bike-To-Work Day. In addition for Bike Week, they ran a feature that grew out of an interview I had with them earlier this week. It’s great to see the increased press B2WD has received this year!
Permalink
05.15.08
Posted in Bike-to-Work Day
by Mark Dieterich at 2:49 pm
We’ve had a few people write and ask whether the B2WD event will still happen, even though they are predicting rain for tomorrow. The event is happening, rain or shine! Hope to see you tomorrow and let’s hope for the 50% chance of not getting rain.
Permalink
05.13.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Mark Dieterich at 9:10 pm
In conjunction with Bike Week, the PBC has put together a quick survey asking about how you use your bike and what, if anything, can be done to get you on your bike more frequently. Our goal of the survey is two fold:
- We want to better understand the community of cyclists interested in the PBC and our activities
- We want to get some input on where we should focus our energy
Please take a moment and fill out our survey. Thanks to the generosity of The Hub and Providence Cycle, we are able to reward those of you who fill out the entire survey!
Permalink
Posted in Bike-to-Work Day
by Mark Dieterich at 8:49 pm
I road home on the bike path this evening and it looks like the sewer repairs in Riverside won’t be completed in time for B2WD. So, I’ve updated the East Bay Bike Train map to reflect our detour. See you Friday!
Permalink
Posted in Advocacy
by Margherita at 7:04 am
Menino pedals for cycle-friendly city
Boston to unveil its first dedicated bike lanes
By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | May 13, 2008
Blue track suit billowing, Mayor Thomas M. Menino pedaled up Congress Street, legs churning against a stiff wind that turned a ceremonial half-mile ride into an exercise in perseverance.
“I didn’t think we’d ride into a hurricane,” the mayor shouted from his Specialized bicycle.
The mayor’s campaign to make Boston a bike-friendly city has forced to him to fight headwinds of another sort: an entrenched transportation culture that has long considered the car the king of the road.
But seven months after Menino announced the initiative, advocates say the bike, long an afterthought in city road projects, is at least some getting respect.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
05.12.08
Posted in Bike-to-Work Day
by Mark Dieterich at 9:21 pm
We are pleased to announce that a Blackstone Bikeway train has now been organized. You can read more about this train on our bike train webpage.
Since the bike trail is still being developed, the online map data has not caught up with the physical changes. We’ve done our best to accurately represent the path of the train, but this train may not be represented as accurately as our other trains. However, the stopping points are correct.
Permalink
