11.07.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Eric at 1:22 pm
Bush is an avid mountain biker, but that hasn’t helped US bike culture. What about Obama? Will we finally see truly progressive transportation policies? And if his heart and brain are in the right place (I believe they are), what can be accomplished while our country is suffering economically? Or is this economic downturn actually a great opportunity to effect changes in how Americans view transportation? Only time will tell. I’d like to hear some thoughts from other blog readers - what do you think? In the meantime, see this article in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News for an early clue:
click here for article
The pertinent paragraph is near the bottom.
At least we know he rides! You’ll note that the attachment arm for a trail-a-bike can be seen: one of his daughters was along for the ride, but was cropped from the photo by AP (supposedly). Kudos to him for wearing a helmet.
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11.05.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Mark Dieterich at 1:54 pm
U.S. Approves Plan for Interstate Bike Routes
SportsOneSource Media Posted: 11/4/2008
The United States is on a path to creating what could become the largest official bicycle route network in the world, thanks to the approval of a new plan by America’s leading authority on national route designations. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has just approved a National Corridor Plan laying out the framework and guidelines for the development of this system.
Read the rest of this entry »
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11.04.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Margherita at 10:19 am
CITIES: New York’s future is green, city’s planners say (11/04/2008)
Saqib Rahim, ClimateWire reporter
While Washington pundits haggle over cap-and-trade policy, effects on industry and energy costs for regular Americans, New York City is taking its climate policy in a different direction: making its green city as alluring as possible.
New York is projected to add a million residents by 2030, a figure that worries city officials who know New York can’t sprawl out like other metropolises.
So some are praising Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “PlaNYC 2030″ plan as a blockbuster — a plan that can reduce the city’s emissions just as it cleans the air, that promotes green space and that gives new residents an attractive, transit-friendly place to live.
“How are we going to add a million people and still make New York City a place people want to live?” is how Andy Wiley-Schwartz, assistant commissioner in the city’s transportation department, described the city’s focus.
Speaking on a panel last week, Wiley-Schwartz and others envisioned a city where no one lives more than 10 minutes from a park, where people look forward to walking down their street, and where even old buildings can become energy-efficient.
“This plan is actually the evidence of a major paradigm shift,” Alex Washburn, chief urban designer in the city’s planning department, said. “Green is the new civic virtue.”
Building on a transit-friendly base
New York is already considered the most transit-friendly of all American cities, with an extensive, low-cost subway and dense development that makes driving unattractive. But Washburn said New York is poised to demote cars even further.
“Pedestrians come first. Bikes come second, and cars only come third,” he said. He described a housing project that would have sacrificed a crosswalk to make it easier for cars to make right turns. Washburn rejected the plan, saying it had the wrong priorities. “The city will work for the pedestrian, first and foremost.”
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10.21.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Mark Dieterich at 11:28 am
I happened upon the above image on the Streetsblog site. This sign, and others like it, were created
by students at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in Washington Heights, K-5 students from Hamilton Heights Academy and P.S. 28 (along with at least one parent or guardian) added a livable streets flavor to the “If I Were President” display.
Even elementary kids are interested in making the streets safer for pedestrians and bicycles. It’s time to wake up America and demand more from your infrastructure dollars.
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10.20.08
Posted in Advocacy, Events
by Mark Dieterich at 12:42 pm
Sorry about the short notice on this meeting, I just received the email (edited slightly for posting on the web):
Hello, this Lori DiBiasio. As you may have heard, on September 13, 2008, I organized a bicycle safety awareness ride in memory of Frank Cabral, who was struck and killed by a motorist on September 4, 2007. 211 cyclists rode 25.5 miles in his honor. I made a promise to them that day, to propose a law for Frank and for all of the cyclists in RI to help prevent this type of tragedy from happening again. Currently cyclists in RI have no rights on the roadway.
This Monday, October 20th at 5:00pm-8:00pm? would be the first crucial step to pass this bill in the City of Warwick with the hopes that it would go to the Senate to pass statewide. Warwick City Hall will be holding a council meeting which will include this law on the agenda that night. It is unknown the order which the law will appear on the agenda.
Councilwoman Helen Taylor suggested that I have as many advocates there as possible, since she is contacting News channels 10, 12, and 6 to inform then of the meeting. I apologize for the very short notice, I was notified myself late Saturday afternoon.
Warwick City Hall is located on 3275 Post Road (a one way street), in Warwick RI, in Apponaug, next to the Public Library.
In summary the law will propose the following:
1.) Motorists, upon passing a cyclist on the road, need to remain a minimum of 3 feet away.
2.) If they cannot be 3 feet away, they need to slow down 10-20 miles below their current speed.
3.) If a motorist is at fault in striking a cyclist on the road and an injury or fatality occurs, a penalty will be imposed on the motorist, and the motorist will be held accountable. Penalties may include:
*Suspension of license for a specified period of time, depending on the level of damage to the cyclist, which could range from minor injury to loss of life.
*Substantial hours of Community Service
*Driver’s re-training
*Jail time, if required
*Civil Fine
Currently, RI motorists who are involved in cycling accidents walk away with a meer slap on the wrist. The motorist who killed Frank initially faced a 10 year sentence, however the Attorney General dropped all charges, saying it was “merely an accident”.
If this is an issue that is of interest to you, your valued opinion would be greatly appreciated at the Warwick City Hall Meeting on 10/20/08 .
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10.16.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Eric at 1:10 pm
The meeting went quite well, I thought. The upshot is that the lanes will not be removed. A few complainers were there to vent, but the overwhelming opinion was that the new scheme is a change for the better. Present from the city were Cliff Wood, Lt. Schiavulli, Lt. Ryan, John Nickelson (DPW), and Linda Painter (Planning).
Only complaint raised more than once: afraid of pulling out of my driveway, I might hit a bicyclist. Response: the cyclists have always been there, you should have been looking out for them all along, this changes nothing except possibly the number of cyclists.
Nearly all attendees agreed that motor vehicle speeds are down, and that there are fewer drivers operating in the bike and parking lanes today than in the first few weeks. To respond to that, Lt. Schiavulli said that he would assign patrolmen to the Blvd during commuter hours more often. John Nickelson’s response was that DPW is still considering other ways to make it clear that the parking lane is for parking. Currently there are no markings stating that (though there are new signs up now, explaining the uses of the 3 lanes). He is looking into painting diagonal lines across the parking lane at fire hydrants and bus stops, as a way to make it a little clearer. Between heightened enforcement and DPW efforts, combined with locals simply getting adjusted, we should see even greater reduction in these situations.
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10.05.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Mark Dieterich at 8:17 pm
From the LAB website:
Bicycle Commuter Tax Provision Passes House and Senate (10.03.08)
After seven long years, the bicycle commuter tax provision has finally passed both the House and Senate as part of the financial bailout package. President Bush said that he would quickly sign the $700 billion bailout bill. Thanks to all of you around the country who have contacted your congressional leaders over the years, and also thanks to Congressman Blumenauer and Senator Wyden for their continued insistence on having this benefit provided to bicycling Americans. Keep checking back here as we work on the implementation process.
The President has signed this bill, so now it’s time for each and every one of us to work with our employers to make this benefit a reality.
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10.02.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Margherita at 3:38 pm
U.S. cities hoping to lessen air pollution and traffic congestion through bike programs are facing unexpected questions over funding, accident liability and even “anti-bike” activists.
The first enthusiastic wave of bike-sharing programs worked on an honor system — bikes donated or left over from police auctions were left on racks throughout cities, trusting that users would bring the bikes back. But bikes were stolen.
Cities such as Washington, D.C., are starting to model a Parisian bike-sharing system, where users would register with a credit card, and check out a bike by swiping a card.
Funding bike programs is also a problem, and many programs were delayed because lawyers are trying to figure out who would be liable if a biker gets hurt while riding. In San Francisco, a bike program was stalled because a resident said the city had not reviewed how the bikes would affect traffic. That city now plans to add bike lanes (Alan Gomez, USA Today, Oct. 2). – HDM
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09.26.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Mark Dieterich at 1:45 pm
About three months ago, I hand an opportunity to read over parts of the Rhode Island Driver’s Manual. At the time, I was shocked by how little information the manual contained about bicycles and, even more surprised by how much of the information contained actually tried to address cyclists rather than motorists. I posted these thoughts and shortly afterwards representatives from the Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island, the Narragensett Bay Wheelmen, the Sierra Club, and the Providence Bicycle Coalition came together to draft some proposed changes to the Rhode Island Driver’s Manual.
In the next few weeks, the members of this working group will be meeting with a representative from the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicle (RIDMV) to discuss the proposed changes. The next printing of the RI Driver’s Manual is going to press soon and we are hoping our recommended changes can be incorporated into the next printing.
We’ve also received word from RIDOT’s manager of Driver’s Ed Training that our proposed changes document has made it’s way across his desk. They are considering not only distributing our changes to the instructor, so they can be incorporated into the training material used for the courses and practice tests. Furthermore, they are also considering the development of a brochure using our material to to go the children and their parents!
Both of these, if they do indeed come to fruition, would be a great help to spreading the word about the rights of cyclists within the new and upcoming motorists.
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09.22.08
Posted in Advocacy
by Mark Dieterich at 11:31 am
Need something to get you warmed up as the weather turns cooler? Look no further than this morning’s Projo. A letter to the editor posted this morning claiming that
It is often suggested that automobile drivers should learn to share the road with bicyclists. In my opinion, it is foolhardy and dangerous for bicyclists to be on the highways with motorists, period. Bicycles no more belong on roadways than autos belong on bike paths.
Bicycles are slow, small and difficult to see; autos may weigh tons, and, with their automatic transmissions, are powerful and fast at a light touch of the foot.
Show me a safe bike path, that efficiently takes me everywhere I need to go by bicycle and I’m sure you will see more people on bikes. The simple truth is that we have a few, very nice bike paths in the state, that all to frequently force cyclists to stop at cross streets and go very few places.
While this last statement is true, isn’t it the drivers responsibility to “control” their vehicle? Who cares if they are driving an Indy race car, which I’ve never driven but I imagine responds quite quickly, it doesn’t give you the right to drive irresponsibly. He continues:
Too many cyclists are clueless as to rules of the road - either for automobiles or for bicycles. This complicates matters for motorists, who are required to pass a written examination on rules of the road, and pass a road test to obtain a driver’s license. And young teenagers are required to attend a 30-hour driver-ed course, to boot. This is gross and unfair to motorists, whom we expect to share the road with bicyclists.
I agree that there are many naive cyclists on the roads, but for every cyclist I see breaking the law in a single day, I can point to MANY more motorists doing the same or worse. The bigger issue, in my mind, comes back to who is likely to get hurt by the misdead? In all cases, be it the cyclists or the motorist breaking the law, the cyclists is going to loose.
While it’s true motorists had to pass a written and driving test at some piont to get their license, how many could do so today, were they to be spot tested? I think the number would be surprisingly low. Here is my favorite part of the argument:
This unfairness is magnified immensely when contrasting the mandatory costs of having the two types of vehicles use our highways. Registration and license fees, taxes and a sensible insurance package with liability and collision coverage may cost in the thousands of dollars for a responsible car owner but perhaps zero for unwitting cyclists. Should a bicyclist be the cause of an accident, there would be no mandatory liability insurance for any injured parties; in all probability too, in court, the cyclist would walk.
… and who’s problem is it that driving a car is expensive? Imagine for a moment if everyone road bicycles as their primary vehicle. The infrastructure required to support the few remaining cars and public transportation options is immensily less than our current, umaintainable, infrastructure. As for the difference in insurance costs, it all comes back to who is more likely to do severe damage. Outside of bicycle racing, how many serious bicycle/bicycle or bicycle/pedestrian accidents are there compared to atomobile vs. anything type accidents? As for the accident question, how many bicyclists cause an accident where they, themselves, are not the ones sent off to the emergency room? Perhaps they would walk out of court, if they could walk at all!
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