Category: Bicycle Advocacy
If you have a few minutes and feel like commiting an act of bicycle advocacy this weekend, consider sending an email to your state's governor.
The League of American Bicyclists has a form letter that you can easily send word-for-word, or in your own words, that asks your governor to share the upcoming federal funding cutbacks among all transportation programs.
Based on past experiences, the League is concerned that programs that traditionally support pedestrian and bicycle projects will be singled out for the cutbacks …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/08/21/protect-bicycle-projects-in-upcoming-funding-cuts/
One of the biggest misconceptions held by members of the motoring public — especially when they relate to bicyclists — is that they own the road because they pay for it.
Not true. Road construction and maintenance is paid for by a myriad of taxes, of which gasoline taxes are only one part. In fact, most cyclists also own cars, so they pay their fair share of gas taxes as well.
One place where motorists won't be making that argument, however, is Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society raised funds to help pay for a road repaving on a popular bicycling road ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/08/18/michigan-bicycle-touring-club-raises-money-to-repave-road/
We all know that Seattle is one of the top bicycling cities in the US, usually ranked near the top with the likes of Portland, Boulder and Minneapolis on the lists for “best 10 cities for bicyclists.”
But how do Seattle's neighboring cities rank?
The Cascade Bicycle Club set out to determine that and published its results in a six-page publication — Puget Sound Bicycle Scorecard — released this week.
The top city was Kirkland, followed closely by Redmond and Renton. Bringing up the bottom of the list were Federal Way and Shoreline. ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/08/17/scorecard-evaluates-bicycle-friendliness-of-seattles-neighbors/
Apparently enough Republican voters in Colorado believed in Dan Maes's conspiracy theory regarding bicycling and the U.N. to support his run for governor.
The businessman told an audience last week about his fear that support of pro-bicycling projects, like the Denver B-cycle bike share program, were linked to a United Nations plot that would “threaten our personal freedoms.”
His bicycling comments were roundly ridiculed in the past week, yet he must have touched a nerve. Voters in the Republican primary gave Maes a 1.3% margin over opponent and former congressman Scott McInnis, according to last night's returns …..
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/08/11/bicycle-conspiracy-theory-candidate-wins-in-colorado/
London launched its bike-sharing program on Friday, joining other forward-looking cities seeking to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality by making bicycles readily available.
The London system, dubbed Barclay's Cycle Hire for its sponsorship by the financial services chain, has distributed 6,000 bicycles to 400 docking stations.
That's a smaller start than the Velib system in Paris, which launched with 10,000 bicycles 3 years ago and has grown to 25,000 bicycles. But it's larger than two roll-outs in the US this summer — Minneapolis's Nice Ride Minnesota with 700 bicycles at 65 kiosks and Denver B-cycle with 500 bicycles at 50 docking stations….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/07/30/london-joins-worldwide-bike-sharing-movement/
Cyclists in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina are coming to grips with the latest tragedy on local roads:
Two bicyclists riding single file along the white line were struck from behind by a Jeep Friday morning on a rural road south of the city. One cyclist, Donald Sunday, 62, of Winston-Salem, died at the scene. The other, Barry Leonard, 49, suffered a broken pelvis and rib.
News stories about the tragedy were accompanied by sinkening rants from motorists with a superior right to the roads….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/07/29/comments-in-bicycle-fatality-stories-are-hard-to-stomach/
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa experienced an epiphany moments after he narrowly missed being right hooked by a taxicab and fell to the ground, breaking his elbow.
Bicycling in LA can really suck.
Mayor of LA since 2005, Villaraigosa already knew that his city needed to support bicycling as a way to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. He learned more about that by attending the climate conference in Copenhagen last December ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/07/28/la-mayor-gains-insight-about-bicycling-from-near-miss/
Opposition to public bicycle paths can come from unusual sources in unexpected places.
For instance, the prospect of a public bike path running alongside a corner of the members-only Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia, has some of its members up in arms.
Fourteen of the active and retired military commissioned officers at the club are suing the club's board of directors for letting such a proposal go through.
A Navy captain said:
“Once the word gets out to the younger generation there is a secluded place to come and visit and have some fun, you can bet they're going to be there. … Gangs. Rivals. Hazards to pedestrians coming in and out. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/07/16/bike-path-deal-upsets-army-navy-country-club-members/
Update: Tuesday, July 13 — The Missouri Department of Transportation says the bicycle ban would have “no legal authority” and “could not be enforced,” according to St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Not to be outdone, bike ban bill sponsor Joe Brazil says they'll pursue passage of the bill anyway and take it to court, if necessary. If the court rules in state's favor, he'll recommend the state legislators submit a bill to enable counties to ban bicycles on roads in their jurisdictions.
Also, Adventure Cycling Association says the ban would disrupt two corridors on the pending U.S. Bicycle Route system. Ginny Sullivan, special project coordinator for ACA, wrote the council members: ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/07/14/proposed-bicycle-ban-in-missouri-county-may-expandupdate-state-says-bike-ban-has-no-legal-authority/
Here we go again.
An elected official — this time in St. Charles County, Missouri — is proposing to ban bicycles from a number of county and state roads for safety considerations.
This comes on the heels of that bicycle ban enacted by the Black Hawk, Colorado, city council. That prohibition has gained notoriety among the bicycling public in recent weeks after police started issuing tickets. I wonder if that's where County Councilman Joe Brazil got the idea.
The roads in question are narrow two-lane highways in the southwestern part of St. Charles County that don't have a shoulder. Brazil said:
“You're going 55 (mph) and there's absolute limited sight distance. You come around a corner and come upon a bike in seconds and you have to react.” ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2010/07/10/another-bicycle-ban-proposed-this-time-its-a-missouri-county/
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