I don't live in northwestern Pennsylvania, but if I did this attack ad by the Republican Party would be enough to get me to vote for Kathy Dahlkemper, a Democrat in the 3rd congressional district.
The ad says that Dahlkemper has some “wacky solutions” to deal with the energy crisis. Among them, walking places and riding bikes.
Sounds completely sane to me.
The commercial calls these “personal sacrifices.” I'd call these choices lifestyle improvements….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/10/05/gop-commercial-attacks-idea-of-walking-biking/
The Bicycle Commuter Act that gives companies tax breaks for offering fringe benefits to bicycle commuters was passed by the House of Representatives on Friday as they approved the $700 billion financial bailout plan by a 263-171 vote.
President Bush signed the bailout into law right away.
The Bicycle Commuter Act gives employers $20 a month tax relief for each employee who bicycles to work. It covers the cost of employer reimbursements to employees for buying, improving or repairing a bicycle or paying for bike parking.
It was first introduced some seven years ago by Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Portland. The Democrat opposes the bailout and voted against it on Friday, putting himself in the inenviable position of voting against his pet project ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/10/03/bailout-passes-with-bicycle-commuter-act-attached-bush-signs-it/
Provisions of the long-sought Bicycle Commuter Act are included in the $700 billion financial bailout bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday night.
The bicycle commuter measure provides a tax benefit to employers who offer cash reimbursements to employees who ride their bicycles to work. It was pigeonholed after it was first introduced in 2005, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Portland and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon reintroduced it in 2007.
It appeared dead in the water again this fall, until it suddenly appeared in the Senate version of the bailout bill along with other tax breaks worth $108 billion for businesses and families.
The bicycle commuter act is small in comparison to the other “sweeteners” as it's estimated to cost $10 million. It was probably added to the new version to make the bailout more palatable to Blumenauer, who voted against the original bailout on Monday ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/10/03/pork-in-bailout-bill-includes-bicycle-commuter-fringe-benefits/
The 18-year-old woman who slammed into a 67-year-old bicyclist one morning last winter, dragged her to the side of the road, and drove home has been has been sentenced to one week in jail and 83 days of home detention.
The judge's sentence for the Fircrest, Washington, teen is stricter than the one sought by the Pierce County deputy prosecutor in the case.
The bicyclist, Sandy Johnston, survived the collision with a compound leg fracture. She's been rehabing at home after spending 12 days in the hospital …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/10/02/one-weeks-jail-time-for-hit-drag-and-run-motorist/
There's a suburban legend out there that rail-to-trail conversions drive down property values.
Propose a trail on an abandoned railway and you'll hear fear and loathing from neighbors about loss of privacy, increased crime, traffic and noise, all which will affect property values.
A University of Cincinnati master's degree candidate in urban planning decided put those fears to the test by checking data from a populated section of the Little Miami Scenic Trail in southeast Ohio. Her research concluded that the opposite is true.
Duygu Karadeniz discovered that single family home sale prices increase by $7.05 for every foot closer a property is located to the trail. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/10/02/study-finds-that-ohio-bike-trail-boosts-property-values/
The final results are in, and the League of American Bicyclists has added 10 new cities to its list of 96 Bicycle-Friendly Communities.
The League also granted four-year renewals to 19 cities that previously had been named bicycle friendly. In the biggest announcement, Boulder, Colorado, was elevated to platinum level, joining Davis, California, and Portland, Oregon, in those lofty heights of the friendliest of friendlies.
I've already reported Seattle's choice as a gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community while they hosted the international Pro Walk / Pro Bike Conference earlier this month. Other cities added for the first time ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/09/30/10-new-cities-labeled-bicycle-friendly-boulder-goes-platinum/
Montreal became the latest city to launch a self-service bicycle rental service on Sunday when 40 Bixi prototypes hit the streets.
The name Bixi is derived from bicycle and taxi. When the program undergoes its full-launch in Spring 2009, Montreal will have 2,400 rental bicycles available at 300 stations around the city.
Because of that city's harsh weather, the Bixis only will be available from mid-April through mid-November.
The program is similar to the well-known Velib program in Paris ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/09/22/bixi-bicycle-rental-system-hits-les-rues-in-montreal/
Here's a vest that displays your speed on your back, letting everyone know how fast you're traveling on your bicycle.
There's more to it than merely showing off, though.
Inventors Brady Clark and Mykle Hansen say there are three goals behind the Speed-Vest: To increase awareness that bicycling is efficient; educate motorists about overtaking bicyclists safely; and demonstrate that a person can easily bike 10-15 mph.
The garment is not yet available commercially, but there's been a lot of interest and they've been talking to potential partners. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/09/16/cycling-vest-displays-bicycle-speed/
The number of bicyclists killed in traffic crashes in 2007 dropped 9.6% from the previous year, the biggest year-to-year drop this decade.
The National Highway Transporation Safety Administration reports 698 “pedalcyclists” were killed in traffic crashes in 2007, compared to 772 in 2006. It was the second year in a row that bicycle fatalities had gone down.
The bureau released the report in August, shortly before this weekend's report by researchers at the University of New South Wales that concludes that the rate of collisions between bikes and cars drops as more people ride their bicycles.
Motorists drive more safely when they see more cyclists and pedestrians around, researchers say ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/09/09/bicycle-fatalities-and-injuries-drop-in-2007-part-of-virtuous-cycle/
Seattle is now officially a gold level Bicycle Friendly Community.
The League of American Bicyclists made the award to Mayor Greg Nickels at the opening of the international Pro Walk / Pro Bike Conference in Seattle.
The designation comes about a year after the city council unanimously approved a resolution in favor of the hard-fought 10-year, $240 million bicycle master plan.
Although it was issued to Nickels, all the bicyclists in Seattle are responsible for the award. It notes that more than 4% of Seattle's commutes are by bicycle, which is 10 times the national average.
If I have a chance to ride my bicycle over there tomorrow, I probably wouldn't notice any change in bicycling, in spite of the new designation. It really is a recognition to the work done by people in and out of city government to make bicycling work in the city …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/09/03/seattle-joins-list-of-bicycle-friendly-communities/
Adventure Cycling Association Trail biking Rails to Trails Conservancy League of American Bicyclists
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