Bicycle wins in biker vs. car errand race

The car took 20 minutes to run a set of prescribed errands, while the bike took 10 minutes.
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The errand race was part of "Walking the Talk/Closing the Gap: Transforming Environmental Values into Sustainable Practices," a series of events held by the UF office of sustainability, department of religion and department of political science.

Dedee DeLongpr;, director of the office of sustainability, said the goal is to make people with environmental values begin acting environmentally. DeLongpr; said the errand race tied together three important ideas: alternative transportation, shopping locally and supporting local agriculture.

DeLongpr; said the importance of shopping locally and supporting local agriculture is helping reduce the amount of shipping in the United States.

"Everything is interconnected," she said.

Poppell said he was helped in the race because he didn't have to worry about parking, like Christensen did, and he was able to use more roads that didn't have traffic lights or stop signs.

Christensen said the little things hurt. The time it takes to leave the car, lock the car, put on the seat belt, they all added up, he said.

Christensen, who used a Flexcar Civic hybrid, said he knew it would be a challenge trying to beat a bicycle during rush hour.

"It was fun to try anyway," he said.

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Bike Bucks

The NIH Bicycle Commuter Club's NIH Bike Bucks pilot program wherein registered participants EARN "Bike Bucks" that they can spend with participating vendors. Commuters earn five NIH Bike Bucks for every 100 miles that they ride to work on a bike instead of in a car. So far, in the coldest months of the season (Jan to March) our initial twelve pilot participants logged over 4000 miles and earned hundreds of bike bucks!

This concept was modeled on community incentives programs like the Ithaca Hours program in Ithaca, New York and the Recycle Bank in Philadelphia, PA. We're now up to over 40 registered NIH Bike Bucks participants and 4 participating vendors.....

So far the program is limited to NIH and FDA employees and contractors, and only miles commuted to and from work count towards Bike Bucks. I would be more than willing to help other Institutions establish their own such pilot programs. All it takes is a champion, some vendor support and someone willing to track the registrations, loggers, vendors, miles and bucks!

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FDA cyclists complete workouts and ease traffic congestion all on the way to work

by Danny Jacobs | Staff Writer Gazette
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As the FDA becomes more and more part of the White Oak neighborhood, officials are searching for ways to keep its impact on roads to a minimum. To that end, Aaronson and dozens of other employees bike to work each day, many riding more than 10 miles each way. The cyclists cited the economic, environmental and fitness benefits, as well as the satisfaction biking brings.

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DC Kicks Off Pace Car Program

From Fox 5:
Washington, DC -- The District Department of Transportation is kicking off a new program to help the city improve driver safety in city neighborhoods.

The DC Neighborhood Pace Car Program would enlist volunteers to affix a sticker to the rear windshield as a designated "pace car" that will only go the speed limit. On wider avenues, motorists will have the option of passing the pace cars, but police are going to be watching.

Fox 5 hit some local residential streets with a police radar gun and found drivers far exceeding the speed limits despite clearly-placed signage.
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The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is launching the program in ward three where 400 drivers have already signed up to be pace car drivers in the last two weeks.

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Brunch, Bikes, and Bands 2007


the Degenerettes
Wax and Wane
Strange Days
Speedo Kills
Dunaway

potluck brunch is at noon at Velocipede [4 W. Lanvale St], bike workshops start at 2pm, with the ride leaving afterwards, and the show begins upon return of the ride. Sunday May 6

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MD DOT to Reissue State Bike Map

The Maryland DOT is reissuing the Maryland state bike map, which is a considerable improvement over the previous version. One of the improvements is the inclusion of the continuous route of the ECG (designated trails and on-road interims) as a line on the map and legend reference. ECGA's cartographer Eric Weis provided mapping data and Board Member Dave Dionne helped ensure the ECG made the final edit. Thank you to MDOT for including the EGC in the map!

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Traffic Deaths a Global Scourge, Health Agency Says

By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 20, 2007; Page A09

Traffic injuries are the leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 24 around the world -- a huge, overlooked and largely preventable public health problem, the World Health Organization said yesterday.
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"It is a big public health issue for kids, and we can do something about it," said Etienne Krug, a physician who heads WHO's department for injury and violence prevention.

As does most of the public health world, WHO eschews the term "traffic accidents." In a statement accompanying the report, the organization's new director-general, Margaret Chan, said that "road traffic crashes are not 'accidents.' We need to challenge the notion that they are unavoidable."

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