Portland Tips, Graphs and Stats
A bank is just like a bike?
A bank is doing a promotional comparing itself to a bike.
Adventure Cycling Unveils Three New Eastern Bicycle Routes
Bicycling in the East just got a whole lot better. The Adventure Cycling Association, America
Bike map makes commuting safer
By Larry WalshPittsburgh Post-Gazette
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Riding from one Pittsburgh neighborhood to another can be challenging, even to those that are contiguous.
To make it easier -- and a bit safer -- Bike Pittsburgh, the Heinz Endowments and DeepLocal have teamed up to produce a new bike map of the city, the first in 15 years.
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As a result, cyclists tend to ride the larger, arterial roads where they have to share the road with speeding motorists.
The new map, as much as possible, takes them away from all that by introducing them to alternative routes via back streets that "are quite pleasant," said Scott Bricker, executive director of Bike Pittsburgh.
"Our goal is to make it simple for people to choose a bicycle to transport themselves," Bricker said.
But not all low-traffic routes are ideal alternatives for bicyclists, said Eric Boerer, Bike Pittsburgh's membership director. Some low-traffic routes are quite steep and others don't always connect neighborhoods.
"Our hills and bridges give Pittsburgh its unique identity and beautiful views, but it also makes bike travel between neighborhoods intimidating, especially if you don't know the milder side streets and how they connect to one another," Boerer said.
Bricker and Boerer said the new map contains graphic-style illustrations depicting safe commuting techniques, as well as the locations of major hills, landmarks and trails.
They said it also identifies and marks unavoidable stretches of road that are hazardous.
In conjunction with Bike Pittsburgh's mission to establish Pittsburgh "as a city that is increasingly safe, accessible and friendly to bicycle transportation," the map also provides information on who to contact to lobby for safer streets.
The new map was created by Bike Pittsburgh and funded by the Heinz Endowments.
Being overtaken by a thousand points of darkness
What are you doing taking unnecessary space on the roadway? - From a person with 7 empty seats to a cyclist.
I
Cutting car emissions saves lives
by Donovan Vincent - city hall bureauA new study on the health effects of air pollution from traffic in Toronto says a 30 per cent reduction in vehicle emissions could save nearly 200 lives a year and $1 billion in health costs.
The Toronto Public Health report, to be released Monday, also estimates that "mortality-related'' costs associated with traffic pollution in the city are about $2.2 billion annually.
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Authored by Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, the study claims this pollution contributes to about 440 premature deaths and 1,700 hospitalizations a year in Toronto.
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"When I was growing up, around 35 years ago, maybe one or two children I knew had asthma. Now it's normal to see kids with (inhalers),'' he said, adding he hadn't read the health department report, but had a rough idea of its findings.
The report says pollution from traffic leads to about 200,000 restricted-activity days per year, where people spend the day sick in bed, or curtail their usual activities.
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"Given there is a finite amount of public space in the city for all modes of transportation, there is a need to reassess how road space can be used more effectively to enable the shift to more sustainable transportation modes," it says.
The acoustic motorbike
The lyrics of this song really capture a great weekend rideWhen I am alone I tend to brood
When I am out on my bike it is a different mood
Top 101 cities with the most people taking a bicycle to work
No city in Maryland made it :(
Huffy Recall Notices
There was a news article about Huffy pedals falling off so I went to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission site to find the details and I got 42 hits of various Huffy products falling apart. If you have a Huffy bike it may be worth your trouble of looking through the CPSC site.
Where Bicyclists Can Ride
[A letter to the editor Washington Post]Per a request from a gentleman who drove quite close to me -- and vocally protested my right to share the road -- while I was riding my bike south on 17th Street NW around N Street in the District one morning last week, I did look into the law. According to the D.C. Department of Transportation's guide "Common Enforcement Errors Involving Bicyclists," which is available on the agency's Web site:
"A bicyclist does not have to ride to the far right if the lane is narrow or if he/she is trying to avoid car doors, pavement hazards, or similar hazardous conditions. A narrow lane is defined as one [that is] 11 feet or less. Most lanes in the District are 11 feet or less."
At the time, I was passing a truck parked in the right lane and another bicyclist. Further, the law "requires an overtaking vehicle to pass to the left at a safe distance." This clearly was not the case during this incident.
Finally, according to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association Web site, "Full lane use [is] allowed when traveling at the normal speed of traffic," as I was.
I am embarrassed that I replied to this gentleman's anger with equal anger. For that I apologize.