Making life easier for bikers, walkers

One day, Philadelphia may live up to its reputation as a pedestrian-friendly city - a place where crossing signals no longer flash "Don't Walk" before you reach the other side, where construction crews aren't permitted to cordon off entire sidewalks, and where drivers don't get away with blocking intersections while waiting to turn on red.

In fact, several recent moves by Mayor Nutter's administration may hasten the arrival of that day. The latest came last week, with an executive order from the mayor directing that city officials look out more for cyclists, pedestrians, and transit users in city planning and projects.

That followed the crackdown begun last month on Center City motorists who block crosswalks and loading zones, or double-park. At the same time, parking-meter rates were boosted to free up space and cut down on congestion from drivers circling the block in search of street parking.

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Road rage; Baltimore went from the worst to one of the least road rage cities

Well at least according to the AutoVantage Road Rage Survey we did.

Behaviors by other drivers that cause stress for commuters and can lead to road rage include:
• Drivers who talk on their cell phones (84 percent see this every day)
• Driving too fast (58 percent)
• Tailgating (53 percent)
• Drivers eating or drinking while driving (48 percent)
• Texting or e-mailing while driving (37 percent)

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SHA TO HOST PUBLIC HEARING FOR I-795/DOLFIELD ROAD/ PLEASANT HILL ROAD INTERCHANGE PROJECT PLANNING STUDY

Speakers’ List Available for Sign -Up through June 15; Comments Accepted through July 22

Who:
State Highway Administration (SHA) representatives
Baltimore County government representatives
Residents, businesses, community organizations and area officials

What:
SHA will host the location/design public hearing for the I-795 at Dolfield Boulevard/Pleasant Hill Road Interchange project planning study in Baltimore County. The study is evaluating possible transportation improvements along the I-795 corridor and several intersections within the study area, including a potential interchange at the Pleasant Hill Road overpass and improved access to the planned growth corridor along Red Run Boulevard .

When/Where:
Monday, June 22, 2009 at 6 p.m.
New Town High School, 4931 New Town Boulevard Owings Mills , MD 21117

Open House begins at 6 p.m. Public Testimony begins at 7 p.m.

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My commute rocks/sucks

Transportation For America Logo
    

Hey-

Love it or loathe it, we want to hear your commuting stories at www.MyCommuteSucks.org.

I love my rockin' commute!

I loathe my soul-sucking commute.

What's your commute like?

Maybe you crank up the A/C, put in a Yanni CD and zone out. Maybe you peruse the morning paper while on the express bus that stops just blocks from your home and office. Or maybe you leave frustrated tooth-marks on your steering wheel each day.

We want to hear your commuting story - no matter how terrible your lows or how blissful your highs. We can't read minds, so you're just going to have to spell it out for us:

My commute rocks; it's practically the best part of my day!

My commute sucks… please, please make it stop.

Hundreds of commuters from locales far and near have already chimed in. User "Cantabrigian" bragged: "I adore my commute! 10 minutes by bicycle on a marked bike lane, or 15 minutes by foot, passing by convenient coffeeshops…This is one reason why I choose to live and work where I do." Jealous yet? Or, can you top that with your awesome commute?

On the flip side, Christine let out a little rage:

"Oh, yes, my commute sucks. I work evenings, so the bus doesn't run late enough for me to take it home. And a shift starting during rush hour means that it takes me over an hour and a half to drive 20 miles. If we just had broader public transportation, I wouldn't have to face the headache that is my commute every day!"

Ouch. If your commute's as lousy as Christine's - or, traffic forbid, worse - we want to hear you rage about your lousy commute!

Hearing stories like yours - the good, the bad, and the ugly - helps us flesh out what commuting in America is really like. And we're using the stories you write on MyCommuteSucks.org - and the groundswell of support we're seeing - to press home our message with Congress: let's turn our frustration into smart transportation solutions.

Sincerely,

Ilana Preuss
Outreach and Field Director
Transportation for America
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Half of Traffic Fatalities Are Not in Cars

Thought you would be interested in the World Health Organization's release of a 351-page report of a study funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies
that reveals, according to a story published today by the Washington Post, that:
 
Nearly half of the 1.2 million people killed in traffic accidents around the world each year are not in cars. They are on motorcycles or bicycles or walking along the side of the road.
 
The story is titled "Half of Traffic Fatalities Are Not in Cars" can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/15/AR2009061501544.html
 
The story says that:
 
One of the more surprising discoveries was the toll on pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycle riders crowding the roads in developing countries, who accounted for 46 percent of all traffic deaths.
 
The report, according to the story, tells about how much more civilized we are here in the U.S.:
 
In the United States, 51 percent of deaths involve car drivers, 21 percent are car passengers, 11 percent motorcyclists, 11 percent pedestrians and 2 percent bicyclists.  
The story concludes by noting that:
 
WHO is hosting a global conference on road safety in Moscow in November. [Etienne G.G. Krug, a physician at WHO in Geneva who led the project] said he hopes the data will be updated periodically in the future in the form of national report cards on traffic safety.
 
Perhaps the dream of "Traffic Justice" that many of us envisioned at the start of the 2006 ProWalk/ProBike Conference will come closer to reality in Moscow this November.
 
                                                                     John
 
John Gideon
Consider Biking
Vice-President
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MWCOG: Priorities for a Growing Region

...
While traffic is a leading irritant, it is not where the public would place the most effort over the long-term.

In one of the study’s more challenging findings, residents do not place great emphasis on solving the region’s transportation problems. By a large margin, traffic and transportation are listed as the top “long-term issue or challenge facing the Washington region.” The concern is particularly acute in parts of Northern Virginia. But when asked how much of a priority they would place on transportation if they were making decisions for the region, citizens rank transportation ninth out of a list of sixteen broad items tested – in other words in the middle of the pack. With this finding, residents are not saying “do not solve it,” but they are identifying a number of other pressing priorities that need greater attention in their view.
...
The second leading priority for the long term is producing safe streets and neighborhoods. On safety as well as education there are strong differences in performance among jurisdictions, but near total consensus that public safety is a high priority.
...
One’s commuting choice heavily impacts this number. Compared to the 54% overall number, only 38% of people who typically commute to work or school by driving alone mention transportation as a top regional challenge. The number is 50% among people who commute by mass transit, carpooling, or another means like walking or biking. Among those who do not commute regularly, the number jumps to 71%. Despite daily frustrations, commuters who drive alone are the least concerned about the region’s transportation challenges. [So why does the region over stress accommodating the SOV (Single Occupancy Vehicle?)]

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