Interesting facts

* U.S. cyclists who bike frequently have a median income of almost $60,000. - SRDS, 2005, The Lifestyle Market Analyst
* The average North American bicycle commuter is a 39-year-old male professional with a household income in excess of $45,000 who rides 10.6 months per year. - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results,
* In the Yukon Territory, twice as many people bike to work as in California, and three times as many as in Florida. - Pucher, J., and R. Buehler, 2006, Why Canadians cycle more than Americans: A comparative analysis of bicycling trends and policies, Transport Policy, 13, 265-79
* Europeans bicycle an average of 188 km per year; United States residents bike only 40 km a year. - Bassett, Jr., et al., 2008, Walking, cycling, and obesity rates in Europe, North America, and Australia, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 5, 795-814
* 30% of bike commuters use a mountain bike, 28% a road bike, 18% a hybrid, and 17% a touring bike. 35% of bike commuters own a second, bad-weather bike. - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
* Bicyclists with more automobiles in their household are less likely to bicycle for any purpose; while the more bicycles a cyclist owns, the more likely they are to choose to bicycle. - Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?
* Bicycling for non-commuting purposes generally precedes bicycling for commuting. - Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?
* Work trips account for only 15% of all trips. - U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, 2001 National Household Travel Survey
* From 1977-1995, the number of bicycle trips taken in the U.S. doubled. - Pucher, J., et al., 1999, Bicycling renaissance in North America?: Recent trends and alternative policies to promote bicycling, Transportation Research Part A, 33, 625-54
* On the average day when an adult rides a bicycle, he or she rides for about 40 minutes. - Barnes, G., and K. Krizek, 2005, Estimating bicycling demand, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1939, 45-51
* 89% of bicycle trips begin at a residence. - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* The average commuting bicycle costs $687. - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
* Paris’ automated bike-sharing system, Vélib', includes 20,600 bikes distributed among 1,451 stations throughout the city. In the first six months, people took the bikes on 13.4 million trips—an average of 75,000 trips per day. - Vélib' press release
* High school students are less likely to bike or walk to school if they are girls, in grade 12, smoke daily, are low-moderate in physical activity, or attend a rural school. - Robertson-Wilson, J., et al., 2008, Social-ecological correlates of active commuting to school among high school students, Journal of Adolescent Health, 42, 486-95
* A person is 7% more likely to bike or walk to nonwork activities for every 1,000 retail workers within a half mile of their home. - Chatman (2005) in Arrington, G., and R. Cervero, 2008, Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel, Transit Cooperative Research Program Report 128
* The average bicycle commuter has been commuting by bike for 8.3 years. - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

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Bike Your Drive

By Linda Ellingsen - REI

In This Article

* 12 Cycling Myths, Exposed!
* Before You Ride
* Riding Tips
* Taking It to the Next Level
* Biking Q&A

* getting into biking

Welcome back to the saddle! By reading this, it means you already taking that first step towards getting back on a bike for fun or transportation. We think that's awesome, and we're here to help you go for it.

So what has you thinking about riding your bike? There are in fact lots of great reasons to dust off your bike (or even ride for the very first time) and start pedaling:

* High gas prices (ah, perhaps you've heard of this?).
* Paying all those other car-related expenses: parking, repairs, insurance.
* Getting some exercise.
* Doing your part to be more "green."
* Getting some fresh air.
* Reducing your stress level.
* Seeing your environs at a slower pace.

Sounds great, you say, but let's get real for a minute, too. Most of us have found plenty of reasons NOT to go riding, so let's take on those fears one by one.
12 Cycling Myths, Exposed!

Myth #1: Biking requires too much gear.
Myth #2: It's costly to buy a bike and all the gear for cycling.
Myth #3: Only expensive bikes are any good.
Myth #4: Biking takes too much time.
Myth #5: Biking is too dangerous.
Myth #6: Bike seats are uncomfortable.
Myth #7: I'm clueless about how to maintain my bike.
Myth #8: I'm too out of shape to ride.
Myth #9: You can't carry much stuff on a bike.
Myth #10: It's too far for me to commute to work.
Myth #11: I'll get sweaty.
Myth #12: My work clothes will get wrinkled.

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Bike Wall Calender

In request to requests from readers of his photo-blog, Alan Barnard of EcoVelo has made a dozen of his gorgeous photos available. Although priced at $19.95, each calendar costs Alan $15 plus the Qoop commission so he is not putting his kids through college with the leftover proceeds. I thought some of you bike commuters might enjoy a fellow commuter's photography, though.

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Tennessee Vally Authority toxic spill into public water way

[This makes my blood boil, a security force that rivals Area 51 and not a cleanup crew to be seen.]

The dam failure of 2008 is evolving into an environmental debacle. TVA seems to be showing its true colors - which appear to be the opposite of green. We have to wonder where the EPA is as TVA permits continuing pollution to occur. Grey blood in the river….

Appalachian Voices and the Waterkeeper Alliance have paddled up to the site - check the video:

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Bicycles & the Proposed Red Line - Take Action for Bicycling

Your comments needed – Deadline Jan 5th


The proposed east-west Red Line is arguably the biggest opportunity in a generation to improve Baltimore’s transportation network, but we need input from Bicyclists!

With any project, from a simple resurfacing to the $1.6 billion Red Line transit proposal, it is important for bicyclists to have a voice in the process. When bicyclists are not at the table, details are overlooked. To those ends, your Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee has poured over the (400 page) Red Line Draft Environmental Impact Statement and consulted with red line ‘insiders’ to review the proposal from a bicyclist perspective. The comments adopted by the MBAC are included below.

12 options are being studied for the Red Line, the task now is to find consensus on a “locally preferred alternative,” then move forward toward funding (or not funding) the project. Details on the project and the options under consideration are available online, links are below.

Please take a moment to comment formally on the red line! Your comments can be as simple as two sentences 'for the record':
- I support construction of the Red Line as part of a high quality transit system.
- The Red Line should be designed to accommodate bicycling.

Please do this today!

Comments MUST include your full name and address or they will not be considered.

Send comments to:
redline@mtamaryland.com with “DEIS Comment” as the subject line
by using the online comment form
or by mail to: Red Line, c/o MTA Office of Planning, 6 St. Paul St. 9th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202

Formal comments are an important part of the DEIS process. Public comments will be accepted until January 5th.

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Solution not a problem

...
"Accommodating cyclists in your community is a solution not a problem," Peel told the group, which included Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson, Alderman Gary Higdon, Hernando's bicycle police officers, several civil engineers and a handful of biking enthusiasts.

Peel presented several statistics to support his case including that 40 percent of trips made are 2 miles or less and 89 percent of those trips are made by car.

"Motorists think bicyclists are in the way, but really it's one less motorist in a car in front of you at the stoplight," Peel said.
...

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Vulnerable Roadway Users

The 2007 Oregon Legislature passed HB 3314, creating an enhanced penalty for careless diving if it contributes to serious physical injury or death to a “vulnerable user of a public way,” and will go into effect January 1, 2008. The purpose of this article is to discuss the Vulnerable User legal concept and its potential for improvement in safety for non-motorized roadway users such as bicyclists and pedestrians. Earlier this year, I wrote about the need for enhanced protection for vulnerable roadway users. See Cycling Injuries & Law Change, from the Winter 2007 issue.

“Vulnerable Roadway User”: A European Safety Concept
The concept of “vulnerable roadway user” has been used by planners and safety organizations in Europe to categorize and describe non-motorized roadway users. The label is a nice one because it incorporates the inherent vulnerability of humans who use the roads without being encased in a protective steel shell. Inclusion of the concept of vulnerability evokes a more sympathetic image and focuses on the shared vulnerability of these different user groups. By including vulnerable users within a single term, the requirement for protection is brought to mind to counterbalance the somewhat natural reaction some people have to improving safety by restricting access, such as by restricting bicycle access to freeways or pedestrian crossings or road access.

No state has ever used the Vulnerable Roadway User concept as a legal term, but for the reasons above stated, the members of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) Legislative Committee felt it could focus the need for enhanced protection of vulnerable user groups (who are reducing energy consumption and pollution, while improving their own good health and fitness). Since people need to get out of their cars and walk or roll under their own power, some enhanced protection is necessary to get law enforcement and the court system participating in protecting and encouraging kids to walk to school, commuters to ride a bike, and the use of a skateboard or scooter instead of getting a ride or driving a car to run an errand.

It was our view that Oregon law was far too lenient in punishing careless drivers who receive merely a fine and are not even required to make a court appearance after a horrific collision. Some police officers and medical personnel have even been heard to argue that people who choose not to ride in a car should expect to have bad things happen because the roadways are so dangerous. To us, tolerating the status quo was not acceptable – it was time to change the law and create a zone of protection instead of indifference toward those people brave enough to use their bodies to get around.

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FRIENDS OF THE EARTH'S "NEW ROADS = NEW POLLUTION" CAMPAIGN

According to the Dec. 19th issue of Environmental Roundup, "Transportation in the U.S. is responsible for 30 percent of our global warming pollution and 70 percent of our oil consumption. We cannot solve the energy and climate challenge without making our transportation system far cleaner and more efficient.

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Annual Awards for Excellence in Bicycling and Walking Advocacy

The Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking is launching our new annual Awards for excellence in bicycling and walking advocacy. We invite you to nominate a person or organization for any of the awards below. The deadline for nominations is January 31st, 2009.

Awards:
“Advocate of the Year”
“Advocacy Organization of the Year”
"Innovation Award"
“Winning Campaign of the Year”
“Business Advocate of the Year”
"Best Practices Award"

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\"\'Cross my Heart\" and the SUPERBOWL of SINGLESPEED CX

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"'Cross my Heart" and the SUPERBOWL of SINGLESPEED CX
Presented by
Proteus Bicycles

College Park, MD

Sunday, February 01, 2009
Online Registration Will Open
Thursday, January 01, 2009 at 8:00 AM ET
 CATEGORYDISTANCESTART TIME  FEE  PRIZES
Men's 1,2,3
 45
minutes 
10:00 AM 
$25
merch top 3 
Men's 2,3,4
 45
minutes 
11:00 AM 
$25
merch top3 
Men's Cat 4
 45
minutes 
12:00 PM 
$25
prizes top 3 
Women's 1,2
 45
minutes 
1:00 PM 
$25
merch top 3 
Women's 3,4
 45
minutes 
1:00 PM 
$25
merch top 3 
Under 16
 3
laps 
1:02 PM 
$10
prizes top 6 
Singlespeed only
 45
minutes 
2:10 PM 
$25
merch top 3 

The Race:

It’s always a sad goodbye when cyclocross season ends. We're having a post-season race for fun to keep things rolling a little longer.  But we’re doing things a little bit differently: The Elites always get to sleep in, so we’re going to run the race order backwards so the "little guys" can catch a break for once.  In addition to the "normal" categories, we also added a Singlespeed only category. Now, this isn’t Portland, so there won’t be any Tequila shots on the course or anything like that, but this is still your chance to show why Singlespeed Cyclocross is a special kind of riding reserved for only the extremely strong, stubborn or stupid.

Pint glasses:  Free pint glasses for the first 25 pre-registered participants.  Additional glasses will be available for purchase.  

The Course:

Expect some fast pavement, a fair amount of trails through the woods, stairs, gravel, some off camber portions and a few fun descents. No promises, but we are also working very hard on getting a snow machine in case mother nature doesn’t give us any.

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