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  #461  
Old Posted Sep 21, 2011, 6:20 PM
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Originally Posted by M II A II R II K View Post
Study: 1,000 Peds Injured Annually By Cyclists Statewide; Number Is Dropping
I'll agree with the statement that it's far too early to make judgements. But I was disappointed that the news items you linked didn't go further with the math.

Of the 1,000 pedestrian injuries seeking treatment in the state involving bikes, half were in the city. In the city, only 0.6% of the commuters bike to work. Increasing that number by a factor of 10 reaches 6%, should increase the number of pedestrian injuries by 10, Increasing the original 500 injuries to 5,000 pedestrian injuries. Likewise, increasing that number by a factor of 100 reaches 60%, should also increase the number of pedestrian injuries by 100 to 50,000 pedestrian injuries. Of course that's assuming direct ratios, which probably isn't going to be 100% accurate.

Is it relevant to compare the total number of pedestrian injuries caused by cars and bikes when their share of commuters are so different? I don't think so.

Last edited by electricron; Sep 23, 2011 at 8:18 PM.
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  #462  
Old Posted Sep 21, 2011, 7:51 PM
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Curbing bicycle thefts in San Francisco
Joshua Sabatini
Examiner Staff Writer
09/21/11

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011...#ixzz1YcOpIfMR

....As soon as January, San Francisco’s downtown business owners could be required to allow employees to bring their bicycles into offices, or provide secure storage onsite or within 750 feet of a building.

“This is actually really important in a number of ways,” said Supervisor John Avalos, who introduced legislation Tuesday that would enact the requirement in January. “Often, cyclists will go downtown with their bikes and will not have a space to secure them, will lock them up on the streets, clogging up some of our sidewalk space and making them less accessible.”

The law also is meant to reduce bike thefts.

“We also have a bike theft problem — it happens every day,” Avalos said. “I’ve had one bike stolen here in San Francisco. This is something that is a critical problem for a lot of cyclists.”

Ken Cleaveland, director of public affairs for the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco, which represents the interests of downtown building owners, said the group is open to the proposal.

“We’re working with the supervisor,” Cleaveland said.

He agreed bike theft is a problem in The City.

“If I had a $5,000 bicycle, I would want it right next to my desk every day,” he said.

Under the proposal, employers would decide if workers could bring bikes inside businesses, such as by work stations.
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  #463  
Old Posted Sep 21, 2011, 7:52 PM
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chicago has finally decided to "go big" with its bicycle sharing program. 3,000 bikes and 300 stations is a HUGE step up from the current system of 70 bikes at 7 stations. the article mentions a planned build-out of 5,000 bikes and 500 stations within 3 years. it's not quite as big as NYC's newly announced system, but a very big step forward for urban utility cycling in the windy city none-the-less.


Quote:
City announces large-scale bike rental program
By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune reporter
2:19 p.m. CDT, September 21, 2011

Chicago will launch a bicycle-sharing program next year, spinning toward a goal of providing 3,000 bikes for short-term use between 300 pick-up and drop-off stations in the city by next summer and more coming later, officials said Wednesday.

The bicycles would be free for members to use during the first 30 minutes. Fees would be charged for additional time and for visitors to the city and other one-time users. Daily, weekly and annual memberships would also be offered, officials said.

The effort is billed as the city’s “first large-scale bike-sharing program.’’ A small existing program, called “Chicago B-cycle,’’ began last year with about a half-dozen bike rental stations along the lakefront and in the downtown.
full article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,5673421.story
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  #464  
Old Posted Sep 21, 2011, 8:07 PM
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No surprise with Gabe Klein heading the Chicago DOT.
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  #465  
Old Posted Sep 23, 2011, 4:16 PM
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Developers Cater to Two-Wheeled Traffic in Portland, Ore.


Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/bu...pagewanted=all

Hopworks BikeBar: http://hopworksbeer.com/

Quote:
.....

Portland is nationally recognized as a leader in the movement to create bicycle-friendly cities. About 7 percent of commuters here travel by bike (the national average is under 1 percent) and the city has an ambitious plan, adopted last year, to increase that proportion to 25 percent by 2030. Until recently, Portland’s bike initiatives focused on improving the transportation infrastructure, said Roger Geller, the city’s bicycle coordinator. But as businesses awaken to the purchasing power of cyclists, “bicycle-supported developments” are also beginning to appear around town, Mr. Geller said. These are residential and commercial projects built near popular bikeways and outfitted with cycling-related services and amenities.

- “The change is coming from the private sector,” Mr. Geller said. “Cyclists are a great potential market for businesses that want people traveling at human-scale speed and will stop and buy something.” The North Williams business cluster, about two miles northeast of downtown, is the most prominent example of this type of development. In addition to the BikeBar at 3907 North Williams, a two-block stretch of the street houses the United Bicycle Institute, which teaches bike repair and frame building, at No. 3961; the Friendly Bike Guest House, a hostel that caters to cyclists, at No. 4039; and EcoFlats, an 18-unit rental apartment building with a 30-unit bicycle rack in the lobby but no dedicated vehicle parking.

- “North Williams has grown to be a bike neighborhood out of gentrification,” said Debora Leopold Hutchins, the chairwoman of the North Williams Stakeholder Advisory Committee, a group helping oversee proposed traffic changes. Ms. Hutchins, who organizes an African-American women’s cycling group, said she loves cycling. But, she said, “The process has not been inclusive of the people who live there.” A proposal this summer to remove a lane of automobile traffic for bikes on North Williams set off an outcry from residents. That proposal has been tabled while the city conducts more outreach with the neighborhood. And as businesses and developers around the city jump on the bicycle bandwagon, other concerns about the fledgling bike-friendly projects are emerging: namely, that there is a bit of “bikewashing” going on as cycling becomes a marketing tool in a city where the vast majority still get around by car.

- And in Southeast Portland, the national homebuilder D. R. Horton is building a 29-unit condominium complex advertised on city buses as “a whole new kind of neighborhood,” with a picture of a bicycle substituting for the final syllable. Some view these projects with a critical eye. “Have you seen the ‘Portlandia‘ sketch ‘put a bird on it’ ”? asked Kirsten Kaufman, a real estate agent, referring to the IFC cable show that pokes fun at Portland life. “Well, this is a case of ‘put a bike on it.’ ” Ms. Kaufman, who has carved out a niche showing clients homes by bike, said the Horton complex lacked sufficient bike storage, especially “for people with cargo trailers who want to run errands on their bike.” The project is located a few blocks from a popular bikeway, the Clinton Street bike boulevard.

.....
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  #466  
Old Posted Sep 30, 2011, 4:32 PM
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How Would you Radically Rethink Cycling in London?


Read More: http://thisbigcity.net/how-would-you...ing-in-london/

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With a dismal 2% of all trips made by bicycle in London, now seems like a good time to change our approach to cycling in the British capital. Earlier this year, Gordon Macrae wrote a piece for This Big City tackling that very subject. Calling it ‘time to reach beyond the young, macho or ultra-fit typically associated with urban bikers to broaden the appeal for casual cyclists, families, and the middle-aged’, Gordon suggested London needs to ‘separate the casual from the commuter’, and you seemed to agree. Last weekend, Gordon’s post got a second wind and was tweeted, liked, and stumbledupon by hundreds of you. More importantly, the post got some valuable feedback, a lot of which is worth sharing.

- "So far, London has put more effort into marketing & drawing up ‘ambitious’ plans than dealing with the elephant(s) in the room: the car. No amount of PR & wishful thinking can get a good chunk of the 98% that don’t cycle on a bicycle, for any purpose, as people feel it’s too dangerous. And they’re right, it is. Alas, spin is all around, but it’s getting ridiculous. Good thing there are a few people who are in on it and call a spade a spade. Here are a few good resources, run by people who care and get things straight. Cycling in London/UK needs real facts and real measures to move ahead, not more of the same."

- "Cycle lanes need to be on pavement level as they are in Europe, not part of the road. Until then, it’s just too dangerous for most people. "

- "I think there is a fundamental reason why London will fail to match Copenhagen’s success: London is much bigger, expansive and more sprawling than the the places you mention. I suspect most people in London live further from work than in Copenhagen, etc. If the city were higher-density then there’d be less distance to travel, and less space-per-person (or more specifically, for driving). "

- "I feel ostracised and intimidated in most cycling shops, where staff only seem interested in selling expensive racing bikes to their lycra clones. My friends feel the same way. There’s a huge market to be tapped, but the cycling community needs to be more welcoming to the casual cyclist."

.....



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  #467  
Old Posted Oct 3, 2011, 12:48 AM
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Dutch Cycling Embassy Releases Inspirational Video, Launches Website


Read More: http://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/09/27...video-website/

Website: http://www.dutchcycling.nl/

Quote:
Last week, a team of Dutch experts led a series of Think Bike workshops in four U.S. cities, including San Francisco, to help advocates and planners design the bike infrastructure of the future. Cities across the globe continue to look to the Netherlands for inspiration, and guidance, and that demand is being embraced by a unique organization known as the Dutch Cycling Embassy.

The embassy is comprised of bike ambassadors from non-profits, private companies, bike manufacturers and local and national governments in the Netherlands. It recently released a new video that beautifully tells the story of how the bicycle became a part of everyday life in the Netherlands. It’s an inspirational seven minutes by Marc van Woudenberg and a must-see for elected officials and planners in the U.S.

The goal of the embassy, which has also launched a new website, is to “to support, facilitate, contribute to and inspire international cycling projects and policies helping countries, cities and its people to move forward in a safe and healthy way.”

.....



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  #468  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2011, 12:25 PM
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Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes bicycle safety bill, saying it is unsafe (LA Times)

I support Jerry Brown and I have no doubt that he's committed to sustainable transportation but this is unfortunate. Hopefully he can sign an improved bill protecting cyclists.

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes bicycle safety bill, saying it is unsafe

LA Times
By Patrick McGreevy
October 7, 2011

"Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday vetoed legislation that would have required motorists to give bicyclists at least three feet of room while passing, or slow down — citing concern that it could cause more car accidents.

Brown worried about requiring motorists to slow to 15 mph when passing bicyclists if there is not three feet between them, which proponents argued is necessary to reduce the number of cyclists injured and killed in California.

The governor said the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans raised "legitimate concerns" about the requirement to slow down..."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/cali...is-unsafe.html
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  #469  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2011, 2:48 PM
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South Pasadena to create 24 miles of bikeways


Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...-bikeways.html

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.....

This month the city will begin creating 24 miles of bikeways on local streets, adding bicycle racks and features aimed at making conditions safer for cyclists, the Pasadena Sun reported. City officials had planned to begin implementing South Pasadena's bike master plan this week, but rain pushed plans back. "It's really important to me to have a bike-friendly environment," Theisen, 22, said. "I use my bike to run most of my errands. I live with my girlfriend, who has a car we use to go to the grocery store. But for everything else, we use our bikes."

- South Pasadena officials plan to kick things off with the addition of a bike lane to El Centro Street near Arroyo Vista Elementary School. Officials estimate the entire network will cost about $5.7 million and will take 20 years to complete. All of the money is expected to come from state and federal programs, including funds administered by Caltrans and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The plan seeks to connect bikers to the Gold Line, neighboring cities and the Arroyo Seco bicycle path, said Dennis Woods, transportation manager for South Pasadena.

.....



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  #470  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2011, 4:16 PM
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Originally Posted by 202_cyclist View Post
i support jerry brown and i have no doubt that he's committed to sustainable transportation but this is unfortunate. Hopefully he can sign an improved bill protecting cyclists.

gov. Jerry brown vetoes bicycle safety bill, saying it is unsafe

la times
by patrick mcgreevy
october 7, 2011

"gov. Jerry brown on friday vetoed legislation that would have required motorists to give bicyclists at least three feet of room while passing, or slow down — citing concern that it could cause more car accidents.

Brown worried about requiring motorists to slow to 15 mph when passing bicyclists if there is not three feet between them, which proponents argued is necessary to reduce the number of cyclists injured and killed in california.

The governor said the california highway patrol and caltrans raised "legitimate concerns" about the requirement to slow down..."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/cali...is-unsafe.html
....wow.....
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  #471  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2011, 8:40 PM
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In Pleasanton, Calif., radar-like sensors can more easily detect bicycle traffic, providing safer crossings for cyclists and motorists


Read More: http://www.governing.com/topics/tech...alifornia.html

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.....

While only 11 percent of bicycle accidents involve a car, 45 percent of these accidents take place at traffic intersections, according to legal website Nolo. But in Pleasanton, Calif., cyclists can ride through intersections a little safer knowing that technology is on their side. Pleasanton is recognized as the first in the nation to test out microwave motion and presence sensors called the "Intersector," according to the Contra Costa Times. Much like how a police officer's radar gun works, the Intersector sends out microwave pulses and measures the reflection off a cyclist or motorist from up to 300 feet away.

- When the sensor detects a bicycle, it triggers the timing of traffic lights one way, and when it detects only cars, it triggers a different timing scheme. The better pacing of green lights provides a safer crossing, says Pleasanton Senior Transportation Engineer Joshua Pack. The city tested its first sensor in January 2010; six additional intersections should have the sensors by the end of November, Pack says. When it comes to bike safety, Pleasanton is neither the safest Bay Area city nor the most dangerous. But Alameda County (where Pleasanton is located) had the second highest number of bicycle accidents in Northern California from 2005 to 2009, according to The Bay Citizen.

- Many cities like Pleasanton currently have embedded road sensors that detect both cars and bicycles. But Contra Costa Times mentions that if the bike isn't positioned properly or isn't made of metal, those sensors don't work. The performance and success rate of video detection, another widely used method, is affected by fog and wind. The microwave sensors' detection are not affected by weather, and are immune to post-rain glare, sunrise and sunset, according to the manufacturer.

- Pack says he would ultimately like to deploy these devices at every signaled intersection, but that likely won't happen for another 10 to 15 years. Despite this, he's enthused that the city is making traveling safer for both motorists and bicyclists. "They're both fully legal on the road, they have equal rights," Pack says, "and now we're finally able to provide the service that they've deserved for so long."

.....
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  #472  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2011, 2:32 PM
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Moscow builds its very first bicycle lane – or is it an obstacle course?


Read More: http://observers.france24.com/conten...ty-video-photo

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Moscow, home to 11.5 million people, recently got its very first bicycle lane. It was proudly inaugurated with much fanfare by city officials this summer to the great excitement of the city’s cyclists. However, their joy was slightly diminished when they realised that it was more like an obstacle course than a method for cyclists to more easily navigate city traffic.
The pictures, shared by Russian cycling enthusiasts, show just how complicated it is to navigate Moscow’s new bike lanes. In some spots, two-way bike lanes are just a metre wide and frequently blocked by gates as well as other obstacles. Moreover, Muscovites don’t seem to know what the green lanes mean and therefore have no compunction about parking their cars in the city's new cycle lanes.


- The Moscow State University campus is huge, so it’s perfectly natural to get around on a bicycle. And who else should lead the way if not the most advanced university in Russia? However, instead of being made with specially coloured asphalt, the cycle lane was just painted on the ground. Those who made it did not seem to worry much about keeping cyclists at a safe distance from drivers, either. It seems that local authorities wanted to ‘make everything like in Europe, but it’s turned out as it always does in Russia – the result is a touching gesture, but absolutely useless. However I’m not completely pessimistic; what is important is that Moscow now has its first-ever cycle lane. Hopefully, it will get fixed in time.”

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  #473  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2011, 6:53 PM
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Thunder Bay is more like Moscow than Amsterdam. Our bike lane project hasn't worked out very well. At one intersection, on a four lane road converted to a two lane road with a turning lane median, the centre lane of traffic merges with the outer lane, which also has sharrows, meaning you've got two lanes of traffic trying to merge while sharing that same lane with cyclists. Vehicular traffic is regularly swerving left and right to get aligned at intersections, while cyclists are swerving left and right to accommodate that and on-street parking while also having to deal with the bike lanes randomly alternating between designated bike lanes and sharrows in mixed traffic.

It's fucking absurd. At first I thought it was just hyperbole from the roads-are-only-for-cars crowd but after seeing it in person, I agree, it isn't safe for either type of vehicle.

Naturally, no one uses the bike lanes on that road. I saw a lot of cyclists, but they were all on sidewalks.



The left lane merges with the lane with the sharrow about 100 yards up, and then the dedicated bike lane starts. Then the traffic lanes shift left a bit to accommodate on-street parking, which lasts a couple blocks then disappears as everything shifts back for the next intersection.
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  #474  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2011, 9:54 PM
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A Summer of Bicycle-Focused Transportation Policy for Chicagoans


Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/renee-...b_1003286.html

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.....

This city continually ranks decently on bike-friendly city rankings, awarded the 'silver' designation in the 2011 League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Community Rankings, the same rank as NYC, D.C., Ann Arbor, Denver and Austin to compare a few. With promises of future implementation of bicycle focused transportation decisions, Chicago planners are making progress in helping the city join the ranks of Minneapolis, Portland and San Francisco as places were the bicycle is utilized as a tool for improving livability and functionality for all residents in an urban area.

- Over the past month or so the Department of Transportation and Emanuel's team have made some encouraging announcements on improvements and enhancements to Chicago's bicycle planning, policy and infrastructure. In July, CDOT announced a second protected bike lane on Jackson between Damen and Halsted. This added to the Kinzie .5-mile lane built this past summer puts Chicago at a total of two miles of protected lanes. The Active Transportation Alliance released information that CDOT announced two new protected bike lanes due to be installed this fall on 18th Street from Canal to Clark and Elston Ave from Milwaukee to North. The 18th Street lane is half a mile and the Elston one is one mile. This completes 3.5 miles of protected lanes. Only 96.5 miles to go to keep Emanuel's promise of 100 miles of protected lanes over the next four years.

- In September, adding to the pro-bicycle initiatives, Chicago announced plans for a new bike share program. The bike share should be innovative with Klein heading the program, with more focus around residents and commuters rather than tourists as the existing B-Roll has proved to be. The RFP calls for an initial installation of 3,000 bikes and 300 stations, with another 2,000 bikes and 200 stations by the end of summer 2012. Klein is known for his success with the bike share program in D.C. from when he headed their Department of Transportation. Now, if only the bike share stations could be linked to the Chicago Card or compatible with the single fare pass card for all CTA, Metra and Pace transit the RTA is legislated to develop by 2015.

.....
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  #475  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2011, 10:51 PM
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Here is BrighamYens (SSP poster) take on Yesterdays CicLAvia. It was the most successful yet, with over 130,000 participants. Now all parts of the City want in for the next one and i can confidently say that this one event is leading to many positive biking changes in the LA area. Definitely one of the best events in LA.

http://brighamyen.com/2011/10/10/cic...n-los-angeles/
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  #476  
Old Posted Oct 11, 2011, 1:25 PM
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Making Room for Delhi’s Bicycle Culture


Read More: http://thecityfix.com/blog/making-ro...cycle-culture/

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.....

Delhi already has cyclists of all kinds. There are bicycle riders, who generally own their cycles, as well as cycle rickshaws, who dominate older parts of the city and the suburbs like Gurgaon. There is also a new breed of electric cycle rickshaws, which run on electric batteries. Once upon a time, blogger Magali Mander says, Delhi used to have separate lanes for cyclists. But then, “the space was taken over by cars and planning was taken over by those who thought a modern city needed wide streets for cars rather than lanes for its inhabitants to walk on, or ride on their bikes.” Clearly, non-motorized transport needs to be prioritized in Indian cities, whether by constructing shaded walkways, elevated bike paths, or safer and well-maintained pavements.

- A paper by Geetam Tiwari, a transport and planning expert from the Indian Institute of Technology, notes a “failure to consider the broad spectrum of health effects that may result from transport and land use policies and investments has resulted in decisions that penalize the least affluent groups of the population and make it more difficult for them to get to jobs, education, health care, amenities, and services.” Unlike most Indian cities, Delhi traffic is made up predominantly of motorized vehicles, but the share of non-motorized modes of transport ranges between 8 percent and 66 percent at different locations. Nearly 32 percent of all commuter trips in Delhi are walking trips.

- The management and monitoring of a bicycle share program would likely be difficult in a city as large as Delhi. But there are perhaps lessons that can be drawn from the existing rickshaw sharing and rental industry. It would require city-wide infrastructure changes, such as installing bike racks, as well as educational outreach, like promoting road safety. It is also perhaps not something that can easily be afforded by the local government who are now tasked with many responsibilities. Distances that people travel in the city are often not short, but having cycle share systems that feed into the subway could be important. Additionally, bike riding is not convenient to everyone; women in sarees for instance are unlikely to cycle, and people that are elderly, disabled and handicapped once again become excluded from the cycling program.

- There are also external inconveniences to consider—the sun, the dust in eyes—which means educating the public about wearing helmets or protective visors. Biking would need to come with a slew of its own ammenities to ensure safety, but it would be in the interest of the city and its overall health. A cycle share program would have to be largely seasonal because in the summer, cycling is uncomfortable in the summer heat, as well as during the rains. But elevated bike routes and walking paths constructed with shading are a possible solution. Clearly, architects, planners and policymakers need to be in a dialogue with city’s citizens to explore these opportunities. There is potential in a project by a Delhi-based architecture firm Morphogenesis, called the Delhi Nullahs project, which would integrate several modes of non-motorized transport.

.....



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Old Posted Oct 11, 2011, 6:53 PM
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The Methodology of Bike-Share Station Placement in New York City


Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/com...-stations/248/

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Last month, New York City selected Alta Bicycle Share to develop and operate its long-awaited bike-share program. Having finally arrived at this decision, the city must now shift its focus to 600 others: That's how many stations it intends to place throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn before the program's launch, which is scheduled for the summer of 2012. This first phase of 10,000 bikes alone will make NYC Bike Share the largest such program in United States, and among the largest in the world.

The situation seems primed for success. Two out of every five trips made in New York City are under a mile, or roughly 20 blocks, and to date the city has constructed hundreds of miles of bike lanes to facilitate the travel mode. Still the station selection process can't be taken lightly. Putting bike-share docks too far apart can frustrate riders trying to get as close as possible to their final destination; failing to stitch them into the city's existing transit fabric can push riders back to other modes; placing them where neighborhoods don't want them can incite local resentment toward the program in particular and riders in general.

If all goes according to plan, these potential problems will remain just that. New York City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Alta president Alison Cohen describe a multi-step selection process that balances the physical needs of a successful bike-share system with the personal desires of New York residents. Alta and the city will first target optimal service areas using detailed data models and public suggestions, then approach community boards that govern these areas with at least three possible locations, and last allow the neighborhoods themselves to make the ultimate decision.

.....



A bike-share station — for the uninitiated — is the docking fixture where system users pick up and drop off their bicycles. The first wave of 600 stations will be concentrated in Manhattan south of 79th Street and in select Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Williamsburg, Fort Greene, and Park Slope:

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  #478  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2011, 2:32 PM
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New Cycling Initiatives in Ukraine


Read More: http://thecityfix.com/blog/new-cycli...es-in-ukraine/

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The city of Lviv in western Ukraine started the first stages of building new cycling routes for the city’s bicycle commuters. The Executive Committee of the City of Lviv approved a 9-year implementation plan for the city’s new cycling infrastructure. The approved plan includes a 270 kilometers (168 miles) of cycling infrastructure to be completed by 2019. Lviv’s new bicycling infrastructure is part of the city’s active promotion of bicycle culture. Working with local non-governmental organizations, bicycle dealers and cycle-friendly partners, the city is pursuing a sustainable mobility agenda and cooperating with other cycling cities worldwide. In order to initiate construction of new infrastructure, the city council allocated 1 million Ukrainian Hryvnias (US$125,000) to the project, however, the city is still pursuing additional internal and external funds.

The construction of cycling infrastructure is progressing simultaneously at multiple sites; however, the five proposed sites do not yet form a continuous cycling network. Each cycle path follows its own style depending on the road conditions and traffic density. Some cycling paths are designed as bi-directional roads whereas others mix one-directional bicycle traffic with pedestrian space. The width of the paths also varies from 1.5 meters to 3 meters wide. The one unique future for all of the cycle paths is the red color designating it as separate traffic from private vehicles. According to Oleh Shmid, the mayor’s advisor on cycling development—the first such position in Ukraine—the largest obstacle to promoting bicycle culture in Lviv is influencing behavior.

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  #479  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2011, 7:34 PM
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M II A II R II K M II A II R II K is offline
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New roads post-storm make New Orleans cycling city


Read More: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

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Since 2007, the city has used about $100 million in federal rebuilding dollars to lay 56 miles of new asphalt on 55 heavily used streets, transforming potholed boulevards into smooth blacktops ideal for bike riding. Under the city's Submerged Roads Program, bike lanes have also been painted on 15 streets, giving the city about 40 miles of bike-friendly pathway. There are plans to pave 26 more streets. The city is also poised to spend $7 million in federal aid to turn a wide 3-mile stretch of an abandoned railroad easement between the French Quarter and City Park into a greenway that will be known as the Lafitte Corridor.

- Ridership has also grown. In 2010, New Orleans ranked 12th in the number of bicycle commuters among American cities, an 84 percent increase in bike commuters since 2005, according to the latest Census data. New Orleans-based urban planner Robert Tannen said an increase in cycling has many benefits. "It slows down traffic. People are more cautious. It makes for a far more pedestrian-friendly city; bikers are also walkers. And it increases the health and overall well-being of citizens," Tannen said. "It increases the number of people who patronize local stores and smaller shops rather than the malls."

- The progress has bike enthusiasts dreaming: Can New Orleans, with its flat terrain, warm weather and tightly-knit neighborhoods, rival the nation's best cycling cities like Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Boulder, Colo.? This summer New Orleans was named a "bicycle friendly community" by the League of American Bicyclists, but it still has further to go to attain the league's top-tier "platinum" status. By comparison, Portland has 180 miles of bike lanes. Nearly 6 percent of workers there commute to work, according to the league's database, compared to about 2 percent of commuters in New Orleans.

- Still, the city has come a long way. Bicycle shop mechanic and bike activist Tim Eskew said groups plodded along for years in obscurity and tried to drum up interest in cycling mostly through schools. He said it took about seven years to get city buses to include bike racks. "Our biggest brick wall was that we all worked full-time jobs," Eskew said.

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  #480  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2011, 11:16 PM
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Originally Posted by M II A II R II K View Post
In Pleasanton, Calif., radar-like sensors can more easily detect bicycle traffic, providing safer crossings for cyclists and motorists


Read More: http://www.governing.com/topics/tech...alifornia.html
I work in Pleasanton, and I think that sounds great, but I can tell you that Pleasanton is a terrible place to ride a bike or walk. This is mainly due to the to lack of bike lanes, low density suburban layout with streets and design catering to cars, cars, and more cars. I'd love to see what intersections these sensors are going to be located.
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