EcoVelo » Advocacy

Derek and Sara’s Litter Patrol

Alan — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:35:49 +0000

[Derek and Sara are doing good things on bikes in their hometown. —ed]

Bike is an Electra Ghostrider with Xtracycle and homemade bins. This bike was used to launch a fun community service project called Litter Patrol a couple of weeks ago. Short term goals- which we are accomplishing at an amazing rate:

Get peoples attention
Use creative/fun bikes to do positive things in the community
Promote biking/walking/volunteering
Launch a barrage of fun, creative, positive bike related activities on the community some of which include bicycle fashion show, community cruiser rides, bike trains at the schools, bike/walk days, bicycle delivery service – 1$ per delivery! The goal with this is to make it cheaper for people than if they drove and to show it can be done (we just moved to this town and it’s perfect for bikes – flat and not real spread out but nobody bikes – yet)

Long term goals: Turn our little town into a car free zone (or at least parts of it)

Photo only blog is at http://litterpatrol.wordpress.com
More info at http://www.facebook.com/litterpatrol

—Derek

Stealth Bicyclists

Alan — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:37:29 +0000

On any given evening commute, I might encounter 5-10 bicyclists without lights or reflective gear of any kind on their bike or person. It’s plainly obvious how easily motorists might lose sight of these non-lighted bicyclists among the chaos of automobile lights, traffic signals, and signs that assault their visual field.

Studies have shown that a majority of fatal collisions involving bicyclists occur between the hours of 6pm-9pm. I’m not surprised. Unfortunately, most of these bicyclists without lights appear to be “non-enthusiast” (for lack of a better term), so it’s unlikely they have access to the information or resources necessary to ride safely.

Over the past few years, a number of bicycle advocacy groups and city governments have initiated free bike light programs; examples include Portland’s Shift and Police Bureau programs, New York DOT’s bike light giveaway, the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates’ “Light On” program, and Chicago’s “Share the Road” giveaway.

I believe this is an important issue that warrants the attention of any organization interested in promoting bicycle safety.

EHP Study: Biking Saves Money and Lives

Alan — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:57:45 +0000

A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that across the study region of 31 million people and 37,000 square miles, mortality would decline by 1,110 deaths per year and reduced health care costs could exceed $3.8 billion if 50% of “short trips” were taken by bicycle instead of automobile. From the abstract:

RESULTS: We estimate that annual average urban PM2.5 would decline by 0.1 µg/m3 and that summer O3 would increase slightly in cities but decline regionally, resulting in net health benefits of $3.5 billion/year (95% CI: $0.4–$9.8 billion), with 25% of PM2.5 and most O3 benefits to populations outside metropolitan areas. Across the study region of approximately 31.3 million people and 37,000 total square miles, mortality would decline by approximately 1,100 deaths/year (95% CI: 856 – 1,346) due to improved air quality and increased exercise. Making 50% of short trips by bicycle would yield savings of approximately $3.8 billion/year from avoided mortality and reduced health care costs (95% CI: $2.7 – $5.0 billion). We estimate that the combined benefits of improved air quality and physical fitness would exceed $7 billion/year.

CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that significant health and economic benefits are possible if bicycling replaces short car trips. Less auto dependence in urban areas would also improve health in downwind rural settings.

View the article →

Peace Pedalers

Alan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:51:34 +0000

From Peace Pedalers:

Adventure cyclist and filmmaker Jamie Bianchini recently returned home to Santa Cruz after an epic 8-year, 80-country cycling expedition called Peace Pedalers. He piloted a custom tandem bike while leaving the rear seat open to invite total strangers to join the journey as his honored guest. Over 1,000 people accepted his invitation to ride. Now he’s gearing up to share the stories with the world, starting with an independently produced 12-part documentary series on his 2-year, 22-country expedition through the African continent.

There was no shortage of adversity on the expedition, including robberies, a bike theft, being hit by a car, terrible sicknesses, heat stroke, dehydration and heartaches. But Jamie doesn’t focus a lot of attention on these in the series, “If anyone pedals a bike in 22 developing nations you are going to have adversity. That’s a given fact and part of the adventure. The truth is that 95% of my experiences were positive and these are Africa’s untold stories I’m trying to share,” reflects Jamie.

Now five years later the hardest part of his dream is ahead of him—finding the time and money to craft the stories, edit the series and release them to the world. Jamie just launched a campaign using Kickstarter.com’s funding platform to take his dream to the global cycling community asking them to each do their small part in backing the project by making a small pledge. “If fellow cyclists each toss a few bucks in the helmet each we’ll see the world’s first pedal-powered series air that takes viewers into the heart of Africa”. Jamie only has until November 5th to raise $85,000 in pledges or else the series may never see the light of day.

Peace Pedalers’ Kickstarter Page →
Peace Pedalers’ Photos →

Adventure Cycling Association

Alan — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:24:36 +0000

With over 44,000 members, Adventure Cycling Association is the largest bicycle travel advocacy organization in North America. Though their focus is predominately on touring and travel (as opposed to commuting), we’re all for reducing automobile use whenever and wherever possible. From Adventure Cycling :

The mission of Adventure Cycling Association is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. We help cyclists explore the landscapes and history of America for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. As a nonprofit organization, all proceeds from tours, sales, and membership go directly back into supporting our mission and programs.

Adventure Cyclist is the monthly magazine of the Adventure Cycling Association. Chock full of beautiful photos and interesting stories of bike-related adventures, it’s a great read for anyone interested in using bicycles for transportation. An Adventure Cyclist subscription is included as part of any Adventure Cycling membership, and back issues are available online in PDF format. Follow the link below (or click the banner in the sidebar) if you’d like a sample copy sent to you at no charge.

Adventure Cyclist →

Planet Bike Supercommuter

Alan — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:57:44 +0000

One of our regular readers, Cecily Walker, was featured as a “Supercommuter” in Planet Bike’s latest Dispatch quarterly newsletter.

Planet Bike →
Cecily’s website →
Cecily’s Commuter Profile →

(R)evolutions Per Minute: Cargo Bikes in the U.S.

Alan — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:26:03 +0000

You’ve gotta’ watch this.

More info at LizCanning.com →

Streetfilms: My NYC Biking Story

Alan — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:10:43 +0000

My NYC Biking Story: Gabri Christa from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

This one’s been around for awhile, but when Commute by Bike posted it today, it reminded us how much we enjoyed it.

Dutch Cycling Embassy: Cycling For Everyone

Alan — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:27:35 +0000

Cycling For Everyone from Dutch Cycling Embassy on Vimeo.

LAB/AAA Infographic

Alan — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:25:25 +0000

The League of American Bicyclists and the American Automobile Association have teamed up to create a new “Share the Road” infographic.

Hi-Res Version →

LAB 2010 Bike Commuting Estimates

Alan — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:36:26 +0000

The League of American Bicyclists has released their annual bike commuting estimates compiled from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data. Even though specific ACS numbers have a fairly high potential for error, the overall picture looks promising, with an unmistakable upward trend in bike commuting over the past decade.

2010 Bike Commuter Statistics for 375 cities →
2000 – 2010 Bike Commuter Statistics for 70 Largest US Cities →

New York Doctors Support Complete Streets

Alan — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:15:08 +0000

A group of 140 New York area medical professionals have signed a letter urging Mayor Bloomberg to continue his efforts aimed at improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in the city. The letter, co-sponsored by Transportation Alternatives and the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, was released yesterday. The complete text follows:

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

We, the undersigned medical professionals, write to acknowledge and encourage your efforts to calm traffic and make New York City streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. As a result of your efforts, from re-envisioning Times Square to building the first protected bicycle lanes in the U.S., more New Yorkers are biking and walking than ever before. Mayor Bloomberg, we urge you to continue to set ambitious goals for how our streets and public spaces can help make all of New York City more healthy and safe.

Considering that streets and sidewalks make up 80 percent of New York City’s public space, the pedestrian plazas, car-free spaces, neighborhood bike networks and world-class bicycle lanes you have created are vital to the public health of our city. In piloting Safe Routes to School and Safe Streets for Seniors programs, reducing car hours in our largest parks and producing events like neighborhood play streets and Summer Streets, you are pioneering the redistribution of our public space for health’s sake.

These changes help pave the way for a city that breathes cleaner air and is in better physical condition. Commuting to work by bicycle or increasing the distance of daily walks has been shown to promote weight loss better than any exercise program or medication we could prescribe. Vital to fighting the epidemics of asthma and obesity is the opportunity for children to have safe places to play and clean air to breathe. The traffic calming infrastructure you have built is as valuable as a playground toward encouraging active youth and instilling healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Thanks to your leadership, bicycling is the fastest growing mode of transportation in New York City and pedestrian safety is at an all-time high. Mayor Bloomberg, we enthusiastically support your efforts to improve bicycling and walking in New York City. As you shape your legacy, please continue to make safe, complete streets part of the prescription for a healthy New York City.

View the Letter →

Changing Perceptions

Alan — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:41:02 +0000

As I was riding home the other night, with cars streaming by and not another bicyclist in sight, it suddenly dawned on me that we have a long way to go before we bike commuters “own” a significant portion of the urban/suburban landscape. Sure, there are bright spots such as Portland, Davis, Boulder, Minneapolis, and a handful of other unusually bike-friendly cities, but in most places, the reality on the ground is still fairly bleak. However you choose to spin it, it’s difficult to get past the fact that bicycles still only account for around 1% of the trips made in the U.S.¹.

There are many people working to improve that number, but everyone agrees it’s going to be a long time before our bicycle share approaches what we see in the bike-centric European countries. To put things in perspective, according to the same source cited above, the Netherlands has a bicycle mode share of approximately 30%. Education, political action, improvements in infrastructure, and rising gas prices may help to increase bicycle use in the U.S., but ultimately it’s going to take a profound change in the way we Americans think about personal transportation to break the spell of the automobile.

So what can we do as individuals to help move along this process? Supporting organizations such as The Alliance for Biking and Walking, the League of American Bicyclists, Bikes Belong, and the myriad other regional and local advocacy groups is a great start. These organizations work in the political and public realms to further the interests of all bicyclists. But on a personal level, perhaps even more effective is the act of simply riding our bikes everyday to set an example for those who have never considered using a bicycle for transportation. By using bicycles for transportation in our local communities, we demonstrate that bicycling is a simple and effective way to get around and get things done. The sight of average people doing practical things on bikes is a powerful image that helps to dispel the myth that bicycling is only for children, athletes, or the less fortunate in society. Changing that misperception is arguably one of the most effective things we can do to get more people riding.

1. Source: John Pucher, Transportation Quarterly, 98-1

Transportation for America Action Alert

Alan — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:07:56 +0000

From Transportation for America:

Senator Coburn of Oklahoma is planning to ask Congress to eliminate the federal Transportation Enhancements program — the primary source for nearly all dedicated federal bike and pedestrian funding. His proposal will likely come up for a vote in a matter of days.

The program he hopes to zero out represents less than two percent of all federal transportation spending and has funded 20 years of sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and trails. Eliminating that 2 percent is dangerously out of step with the facts: 14 percent of all traffic fatalities are people on foot or bike, and 12 percent of all trips are taken on foot or bike.

3-Foot Law One Step Closer

Alan — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:58:11 +0000

Yesterday, in a 41-20 vote, the California State Assembly passed SB 910, the 3-foot passing distance bill co-sponsored by the California Bicycle Coalition and the City of Los Angeles. Now the bill goes to Governor Brown for signing. Once SB 910 is signed into law, motorists will be required to give bicyclists at least 3 feet of clearance when passing from behind. California looks to be the 21st state to enact a bicyclist’s safe passing law.

Give Me 3 Campaign →