EcoVelo » Policy & Infrastructure

Broward B-Cycle

Alan — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:57:03 +0000

The Broward B-Cycle bike share program is set to debut December 14th in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, and Pompano Beach, Florida.

Broward B-Cycle →

L.A. County Bike Plan

Alan — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:47:43 +0000

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Master Plan is now available for download.

L.A. County Bicycle Master Plan →

Gov. Brown Vetoes the 3-Foot Passing Law

Alan — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:04:22 +0000

More at the CBC Facebook page →

Streetfilms: Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway

Alan — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:03:55 +0000

Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway: Good for Biz, Good for Bikes. from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

New York Doctors Support Complete Streets

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

Photo © Spencer Thomas, CC 2.0

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 →

NYC Bike Share Chooses Alta

Alan — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:21:43 +0000

New York City has chosen Alta Bicycle Share to run its much anticipated bike sharing system. Dubbed NYC Bike Share, the system will boast 600 stations and 10,000 bikes, making it the largest such system in the U.S. Similar to other bike sharing systems administered by Alta, 24-hour, multi-day, and annual subscriptions will be available. The system will be funded by commercial sponsors, with profits shared between Alta and the City. NYC Bike Share is scheduled to debut in 2012.

NYC Bike Share →

Boston’s Hubway Exceeding Expectations

Alan — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:17:13 +0000

In its first month, Boston’s Hubway bike share system sold 2,319 annual memberships and over 10,000 one- and three-day passes, with riders making a total of 36,612 trips. These numbers far surpass all expectations. The system, implemented by Portland’s Alta Bicycle Share, is comprised of 600 bikes spread across 53 stations, with plans to expand in the future.

Hubway →

[via Boston.com]

Martin Olav Sabo Bridge

Alan — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:55:02 +0000

Martin Olav Sabo Bridge (Minneapolis) from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

While we’re on the subject of bridges, here’s a cool one.

Bikeways as Bridges to Sharing the Road

Alan — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:48:30 +0000

Studies have shown that the number one reason people don’t ride their bikes more frequently is the fear of cars. Considering this, the most obvious way to help newcomers feel more comfortable is to provide high-quality, separated bikeways. While it’s unrealistic to hope for a 1-to-1 ratio of bikeways to roads, even short stretches of bikeways that connect adjacent neighborhoods and road networks may encourage newcomers to give bicycling a try.

Consider the above beautiful piece of bicycle-specific infrastructure in my hometown. It’s part of a relatively short trail network that connects four neighborhoods with a shopping area and a school. I often take this route when I run an errand to the market. The direct route takes me along a two lane, 50 mph road. I’ve ridden the road many times, and though I find it relatively benign, I can imagine it would be intimidating to an inexperienced rider. By instead taking a longer back route through a neighborhood that leads to the bikeway, I reduce my exposure to high speed traffic by approximately 75% while only adding about 5 minutes to my travel time. I suspect that for many people, just having the option could mean the difference between taking the bike or driving the car.

For the foreseeable future, bicyclists here in the U.S. will need to depend upon existing motor vehicle roadways, but strategically placed separated bikeways can serve as safe havens for novices in the process of developing the confidence and skills they need to share the road with cars, while also providing a pleasant respite for those already out there mixing it up with traffic on a regular basis.

The Bike Rack

Alan — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:57:52 +0000

The City of Cleveland in conjunction with The Downtown Cleveland Alliance has opened a full service bicycle parking and commuter facility in downtown Cleveland. The Bike Rack provides secure bicycle parking, showers, lockers, changing facilities, and a full-service repair shop for Cleveland’s bike commuters. Services are available for a daily rate of $5, with 24-hour parking access and monthly passes to be phased in shortly. Regular hours are from 6:30am – 7:00pm Monday through Friday, and 10:00am – 6:00pm on weekends.

The Bike Rack →

Sadik-Khan on NYC’s Transportation Future

Alan — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:49:19 +0000

An article by New York City Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, was published in yesterday’s Slate.

Slate →

BMJ Report on Bike Sharing and Health

Alan — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:54:04 +0000

Photo: Josep Ma. Rosell, CC 2.0

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal looks at the benefits and risks of bike sharing compared to car travel in an urban environment. From the Abstract:

Objective: To estimate the risks and benefits to health of travel by bicycle, using a bicycle sharing scheme, compared with travel by car in an urban environment.

Design: Health impact assessment study.

Setting: Public bicycle sharing initiative, Bicing, in Barcelona, Spain.

Participants: 181,982 Bicing subscribers.

Main outcomes measures: The primary outcome measure was all cause mortality for the three domains of physical activity, air pollution (exposure to particulate matter <2.5 Ã‚Âµm), and road traffic incidents. The secondary outcome was change in levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

Results: Compared with car users the estimated annual change in mortality of the Barcelona residents using Bicing (n=181,982) was 0.03 deaths from road traffic incidents and 0.13 deaths from air pollution. As a result of physical activity, 12.46 deaths were avoided (benefit:risk ratio 77). The annual number of deaths avoided was 12.28. As a result of journeys by Bicing, annual carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by an estimated 9,062,344 kg.

Conclusions: Public bicycle sharing initiatives such as Bicing in Barcelona have greater benefits than risks to health and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

British Medical Journal →

Steeetfilms: The Phenomenal Success of Capital Bikeshare

Alan — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:04:31 +0000

The Phenomenal Success of Capital Bikeshare from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Streetfilms: Nice Ride Minnesota Expands

Alan — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:22:05 +0000

Nice Ride MN: Minnesota’s Bike Share Expands from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Boston’s Hubway Ready to Roll

Alan — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:41:44 +0000

Boston’s Hubway bike share system officially launches this Thursday with an inaugural ride scheduled for 10am at City Hall Plaza. The system will be implemented by Portland’s Alta Bicycle Share, with bikes supplied by Canada’s Bixi. Initially the system will be comprised of 600 bikes spread across 61 stations, with plans to expand in the future. The pricing scheme is similar to other bike share systems with annual, 3-Day, and 24-Hour memberships available. From Hubway:

On Earth Day, April 21, 2011, Mayor Thomas M. Menino signed a contract with Alta Bicycle Share, officially announcing the launch of a bike share system in the City of Boston. Planned as a regional system, New Balance Hubway was initiated under Mayor Menino’s nationally recognized Boston Bikes Program, which aims to build Boston into one of the world’s premiere cycling cities. The City of Boston is working with MassDOT, MAPC, MBTA and the FTA to expand the system into more Boston neighborhoods and surrounding communities.

The installation of the system will begin in July 2011 with more than 600 bicycles at 61 stations to be located widely throughout Boston. Hubway will eventually expand into surrounding neighborhoods and communities, creating a single regional system.

View the station map here.

Hubway →