Bikeboard December 2007

bikeboard@lists.bikelover.org

7 participants
17 discussions

Cycling safety statistics and considerations
by director 24 Aug '08

24 Aug '08

Good morning, Just one more thing to pass on and then I'll quit bugging everybody. I was recently reminded of this link to Ken Kifer's website which discusses statistics on bicycling and pedestrian accident/fatality rates. http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm It's a good reminder about where to focus our attention when developing non-motorized amenities that allow all users to share the public roadways safely. Cyclist education is clearly the most effective form of accident prevention. For those who don't know, Ken was killed a few years ago by a drunk driver. This is also a reminder that drunk, inattentive and beligerent drivers - although a very small minority - are beyond the reach of cycling education but should be addressed better in driver education and enforcment. In the meantime be careful out there. Nick

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Agenda for this Thursday's 3-Jan meeting
by Frank Gmeindl 30 Dec '07

30 Dec '07

Bicycle Board Members, Please find attached, a zip folder that contains 3 files: 1. An incomplete draft agenda for this Thursday's meeting. 2. Minutes from our last meeting. 3. Draft Education grant application. *Autumn, Jonathan, Don Spencer and Marilyn*, please review the agenda and reply ASAP with a statement of the desired outcome of discussion of each of your topics and the amount of time you think you'll need. Frank

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MPO presentation
by Frank Gmeindl 28 Dec '07

28 Dec '07

Bicycle Board Members, I understand that the Greater Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization has put me on their 18-Jan agenda to make a presentation on bicycling. As you know, the MPO created the 2030 Transportation plan that includes some somewhat indefinite non-motorized components. The bicycling components were defined a few years ago by people, including me, who I don't think understood much about transportation bicycling back then. My current impression of the non-motorized plan is that is mostly to keep walkers and cyclists quiet as they increase the number, size and complexity of roadways to accommodate more motor vehicles operating at higher speeds: not to integrate bicycling into the Greater Morgantown transportation system. Obviously, I am challenged to make an objective and balanced presentation on 18-Jan so, in addition to seeking your approval of my presentation, I am asking for you help to maximize its impact on the MPO. If you could, please review the attached PowerPoint presentation and give me your recommendations at your earliest convenience, I would certainly be grateful. I would appreciate your comments by whatever means is most convenient for you: e-mail, marked-up printout, telephone (304-284-8094), or in person. Frank

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Article on Mandatory Bike Registration from Seattle Newspaper
by director 26 Dec '07

26 Dec '07

Good morning, I came across a link to this article on one of the HPV lists I read... http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/344924_bicyclelicense26.html Comments are listed here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/344924_bicyclelicense26.html My comment is that bicyclists should start paying their fare share of road costs right after motor vehicles do. According to the numbers I've seen this will do 2 things. 1) Make motorists aware of how much they are subsidized. 2) Make cyclists eligable for a rebate. Hope you had a merry Christmas Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown

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December meeting minutes
by autumn bliss 20 Dec '07

20 Dec '07

Hey ya'll, Here's the minutes from the December meeting. Sorry it took so long to get them out. You know how it goes with the holidays and all coming up. I hope everyone has safe and happy holidays. Keep the rubber side down and see you in '08! _________________________________________________________________ The best games are on Xbox 360. Click here for a special offer on an Xbox 360 Console. http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/wheretobuy/

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Re: [Bikeboard] Quantifiable benefits of investment inwalkingandbiking?
by director 18 Dec '07

18 Dec '07

Jonathan, They installed the station in Seattle just as I was leaving town. A friend of mine was manager for it. They are extremely expensive and probably not worth the cost here in Morgantown, unless they have come up with a simpler/cheaper system recently. As commuting committee chairman I'll check on it again. Nick ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Jonathan Rosenbaum <freesource(a)cheat.org> Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:49:49 -0500 >Nick, this is good information and the statistics are useful. The >Bikestation Organization (http://ww.bikestation.org) presently has >stations in large metropolitan areas in California, interestingly, the >City of Pittsburgh is one of their project partners. > > Bikestation is the parent organization that serves as an > information-clearinghouse and support system to the individual > operators that are responsible for the day-to-day operations of each > facility. Local operators vary per location and consist of > non-profit, for-profit and advocacy organizations. > > >The Bicycle Board should contact them to find out whether the City of >Morgantown could benefit from their program. > >-Jonathan > >director wrote: >> Good morning, >> I came across this message from a staff member at BikeStation listing the quantifiable measures of safe, sheltered, secure bike parking. >> Thought they might be of interest. I assume the numbers are for facilities in all 6 cities. (VMT = Vehicle Miles Travelled) >> Nick >> >> ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- >> From: "Andrea White" <awhite(a)bikestation.org> >> Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:25:04 -0600 >> >> We conduct ongoing research, including surveys and data gathering at our Bikestations. Investments in bike-commuter centers like Bikestations are very effective in achieving many of the goals you have asked about. Research at our 6 facilities (San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Seattle) consistently shows the following (average): >> >> * 30% of Bikestation users previously drove their car alone to their destination and would still be doing so if the Bikestation werenâEUR^(TM)t available >> >> * An additional 60% who were already biking, cycle more often because of the convenience >> >> 2007 results: >> >> * Bicycles Parked: 86,720 >> >> * Cars taken off the road: 26,010 >> >> * Reduction in VMT: 520,320 >> >> * Reduction in CO2 and other auto-based pollutants: 555,620 lbs. >> >> * Over 1,300 barrels of oil saved >> >> If you need methodologies, call me. >> >> Good luck! >> >> Andrea >> >> >> >> >> >> â", AndrÃ©a White â", >> >> Executive Director >> >> Bikestation Coalition >> >> 110 W Ocean Blvd., Suite 810 >> >> Long Beach, CA 90802 >> >> Phone: 562.733.0106 >> >> Fax: 562.733.0107 >> >> awhite(a)bikestation.org >> >> www.bikestation.org >> >> >> >> ________________________________ >> >> From: thunderhead-bounces(a)thunderheadalliance.org [mailto:thunderhead-bounces@thunderheadalliance.org] On Behalf Of Sabrina Merlo >> Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 1:07 PM >> To: Thunderhead Alliance >> Subject: [Thunderhead] quantifiable benefits of investment in walking andbiking? >> >> >> >> Hello Thunderhead. >> >> >> >> The Bay Area Bicycle Coalition is looking for any studies that show a correlation between investment in walking and biking infrastructure/programs and quantifiable results in the following categories: >> >> >> >> - reduction of VMT >> >> - increase in physical activity >> >> - mode shift overall to bike/ped >> >> - mode shift to bike/ped + transit use >> >> - collision rate reduction >> >> - reduction in trip rates per household >> >> - proof that if you have good infrastructure, you have lower vehicle ownership >> >> >> >> The Bay Area Bicycle Coalition is working with our regional transportation planning agency (MTC) right now to help them write one or two new Performance Targets that address their expressed goals of Safety, Mobility, and Access. We are also pushing them to look at physical activity levels, but public health is not yet a specific goal, so we'll see how far we get with that. For the first time, MTC is looking for ways to quantify bike/ped programs and set targets, and we are trying to gather relevant studies that they could utilize regarding (increased!) investment in bike/ped. >> >> >> >> If you know of any that address these results above, please let us know. We have a meeting on Friday with them, and thus are on a bit of a rush. >> >> Best, >> >> Sabrina >> >> >> >> P.S. For those of you interested, BABC has written a well-researched argument towards investment in Active Transportation in our advocacy platform paper for the Bay Area's 2009 Regional Transportation Plan revision. The articles in this document attempt to justify our ask for $2 billion in walking and biking investment (as well as better policy, data, and education) over the next 25 years. This is a 10 fold increase of current 9-county Bay Area bike/ped funding levels. The T2035 Platform for Active Transportation is available as a PDF here: http://www.bayareabikes.org >> >> >> >> ............................................................... >> >> Sabrina Merlo >> >> Regional Advocacy Director >> >> Bay Area Bicycle Coalition >> >> http://www.bayareabikes.org/ >> >> sabrina(a)bayareabikes.org >> >> 510.325.5178 >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Bikeboard mailing list >> Bikeboard(a)cheat.org >> http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard >> > > > > >

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Re: [Bikeboard] Quantifiable benefits of investment in walkingandbiking?
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 18 Dec '07

18 Dec '07

Nick, this is good information and the statistics are useful. The Bikestation Organization (http://ww.bikestation.org) presently has stations in large metropolitan areas in California, interestingly, the City of Pittsburgh is one of their project partners. Bikestation is the parent organization that serves as an information-clearinghouse and support system to the individual operators that are responsible for the day-to-day operations of each facility. Local operators vary per location and consist of non-profit, for-profit and advocacy organizations. The Bicycle Board should contact them to find out whether the City of Morgantown could benefit from their program. -Jonathan director wrote: > Good morning, > I came across this message from a staff member at BikeStation listing the quantifiable measures of safe, sheltered, secure bike parking. > Thought they might be of interest. I assume the numbers are for facilities in all 6 cities. (VMT = Vehicle Miles Travelled) > Nick > > ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- > From: "Andrea White" <awhite(a)bikestation.org> > Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:25:04 -0600 > > We conduct ongoing research, including surveys and data gathering at our Bikestations. Investments in bike-commuter centers like Bikestations are very effective in achieving many of the goals you have asked about. Research at our 6 facilities (San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Seattle) consistently shows the following (average): > > * 30% of Bikestation users previously drove their car alone to their destination and would still be doing so if the Bikestation werenâEUR^(TM)t available > > * An additional 60% who were already biking, cycle more often because of the convenience > > 2007 results: > > * Bicycles Parked: 86,720 > > * Cars taken off the road: 26,010 > > * Reduction in VMT: 520,320 > > * Reduction in CO2 and other auto-based pollutants: 555,620 lbs. > > * Over 1,300 barrels of oil saved > > If you need methodologies, call me. > > Good luck! > > Andrea > > > > > > â", AndrÃ©a White â", > > Executive Director > > Bikestation Coalition > > 110 W Ocean Blvd., Suite 810 > > Long Beach, CA 90802 > > Phone: 562.733.0106 > > Fax: 562.733.0107 > > awhite(a)bikestation.org > > www.bikestation.org > > > > ________________________________ > > From: thunderhead-bounces(a)thunderheadalliance.org [mailto:thunderhead-bounces@thunderheadalliance.org] On Behalf Of Sabrina Merlo > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 1:07 PM > To: Thunderhead Alliance > Subject: [Thunderhead] quantifiable benefits of investment in walking andbiking? > > > > Hello Thunderhead. > > > > The Bay Area Bicycle Coalition is looking for any studies that show a correlation between investment in walking and biking infrastructure/programs and quantifiable results in the following categories: > > > > - reduction of VMT > > - increase in physical activity > > - mode shift overall to bike/ped > > - mode shift to bike/ped + transit use > > - collision rate reduction > > - reduction in trip rates per household > > - proof that if you have good infrastructure, you have lower vehicle ownership > > > > The Bay Area Bicycle Coalition is working with our regional transportation planning agency (MTC) right now to help them write one or two new Performance Targets that address their expressed goals of Safety, Mobility, and Access. We are also pushing them to look at physical activity levels, but public health is not yet a specific goal, so we'll see how far we get with that. For the first time, MTC is looking for ways to quantify bike/ped programs and set targets, and we are trying to gather relevant studies that they could utilize regarding (increased!) investment in bike/ped. > > > > If you know of any that address these results above, please let us know. We have a meeting on Friday with them, and thus are on a bit of a rush. > > Best, > > Sabrina > > > > P.S. For those of you interested, BABC has written a well-researched argument towards investment in Active Transportation in our advocacy platform paper for the Bay Area's 2009 Regional Transportation Plan revision. The articles in this document attempt to justify our ask for $2 billion in walking and biking investment (as well as better policy, data, and education) over the next 25 years. This is a 10 fold increase of current 9-county Bay Area bike/ped funding levels. The T2035 Platform for Active Transportation is available as a PDF here: http://www.bayareabikes.org > > > > ............................................................... > > Sabrina Merlo > > Regional Advocacy Director > > Bay Area Bicycle Coalition > > http://www.bayareabikes.org/ > > sabrina(a)bayareabikes.org > > 510.325.5178 > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikeboard mailing list > Bikeboard(a)cheat.org > http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard >

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Reaction on Uphill Struggle
by John Lozier 18 Dec '07

18 Dec '07

Natalie Ramsland is a triathlete and bike builder in Portland, Oregon, also my niece. This is her response when I told her about Uphill Struggle. John Begin forwarded message: > From: "Natalie Ramsland" <natalie(a)sweetpeabicycles.com> > Date: December 18, 2007 12:51:47 PM EST > To: "John Lozier" <jl(a)harpingforharmony.org> > Subject: Re: Hello from Portland! > > Hi John - > > I love the idea of the Uphill Struggle. It made me think that it > might be fun to organize a ride in which there were two options: 1) > get from one place to another by the shortest distance possible, > elevation be damned or 2) get to the same destination taking > whatever detours necessary to make the climb as gentle as possible > and have stops along the way. That way you can demonstrate that > biking doesn't have to be something for self-identified athletes > alone. A relaxed approach can be celebrated, too. > > There is a race that happens in Portland called the SS Pussycat > (all women's alleycat race) which has two racing options. You can > race for speed, which is, well, speedy. Or you can compete in the > spirit category, and you will be doing various fun challenges along > the way. > > It also brings to mind the Tequila Shortcut at the Single Speed > Cyclocross Championships a couple weeks back. There was a shortcut > in the race course (which is done in laps) - the only catch was > that if you were going to take the shortcut you had to take a shot > of tequila every time you came through. > > So, needless to say, I think you could have a lot of fun with > this. Let me know if you need help brainstorming crazy ideas! I am > full of them :) > > Love, > Natalie > > On 12/18/07, John Lozier <jl(a)harpingforharmony.org> wrote: > Hi, Natalie, > > We're at 345 Virginia Avenue, Morgantown WV 26505. > > I've never been very good about sending holiday cards. However, I > think of you and Austin quite often. I recently took a class in > Effective Cycling. You probably know about the American League of > Bicyclists. Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as > drivers of vehicles. A young woman in the group is a triathlete, > made me think of you. > > We're beginning to plan for an activity that I'm calling the "Uphill > Struggle." The whole concept is "It's and Uphill Struggle to get > people thinking of bicycles as a form of transportation." > > Here's a blurb I shared with our Bike Board (I'm a member): > > Max's Uphill Struggle is the insight of a child (Max, my 7-year-old > neighbor) who first learns to ride on the flat, then downhill, then > confronts (and meets) the challenge of UPHILL. > > This is, of course, the challenge faced by folks of all ages when > they consider biking in Morgantown. > > (Incidentally, the Uphill Struggle is a metaphor for life itself, > isn't it?) > > The idea would be to have a sponsored bike event that involves riding > uphill. Any hill could work. > > > On Dec 18, 2007, at 12:25 PM, Natalie Ramsland wrote: > > > Hi John, > > > > I have a holiday card I want to send to you and Kitty, but I don't > > think I have your address since you moved. Can you send that to me? > > > > Love, > > Natalie > >

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Copenhagen
by Frank Gmeindl 17 Dec '07

17 Dec '07

Bicycle Board Members, Copenhagen is one of those places that we usually think of as cycling paradise. A 9-page report at http://www.trafitec.dk/pub/Road <http://www.trafitec.dk/pub/Road%20safety%20and%20percieved%20risk%20of%20cy cle%20tracks%20and%20lanes%20in%20Copenhagen.pdf> safety and percieved risk of cycle tracks and lanes in Copenhagen.pdf summarizes their experience with rail trails and bike lanes. (They call them cycle tracks and cycle lanes.) Based on more than 1,500 traffic counts, construction of cycle tracks increased bicycle traffic 18-20% and reduced car traffic 9-10%. Cycle lanes increased bicycle traffic 5-7% but didn't change car traffic. Based on interviews of more than 1,000 cyclists, almost 90% perceived that cycle tracks are safe and more than 80% perceived that bike lanes are safe while only 55% of them perceived that cycling in mixed traffic is safe. Based on data from more than 8,500 accidents, between intersections (same direction traffic flow), cycle tracks reduced accidents and injuries by 10% and 4% respectively but at intersections, cycle tracks increased accidents and injuries by 18%. Cycle lanes increased injuries 15%. I found Table 1 in the report most interesting. While cycle tracks reduced car against same-direction-cyclist accidents 63%, they increased right-turning car against cyclist accidents 129% and increased left-turning car against cyclist accidents 48%. The report substantiates a dilemma we have to wrestle with: 1) people perceive bike paths and bike lanes to be safer than riding in traffic; 2) more people ride bikes when they have bike paths and bike lanes; 3) bike paths and bike lanes lead to a disproportionate increase in accidents and injuries. If you don't like these statistics, there are some cool pictures of Copenhagen in the article, too;) 4ank

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Law Moose Monday 6:30
by Frank Gmeindl 16 Dec '07

16 Dec '07

Bicycle Board Members, Anyone planning to participate in next Monday's Law klatch at the Moose I highly recommend you read the article "Equality for Cyclists" in this month's LAB /American Bicyclist/ magazine. It provides a list of discriminatory bicycle laws and how they negatively effect the Bicycle Friendly Community 5 E's: Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Encouragement and Evaluation. I'll bring some copies of the article if you haven't received your /American Bicyclist/ yet. Frank

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