tagged w/ Bicycle Commuting
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This 7-yr-old girl is now an orphan because a truck veered into the shoulder her parents were riding tandem and killed them both. The driver is out walking free and was never ticketed or charged.
This happened near my hometown of San Antonio and although it's breaking hearts amongst locals, I wanted this situation to be known on a larger scale because I know it's not just a San Antonio or Texas issue. Cyclists are being treated no better than deer even in cities with a bike-friendly attitude. If you are a Texan, please to go to biketexas.org and sign the BikeTexas Safe Passing petition. If you are not, please do all that you can within your own community to ensure the cyclists and pedestrians have rights out there on the road and have a better chance of getting home safely.This 7-yr-old girl is now an orphan because a truck veered into the shoulder her... more
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read em and get on your bike
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Don't miss the first of the SFBC's free summer bike-in movie series tomorrow night with your fellow bike lovers! We'll be kicking off the series with the beloved BMX cult classic Rad, featuring the amazing and infamous bike dance scene with a young Lori Loughlin (best known for her role as Aunt Becky on Full House).
Help us transform an ordinary parking lot in to a fabulous movie theater under the stars, complete with complimentary bike valet! Street food vendors will be out and about, including the Crème Brûlée Cart, the Magic Curry Kart, Gobba Gobba Hey, Chez Spencer's Spencer on the Go! Truck and more. Bring something to sit on to make your movie watching experience even more enjoyable.
Details: Rad, Wed., Jul. 29 at 8pm. Held in the parking lot across from the Good Hotel, 112 7th Street @ Mission St.Don't miss the first of the SFBC's free summer bike-in movie series tomorrow night... more
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Be happy, bicyclists of the world, because the lasertastic LightLane personal bike path is going to be a reality soon. It's already in the production engineering phase, as this demonstration video shows:
As you remember, Lightlane was just a very clever concept in a design competition. Apparently the response was so overwhelming from bicyclists all over the world that the inventors actually decided to make it into a commercial product.Be happy, bicyclists of the world, because the lasertastic LightLane personal bike... more
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It seems a gentleman from Rochester, MN has chosen not to drive for an entire year and a half, and instead sell the "offsets" from his personal choice on ebay for $100 (or more). Now it is your turn to cash in - for just $100 you can feel good about doing all of your driving knowing that someone else has not driven for an entire year.
The owner estimates that since 1997 (when he started) the 1995 Ford Taurus should have driven around 19,000 miles. Using a carbon offset calculator from Conservation International, they decided that 19,000 miles equals $288 in offsets. Should this person get a bid, the money will be used to purchase a new bicycle (to replace the one that was recently stolen - he's currently walking to work) and allow him to keep selling offsets for more years of not driving.
Neat!It seems a gentleman from Rochester, MN has chosen not to drive for an entire year and... more
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That, at least, appears to be the lesson of this chart, which shows the increasing number of bike riders and declining number of bike-related accidents in New York City since 1998.
This trend is due in part to New York’s aggressive and smart Bicycle Network Development Program—begun in the mid-1990s—which expanded bike access on greenways and established a number of new on-street biking routes chosen, in part, for their low conflict with “existing modes of transportation.”
What do you think? Safety in numbers?That, at least, appears to be the lesson of this chart, which shows the increasing... more
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The Commuter Bike concept was the winner of the Commuter Bike Design Competition held at Bicycle Design Blog. The bike, if produced, would be lightweight, fashioned from either carbon fiber or flax fiber, contains a rooftop solar panel to charge its LED lamps and would be driven by a rubber belt running throughout its body.The Commuter Bike concept was the winner of the Commuter Bike Design Competition held... more
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A little round up re: commuting issues, bike commuting blogs, and you guessed it, a few of my favorite biking pods a-la-current.
"Um….so…yeah. That was the line I gave my boss today, and it was true, I swear! I few months back, a few good people on the green page challenged me to start riding my bike more. I happen to live midway up a very significant hill, so wasn’t so quick to jump on the bike riding band wagon. My idea of biking was driving my car to a trail head…not sweating my way up a hill with my computer bag at the end of the day. And..I happen to live in the Bay Area, and am lucky to have a down right decent public transportation system. So I usually drive my car to the Bart station, hop in the casual car pool and get a ride to SF. I love this system since I save time and money (the Bart ticket, plus it’s faster), and the driver saves time and money (we ride in the commuter lane, and they don’t have pay the $4 toll fee. (Side note: there is a rumor going around that they are going to start making the car poolers pay the toll fee (sounds like someone’s focused on the cent in incentive))...."A little round up re: commuting issues, bike commuting blogs, and you guessed it, a... more
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leahl
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added this
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7 months ago
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Denver is getting a bicycle-sharing program next summer.
Some 500 bikes will be available this summer at 30 to 40 stations around Denver, the city said in a news release today.
The program — dubbed Denver B-Cycle — got initial funding from a $1 million donation from the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee.
"The positive feedback we received from the bike sharing program during the 2008 Democratic National Convention was remarkable," Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said in a statement. "We are confident Denver B-Cycle will prove equally popular while improving our fitness levels and our environment. Our 358 miles of bike routes and trails combined with our 300 days of sunshine make Denver the perfect city in which to launch this citywide bike sharing system."
Read full article at link-Denver is getting a bicycle-sharing program next summer.
Some 500 bikes will be... more
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ink show.
-click link for more images-
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Missoula, Montana —The United States is on a path to creating what could become the largest official bicycle route network in the world, thanks to the approval of a new plan by America's leading authority on national route designations. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has just approved a National Corridor Plan laying out the framework and guidelines for the development of this system.
The plan identifies corridors connecting America's urban, rural, and suburban areas. The corridors cover well over 50,000 miles, which, if transformed into routes along roads and trails, would create the largest official bicycle route network in any country or on any continent. By comparison, the planned Euro-Vélo network in Europe is projected to be 60,000 kilometers or 36,000 miles.
The U.S. plan has been under development for nearly four years under the auspices of an AASHTO task force on national bicycle routes, with representatives from federal and state transportation agencies and nonprofit organizations. The plan has gone through more than a dozen revisions—with input from hundreds of federal and state officials, cycling advocacy groups, and individuals—as well as review and approval by AASHTO's committees on traffic engineering, design, and non-motorized transportation.
- - more on link - -Missoula, Montana —The United States is on a path to creating what could become the... more
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Michael Vare, a local cyclist (commutes from Marin to San Francisco) saves about $5K a year and lost 40puonds while at it.
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Nice scenery in his commute!!!Michael Vare, a local cyclist (commutes from Marin to San Francisco) saves about $5K a... more
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What great news!
Tour de Bronx sounds like it was a lot of fun
Go NY!!!!
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Borough President Adolfo Carrión doesn't want the Tour de Bronx to be the only time bikes are seen all over the borough.
A new report, "Bike the Bronx," calls for exploring locations where bike racks could be installed. It urges residents, community groups and businesses to ask the city Department of Transportation to install more of them in their neighborhoods.
The report was released as 5,000 biking fans turned out Oct. 19 for the annual Tour de Bronx.
With high rates of asthma from traffic on the borough's major highways, diabetes from obesity and the high cost of gas and maintaining cars, the report says using a bike to exercise and commute to work is a triple-winner.
It cites statistics showing the Bronx has the largest number of people in the city who drive short distances alone to work, saying that with more convenient bike racks installed, that number could be significantly lowered.
"If ever there was a time to make the Bronx and all of New York City a friendlier place for bicycling, it is now," said Carrión.
- - click link for full article - -What great news!
Tour de Bronx sounds like it was a lot of fun
Go NY!!!!
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Borough... more
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In a joint meeting with Portland Green Streets, we will present ideas for overcoming the challenges of winter commuting, by bicycle as well as other green commuting options. In the bicycle group, we will discuss particulars of dressing for the cold, visibility and lighting for night riding, and winter care of the bicycle. And then the perennial debate: Should I get studded tires?
Walkers, cyclists, transit users, and carpoolers will start by sharing a general, multi-modal discussion of getting around green in the winter. And then we’ll break out into small groups to discuss mode-specific information and strategies.
We’ll have Nan Cumming from Portland Trails moderating the Walkers group, John Brooking from the Portland Bike Commuter Meetup convening the Cyclists, Sarah Cushman of Green Streets (who it turns out is a master-certified auto mechanic) moderating car maintenance & driving tips with the Carpoolers, and possibly City Councilor Kevin Donoghue convening the Transit Riders (bus, train, ferry) group!
Not sure you’re ready to commit to all winter? No problem. Even if you just want to see what the challenges are and how they might be met, this meeting should help to give you an idea of what it takes - and maybe, what’s not as hard as you might think.In a joint meeting with Portland Green Streets, we will present ideas for overcoming... more
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This is currently available in Texas only. Very progressive and it makes sense. Sounds pretty good to me. Ride on lone star!!
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“We wanted to create an insurance company that is fair, and made sense. If you walk to work, or you take mass transit to work, or you are a low-mileage driver, you could be a MileMeter customer. It also creates a financial incentive for you to drive less, which means we’ll have fewer traffic injuries, less smog from vehicle emissions, and a number of other social and policy benefits.”
- - click on link for full post - - This is currently available in Texas only. Very progressive and it makes sense. Sounds... more
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New Belgium Brewing, the creator of that beloved Amber Ale Fat Tire has launched a blog devoted to supporting and promoting the social movement it launched in 2005: Team Wonderbike. Apparently, boozing and biking go hand in hand (well not literally) for the Fort Collins brewmasters—and it’s a good thing they do.
Team Wonderbike Rides Online
Team Wonderbike was started three years ago to encourage bicycle use, especially for commuting. The core component of the team’s manifesto is the simple pledge to ride the bike as much as possible. Now counting 13,000 cyclists—bikers of every kind—among its member base, New Belgium has made a sage move in uniting the community online (if you were wondering, those 13,000 cyclists have pledged to ride a whopping total of 13 million miles as opposed to driving next year).
On the website, cyclists everywhere can join the cause, make their pledges, arrange group rides, or simply discuss bicycling with fellow enthusiasts. Long ride Team Wonderbike!New Belgium Brewing, the creator of that beloved Amber Ale Fat Tire has launched a... more
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ESKCSG
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added this
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1 year ago
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So the jargon is quite confusing and of the legal variety, but the skinny is:
Tax breaks for cyclists and their employers!
With all the "pork" in the bill, a bit of it makes sense.
You can Google a few other stories on the subject, but I first heard about it on TreeHugger. I just wish I was still commuting to work by bike.
So the jargon is quite confusing and of the legal variety, but the skinny is:
Tax... more
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Programs in New York and elsewhere train young mechanics and provide ‘beater’ bikes.
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[Excerpt] A year ago, Natalie Feliciano couldn’t tell the difference between a derailleur and a bottom bracket. A bike was a thing, made up of other shiny things, all of which churned together in some strange, magical concert. Sometimes she’d walk the streets of her East Village neighborhood and see rusty frames jammed into trash cans. “I’d think, you know, what a waste,” she grimaces. “All that garbage for someone else to clean up. But I never knew how much went into a bike.”
These days, her outlook is considerably more refined. On a warm fall afternoon here, standing in the cluttered back room of Recycle-a-Bicycle’s Manhattan store, Ms. Feliciano absentmindedly runs a greasy chain through her fingers and holds forth expertly on all things two-wheeled. She talks about the sudden passion in New York for fixed-gear bikes – once popular only among reckless, bombastic couriers – and her own stable of rides, which includes a bicycle she repaired on her own time. “I like knowing I can help my friends with their bikes. I like to know that I can be there,” she says. “And I like knowing how they work. How everything fits together.”
The nuts-and-bolts approach is something Recycle-a-Bicycle has always done particularly well. The organization was founded in 1999 with a straightforward mandate: Repair abused, remaindered, broken, or worn bikes and funnel them back to consumers. At the time, New Yorkers were wary, says Lisa Stein, the executive director. Used bicycles were something for the junk pile, and most experienced riders preferred the security of a brand-new aluminum frame.
But over the past decade, Recycle-a-Bike has gained an enormous amount of local ballast. A crew of employees and volunteers now runs a pair of New York stores, one here in Manhattan and the other in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn. (DUMBO means “down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass.”) The organization’s youth programs are a big draw for students like Feliciano, who enrolled last year at her public high school. She is now an expert wrench-slinger and a paid Recycle-a-Bicycle associate. Under the tutelage of an experienced mechanic, Feliciano and fellow associate Gina Estevens labored recently to tune up a long line of bikes.Programs in New York and elsewhere train young mechanics and provide ‘beater’... more
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No excuse ya'll.
How inspiring!!!
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Riding a bike alone through Colorado is difficult enough.
Try adding a tent, 20 to 30 pounds of clothes, five to 10 pounds of food and a few lifelong trinkets to the journey.
Design the trip so that the grueling stretch through the Colorado Mountains is only the beginning.
And, you have to be 72 years old.
At least that’s what the soon-to-be-former Craig resident Elliot Bourne is doing.
It’s not that Elliot is a health nut who dreams of winning the Tour de France.
Or that he’s conditioning himself for the Olympics, or riding his bike for some charity.
He’s simply moving.
You see, Elliot is what some call a wanderer.
He’s a hard-working man who’s traveled the country in search of odd jobs, not worried about settling down or raising a family.
Every now and then, he packs up his belongings and moves on.
Elliot came to Craig about “13 to 14 months ago,” he says, and by accident no less.
“Actually, I was headed from Rifle and my car broke down,” he said laughing. “I made it to the parking lot of the library, and that was when my car gave up the ghost.”
- - - click on link for full article - - -No excuse ya'll.
How inspiring!!!
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Riding a bike alone through Colorado is... more
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--full article/click link--
Caltrain officials will consider removing some seats to accommodate the growing throng of bicyclists who regularly find themselves bumped from rush-hour trains when room runs out for their two-wheelers.
"We obviously know well that there is much more demand for bike capacity," Caltrain chief Michael Scanlon said Thursday.
Scanlon said he has asked Caltrain engineers to review how passenger rail cars can accommodate more bikes - either through reconfiguring or removing seats - without compromising safety or displacing walk-on riders.
He said the result could be modest. He'd like the study to be completed within the next few months so the changes, if feasible, could be implemented by spring.
The announcement came as the Caltrain governing board unanimously adopted the "Bicycle Access and Parking Plan," the rail agency's strategy to deal with bikes on trains and at stations.
"I can't think of anything worse than arriving at the station and not being able to get on the train," said director Jerry Hill.--full article/click link--
Caltrain officials will consider removing some seats to... more
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