Wouldn’t it be great if your favorite “get there” mapping application, Google Maps of course, had the ability to route you without assuming you were taking a car to get there. How about public tranist, biking and walking?

Just found a site established in the hopes of seeing this happen and I full heartedly give my support

Check them out and sign the petition: http://googlemapsbikethere.org/

http://urbanvelo.org/share-the-road-is-this-a-positive-message-for-cycling/

“The sign

Discovered this paper by Rutgers analyzing how Germany, The Netherlands and Denmark have made cycling a successful form of transportation.

http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf

Great ad campaign from the Manchester City Council. Their website http://www.loveyourbike.org has some solidly good information on it too.

Source: http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_7893849

A county study shows more people are rolling around on bikes these days. As part of Marin’s $25 million federal pilot bike plan, the county took a count of local bicycle and pedestrian trips to create a baseline from which to judge the program.

Overall, there has been a 66 percent increase in weekday commute-hour bicycle traffic and a 33 percent rise in weekend riding, when compared with a similar count conducted in 1999.

“These are encouraging statistics,” Supervisor Steve Kinsey said. “They indicate that our priority focus and associated investments are improving biking and walking in our county.”

“This upsurge in biking and walking shows that giving people safe alternatives to the car can work in reducing auto trips and congestion,” Supervisor Charles McGlashan said. “The automobile is not always the trip of choice when people see safe and readily available alternatives.”

Very encouraging results from the pilot program Marin is currently running from their grant award of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program passed by Congress in ‘05

Copenhagen’s version of rush hour

This I would not mind And in related news, oil is now at 100 USD a barrel


Source: http://cycleliciousness.blogspot.com/ (Good blog about bikes in Copenhagen)

For most cyclists, the argument of whether or not we deserve to be on the roadway is common [usually shot at you by belligerent drivers speeding to their destination]. There are several simple facts to put this argument to rest though:

1. Fuel and car licensing taxes are applied federally, not locally, so the funds often go to highway projects. In all likelihood a cyclist will be on your local road, not your 70mph highway. Local roads are funded through local, sales and property taxes.
2. Cars impose in damage to the roadway 6.5 cents per mile but put in only 2.3 cents per mile in taxes. Meanwhile, cyclists put in the same 2.3 cents per mile through sales and property taxes but impose 0.2 cents per mile in road wear. Bicyclists are in fact subsidizing the costs of cars in this regard.
3. Bicycles reduce city congestion, reduce pollution, increase health and reduce oil consumption. All of the aforementioned contribute in some way to saving taxpayer money.

I expect in no way to stop hearing from motorists that cyclists don’t belong but I hope with the above facts we can start changing a few minds.