Category: Biking Elsewhere

By Dr. Janet Horn and Dr. Robin Miller
When you first saw the title of this article, you immediately thought it was hogwash, right?
You were a bit disappointed, too, because doctors are supposed to be honest, and discuss only the treatments that have been scientifically proven to work; and everyone knows that there is no such thing as a miracle treatment that keeps you healthy as you age. But, here’s the thing: we are telling you the truth.
First, let us tell you what this miracle treatment can do. It can help you to retain your memory, and possibly even prevent dementia, or at least postpone it for years. It can prevent you from falling, the most common cause of injuries to those of us who no longer even count the number of candles on our birthday cakes. It can, in some cases, keep you from getting arthritis in your knees, and if you already have it, keep you up and moving. It can keep your heart healthy, and if you already have heart disease, it can get you back to feeling great. It can prevent some cancers. If you have diabetes, or high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, it can, in some cases, make them go away, and at the very least, it may allow you to lower your dose of medication for each of these three. It can help you to breathe easy. It can keep you buff and help your sex life. It can help you sleep better, suppress your appetite, and even increase your metabolism. And it can improve your sense of wellbeing, keep your mood positive, and increase how long you live.
We know you’re still doubtful because if such a thing really existed, it would be on TV constantly and all over the internet, and you would’ve probably bought a huge amount of stock in it. But in fact, it not only exists, but all of the effects mentioned above of our miracle treatment have been scientifically proven!
Human beings were meant to move. Every aspect of our bodies’ functioning is geared toward that. On the flip side, movement and mobility are very important to the quality of life. What does this have to do with the miracle treatment? Easy — the miraculous new treatment for all our ills, particularly those accompanying the aging process, is movement. Because of all the negative connotations, we won’t call it exercise or any of those other clinical-sounding names, like “workout” or “physical activity.”
Continue reading “The New Miracle Treatment for Women in Midlife and Beyond: a True Magic Bullet for Staying Healthy and Feeling Good”

This Grist article raises some good questions, do we need more roads, smart growth or new metrics? An excerpt from the Article:
The solution is less sprawl, not more roads: The keenest criticism of the report is that it unjustly penalizes densely-packed cities, which are better than sprawly ones in basically all other ways. Greater Greater Washington explains:
The TTI report narrowly looks at only one factor: how fast traffic moves. Consider two hypothetical cities. In Denseopolis, people live within 2 miles of work on average, but the roads are fairly clogged and drivers can only go about 20 miles per hour. However, it only takes an average of 6 minutes to get to work, which isn’t bad.
On the other hand, in Sprawlville, people live about 30 miles from work on average, but there are lots and lots of fast-moving freeways, so people can drive 60 mph. That means it takes 30 minutes to get to work.
Which city is more congested? By TTI’s methods, it’s Denseopolis. But it’s the people of Sprawlville who spend more time commuting, and thus have less time to be with their families and for recreation.
Continue reading “New report quantifies just how much a car commute crushes your soul”

If you follow the rules of the road and ride carefully, cycling is actually much safer than driving.

By Ryan McGreal

…

Fatality by Time Spent Cycling

Failure Analysis Associates, Inc. performed a comparative analysis of fatality rates for a variety of activities per million hours spent performing a given activity. They concluded that the fatality rate for every million hours spent cycling is 0.26, compared to 0.47 per million driving hours (on-road motorcycling comes in at a whopping 8.80 deaths per million motorcycling hours).

That is, riding a motor vehicle has nearly twice the risk of fatality as riding a bike for a given duration.

Overall Fatality and Commute Homeostasis

According to the US National Safety Council, for every million cyclists in the US, 16.5 die each year, whereas for every million motorists, 19.9 die each year.

…

“Life Years” Gained and Lost

In addition to the direct risk of death or injury, cycling and driving also carry indirect risks that must be factored into account.

According to a study by the British Medical Association, the average gain in “life years” through improved fitness from cycling exceeds the average loss in “life years” through cycling fatalities by a factor of 20 to 1.

Driving confers no commensurate health benefits through improved fitness; in fact, time spent driving actually correlates with poorer overall health and higher risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and related lifestyle diseases.

Psychologically, it’s hard to weigh the slight risk of being hit by a car tomorrow against the vastly reduced risk of having a heart attack in twenty years, but it is far too significant to ignore.

…
Continue reading “Is Bicycling Safe?”

by Elly Blue – Grist

It’s not always where you think it is.Photo: Jonathan WarnerAfraid to ride a bicycle?

You’re not alone.

We know that bicycling is
good for public health: More bicycling and less driving leads to improved air
quality, noise reduction, fewer car crashes, and reduced carbon emissions. 

But what about personal
health — that is, YOUR personal health and safety?

Many people don’t bike
out of fear — with the
most significant terrifying factor, of course, being cars. As many as 60
percent of people in U.S. cities would like to ride a bicycle if it weren’t
for traffic-related concerns.

But you might have more
to fear from not riding.

Fear the
chair in which you read this.

Fear your
car commute.

By all means, fear a poor diet
and sedentary lifestyle.

But bicycling?

True, most of us who ride
a bike in traffic every day have our bouts with fear.
And for good reason. High-speed roads suck to ride on and suck more to cross.
Exhaust sucks to breathe. Driveways and parking lot exits are the pits. The
door zone is a drag.

But these are concerns no
matter what mode of transportation you’re using. We do tend to feel safest in a
cushy SUV, but we’re still subject to the right hook, the too-close pass, the
cut-off — and at freeway speeds, to boot.

Cars are indeed worth
fearing. But not only if you are on a bicycle. Cars are terrible for your health even when you aren’t driving or dodging them.

Photo: Giovanni OrlandoBicycling, on the other
hand, is astoundingly, incontrovertibly good for you. A 2009
review of the scientific literature found that the slight increase in risk
from bicycle crashes is more than offset by the vast improvements in overall
health and lifespan when you ride a bicycle for transportation. In fact, the
health benefits of bicycling are nine times greater than the safety gains from
driving instead.

The research is
compelling enough to elicit amusing talking points about the environmental detriments to prolonging our lives.

You know the old saw
about how you’re less likely to be in a plane crash than in a car crash on your
way to the airport? Everyone’s heard it, but its impact on the fear of flying
is minimal. Fear isn’t rational.

There’s a strong trend to
turn a blind eye to the perils of car dependence — perhaps because our cities and
lives are designed, and not entirely by us, to be dependent on cars. Our nation’s
economy and our daily life depends on being able to set aside valid concerns.
And a culture of misplaced fears is certainly convenient to those who would
like to keep it that way.

Fortunately, just as
fears can be influenced, fears can also be overcome.

And by getting on a bike, you can free yourself
of fears that are specific to
driving — like hitting someone with your car.

When you ride a bicycle,
you make the roads safer for everyone.
In a car, you become a hazard to the public’s well being.

Of course, there are many
ways to get exercise besides bicycling. Running is
great for you. Walking is excellent as well, but doesn’t have the same
demonstrated effect. Climbing mountains, weight training, yoga: all great for
your health.

The real thing that’s
killing us is that we continue
to create places that impose barriers to actually being able to move your
body. High-speed streets without sidewalks or crossings. Walkable neighborhoods
where there is literally nowhere to go. Gyms accessible primarily by car.

We never want to hear
this, but we’re all going to die. Why not get out there and
ride your bike first?

 

 

More good writing about
fear and bicycling:

https://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/09/fear-of-cycling-01-essay-in-five-parts.html

https://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm

https://www.floridabicycle.org/freedomfromfear.html

Continue reading “Don’t fear riding a bicycle, fear sitting in that chair”

From Washcycle:
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) continues to hate on cycling. He has once again proposed legislation restricting airports (including DCA, BWI and IAD) from using revenue from the Passenger Facility Charges to pay for bike parking. "The PFC allows the collection of up to $4.50 for every passenger at commercial airports to be used for projects that enhance safety, security or capacity at airports as well as noise reduction, etc." That not only harms passengers who bike to the airport (I’ve done it) but also employees.
Continue reading “Restrict bike parking at airports?”

from TheWashCycle
…
Idaho presents a natural experiment to test the safety of relaxing requirements due to its state law allowing cyclists to yield [at stop signs] rather than come to a hard stop. Comparison cities lacking the law were sought and Idaho fared best for overall bicycle safety, 30.4% better than the closest match. Bicycle injuries declined 14.5% the year after adoption of the law. Interviews and a survey were conducted and all indications were that the law has been beneficial or had no negative effect, encouraging additional states to follow.
…
Continue reading “Benefits of the Idaho Stop law”

from Bikeleague.org Blog by Andy
The nation’s capital was hit with both a major snowstorm and a return to Congressional action this week – with the transportation bill and future funding issues for once making more progress than the car commuters stuck in  Wednesday’s heavy snow!

On Wednesday, a Senate hearing on the transportation bill included a revealing exchange, reported by StreetsBlog DC, between Senators Inhofe, Boxer and Cardin, and witnesses from the construction industry who seem unaware that their members also build bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Inhofe (R-OK) appeared to ask for help in getting Republican support for a transportation bill that includes funding for transportation enhancements – which prompted witnesses from the National Construction Alliance and Associated General Contractors to express surprise that this even existed! Odd, given that the program has been popular and thriving for the last 20 years and their members have, presumably, been the primary beneficiaries of the investments that have gone to such community-building transportation projects such as trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes.

While no fellow Republicans leaped immediately to the defense of the program, long-time cycling supporter Senator Cardin (D-MD) certainly did, and he was joined by Senator Boxer (D-CA) who noted that many of her constituents consider cycling and walking to be transportation. Given her role as Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, this was good news.

Attention shifted to the House on Thursday. Representative John Mica (R-FL), chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced a series of dates and locations for field hearings on the next transportation bill. While there are a lot more details to come, we know for sure that its going to be important for our issues – i.e. continued investment in bicycling and walking transportation measures – to be raised at these hearings, and for those attending to know that there is a lot of public, business and public agency support for the programs that support these activities.

Concurrent with all this is an ongoing and slightly byzantine budget and appropriations process that will impact overall funding levels for transportation in the short term, and set the scene for longer-term transportation funding and policy. The America Bikes coalition – of which the League is obviously a part – is staying on top of all this, but it is a fast-moving and slightly bewildering process to try and follow from a distance. In the next month, there are probably going to be some action alerts and quick responses that are needed from cyclists around the country; we are continuing to encourage folks to meet with their members of Congress in their districts at this critical time – especially new members and new appointments to key committees. And we are looking forward to seeing many of you in Washington for the National Bike Summit in just a few weeks – where perhaps we can take stock of this current flurry of activity. It’s a lot to ask of state and local advocacy groups and individuals at a busy time for all of us – state legislatures are also back in session around the country and a lot of city and county agencies are struggling with difficult budget decisions at the same time – but all we can say is that we appreciate anything you can do to help amke the case for bicycling during this time…and this isn’t a drill, folks. The next month or so really is pretty crucial.

Which makes it really nice to have the support of key members of Congress like Senators Boxer and Cardin.

Andy Clarke
President, League of American Bicyclists

Continue reading “Congress Swings Back into Action – Boxer, Cardin Support Cyclists”

by David Alpert
One of two bills that would base all transportation decisions on models that prioritize the fast flow of cars passed the Virginia House’s transportation committee Tuesday. All of Northern Virginia’s Republicans on the committee and several Democrats voted for the bill.
HB1998 would make it state law to base transportation decisions on traditional traffic models, which consider only the fast movement of cars and nothing about how closely people live to their jobs, the relative value of transit versus roads, safe movement of pedestrians and cyclists, or any other factors.
This bill is, in essence, the exact opposite of the USDOT’s "livability" push. That agency has been retooling the formulas for federal transit funding to move away from only favoring projects that move the most people the longest distance.
…
Continue reading “Anti-livability bill passes Va. House committee”

from Streetsblog New York City by Angie Schmitt

The scene was America in the midst of a cycling craze. Cycling conventions were affecting the way people dressed and spoke. Enthusiasts were banding together to lobby for better road conditions.

Sound familiar? It was against this background in late 1800s and the early 1900s that the Women’s Suffrage Movement took hold.

The two phenomena were not entirely distinct. Women were enthusiastic participants in the cycling boom, trading petticoats for riding costumes and racing competitively. It was part of the impetus that led them to demand other types of independence, according to the book “Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom,” by Sue Macy.

Network blog Cycling and Style helps explain the importance of cycling to the Women’s Movement in its review of Macy’s book:

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leader in the women’s movement wrote in an 1895 article for the American Wheelman, that “the bicycle will inspire women with more courage, self-respect, self-reliance….” It was a prophetic statement as women, who were leaving their homes (unchaperoned!) to socialize and cycle on country roads and in parks and becoming more involved in public life. Young women were gaining more freedoms and with that came confidence and a feeling of empowerment as the Victorian era drew to a close.

Susan B. Anthony also famously commented on the importance of cycling for women:

I think it has done a great deal to emancipate women. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel. It gives her a feeling of freedom, self-reliance and independence. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can’t get into harm while she is on her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood…

Remarkable how relevant those words are even today, where women continue to play an important and unique role in the cycling movement. I like to think that these pioneering women would be proud of the brave and strong women who are helping advance the cycling cause today.

Continue reading “The Long and Triumphant History of Women in Cycling”

While this is happening in New York, there is no doubt in my mind this action is do in part by Vernon Betkey, Jr. , the head of Maryland’s Highway Safety Office so we may be next.
My issue is this is all based on assumptions. If New York ran a test period to see if a law like this would have a positive effect on reducing pedestrian crashes and no deterrent to living an active life style then hey, how can I complain? Is it really to much to ask for effective solutions over random unproven assumptions?
Continue reading “States’ Lawmakers Turn Attention to the Dangers of Distracted Pedestrians”