An interesting article about cheep oil coming to an end but I will note that all our long rang plans (20 years out) all assume the abundance of cheep oil and single occupancy vehicle dominance. Are we realistically planning for our future?
Continue reading “Peak Oil by 2014… says Kuwait”
Women: take this cycling survey:
Are you a woman? Do you ride a bicycle? Do you NOT ride a bicycle? Do you sometimes ride a bicycle? The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals is doing a Web survey to try to collect data on how to make cycling more accessible to women and girls.
Bike Raps for Bike Racks
It’s Called a Side-”Walk” for a Reason
by
Popout
658304 from Bikesafer on Vimeo.
Via Jeff Frings, who politely tries to educate a driver (who’s clearly trying to overcompensate in all kinds of ways) on traffic laws. Later he’ll tell his long-suffering wife about some “idiot” cyclist on the road who wouldn’t get out of his way. It leaves one to wonder what actual percentage of drivers out there have a grasp of, say, more than 50% of the traffic code.
Coalition Formed to Promote Public Road Safety
WASHINGTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A coalition of road safety advocates has formed the Partnership for Advancing Road Safety (PARS) and vowed to make roads safer by raising awareness of traffic safety initiatives that prevent injuries and decrease fatalities.
PARS will work to send a clear and consistent message to the driving public: It is not okay to speed, run red lights, drive while distracted, or in any other way endanger the lives of others on roads and highways.
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"While a vocal minority may oppose road safety cameras, our research indicates just the opposite — 80 percent of the public support intersection safety cameras and 67 percent support speed safety cameras," said Kelly. "Automated road safety cameras share one thing in common with other proven safety countermeasures – they save lives. And that’s the message PARS intends to communicate to everyone we can reach."
The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that of the 37,261 fatalities on U.S. roadways in 2008, 31 percent were speeding-related. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the economic cost of speed-related crashes is more than $40 billion each year. NHTSA also reports that speeding now causes as many fatalities as drunk or distracted drivers.
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"Speeding and intersection crashes contribute to more than 10,000 deaths each year," said John Ulczycki, Group Vice President – Research, communications and Advocacy for the National Safety Council. "Changing the driving behaviors that cause these deaths and injuries must be part of the comprehensive solutions needed to improve traffic safety,"
Continue reading “Coalition Formed to Promote Public Road Safety”
Vicious Cycle
[Baltimore Spokes: Probably a bit too long video and transcript but generally coverage of everyone’s POV on sharing the road was well presented sans one, the scoff law cyclists. While I understand the rational of cycling advocates unwillingness to "justify" the scoff law cyclists but still, mass civil disobedience is a form of protest but a protest of what some how alludes the press attention. (Hint: I am looking for a group of volunteers willing to stand in front of stampeding bulls. No volunteers? Hmmm… I wounder why people think standing in front of a bunch of cued cars getting ready to speed off is a completely unrelated experience from having bulls stampeding by you? )]
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LIZ HAYES: Nathan and Simon are well aware of the aggression they face. Every moment they’re on the road they must be alert for the next assault.
LIZ HAYES: Are you trying to tell me there are drivers who deliberately try to frighten you, to run you off the road?
NATHAN BESH: Without a doubt.
SIMON HOOKHAM: Absolutely. Hit the horn right when they’re right at your shoulder, that sort of thing.
NATHAN BESH: And also deliberately push us into other lanes and literally run us off the road.
LIZ HAYES: They just hate you being on the road?
NATHAN BESH: Some seem that way, yes.
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Continue reading “Vicious Cycle”
The usual blaming of the victim follows latest pedestrian death
Baltimore’s “It’s the pedestrians fault” ad campaign. I don’t know about you but I feel safer crossing the streets now. :-/
By John Bennett
This sequence of events is becoming awfully easy to predict:
- Pedestrian is killed or injured on a local street that’s dangerous by design.
- News media coverage of the incident uncritically repeats law enforcement warnings that pedestrians should use crosswalks.
- Readers and viewers of news media coverage jump at the chance to share stories about “stupid” pedestrians who represent “a nuisance to motorists” because they don’t use crosswalks.
Continue reading “The usual blaming of the victim follows latest pedestrian death”
Bike racing is the new football: High school teams ride wave of momentum
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Boulanger is now the recently elected Board President of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). NICA is a new organization (they held their first board meeting just last month) working toward the ambitious goal of developing competitive high school mountain biking leagues from coast-to-coast by 2020. So far there are just three states with leagues — California (NorCal and SoCal), Colorado, and Washington. But, with an impressive list of big-time corporate sponsors (Specialized, SRAM, Trek among others) and partners, the future looks very bright.
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Continue reading “Bike racing is the new football: High school teams ride wave of momentum”
Fuel Tax Increase Necessary to Cut Transportation Emissions
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Raising the price of gas to $7 per gallon may be necessary to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2020 targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 14 percent, says a new report from Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
The report posits that reducing oil consumption and carbon emissions from transportation will be more difficult than previously assumed. It will require substantially higher fuel prices, ideally in combination with more stringent efficiency standards.
Additionally, the study concludes that relying on subsidies for electric or hybrid vehicles – often the politically attractive option – is an ineffective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near term.
“Tax credits don’t address how much people use their cars,” said Ross Morrow, one of the report’s authors. “In reverse, they can make people drive more.”
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Continue reading “Fuel Tax Increase Necessary to Cut Transportation Emissions”
My Life Behind Bars
I’m posting this more for the title then anything else but there are some nice photos to be found:
Continue reading “My Life Behind Bars”