Category: Biking Elsewhere

[B’ Spokes:Of the six cases that Streetsblog could find all were caused by at fault drivers so natch blame the victim. It is scary to me that this seems to be a national trend with “safety” professionals to not even address driver behavior that kills but to solely blame the victim. If we ever truly want to put an end to death by automobile this has to change!]
https://www.streetsblog.org/2015/09/16/nypd-to-brooklyn-seniors-stop-getting-killed-by-motorists/

By ERIC JAFFE, City Lab
“That’s the frustrating conclusion one gets from a new case study about implementing a road diet on Livingston. The analysis finds that the safety benefits of reducing automobile space and speeds on the street would far outweigh any losses from driver delay. But the report’s authors state that officials were concerned from the start about upsetting the car-centric status quo”
https://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2015/10/the-benefits-of-slower-traffic-measured-in-money-and-lives/408472/

By Adele Peters, Fast Coexist
Investing in a network of fully separated bike lanes could save cities huge sums in the long-term. But too little investment in wimpy infrastructure could actually decrease enthusiasm for cycling.
For every dollar spent to build new separated bike lanes, cities could save as much as $24 thanks to lower health care costs and less pollution and traffic, according to a new study from researchers in New Zealand.
…
https://www.fastcoexist.com/3034354/the-cities-that-spend-the-most-on-bike-lanes-later-reap-the-most-reward?partner=rss

-> The Sustainable Communities HotReport is designed to give community leaders and residents a quick and easy way to determine how well their communities are performing on a variety of sustainability indicators in transportation, housing, economic development, income and equity. Select a community to view charts, tables, and maps showing performance trends over time or select other communities that you consider “peer” or comparison communities. https://1.usa.gov/1iLuUdu
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

-> In the “Does Walkability Matter? An Examination of Walkability’s Impact on Housing Values, Foreclosures and Crime” study (https://bit.ly/1Oufqau), researchers examined 170 neighborhoods in a medium-sized city to see whether walkability influences neighborhood sustainability. Their analysis shows a positive impact not only on neighborhood housing valuation but also on neighborhood crime and foreclosure. These results provide policy opportunities for planners and citizen groups to pursue strategies to encourage the development of more walkable and sustainable neighborhoods.

[B’ Spokes: We really need to get rid of the signage that the state and the localities have standardized on to give notice that cyclists have a right to the road. A good argument on why is in this article.]
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/bike-lane-signs-drivers-cyclists-rules-of-road

-> A new junction [intersection] designed to avoid cyclists being hit by left-turning traffic has been unveiled in London. This is the first junction of its kind in Britain. Cyclists and turning motor traffic will move in separate phases, with left-turning vehicles held back to allow cyclists to move without risk, and cyclists held when vehicles are turning left. There will also be a new two-stage right turn’ to let cyclists make right turns in safety. For straight-ahead traffic, early-release traffic lights will give cyclists a head start. These innovations aim to significantly cut the cyclist casualty rate. Around 85% of cyclist accidents happen at junctions, mostly involving turning traffic. The new junction, on the upgraded Cycle Superhighway 2 at Whitechapel Road and Cambridge Heath Road, will be the template for junctions to be introduced across London’s main road network in future. https://bit.ly/1V9v22c
[Since vehicles travel on the left side of the road in Britain, switch left with right turns above for North American contexts.]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

By Liz Camuti, The Dirt
“Excessive vehicle use should be discouraged by creating streets that include adequate sidewalks and crosswalks, bike infrastructure, and bus systems.”
https://dirt.asla.org/2015/09/22/sprawl-costs-the-u-s-1-trillion-annually/

By Alex Davies, Wired
THE ARGUMENT THAT embracing a low-carbon future is a road map to economic ruin is bunk, say a band of economists who argue that investing in more efficient transportation, buildings and waste management could save cities worldwide at least $17 trillion. One way to unlock that savings is to promote bikes and buses.
…
https://www.wired.com/2015/09/world-save-trillions-buses-bikes/

[B’ Spokes: I’m sharing this reluctantly. I dabble in statistics and I find this report suspect.
1) It would be darn hard to find any meaningful random sampling of what exactly is a “typical” cyclists exposure to calculate comparative risk from.
2) “2001 National Household Travel Survey was used to estimate traffic exposure” – Oh, lets use “main mode of transportation to work” which represents ~ 25% of all trips as the way to calculate exposure. One way to throw off this calculation is if cyclists did more other trips than riding to work as their motoring counterparts. (See ref#1 for more information on trips)
3) Since we are dealing with small numbers (in comparison) small errors can lead to large errors in the conclusion. For example: If you hear that Baltimore’s cycling population has increased 300%, while that is a good thing it is still a lot smaller then other cities its size. Small numbers can change dramatically in terms of percentages but still are basically meaningless when looked at in a different light. ]
You can read Washcycle’s take more at face value here:
https://www.thewashcycle.com/2015/08/cycling-has-a-higher-risk-of-fatality-than-driving-or-walking-mostly-because-of-men.html
Continue reading “Cycling has a higher risk of fatality than driving or walking, mostly because of men”