Category: Biking Elsewhere

-> USDOT: Many communities across the U.S. have embraced an approach that reduces roadway congestion and stretches our transportation dollars: bicycle infrastructure. Even better, improving bicycle infrastructure boosts economic growth.
In Texas, for example, the City of Austin estimates that a planned protected bike lane network will increase the citys traffic capacity by 25,000 trips a day (https://bit.ly/1GKk38q). And, a report from the New York City DOT shows that installation of protected bike lanes on Columbus Avenue actually led to a 35 percent decrease in vehicle travel time (https://bit.ly/1yeUe19)…
Bicycle infrastructure can be a significant contributor to economic growth… a Furman University study reported increases in commerce ranging from 30 percent to 80 percent for businesses within 250 yards of a greenway, and linked more than 75 percent of Saturday business and 40 percent of weekday business to greenway use…. [https://1.usa.gov/1dyqZh5]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

[B’ Spokes: Maryland has had a complete streets policy since 2001 and we are still waiting for something more than a spot improvement here and there that involves a capital expenditure. And in the following article they are complaining after 3 years. Welcome to our world were even the League of American Bicyclist award words over action.]
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https://www.streetsblog.net/2015/07/01/your-city-has-a-complete-streets-policy-but-does-it-have-complete-streets/

Via Bicycle Accident Attorneys
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Who is at fault? Lets look based on the police reports and citations issued:
-No Violation issued to Cyclist: 27%! This means that 73% of the time when you are hit by a car you will be found in the wrong as having violated some traffic code.
-No Violation issued to Motorist: 55%! This means that only 45% of the time the driver will be found at fault.
Seems unbelievable and unfair doesn’t it? This begs that we look a little further.
What were the actions of the motorists? Cyclists? Fortunately we know. 35% of the time the motorist was going straight. Yep, a whopping 35% of the time a motorist simply was going straight and hit a cyclist. 53% of the time a motorist was either turning right or left. 12% of the time the motorist was doing some “other” thing or it was “unknown” as to what the driver was doing. Lets break this down a bit further. 482 bicycle crashes and in 216.9 of them the driver was found to be in some sort of violation (failed to yield – 16%; unknown -10%; inattention – 8%; other – 7%; speed to fast – 2%; disregarded signal – 2%). How is that a driver can be turning right or left in 255.46 (53%) of the 482 accidents and yet in only 216.9 total accidents they are found to be at fault? How is that the “Failed to Yield” or “Inattention” stats of a combined total of 24% of the violation collisions only account for 115.68 of the bicycle collisions? When in 35% of the collisions (168.7 wrecks) the driver was actually going straight and yet drivers were only cited for inattention 38.56 cases? This is really messed up.
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Dear Cyclist, the driver gets away with 55% of the time.

May 22, 2015 — The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) released the second phase of a new report, “Community and Economic Benefits of Bicycling in Michigan.” The report, funded by federal and state planning and research funds, is the second phase of a larger report describing the economic benefits that bicycling events bring to the economy.
The new report finds that out-of-state participants in all organized bicycling events are responsible for an estimated $21.9 million in economic impact for the state, based on closer analysis of several specific events. Events of various size and type were selected for analysis in order to compare the variety of economic impact:
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https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620-355188–,00.html

-> The U.S. Census is the most widely cited source of data about how Americans get around, but it only asks about commute trips, and commuting only accounts for about 16 percent of total household travel. What happens when you measure the other 84 percent? Researchers at the University of Minnesota set out to design a better way to track how people move around the Twin Cities region.
The UMN team found that driving decreased in the region between 2000 and 2010, while biking and walking grew. Cycling rose over that period from 1.4 to 2.2 percent of trips. Thats about 190,000 daily trips, or a 58 percent increase. Meanwhile, walking grew from 4.5 to 6.6 percent of trips, a 44 percent increase, or almost three quarters of a million daily trips. Residents of the Twin Cities region typically make about 12 million total daily trips. Whats especially interesting is that the share of biking and walking trips in the UMN survey is much bigger than what the Census indicates about two to three times larger. [https://bit.ly/1rW2snN]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

-> It seems that not driving has all sorts of positive health benefits. A recent Canadian study (The Happy Commuter: A Comparison of Commuter Satisfaction across Modes: https://bit.ly/1EhfoIN) sorted people by mode of travel walking, biking, driving, bus, intercity train, and intracity metro and found that people who walk, bike, or take the intercity train are more satisfied with their commutes than others.
A 2010 study conducted in Hamilton, Ontario (Enjoyment of Commute: A Comparison of Different Transportation Modes: https://bit.ly/1JWV841), found that bikers and walkers were more satisfied with their commutes than anyone else, as did a nationwide Canadian survey (Commuting to Work: Results of the 2010 General Social Survey: https://bit.ly/1dhpqED) done the same year.
A British study (Associations between Active Commuting, Body Fat, and Body Mass Index: Population Based, Cross Sectional Study in the United Kingdom: https://bmj.co/1edalUD) found that people who walk, bike, or take any form of public transit have lower rates of obesity than people who drive, after controlling for other forms of exercise and socioeconomic factors.
People who walk or bike to work also have lower rates of diabetes (Active Travel to Work and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the United Kingdom: https://bit.ly/1Jwnh3R) and cardiovascular disease (Active Commuting and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: https://bit.ly/1EhgF2o). [Biking or Walking to Work will Make you Happier and Healthier by Joseph Stromberg: https://bit.ly/1AiukLq]
Impact of Changes in Mode of Travel to Work on Changes in Body Mass Index Survey: evidence from the British Household Panel (https://bmj.co/1JwmIXS) found that workers who switched from driving to walking, bicycling or taking public transportation had a significant average reduction in body mass index equal to about 2.2 pounds per person. [https://bit.ly/1c2mRon]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

-> Realtors® from across the country gathered today to learn about the importance and benefits of walkable urban communities in real estate development during a panel organized by the REALTOR® University Richard J. Rosenthal Center for Real Estate Studies. Residential walkable communities generate four times the tax revenue compared to regional and business malls, bringing more value to the area, according to panelists. Walkable urban regions in the U.S. have a 41 percent higher Gross Domestic Product over non-walkable regions, said Christopher Leinberger, professor at George Washington University School of Business and president of Locus, a national coalition of real estate developers and investors who advocate for sustainable, walkable urban development in metropolitan areas. [https://bit.ly/1Gluu5W ]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

-> Recent travel data show that the City of Vancouver’s (BC) automobile mode share has declined to about half of all trips (most North American cities have about 80% automobile mode share), offset by growth in walking, cycling and public transit trips. Daily automobile trips declined from 980,000 in 2013 to just 918,000 in 2014, while walking, cycling, and public transit trips rose from 893,000 to 905,000. That puts the alternative modes in a statistical dead heat with automobile trips. The city has already surpassed its long-term target to reduce vehicle trips at least 20 percent by 2040.
The Vancouver region:
* Has 3.9 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents, one of the lowest among North American cities, and despite rapid growth in bicycle travel, crashes involving bicycles have not increased, indicating a declining crash rate.
* Households devote just 12.4 percent of their household budgets to transportation, the least of any North American city
* Rates as one of the worlds most livable cities. [https://bit.ly/1BmpasZ ]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

Via Mr Money Mustache
Of all the objections I get from people about why they can’t ride a bike to get around, perhaps the most frustrating is the claim that bicycling is too dangerous. According to this line of reasoning, we all need the protection of a two-tonne steel cage in order to survive the trip to the office or the grocery store.
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Under even the most pessimistic of assumptions:
Net effect of driving a car at 65mph for one hour: Dying 20 minutes sooner. (18 seconds of life lost per mile)
Net effect of riding a bike at 12mph for one hour: Living 2 hours and 36 minutes longer (about 13 minutes of life gained per mile)
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Bicycling: The SAFEST Form of Transportation

Highlight: “Crocker uploaded his video to Close Call Database, where cyclists log incidents involving vehicles. The database catalogs incidents by geography and sends out alerts to users in an area where an incident is reported.”
https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/13/living/feat-bike-helmet-cameras/index.html