"The House has voted to rush an additional $2 billion into the popular but financially strapped "cash for clunkers" car purchase program."
So we have to ask why not a "Cash for beater bike" program? The car industry is not the only industry hurt by the recession and if you want to talk about reducing our dependence on oil and curb global warming nothing works like the bicycle. Riding a bike 1.5 times a week or for 2.5 months out of the year would be the equivalent of trading in a 18mpg clunker for a 22mpg new car. Now if car qualifies for a $3,500 check from Uncle Sam shouldn’t a bike used for similar reductions also qualify for a $3,500 check? (Eying the top end bikes at my LBS.) Heck, even a $350 check would help get people to buy a bike and would help ten times the number of people in reducing dependence on oil and curb global warming. Think about this; ten people riding a bike (instead of a car) for just one week out of the whole year is equivalent of one person buying a more fuel efficient vehicle.
Part 2 of this commentary is if the Highway Trust Fund is financially strapped because of a 4.4% decrease in gas tax revenues how is a 20% reduction in the purchase of gas going to help? We need to put an end to the non driving public directly subsidizing the driving public.
Continue reading “Your tax dollars at work to sell more cars”
The big, fat truth about Americans
… raising our children to step away from the video games and spend more time playing outside.
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This week, researchers published a study in the journal Health Affairs that found that as obesity rose 37 percent over the last decade, the cost of obesity to the nation has nearly doubled from $78.5 billion a year to $147 billion a year. Obesity now accounts for nearly 10 percent of all healthcare spending. The per capita cost of medical care for someone who is obese is $1,429 a year, 42 percent more than for the care of someone of normal weight.
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The money we now lose in just one year to obesity is five times the budget of Massachusetts. It is nearly 16 times what the federal government has made available to states from 1992 to 2008 for transportation enhancements such as bicycle and pedestrian paths.
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But just as Americans need him [Obama] to bluntly tell us we’re fat, Capitol Hill has to … support cities and suburbs in redesigning streets and parks to support people who want to cycle or go out for a run and children who want to play outside. In a crusade against fat, flabby politics will not do.
Continue reading “The big, fat truth about Americans”
A few things from the bike shop. (best of craigslist)
Whoo-hoo Seattle, the sun is out! Let’s discuss a few things before you fumble with swapping the unused ski rack for the unused bike rack on the Subaru.
So yes, you’ve noticed the sun is out, and hey!- maybe it would be cool to to some bike riding. Let’s keep in mind that the sun came out of all 600,000 of us, so for the most part, you’re not the only one who noticed. Please remember that when you walk into my shop on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. It will save you from looking like a complete *censored* that huffs "Why are there so many people here?"
Are we all on the same page now about it being sunny outside? Have we all figured out that we’re not the only clever people that feel sunny days are good for bike riding? Great. I want to kiss all of you on your forehead for sharing this moment with me. Put your vitamin D starved fingers in mine, and we’ll move on together to some pointers that will make life easier.
SOME POINTERS FOR THE PHONE:
– I don’t know what size of bike you need. The only thing that I can tell over the phone is that you sound fat. I don’t care how tall you are. I don’t care how long your inseam is. Don’t complain to me that you don’t want to come ALL THE WAY down to the bike shop to get fitted for a bike. I have two hundred bikes in my inventory. I will find one that fits you. Whether you come from the north or the south, my shop is downhill. Pretend you’re going to smell a fart, ball up, and roll your fat ass down here.
– Don’t get high and call me. Write it down, call me later. When I have four phone lines ringing, and a herdlet
of people waiting for help, I can’t deal with you sitting there "uuuuhhh"-ing and "uuummm"-ing while your brain tries to put together some cheeto-xbox-fixie conundrum. We didn’t get disconnected, I left you on hold to figure your shit out.
-I really do need to see your bike to know what is wrong with it. You’ve already figured out that when you car makes a noise, the mechanic needs to see it. When your TV goes blank, a technician needs to see it. I can tell you, if there is one thing I’ve learned from you *censored*ing squirrels, it’s that "doesn’t shift right" means your bike could need a slight cable adjustment, or you might just need to stop backing into it with the Subaru. Bring it in, I’ll let you know for sure.
– No, I don’t know how much a good bike costs. For some, spending $500 dollars is a kingly sum. For others, $500 won’t buy you one good wheel. You really need to have an idea of what you want, because every one of you raccoons "doesn’t want to spend too much".
Continue reading “A few things from the bike shop. (best of craigslist)”
75-year-old woman charged in hit-and-run
By Bonnie L. Cook – INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Lower Merion police filed charges today against a 75-year-old Villanova woman they said is responsible for a hit-and-run accident July 15 that injured a Bryn Mawr teenager.
Suzanne K. Lammers, 75, of the 1600 block of Hepburn Drive, was charged with causing an accident involving personal injury, a felony, and failure to stop and render assistance, a summary offense. The felony carries a minimum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Lammers was arraigned via video camera at the Police Administration Building in Ardmore; the charges were lodged with Magisterial District Court Justice Kathleen Valentine several blocks away.
Lammers was released after posting 10 percent of $50,000 cash bond. A preliminary hearing is set for 10 a.m. Thursday, Police Superintendent Michael J. McGrath said.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, the accident happened on New Gulph Road near Morris Avenue in Bryn Mawr. Andrew Mallee, 13, was riding his bicycle on New Gulph when he was struck by a car described by witnesses as a gold Volvo station wagon. Both the car and bike were heading west. The car didn’t stop, the affidavit said.
Mallee was treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for head injuries, but is expected to make a full recovery, McGrath said.
Detectives working from an anonymous tip went to Lammers’ home Tuesday. She offered to show them her Volvo, parked in a garage, and said the car was damaged when she struck a deer.
"Mrs. Lammers stated she continued to travel west in order to turn around, and when she heard sirens, she decided that she should go home, because she was not sure what happened," the affidavit said.
Detectives who ran forensic tests on Lammers’ car said the damage matched the circumstances of the hit-and-run accident, according to the affidavit.
Continue reading “75-year-old woman charged in hit-and-run”
BikePed Beacon — July 2009
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The following monthly newsflash from the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board details current news and events in regards to biking and walking both in and around the Baltimore region.
The information found in the newsflash is informative; it could inspire some to become more involved in the process of improving conditions for biking and walking.
There is much to enjoy for everyone in this newsletter. There is always plenty of information and resources available but the BMC tries to make all that information just as enjoyable as riding a bike or taking a walk.
You may peruse the newsletter highlights below but be careful not to miss anything.
Thank you, and Enjoy!
Stephanie Yanovitz
BikePed Beacon Editor
Eduction funds paying for roads???
Yesterday, for the second year in a row, Congress took big money from the general fund – the part of the federal budget that covers things like education or unemployment assistance – to keep the Highway Trust Fund from going broke.
– Transportation for America press release
Moonlight Madness Bikeride in pics
Local Businesses Save the Day for Neighborhood Kids
From Baltimore’s Examiner:
Mayor Dixon (center), gets ready to ride with Belair neighborhood kids.
Early Friday morning, some kids in the Belair-Edison Neighborhood woke up bright and early. By 7:30 am, the event they had been looking forward to all summer was about to take place: their bike ride alongside Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon. The kids, along with the event’s coordinators, the non-profit Belair Edison Neighborhoods Association (BENI), were counting their blessings.
As it were, the event almost didn’t happen.
A week before the event, all the helmets, pumps and bikes the kids had been primping all summer leading up to this event, were stolen from the old maintenance shed in Herring Run Park where they had been stored since the beginning of the program.
One of the children who received new bikes.
“For the kids, it was so disappointing,” said Mary Warlow, Marketing Director for the Belair-Edison Neighborhood Association. “They had put so many hours into rehabing their bikes and they got very attached to them.”
That’s when a group of local business owners, headed by Tania and Nicolás Ramos from Arcos Restaurante and including Central Realty, the Hispanic Business Association, Eber Portillo from El Salvador Restaurant, Mi Bandera Supermarket and Gelmin Portillo from Latin Service LLC, came to the rescue. Within a couple of days, these businesses, aided by the Baltimore Mayor’s Office and the Baltimore Police Department, had already collected over 20 bikes — almost twice as many as they originally had.
The case is now under investigation at the local Police Department. As for the kids, Ms. Warlow added, “they are just thrilled to ride their new bikes.”
Fernando Parada, Vice President of the Hispanic Business Association — one of the contributing entities — said they were very excited to help make a positive impact on the community’s kids. “It gets to your spirit when you hear of something like this happen. This was an opportunity for our businesses to make a connection with the community at large.”
For the Belair-Edison Association, this means they can now continue and expand their program to include more children who can earn bikes through acts of community service — mostly gardening at the community gardens in the park and helping out with the Movies in the Park program they organize every summer. “We are so glad that so many minority businesses in the area turned out for us,” Ms. Warlow added. “It was really exciting to see people respond so positively to this. This means so much for our kids. It’s been almost overwhelming.”
Neighborhood kids receive the donated bikes.
But for Mr. Parada, the implications of Latino businesses uniting for a common cause are much deeper. “The Hispanic community is younger than other communities and participating in this kind of things together, be it a non-profit event or a community cause, will help us all,” he said. “The more we do this, the better we’ll understand the bigger picture, what it means to unite as a business community.”
As the children rode off next to the Mayor around the beautiful park they work so hard to help maintain, their beaming smiles seemed to agree: amazing things do happen when a community comes together.
For more information about the kids program or to support the Belair-Edison Neighborhood Association (BENI), visit their website or call 410-485-8422.
Bike stolen/kids caught
A young teenager stole a bike from a backyard.
A Shomrim responder [a group that works with the police/checking out the neighborhood] saw this event and followed the kid……….police were there within a couple of minutes because of the "responders" directions.
3 kids were arrested and the bike was picked up by the owner.
CDC.gov: Halt Obesity Epidemic by Building Complete Streets Now
In a comprehensive report just released by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a national team of researchers and policy experts is recommending that communities adopt “Complete Streets” policies in their fight against obesity. The authors cite over 100 recent scientific studies to justify their proposed interventions and suggested measurements.
The critical need to create streets that are safe and accessible for physical activity for residents of all ages and abilities has become one of the driving forces behind the Complete Streets movement, which has recently taken hold in New Haven and Statewide. Transportation reform in general is also seen by national experts, like the Convergence Partnership and the Living Cities Collaborative, as a cornerstone of more sustainable and equitable neighborhoods.
Despite strong policy recommendations from the Federal Government and many other groups across the country, complete streets can not be created overnight, because they involve much more than just crosswalks, adequate sidewalks, bike lanes or sharrows painted on the roads. More complex treatments such as traffic circles, pedestrian refuge medians, bollards and curb extensions (such as the ones in Manhattan shown below), which can enhance safety and actually make traffic flow more smoothly, are also needed to encourage walkability.
But most importantly, lower speed limits within compact urban centers like Downtown New Haven — backed up by well-designed roads that encourage drivers to actually obey those lower speed limits — are the key intervention needed to create streets suitable for all users. When vehicles travel at speeds above 20 miles per hour, the comfort level of pedestrians and cyclists drops dramatically, and injury risks increase exponentially. This tension was recently seen in New Haven on Whitney Avenue, where despite the requests of hundreds of local residents, the city was unable to even consider shifting road paint applications by a few inches, even though speeds on the neighborhood road regularly exceed 35 miles per hour.
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Continue reading “CDC.gov: Halt Obesity Epidemic by Building Complete Streets Now”