baltimorespokes

In 2006, there were 6 million traffic crashes in the U.S., injuring just under 2.6 million people. In the same year, a crash occurred every 5 seconds, someone sustained a traffic-related injury every 12 seconds, and someone died in a traffic crash every 12 minutes. The Nations urban congestion problem resulted in 4.2 billion hours of travel delay, 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel, and a net urban congestion cost of nearly $80 billion, according to a 2007 Texas Transportation Institute report. Today, highway vehicle travel accounts for 81% of total U.S. transportation energy consumption.
Continue reading “More cars and more highways equals…”

Copenhagen: City of Cyclists, Part 1 of 5: Our very first episode of A Billion Bikes, takes us to the Danish city of Copenhagen, which has one of the most advanced urban bicycling communities in the world. A full third of their city workforce commutes by bicycle! This is an excellent 5-part program of weekly episodes. But first, a brief hello from Tour de France champion Floyd Landis, and a fun open.
Continue reading “Copenhagen: City of Cyclists”

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Even though Seminole is Central Florida’s most affluent county,
thousands of students who are within walking or bicycling distance of
their public schools receive government-subsidized bus transportation.

Seminole provides subsidized bus rides to hundreds more students than
anywhere else in Central Florida. Even Orange County, which has 100,000
more students than Seminole, has thousands fewer getting subsidized bus
transportation.
Continue reading “It’s too dangerous for kids to walk to school”

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As H. L. Mencken would say, for every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong. This paper contends that helmet legislation as the primary thrust and cornerstone of bicycle safety campaigns among youth is a cookie cutter solution for three primary reasons. First, it misplaces the focus of campaigns and detracts from other safety behaviors. Second, it is an individual-level intervention that ignores a range of societal and structural factors that increase bicycle safety. Finally, it fails to take into account the importance of youth attitudes and social dynamics as important behavioral determinants. The overall effect is a myopic paradigm with which bicycle safety is approached, and this has harmful consequences for the overall aim of campaigns.
Continue reading “A Distorted Paradigm: Helmet Legislation Among Youth Detracts from a Comprehensive Attitude Towards Safety”

Road Bike Rider reported two months ago that there was a problem with this helmet when Specialized asked us to withhold a review. Now a recall is official, affecting at least some of the 3,000 2D helmets produced (in China). The helmets fail safety testing, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. They were sold for about $200 between July 2007 and October 2007 for men and women in black, white, silver, blue, pink and team colors. "2D" is printed on the sides. If you have one of these helmets, stop riding in it and return it to a Specialized dealer for a replacement or refund.
Continue reading “Product recall: Specialized 2D helmets”

Nuclear energy … we know that it is the cleanest source of fuel for our future
And let me repeat, Mr. Speaker, it raises taxes, it is anti-nuclear and anti-dams, it forces people out of their cars, and gives tax credits for riding their bike to work.
– Republican minority leader of the House, John Boehner.
Continue reading “Oh no, now we are anti-clean energy… which is nuclear power ???”