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Green experts ban cycling to work

Jacobs Engineering Group has sent an email to employees advising them to drive or use public transport.
The firm, which has advised Transport for London (TfL) on sustainable transport, said it wanted to protect staff from road accidents.
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On its website, Jacobs states: "In the area of cycling, we can offer expert resources at every stage from cycle policy and promotion through to the detailed design and implementation of cycle schemes."
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A TfL spokesman said it was committed to encouraging Londoners to use their bikes as much as possible.
"Our serious investment in growing cycling has seen journeys by bike on soar by 83% since 2000," she said.
She said investment in safety improvements had led to a 28% fall in the number of cyclists killed or injured since the mid-nineties.
London Assembly member Jenny Jones, who advises the mayor on green transport, said TfL should consider cancelling its contracts with Jacobs.
She said: "It is hypocritical to offer advice on promoting cycling, but at the same time ban your staff from using bikes.
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Smog in the Baltimore Region

Although this year’s ozone season got off to a relatively mild start, clouds of smog have made a fair showing in Baltimore region so far this year. As of last week, the region has experienced eight "code orange" days. A "code orange" day is one with an air quality index reading of between 101 and 150 and is defined as being unhealthy for sensitive groups. The Baltimore region saw its first "code red" event of the year on June 8. "Code red, with an air quality index of between 151 and 200, is unhealthy for everyone.

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Trips For Kids Works To Promote Health Locally

By NBC 4
WASHINGTON — With all the high-tech gadgets out there, many experts said more and more children are staying indoors, glued to their television sets, computers and video games.
Health experts said all the couch-potato behavior is measuring up to some serious health problems among kids.
A local organization is working to buck the trend, teaching kids to embrace the outdoors and lifting their spirits at the same time.
Julie Childers said she and her husband founded the group Trips for Kids Metro D.C. in order to get children off the couch and outdoors.
"We’d see a lot of kids in the neighborhood and never riding a bike at the park, at the end of the street, and thought, ‘This is crazy. We need to get kids out there and riding a bike,’" said Childers.
Trips for Kids organizes bike treks in the city for children ages 8 to 18. Julie and a team of volunteers help the kids develop their cycling skills and environmental awareness. They said they also promote a healthy lifestyle to fight childhood obesity.
"I like this program because it gives me a chance to go outside and ride. Most kids will just stay inside, play video games and eat potato chips," said Antonio Phillips, of Fredericksburg, Va.
"When I started, I wasn’t good. All the time I fell down, and now I’m good at it," said Catalina Arevalo, of Fairfax, Va.
Childers said that while the physical benefits of the program are obvious, she’s noticed that biking has also positively impacted the children’s lives in other ways.
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Walkers and cyclists clash on Minuteman path

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | July 1, 2007
LEXINGTON– Frank Corsino walks nimbly, a cane in his left hand, a transistor radio in his right. He wears a driving cap and a wide grin, and for years along the peaceful, tree-lined Minuteman Bikeway, the 84-year-old man found solace after his wife and former walking partner died.
But these days it is a different story. Instead of the spirit-restoring stroll he used to enjoy, he finds himself going into combat mode, dodging torrents of joggers, cyclists, stroller-pushers, dog-walkers, and roller bladers who have flocked to the 11-mile trail in mind-boggling numbers.
Community leaders who oversee the trail say its popularity is higher now than in any of the 14 years it’s been open, and the Washington-based Rails-to-Trails Conservancy estimates that there are 2 million annual users, making it the second-busiest trail of its kind in the country.
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The committees also have stuck to a philosophy of ensuring the Minuteman is accessible to all; they’d rather it be crowded than exclusionary, officials say. They have only one hard-and-fast rule, that there can be no motorized vehicles, unless it’s a wheelchair.
"Basically, stay to the right and be happy," said Jack Johnson, chairman of the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee. "If you don’t like it, go find another path. It wasn’t designed for one person or one type of person. It was designed as a multi use system."
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New Md Bicycle Map Available

By Jeffrey Marks

Yes, the new Bicycle Map has arrived. I picked up
a copy at the Monkton NCR Station, open Wed – Sunday.
This new comprehensive map provides guidance for long
distance cyclists travelling in Md; utilizing main
roads with shoulders (e.g. – Route 140 from
Westminster to Emmitsburg), bike trails like the NCR,
and local roads like Butler Road – RT 128 – and Falls
Rd – RT 25. Although bicycle connoisseurs familiar
with the local area may find more interesting, less
travelled roads; this map provides a practical and
continuous route – except for the Bay Bridge – for
cycling through Md.

This comprehensive bike map further strengthens
our case in requesting State Highway to maintain and
improve the routes listed on the map. Last, but not
least, the State has removed from its prohibited
highways the non Freeway portion (north of Route 26)
of divided Route 15 in Frederick County and most of
Route 301 in Queen Annes and Kent counties.