Month: July 2007

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Help save a pole and help bike parking

As you may know parking meters are/have been removed for the electronic pay for parking system and as a result we have lost bike parking. If you know of an area with old meter poles and bikes in need of parking please let us know where.

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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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