by William Carpenter
Putting the Masses Behind Mass Transit
By Bill Worthen
It’s no secret that Americans are in love with the automobile. Yet, this heavy reliance on autos is taking a toll on the country’s flawed transportation system. Fluctuating gas prices, rising everyday living costs, environmental concerns and an aging infrastructure further tax our transportation system and suggest that it’s time to reconsider this long-standing love affair with cars.
We’re reaching the limits of our capacity and density regarding transportation. Anyone who commutes to work via automobile is likely well-versed in the frustrations caused by traffic, highway degradation and other problems. Yet across the nation we see a real resistance to mass transit.
…
Continue reading “Putting the Masses Behind Mass Transit”
Most romantic in the world – no freeways through the center of town.
from Switchboard, from NRDC › Kaid Benfield’s Blog
Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities & Smart Growth, Washington, DC
One of my most popular recent posts was published last month on Valentine’s Day. In it, I pointed out that some of the cities considered the most romantic in the world – such as Prague, Paris, Lisbon, Rome, Vienna, and Venice – had a number of things in common: walkability, lively public spaces and thriving downtowns, a strong sense of place, good public transportation, and so on.
Here’s something else they have in common: no (or almost no) freeways running through the center of town.
…
Continue reading “Most romantic in the world – no freeways through the center of town.”
Fares are just taxes by another name
[B’ Spokes: in light of Assembly pushes for higher MTA fares the following seems appropriate.]
via Google Maps Bike There
|
Fares are just taxes by another name Posted: 30 Mar 2011 03:09 AM PDT So says Noam Chomsky in his book Class Warfare (pdf). This means that an increase in fares is an increase in taxes. We should oppose these tax increases, which are very regressive, aimed at everyone but the rich — because, generally speaking, rich folks don’t take public transit. And now that bike-sharing schemes are increasingly falling under the umbrella of ‘public transit’, it is likely their fares and fees will be raised, too — for example, up to 70% for Paris’ Velib system (hat tip: World City Bike). Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a socialist to be against raising taxes against those who can least afford it — even relatively conservative/capitalist institutions like the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Star-Ledger understand that raising public transit fares is tax that is going to make it even more difficult for working families to get by. Even avowed individual capitalists understand that class war is being waged by the rich against everyone else, and the rich are winning. There may be reasons why we may decide that having non-rich folks pay more in taxes for public transportation is required or desirable, but for me, I’d rather we have rich folks start paying some taxes — and corporations, too. |
Woman arrested in bicyclist hit and run
[B’ Spokes: Sounds very close to Natasha Pettigrew fatality but WITH charges of hit and run. ]
****************************************************************************************************
Pete Skiba
LEESBURG, Ga. — A 25-year-old woman has been charged after authorities say the SUV she was driving Monday night slammed into a bicyclist in a hit-and-run incident.
Mia Register was jailed on charges of drunken driving, hit and run with serious injury, failure to report an accident with injury, and endangering a child.
The bicyclist, Jeffrey Haire, was taken to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital after the crash, which happened about 8:20 p.m. He was listed in good condition Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
“Her boyfriend was in the vehicle with her,” said Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals. “He came to the sheriff’s office and turned her in because he knew it was the right thing to do.”
Also in the 2002 Mazda Tribute SUV with Register was her 7-year-old son, said Georgia State Senior Trooper Walter Spurlin, who interviewed the couple after the arrest was made around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“The man tried to get her to stop because he knew she hit someone,” Spurlin said. “She said she thought it was a trash can or a mailbox.”
Spurlin said that at the time of the crash, Haire was wearing a helmet, a reflective vest and had two flashing red lights on the rear of his bicycle. Haire, an experienced cyclist, was following the rules of the road and had taken all safety precautions, Spurlin added.
Register lives about 50 yards from Haire’s street, Spurlin said.
Someone in the neighborhood called the night of the crash to say they saw Register cleaning the SUV. Deputies were already on their way to Register’s home, he added.
The name of Register’s passenger was not immediately available from Spurlin or Rachals. A jail spokeswoman said Wednesday afternoon that Register was in jail awaiting a first appearance before a judge. The initial court appearance could come as early as this morning.
Continue reading “Woman arrested in bicyclist hit and run”
SoHo’s Rejected Pop-Up Cafés Won’t Appear Elsewhere
[B’ Spokes: I love outdoor cafés! And I love better uses for dead car storage areas (parking spaces.)]
The pop-up café on Pearl Street has boosted foot traffic and improved business for nearby restaurants. Image: NYCDOT
Last Thursday evening, Manhattan Community Board 2 voted down five of six approved pop-up cafés in their neighborhood, choosing parking spaces over public seating.
…
Continue reading “SoHo’s Rejected Pop-Up Cafés Won’t Appear Elsewhere”
Businesses receive lesson in bicycle-friendly tactics
Cycling advocates and business owners learned about bicycle-friendly business tactics at a Frederick Bicycle Coalition workshop Tuesday afternoon.
The C. Burr Artz Public Library Community Room was packed with about 35 participants, including a panel of speakers.
Tom Rinker talks to business people every week who are interested in becoming more bicycle friendly. Even more often, he hears from workers interested in finding employment that accommodates bicyclists.
"People do think about it, especially young professionals," the Bicycle Escape store owner said.
Businesses can benefit from being bicycle friendly, he said, including being more attractive to potential employees and creating a more creative environment with less stress, Director of Economic Development Richard Griffin said.
Making strides toward becoming a bicycle-friendly business is easy, according to Bill Nesper, director of the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle-Friendly America Program.
Participating in Bike to Work Day — scheduled for May 20 — and providing bike safety tips to employees can get businesses on the right track, Nesper said.
FBC member, business owner and bike rider Bob McCutcheon would like to apply for the bicycle-friendly business designation in the future, but needs to add bike racks for customers and employees at his downtown store, McCutcheon’s Apple Products Inc.
"More bicycle-friendly businesses mean a more bicycle-friendly city," McCutcheon said.
The Commuter Check for Bicycling program, a national benefit to allow bike commuters to receive $20 per month as a subsidy to pay for commuting costs, is certainly friendly.
People can use the vouchers at participating businesses to pay for things like bike storage at work, the purchase of bike-related equipment and repairs, said Paul Doran, director of sales for the program. Rinker’s business utilizes the vouchers, though they haven’t had many cyclists turn them in.
Clyde Hicks, co-owner of The Trail House outdoor shop, would likely apply for the designation, he said.
"I thought we were (bicycle friendly)," he said at the Tuesday workshop, where he learned about more extensive measures the store can take to aid cyclists.
"Most businesses we deal with can find quite a few things they are already doing that is (potentially) accommodating," Nesper said.
Continue reading “Businesses receive lesson in bicycle-friendly tactics”
Bike Month Challenge Prizes
We’re pleased to announce the official prizes for the 2011 Bike Month Challenge. A special thanks to all of our in-kind sponsors, listed to the right. Please make sure you visit their websites. The Bike Month Challenge Registration opens on Friday. We’re all really excited!
| Category | Measure | Prizes |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize | Total # of points | Bike-themed cake “trophy” from Charm City Cakes, Waterfront Partnership Entertainment Package including tickets and gift cards ($374 value), $100 gift certificate to Baltimore Bicycle Works |
| Second Place | Total # of points | Complete bike overhaul including cables ($175 value), courtesy of Twenty Twenty Cycles, $75 driving credit toward new or existing Zipcar membership and bag full of Zipcar goodies |
| Most Bicycle Commuting Miles | Total miles biked | Endura Rain Jacket and Pant (Courtesy of Joe’s Bike Shop, $240 value), $100 gift card to Race Pace Bicycles |
| Best Bike to Work Day Coordinator | # Coworkers Participating | Chrome Messenger Bag (Courtesy of Joe’s Bike Shop, $120 value), $100 gift card to Race Pace Bicycles |
AAA, lawmakers seek new auto manslaughter law
from Getting There by Michael Dresser
…
But proponents argued that a simple traffic charge — which can be resolved by mailing in a fine without a court appearance by the defendant — isn’t appropriate in a case where someone is killed through a driver’s negligence.
“This much-needed legislation addresses a critical loophole that traffic safety advocates, including AAA and the families of victims have been trying to fix for nearly 15 years,” said AAA spokeswoman Ragina C. Averella. “It’s a loophole so large that negligent and irresponsible Maryland drivers who kill have been escaping through it for years."
…
“It is embarrassing that Maryland has this massive loophole in its law. When you look at the statutes and accompanying penalties in other states, this bill is more than fair and sensible. It provides a measure of justice for all concerned,” she [Adiva Sotzsky] said.
But Frosh said in an interview last week that drivers found to be negligent in the deaths of others can face costly civil penalties. He said his view is that in most cases, jail terms should be reserved for those who intentionally caused harm.
…
Continue reading “AAA, lawmakers seek new auto manslaughter law”
Campaign to protect pedestrians, cyclists as number of crashes in the District rises
Has anyone seen coverage of Street Smarts for the Balto Metro Area yet? Are we going to get anything better then just "we will be ticketing j-walkers"? Does anyone know?
Continue reading “Campaign to protect pedestrians, cyclists as number of crashes in the District rises”