by: Saundra Young – CNN Medical Senior Producer
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"The study is important for the well-being of children because most children are not meeting physical activity guidelines needed for optimal growth and development," explained Roman Pabayo of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre and lead author of the study. "Active transportation to school represents an affordable and easy way to incorporate physical activity in the daily routines of children."
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"As they age, they are probably most likely to have access to a vehicle through friends and older siblings," Pabayo said. "There still is more room for children to use active transportation to school, our challenge is to raise the proportion of students that uses active transportation to school."
A study Pabayo conducted last year found children aged 6 to 8 who consistently walked or cycled to school lowered their BMI scores during a three-year period.
Pabayo acknowledges that safety is a concern. "We need interventions to help allow parents to be more comfortable allowing their kids to walk school."
Continue reading “Who’s walking to school?”
Biking rocks for policing
By Dan Sokil
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Patrol officer Tim Cornelius has a new ride, one that’s more stealthy and maneuverable than any of his fellow Lansdale Police Department officers’ patrol cars — and gets much better gas mileage, too.
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Several officers have taken the same training as Cornelius through the Baltimore-based International Police Mountain Bike Association, and he says the certification that one earns by taking the four-day, 32-hour course is well worth the work.
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“It makes the police department more approachable to borough residents. I’ve probably had more people stop me in the last couple of months to ask questions than I’ve had in a couple of years in a patrol vehicle,” he said.
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“One of the great features about the bike is the silent clutch, it doesn’t have that tick-tick-tick noise when you’re coasting, so I’ve been able to approach suspicious actors basically undetected,” he said
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“A lot of times, due to traffic congestion I can actually get to calls a lot faster than the marked units can, so it’s a win-win situation for the borough,” Cornelius said.
Continue reading “Biking rocks for policing”
City’s position doesn’t hold water for Loch Raven Reservoir
By Candy Thomson – Baltimore Sun
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In November 2009, 10 city council members filed a resolution that called for transportation and public works officials to work with the mountain biking community to update a decade-old watershed agreement. There was a little back-and-forth, then the city found the money to hire watershed police officers. Naturally, the officers began to issue warnings to riders for straying off the fire roads, which are fine for walkers but useless for mountain bikers.
The mountain bikers say they have been good stewards, picking up trash, educating riders not to cause erosion and eliminating "rogue" single-track trails that cause damage.
Department of Public Works officials say their first responsibility is maintaining a clean drinking water supply, which means it must keep strict buffer areas and restrict human uses. When asked if an "agreement" with mountain bikers might ultimately be extended to restrictions on fishing and other activities, city officials won’t say.
But the city’s position doesn’t hold water. Lots of other jurisdictions have figured a way to make reservoirs and recreation compatible. New trail-building techniques have drastically reduced erosion and runoff. City officials have been antagonistic. There’s no reason this matter should have dragged on since Thanksgiving 2009.
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Continue reading “City’s position doesn’t hold water for Loch Raven Reservoir”
Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off for Baltimore City
Saturday, August 27, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute parking lot located at Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane. Residents should use the Cold Spring Lane entrance.
Dispose of hazardous household materials such as oil-based paints, pesticides, herbicides, car and household batteries, drain cleaners, gasoline, pool chemicals, and many other items. Latex paint can be dried up and the cans put out for regular trash collection.
https://www.baltimorecity.gov/OfficeoftheMayor/NewsPressReleases/tabid/66/ID/1430/Mayor_Stephanie_Rawlings-Blake_and_Department_of_Public_Works_Announce_Household_Hazardous_Waste_Drop-Off.aspx
Boomers wheel into Missoula’s Adventure Cycling
By KEILA SZPALLER of the Missoulian
Bill Kiess wore a bicycle jersey printed with answers to frequently asked questions.
"Yes, I am cycling across the U.S."
"No, I am not crazy."
"81 days."
"Astoria, Oregon."
"Jacksonville Beach, Florida."
"Really, for fun."
"Anywhere there are trees."
Say what? Kiess, visiting Adventure Cycling and one of an estimated 1,000 bikers who will cruise through its Missoula offices in 2011, filled in the blank: "Where do you go to the bathroom?"
One question the jerseys don’t answer is the age of the cyclists. Kiess is 80, a veteran rider and the oldest member of his group, but many of the cyclists rolling across the country this season are baby boomers. Some are riders forging new lives for themselves, and others are commemorating the 35th anniversary of Bikecentennial ’76.
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Continue reading “Boomers wheel into Missoula’s Adventure Cycling”
Is your employer bike friendly? Then nominate them!
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"Lane closed to ease congestion" actually not a crazy fail
by David Alpert
Michael sent along this amusing “FAIL” photo… but is it really a fail at all?
Image from FAIL Blog.
At first blush, this looks ridiculous. How can closing a lane ease congestion? But actually, it can.
Let’s say you have a road that’s one lane in each direction. At one spot, it turns into 2 lanes each direction, then back to 1. What will happen?
People will speed up when the road widens, then merge back where it narrows. Merging creates “friction,” forcing drivers to slow down a little more than usual and to wait for each other which can be inefficient. The end result is lower throughput overall than if the road simply stayed one lane.
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Continue reading “"Lane closed to ease congestion" actually not a crazy fail”
Put to rest the myth that all cyclists are scofflaws and all drivers follow the law
Via Greater Greater Washington
Just try following speed limits: A columnist tries obeying all speed limit laws and finds himself the object of much driver scorn. But science says it’s false that “keeping up with traffic” is the safest behavior. Can this put to rest the myth that all cyclists are scofflaws and all drivers follow the law? (Vancouver Sun, The Urban Country)
Continue reading “Put to rest the myth that all cyclists are scofflaws and all drivers follow the law”