Month: January 2014

By JORDAN D. METZL, SLATE
If there were a drug that treated and prevented the chronic diseases that afflict Americans and we didn’t give it to everyone, we’d be withholding a magic pill.
…
We have that drug today, and it’s safe, free, and readily available.
Exercise has benefits for every body system; it is effective both as a treatment and for prevention of disease. It can improve memory and concentration, lessen sleep disorders, aid heart disease by lowering cholesterol and reducing blood pressure, help sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction, and raise low libido. Exercise does it all.
Even with cancer, particularly colon and recurrent breast cancer, the data show clearly that exercise is a deterrent.
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https://www.businessinsider.com/exercise-is-a-magic-pill-2013-12

By Dave Greene, Clean Currents’ Sustainability Guy
1. Change one trip per week from car to bike. Yes, I love my bike. No, I don’t understand why everyone else isn’t as crazy about this mode of transportation as I am. I mean, I guess I understand. It can seem scary if you’re new to the game. But seriously: it’s so much fun. Plus it’s good for you: even a slow ride can burn close to 300 calories per hour. Plus every gallon of gasoline you don’t burn keeps 19 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Win, win, win, win, win.
….
https://www.cleancurrents.com/7-new-years-resolutions/

[B’ Spokes: I am puzzled why this is such a controversy in Maryland. Is our law cristal clear on this? No but trying to make a legal case for something different is a near impossible task.]

Via San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Bicycle safety signs, comic by Brett Hamil

Via https://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2014/01/bicycle-safety-signs-comic-by-brett.html

[B’ Spokes: This is an example of why it is imperative that drivers know the law of how cyclists are supposed to ride. I will also note that I had something similar happen to me (sans the yelling on my part) and somehow the driver was asserting that my lane position was jeopardizing the safety of her child in the back seat. I’m not sure if my response was good or not but it sure made a point from the reaction I got. “You better not let your kid (~8) ever ride a bicycle because people just like you will try and kill him.” – Yes now even your son thinks you are a very bad person so you may want to rethink your position.]

By Jay Walljasper, Better! Cities & Towns
Researchers have discovered a “wonder drug” for many of today’s most common medical problems, says Dr. Bob Sallis, a family practitioner at a Kaiser Permanente clinic in Fontana, California. It’s been proven to help treat or prevent diabetes, depression, breast and colon cancer, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity, anxiety and osteoporosis, Sallis told leaders at the 2013 Walking Summit in Washington, D.C.
“The drug is called walking,” Sallis announced. “Its generic name is physical activity.”
Recommended dosage is 30 minutes a day, five days a week, but children should double that to 60 minutes a day, seven days a week. Side effects may include weight loss, improved mood, improved sleep and bowel habits, stronger muscles and bones as well as looking and feeling better.
Biking, swimming, dancing, gardening, sports, jogging and aerobics work equally well, Sallis said
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https://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/jay-walljasper/20873/wonder-drug-walking

By EMILY BADGER, The Atlantic Cities
…
But there’s growing concern that the communities we’ve built – full of highways, where few people walk, where whole neighborhoods lack food access – may be pushing us towards obesity, heart disease, and asthma. By this thinking, good architecture and urban planning could encourage us to walk more. It could mitigate pollution. It could illuminate the targeted need for amenities like parks and bike lanes in neighborhoods with the worst health outcomes.
…
When Americans think of health, we instinctively see in our mind’s eye the medical profession and the hospitals and clinics in which they treat illness. We usually do not think of architects and other design professionals. But what if we invited designers to help us reinvent aspects of preventive medicine? What if we adopted design strategies that lead to less sedentary lifestyles? [- Robert Ivy, the CEO of the American Institute of Architects]
…
https://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/12/much-what-we-know-about-public-health-and-urban-planning-wrong/7886/

1. Booby traps found [Frederick Watershed]
2. Kids’ solutions to air pollution
3. Average Bicycle Accident Verdict
4. Surprising Aspects of Pedestrian Laws
5. But, but, jaywalking isn’t illegal
6. New signs up on Rossback Road, Anne Arundel County [Bicycles May Use the Full Lane]
7. Maryland: Cell phone laws, legislation
8. BIKES vs CARS TRAILER
9. Kamenetz [Baltimore County] Announces 23 Miles of New Bicycle Routes
10. The “benefits” of increased car ownership

And may you all ride faster and further in 2014! And most of all smiles and laughter along the way.