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Category Archives: ecology

Our Urban Challenge: First in a Series

“What is striking about biking is not that it solves any particular problem but, instead, that is it part of the solution to several.” —  J. Harry Wray
We have several problems in Springfield.
You can begin to survey our problems — or challenges — by reading Springfield’s Competitive Assessment. Another snapshot of our community is available [...]

Posted 11 March 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § business § policy ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , , , , , ,

CIP at the Council Meeting

The City Council last night heard public comment on Council Bill 2010-073 — calling for a special election in June to renew the 1/4-cent Capital Improvements Sales Tax. STAR Team Chairman Bruce Adib-Yazdi was one of three citizens who spoke in favor of the tax. No one spoke against it.
Bruce’s remarks were confined to supporting [...]

Posted 09 March 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § news § policy ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: , , , , , ,

CIP And Bicycle Infrastructure

Not doing anything at 6:30 this evening? Then drop by the city council meeting to show your support for the $400,000 line item in the Capital Improvements sales tax renewal to pay for a new bicycle route numbering system (complete with wayfinding) and sharrows. This is a numbering system developed by the STAR Team and [...]

Posted 08 March 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § news § policy ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: , , , ,

Stuff

Ya gotta carry stuff to be a utility bicyclist.
Now that I have a Burley Nomad, I can carry a lot more stuff — like groceries and such. And when the farmer’s market opens, well, just look out. I’ll be buyin’ some food.

It’s attached to my Marin Pioneer Trails here. And I’ll soon be able to [...]

Posted 04 March 2010 † Andy Cline § bicycle equipment ‡ Comments (7) ° Tagged: , ,

Fat City

Gallup has gone looking for the commonalities among America’s most obese metropolitan areas. Here’s the top ten:

The study covers the usual suspects, e.g. poor eating habits and lack of exercise. But here’s something they overlooked: access to (or willingness to use) alternative transportation, i.e. burning calories instead of carbon.
In Montgomery, Ala., for example, data from [...]

Posted 03 March 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § news ‡ Comments (11) ° Tagged: ,

Media Centers

Planetizen (one of my new favorite blogs) points to an interesting article about using library media centers to revitalize cities. While it isn’t housed in a fancy new building, we do have one of these media centers right in the heart of downtown Springfield on the Square — the Park Central Branch Library. Here’s a [...]

Posted 03 March 2010 † Andy Cline § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , ,

A Metaphor to Ride By

Here are some lessons about riding in traffic from Keri Caffrey of Commute Orlando. It’s a dance!

Bicycling in traffic is a dance you lead from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.
Note the commanding and confident lane positioning.

Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, bicycle culture, bicycle safety, bicycle video, cycling

Posted 02 March 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy ‡ Comments (4) ° Tagged: , , , ,

Rail Dreams

From Planetizen comes word that 88 percent of Americans want high-speed rail. Sounds like good news to me. But the numbers may be a bit suspect as they come from a survey conducted by HNTB Corporation. HNTB, based in Kansas City, would be just the outfit to design, build, and maintain such infrastructure.
Now, just because [...]

Posted 28 February 2010 † Andy Cline § news § policy ‡ Comments (11) ° Tagged:

Big Wheel Keep On Turnin’

So, I looked at the temperature this morning — 29. I said to my daughter: “Walk or ride?” She chose ride! Excellent. That’s progress.

Technorati Tags: bicycle culture, cycling

Posted 26 February 2010 † Andy Cline § ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: ,

A Walking Winter

Carbon Trace is also supposed to be about walking, but I don’t spend much time writing about it. Perhaps I need to change that. The last few weeks have given me much to think about because the weather has kept me on foot.
I’m prepared to ride my bicycle no matter what the temperature is. My [...]

Posted 25 February 2010 † Andy Cline § ‡ Comments (3) ° Tagged: , ,

LAB and the Future of Bicycling

Mighk Wilson, of Bicycling Is Better, has decided not to renew his membership to the League of American Bicyclists. He’s a guy with a lot of serious bicycling cred. So when he says the following, I’m inclined to listen:
I don’t want this to be seen as a League-bashing exercise.  I’ve been wondering if I should [...]

Posted 15 February 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § bicycle safety ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

CIP Tax Up for Renewal in June

The News-Leader reports today on the renewal of the capital improvement projects tax — a 1/4-cent sales tax that will expire in September. The vote is set for June.
This is the money that has paid, and will continue to pay, for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Springfield — a small portion of the $26 million [...]

Posted 10 February 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § policy ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , ,

What MO Citizens Want

The Missouri Transportation Alliance has been studying what sorts of MoDOT policies citizens will support. Click here for a report on the findings by Brent Hugh of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation:
The good points from our point of view:

MoTA is recognizing that people want to be able to have the choice to bicycle, walk, and [...]

Posted 09 February 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § policy ‡ Comments (7) ° Tagged: , , , , ,

Walking in the Cold

Jason Peters continues to meditate on the virtues of walking at Front Porch Republic (re: Walk, Damn It!). This week he writes about what it means to walk in the cold.
And by now this walking has become habitual enough that, if for pressing reasons I do not or cannot walk, I feel that an important [...]

Posted 06 February 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy ‡ Comments (10) ° Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Still On Foot

There’s still an uncomfortable amount of snow out there, so I continue to walk to work. Here’s the dreary scene from my office window this morning.

A wintry mix is on the way — due by noon. Yuck.
But not to worry. I wear on of those wonderful Carhartt jackets that are large and roomy to accommodate [...]

Posted 04 February 2010 † Andy Cline § weather ‡ Comments (4) ° Tagged: ,