Chestnut Expressway cuts east-west through the middle of Springfield’s urban core as I’m defining it. It is a 4-lane, 40-mph loop for I-44. It’s very well designed to move cars and trucks across Springfield giving these vehicles easy access to the urban core — especially downtown, OTC, MSU, and Drury. And that’s the problem with [...]
I’m the subject of “15 Minutes With…” in the current issue of Community Press Press (scroll until you see my picture because, sadly, the CFP isn’t hip to the whole web thing yet). The writer, Sarah Bennett, is a student of mine. This is a Q & A feature that, unfortunately, doesn’t demonstrate her ability, [...]
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 [...]
Getting involved in bicycle (and active transportation) advocacy is serious business. How do you discover/plan the right course of action to encourage people to get out of the cars once in a while? Like many other bicycle advocates, I have approached this question programmatically, i.e. identify a problem or opportunity and then dream up a [...]
If you’re looking for some bicycle-related resolutions, check out the list on the Adventure Cycling Association weblog. Number 2 mentions the 1-mile Solution. (Hat tip to Randy at Kansas Cyclist for the heads-up.) I’m happy about that because the 1MS really is an easy and achievable self-improvement. Looking for help? Check out our Drive Less, [...]
Here’s Colin Beavan, of No Impact Man, on The Colbert Report: The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Colin Beavan www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore A couple of thoughts (i.e. painfully obvious assertions): 1. Using a bicycle as basic transportation can have a dramatic effect on one’s carbon footprint, [...]
I rode my bicycle to the grocery store yesterday afternoon. It’s been more than two years since I last drove a car to the store, and I do the majority of the family food shopping. Here’s what I saw upon returning to my bicycle parked in the rack the store provides. That’s five adult bicycles [...]
Today I received my first civic award. The Traffic Advisory Board for the City of Springfield recognized me and Annie DeGraff for our work in publishing the Drive Less, Live More booklet. But there were more people involved than just us. The entire Sustainable Transportion Committee of Ozark Greenways (yes, I swear, a new name [...]
I don’t claim to know much of anything about health care. My wife is an expert on the business of health care, and she once told me: “We’re on our own.” By that she meant: Americans are probably never going to fix the health care system, so individuals must do what they can to stay [...]
Take a careful look at these two maps. The first shows the percentage of obese people in each state. The second is a political map of red and blue states. We’re all pretty fat. But some folks are fatter than others. Here’s a list of the top ten fattest states. And here’s a column about [...]
Our Springfield utility bicycling booklet — Drive Less, Live More — is now available as a .pdf file! I’ve added a page under “Important Stuff” on the sidebar. Technorati Tags: 1-mile Solution, bicycle advocacy, bicycle culture, bicycle politics, bicycle safety, cycling, green revolution, green transportation, sustainability, traffic law, transportation, utility cycling
Tuesday morning means a bicycle ride to the farmer’s market at the Battlefield Mall for fresh fruits and vegetables. Two years ago, I would make that ride and see no bicyclists on the road. These days I’ll see five or more in the 2.5 miles between my house and the mall. It’s great to see [...]
I hear it a lot when the weather is nice: “Great day for a ride!” I hear it because, as I have said before, I often wear my helmet like a hat when I do things such as grocery shopping. It’s just easier to leave it on my head, and it opens the door to [...]
The Panera Bread at National and Elm is within a mile of my house, making it an excellent morning destination to enjoy the Sunday paper — The New York Times — with a bagel and coffee. About once a month my wife and I go there as a change of pace. Although it is hard [...]
I mentioned the dinner-and-a-movie promotion yesterday. My wife and I rode downtown to catch the action on the Square, eat at the new Ziggie’s, and see Sugar at The Moxie. Here are some of the scenes: Here’s a little Springfield Cycle Chic — my wife at our parking location on Patton Alley. Evidence of family [...]
