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Tag Archives: active transportation

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 § ecology § policy ‡ Comments (0) ° Also 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 § ecology § news § policy ‡ Comments (1) ° Also 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 § ecology § news § policy ‡ Comments (2) ° Also 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 § ecology § news ‡ Comments (11) ° Also 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 § ecology ‡ Comments (2) ° Also 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 § ecology § policy ‡ Comments (7) ° Also 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 § ecology ‡ Comments (10) ° Also tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Risk and Rewards

Charles Pelkey’s bicycle safety article in the VeloNews makes this claim:
Getting a precise breakdown of the actual risks per mile is a bit more difficult, but a rough analysis of 2005 fatalities would suggest that riders are between three and 10 times more likely to die per mile traveled than are drivers.
Sounds scary.
I prefer my [...]

Posted 28 January 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § bicycle safety § ecology ‡ Comments (4) ° Also tagged: , , , , ,

City Crash Report

The City of Springfield issued its 2009 crash report at yesterday’s Traffic Advisory Board Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee meeting. I am a member of that subcommittee.
The report is full of good news. Crashes and fatalities are down. One sad note is the recent death of a teenager — the only bicycle crash fatality for 2009. There were [...]

Posted 27 January 2010 † Andy Cline § news ‡ Comments (5) ° Also tagged: ,

Zen And The Art Of Anything

The construction “zen and the art of ____” (e.g. perhaps the most influential book on my life) indicates a state of mindfulness regarding a particular endeavor. This state of being is exactly the opposite of the state of being associated with multitasking.
When one is mindful one may be able to truly identify with one’s task [...]

Posted 17 January 2010 † Andy Cline § ecology ‡ Comments (5) ° Also tagged: ,

Green Is Good When Green Is Green

The Sanyo Eneloop eclectic bicycle won a Best of Innovations award for eco-design and sustainability at the 2010 International CES sponsored by the Consumer Electronic Association.

Let’s be clear about something first: I have nothing against electric bicycles. They serve a purpose for people who want or need them.
But, really, giving a green award to an [...]

Posted 15 January 2010 † Andy Cline § bicycle § ecology § news ‡ Comments (8) ° Also tagged: , , , ,

Journey Away From Fear

While in Orlando earlier this month (more coverage coming soon, I promise), I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Lisa Mills, an assistant professor of film at the University of Central Florida. She graciously gave me a copy of her documentary film Dear Mr. Gore: A Somewhat Cinematic Correspondence Awkwardly Tracing a Circular Journey Constructed [...]

Posted 14 January 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § ecology ‡ Comments (7) ° Also tagged: , , , ,

Getting Serious

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 program [...]

Posted 12 January 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § ecology § policy ‡ Comments (4) ° Also tagged: , , , , , , ,

Back to Commuting

It’s a whole 3/4 of a mile, but it’s mine — my daily commute.
The spring semester began today. There’s snow on the ground, so I’m on foot. I just don’t like riding a bicycle in slippery conditions. Not that walking is any safer. I had to go downtown for a couple or errands. On the [...]

Posted 11 January 2010 † Andy Cline § ecology § weather ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged: ,

New Year’s Resolutions

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, Live More [...]

Posted 31 December 2009 † Andy Cline § advocacy § bicycle safety § ecology ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged: , , , ,