The Let’s Go Smart initiative is live — we’re livin’ it! This new campaign by the STAR Team of Ozark Greenways is a multi-modal concept aimed at encouraging people to think about their transportation choices. This is more than bike-ped advocacy. We’ve re-designed and upgraded the former Drive Less, Live More booklet. It’s now called Bike [...]
I often walk to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I do not head downtown first on those days. Plus, I like to mix it up. Walking home yesterday — all of 3/4 mile — I saw five separate incidents of people being silly on the streets. Upon seeing the first one, I thought: Oh, [...]
Visibility on the road is far more a matter of lane positioning and far less a matter of color under most road/weather conditions. The proposed reflective vest bill (HB 1937) solves no problem that exists on Missouri’s state highways. Bicyclists are not suffering deaths or injuries comparable to people in cars. Perhaps we ought to [...]
Can you be persecuted (and, perhaps, prosecuted) for having an (informed) opinion about traffic infrastructure and voicing/writing that opinion as part of bicycle and pedestrian advocacy. Apparently, yes. This is partly a case of attempting to criminalize speech for political purposes. Although it also appears apparent that you’ll “win” even if the worst should happen. [...]
Keri Caffrey, of Commute Orlando and CyclingSavvy, has updated her excellent video Bicycling in Traffic is a Dance You Must Lead. Something to note: You are NOT watching “hardened” cyclists or “road warriors” or “adrenaline junkies” who brave the dangers of traffic. Bicycling in traffic is safe (compared to a lot of other dangerous things [...]
It be shining on me. I’m happy that the whole honor was focused on my efforts for bicycle and pedestrian advocacy instead of simply academic stuff. The academic stuff is important, but all too often it is, well, academic Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, cycling, green transportation, transportation, Transportation Planning
Interesting lecture from TED: Technorati Tags: transportation, Transportation Planning
My thanks to the News-Leader for highlighting alternative transportation in its editorial today. I question the assumption that riding on the streets of Springfield is not safe or that bicycle lanes are safe. But, all in all, the need for transportation options is a conversation Springfield needs to have, and I’m happy to see the News-Leader taking [...]
The Holy Grail of bicycle advocacy is numbers of kiesters in saddles on two wheels on the road. Some advocates are willing to do almost anything to increase participation — including putting novices in danger. There’s a “but”: It appears rather clear that the more people who ride bicycles in a given area the safer [...]
Today’s head-scratcher: From London to D.C., Bike-Sharing Is Safer Than Riding Your Own Bike. Hmmmm… what’s up with that? Here’s some speculation: For now, we can only speculate as to the reasons for this phenomenon. Streetsblog spoke with two experts on road safety, Professors Norman Garrick of the University of Connecticut and Ian Walker of [...]
Check out this short speech by Samuel Gresham, Jr. about how car-centric transportation policies in Ohio harm the poor, the elderly, and other disadvantaged people. Consider: This is supported today by data; according to the Census Bureau (2005-2009) American Community Survey of workers aged 16 and over, 57 percent of public transportation users are African-American, [...]
Quito, in Ecuador, is a fascinating city, and I really enjoyed every minute of my short time there. I was able to get out a bit and observe some traffic. One word: Yikes! Technorati Tags: traffic design, transportation
Take a look at this interesting info-graphic that shows, among other things, the differences between the numbers of bicycle commuters by gender. The idea is that one measure of bicycle friendliness is the low ratio of male to female bicyclists. Why do women commute by bicycle in smaller numbers than men? Is the lower ratio an indication [...]
Here’s the latest news: The Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation has compiled the latest list of bicycle-friendly communities and businesses in Missouri. Ozark Greenways’ 20th anniversary annual meeting/party will be held at Galloway Station, Sunday, April 3, 1-5p.m. That’s on the Galloway greenway trail. So be sure to ride your bicycle to the event! The STAR [...]
I had a short exchange with @CityofSgf on Twitter yesterday regarding the condition of sidewalks in Springfield — something I’ve covered in two recent posts (here and here). The city has been working hard to clear he roads. I think they’ve done an excellent job given the magnitude of he storm. @CityofSgf acknowledged that the sidewalk situation [...]
