Post any interesting links you find in the comment section.
Local
State
National
- LaHood Goes to Detroit to Talk to Automakers About Distracted Driving
- Report from 2050: The Rise of the Cyclist
- Highway group: Walkable communities, “aggressive pedestrians” to blame for road deaths
- This is a Confession, not a Bike Review
- What we know and don’t know about biking with kids
- World Bicycle Relief utility bikes: Not UCI-legal, but the better for it
- Bicycle bigwig’s blizzard blunder
- Bicycle Riders Coming Under Scrutiny
- North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2011 preview
- Q&A with Mikael Colville-Andersen: The Controversy Over Bike Helmets
International
A couple articles on bicycle-streetcar/bus interactions.
http://www.miabirk.com/blog/?p=435
http://www.humantransit.org/2011/01/bicycle-vs-transit-problems.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HumanTransit+(Human+Transit)
Mia Birk’s point at the end of her article was mirrored at last evenings BAC Facilities/Downtown Subcommittee meeting. It will be harder to impliment necessary changes to bike/streetcar/automobile interaction after the fact than during the process. The introduction of the streetcar is going to require a change in perspective of the use of available space. How will the priorities be set?
The city wants a successful streetcar – is advocating an increase of student housing and classrooms along the line to create a demand.
Fourth Ave. merchants believe their existence hinges on people being able to drive to their businesses. Free and available parking has always been a drawing point.
Cyclists have been heavily using this route (Park to 4th Ave. on University – University to Downtown on 4th) for a long time. Even casual observation reveals the increased commuter bike traffic and the overloaded bike parking facilities show many places are a destination for cyclists.
I don’t believe these three factions have gotten together to sort this out. Other regions who have dealt or are dealing with this situation tell us this is an important consideration. If you use or live along this route, it is important to you.
The discussion at the subcommittee meeting on this was both encouraging and uneasy. However, the discussion isn’t over and either more individuals or groups with a stake in this need to show some force in creating the change to this area that we want instead of ending up with conditions we are likely to get.
Kinda sounds like the direction the Youth Bike Summit was going toward, doesn’t it.