Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition – July/August 2001 E-News

Dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity of bicycling and walking opportunities in Washtenaw County through advocacy and education

Welcome
This is the monthly newsletter of the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking
Coalition. This publication will be published around the middle of every
month and will only be sent to those individuals who are WBWC members or have
specifically requested to receive this publication. E-mail addresses will be
protected and never disclosed to third parties. Submissions to the WBWC
E-News are welcome and should be sent to wolverbob@cs.com, mailed to 706
Dwight Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48198 or faxed to 487-9058.

A sincere apology is made, however, for the lack of a separate July WBWC News
edition. The computer system that produces the newsletter ran into massive
problems that necessitated the publication of a joint July/August edition.
With the computer problems solved, monthly editions of the WBWC News will
resume.

WBWC September Meeting
The next meeting of the WBWC will be held on Thursday, September 6th, 7pm at
the Ecology Center, 117 N. Division in Ann Arbor (just north of Huron).
Meetings last for 1 to 1 1/2 hours with agenda items for the September
meeting to include WBWC formalization, the Ann Arbor Capitol Improvements
Plan, meeting with the Washtenaw County Sheriff over walking/bicycling
concerns and pedestrian facilities in Pittsfield Township.

Limited parking is available at the Ecology Center as well as next to Tios
restaurant. Everyone is welcome to attend. WBWC meetings are normally
scheduled for the first Thursday of every month. Minutes of the July WBWC
meeting will be posted on the WBWC website (www.wbwc.org) by mid-August.

EMU Trail To Be Preserved
With plans to erect a new Eastern Michigan University President's residence
close to the only dedicated rail-trail conversion in Ypsilanti (between
Hewitt and Cornell Streets), there was a question whether the trail would be
impacted. In talking with Eastern Michigan University directly, it was found
out that the trail will be not be disturbed and will continue to serve as a
recreational and transportation link. The WBWC, however, is attempting to
seek improvements to the trail as the surface is deteriorating and the needs
general maintenance.

Ann Arbor Capitol Improvements Plan
The City of Ann Arbor has published its 2002-2007 Capitol Improvements Plan
and is available at all Ann Arbor District Libraries and the Planning
Department in City Hall. The Plan contains a number of bicycling and walking
improvements and the WBWC is in the process of reviewing the document for
priority setting.

Sidewalks Needed
The WBWC is beginning to catalog areas in the County that are used by
pedestrians yet contain no sidewalks. An example would be the north side of
Packard, just east of Carpenter. This area has only partial sidewalks yet is
very heavily used by pedestrians. Once cataloged, efforts will be made to
have governmental units/landowners install sidewalks.

Walk To School Day
October 2nd is designated as "International Walk To School Day", an event
that in 2000 had over 2.5 million participants. In the US alone, the event
took place in 32 states and 142 cities, including Ann Arbor. The event is
dedicated to teaching children safe pedestrian behaviors as well as
identifying the needs for more walk-friendly communities.

Children are at the greatest risk as pedestrians as of the 5700 people killed
by autos while walking, nearly 30% are children under 15. Organizers of the
event say it is critical to teach children to look left-right-left before
crossing streets and to cross streets only at crosswalks. For more
information on Walk To School Day, visit www.walktoschool-usa.org or call
Tina Hissong at 517/333-5734.

Huron River Day
The WBWC had an exhibit at the annual Huron River Day with the event being a
great success. Together with the Ann Arbor Bicycle Program, the two groups
handed out information about bicycling and answered loads of questions. The
WBWC is planning on attending Huron River Day again in 2002 as a very
beneficial outreach program.

County/City Bike Map
The new Washtenaw County/Ann Arbor bicycle map should now be available at the
Ann Arbor City Hall as well as most area bicycle shops. Specifically, the map
should be available at Two Wheel Tango, Ann Arbor Cyclery and Washtenaw
Cycle, who were financial contributors to the map effort The full color map
is printed on tear/water-resistant paper costs approximately $2.

WBWC Membership Applications Now Available
WBWC membership applications are available through the WBWC website
(www.wbwc.org) and in the literature racks of most Washtenaw County bike
shops. Basic membership is $10 a year with. Also, those joining anytime in
2001 will have their membership extended through December 31st, 2002.

WBWC Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are currently needed for the following WBWC Committees...
Membership - Help maintain membership records, send out membership
material
Publicity - Send out meeting and special event announcements, mail out
printed version of E-News
Education - Help plan and staff educational efforts (i.e., Earth Day,
Bike To Work Day/Week)
For details on any of these jobs, please contact Bob Krzewinski at 487-7058
or wolverbob@cs.com.

Ecology Center Library
It should be noted that the WBWC has a small, but growing, library of
bicycling and walking advocacy publications for check-out at the Ecology
Center in Ann Arbor.

Bankrupt Schwinn Being Sold To Huffy
The Cycling Division of Schwinn/GT Corp. will be sold for $60 million to
Huffy. Yes, that would be Schwinn, the bike many of us grew up on. Schwinn/GT
announced it has commenced proceedings under Chapter 11 of the
U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The company is also laying off 300 employees of its
Cycling Division. For more sad info, visit http://www.schwinn.com.

Michigan Promotes Healthy Living
With statistics showing that more than 60% of Michiganians are overweight,
the state Department of Community Health is launching a new program to
promote healthy living. The department's free Fit Kit1includes a cookbook,
tips on eating and exercise, coupons for sporting goods and a guide to
healthier grocery shopping. Michigan radio stations also will be airing
public service announcements that urge people to live healthier. One ad
compares being overweight to having a kindergartner strapped to your back.
Community Health Director James Haveman said the state is spending about
$800,000 on the campaign.

Michigan usually ranks in the top five states with overweight residents. In
2000, 39% of Michigan residents were overweight, and an additional 23% were
obese. Obesity is defined as being more than 30% over your ideal body
weight. People who are overweight are more at risk for heart disease,
diabetes, stroke and certain cancers. In Michigan alone, there are an
estimated 23,000 heart bypass surgeries conducted each year, costing more
than $100 million.

Mark Your Calendar....
September 6 WBWC Monthly Meeting, 7pm, Ecology Center, Ann Arbor
October 2 Walk To School Day
October 4 WBWC Monthly Meeting, 7pm, Ecology Center, Ann Arbor