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May-June 2005May WBWC MeetingIn place of a regular WBWC meeting in May, on Thursday, May 5th there will be two special presentations from 6:00 - 8:30 pm at the Ann Arbor Downtown Public Library (Third Floor Meeting Room), 343 S. Fifth Avenue: 6-7pm “Walking for Health in Ann Arbor” A slide show and presentation by WBWC member Brenda Bentley. 7-8:30pm Washtenaw County Non-Motorized Transportation Plan and Curb Your Car Month 2005This May WBWC joins Ann Arbor's getDowntown program and other organizations in calling on area residents to curb their cars! The getDowntown program is expanding the tradition of Bike to Work Week into Curb Your Car Month, a four-week celebration of healthy alternatives to driving. The extended calendar includes over twenty events that promote walking, public transit, carpooling, van pooling, and biking. The goal is two-fold; both to encourage people to try out a new way of getting around and to recognize the community of people who are already biking, walking and busing around Ann Arbor. There are lots of ways to get involved. The Commuter Challenge is a friendly competition between local employers to see who can get the most staff using sustainable modes of transportation during their daily commute. We are also seeking volunteers for Mayor Hieftje’s Bicycling Ambassadors, who will be spreading the word on biking and walking across town. All Bicycling Ambassadors will get a snazzy T-shirt and a Great Lakes Cycling gift certificate for helping out. Find out how to sign-up for the Commuter Challenge and view the complete listing of events at the Curb Your Car Month website. Get Out and Bike Week: May 15-21May is know across the U.S. as National Bike Month and in our local area, May 15th through the 21st has been designated “Get Out And Bike Week”, an event designed to have people discover bicycling as a form of not only recreation, but also transportation. Local events include: 5/7/05 – Ann Arbor Bike Touring Society Beginner Bike Ride (9am) Mayor Hieftje's Bicycling AmbassadorsDo you love to bike? Would you like to help make it safer to be a bicyclist in Ann Arbor? Sign-up to be one of Mayor Hieftje's Bicycling Ambassadors this May during Sustainable Transportation Month. This brand-new joint program between the City of Ann Arbor and the Get Downtown program aims to help all road users- bike riders, motorists, and pedestrians- better share the road. Volunteers will work in teams of at least two people and bike the streets of Ann Arbor spreading the word of bicycle safety. Volunteers must be available on the morning on May 2nd and, ideally, for further educational efforts throughout the month of May. Many thanks in advance to Great Lakes Cycling and Fitness for their generous support of Mayor Hieftje's Bicycling Ambassadors. All Ambassadors will receive a $10 gift certificate to Great Lakes Cycling and Fitness. Please contact Erica Briggs, 734/214-0100, to find out more and to register for a training session. Bike To Work DayRide with the Mayor, John Hieftje, and Chief of Police, Dan Oates, from Gallup Park, or hitch-up with the ride nearest you. Commuter convoys will converge on City Hall from points North (Pierpont Commons, corner of Murfin & Bonisteel), South (Michigan Stadium), East (Gallup Park), and West (Bank of Ann Arbor, Liberty & W. Stadium). Meet at 7:30, rides depart for downtown at 7:45 AM, and the fun begins at City Hall at 8:00 AM. Once there, we’ll enjoy complimentary coffee, bagels, and a free drawing for cool prizes! At 8:30 am, Bicycling Magazine will give away 50 new bikes as part of their BikeTown USA program. When the rally ends, join a "bike pool" heading your direction. Ann Arbor Selected As “Bike Town” By Bicycling MagazineAnn Arbor has been selected as a BikeTown USA city by Bicycling Magazine, which means that fifty Ann Arbor residents will be given free bicycles and accessories in May. Created in 2003 by the editors of Bicycling magazine, BikeTown was designed to see how giving someone a bike could change their world. Would it help them travel independently for the first time? Would it help them improve their health or lose weight? Could it connect them with friends or family members, or expose them to a host of new people they might not ever have met before? Visit www.bicycling.com/biketown to find out more details on how to win a free bike. More News in AAAnn Arbor Sidewalk Bike Route Signs Coming Down?Word from the City of Ann Arbor is that the “bike route” signs placed on narrow sidewalks will all be coming down in May. The signs were posted a number of years ago to increase the amount of bike facilities in Ann Arbor. Over the years, however, opinions have changed that narrow sidewalks are really for pedestrians only, and not for dual use. University of Michigan Alternative Transportation Coordinator HiredThe University of Michigan has announced that Brian Pawlowski has been hired as the University Alternative Transportation Coordinator. Brian can be reached at 764-1100 or by e-mail at bpawlows@umich.edu. Cycling Class To Be Offered In MayAgain this year, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society will hold a League of American Bicyclists “Road I” class in the local area. These classes are designed to may any cyclist safer and more confident. The class will be held on May 14th beginning at 8:30 am and concluding at about 5:00 pm with a cost of $35 dollars. Instructors will be Don Reed (Retired MI State Police Officer) and Officer Kathleen Vonk of the Ann Arbor Police Department. The class will be held at the King of Kings Lutheran Church, 2685 Packard Road in Ann Arbor. Applicants need to be a member of the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (AABTS) or may join for an individual membership fee of $15. For additional information, visit the AABTS website under Downloads (newsletters) and then go to the Safety Newsletter. You can also contact Carole Hann at carolehann@comcast.net. Pre-registration is required for the course. Ride Of Silence On May 18On May 18, the Ride of Silence will roll across the country, starting at 7:00 PM. In approximately 75 cities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Belgium, cyclists will take to the roads in a slow (no more than 12 mph), silent procession to honor fellow cyclists who have been killed or injured while riding on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn't aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves. The ride is held annually on the third Wednesday of May, during National Bike Month. Locally, a Ride of Silence will be held on May 18th, 7pm, at the Nankin Mills Pavilion on Hines Drive east of Ann Arbor Trail in the Plymouth, Michigan area. The ride will be a slow 10-mile loop, in silence. in honor of cyclists killed or injured on the roads, including Todd Schoenheide, a 17-year-old rider who was killed in April 2005. The event is free with no registration required. Please arrive early to line up. WBWC expresses concern over Huron River Drive conditionsThe following letter was sent in February to the Washtenaw County Road Commission from WBWC Board member Paul Alman: In a very few weeks, dozens if not hundreds of bicycle riders again will be present on our County roads. One road in particular is the favorite for all types of cyclists: Huron River Drive (HRD) west of North Main Street, Ann Arbor, to Dexter. Families with their children will be out for a leisurely ride; recreational riders from the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society will be out daily getting their 25 or more miles in; members of the Ann Arbor Velo Club will begin training rides in preparation for the upcoming racing season. All of them are looking forward to the break in the weather. In the past, you have been very attentive to the needs of cyclists on this road, and we thank you for the past efforts you have put into keeping Huron River Drive as safe as possible. As I am sure you are more aware than even I am, HRD is in terrible shape this winter, with major areas of severe deterioration. On a ride on February 12th, I noted areas that will be extremely dangerous for cyclists, at the Oxbow before Wagner Road among many others, for example. While the danger will include the possibility (should I say probability) of damage to our bicycles from the rough pavement and pot holes, my real concern is that cyclists will be forced away from our normal riding position near the fog line, into the main stream of traffic. In certain areas it will be impossible to hold our position without the high likelihood of falling into traffic. With the thousands of miles cyclists travel on HRD on a weekend day, it is assured that unsafe conditions and situations will be faced by both cyclists and automotive traffic unless some immediate repairs are undertaken. While winter appears to be far from over, I do urge that you plan now for the repairs that will be required for safe travel on HRD. I hope the Commission can look to this situation and come up with at least some temporary repairs before the cycling season begins full bore, and that the attention you have paid to HRD in the past will continue this year. The response from the Road Commission: We appreciate you taking the time to write that this roadway is in need of our immediate attention...So this spring, as our crews make repairs to the roads...we will be sure to include this section of Huron River Drive on our work schedule Washtenaw Non-Motorized Transportation Plan UpdateThe April 28th meeting of the Washtenaw Non-motorized Transportation Committee included representatives from WATS, various Washtenaw township officials, SEMCOG representatives, the new U-M Alternative Transportation coordinator and a WBWC representative. Most of the meeting concerned the wording of several proposals, specifically with how to get across the idea that all "major" roads in the county should include wide paved shoulders or bike lanes (built according to prevailing AASHTO guidelines) unless it can demonstrated that that this is impossible. Major roads are "collector and above" roads, or those eligible for federal aid, and include roads like Scio Church, Pleasant Lake, Parker, Sharon Hollow, Dexter Townhall, and Island Lake. If this recommendation was followed when it came time to repave these and roads like them, the result would be a network of roads throughout the county that adequately address the needs of cyclists. Another discussion centered on how to accommodate pedestrians on the same roads outside of areas that are projected to be urbanized in the next 25 years. While it's agreed that sidewalks are needed in urbanized areas, there were questions about what the best practices are "out in the country." No conclusion was reached on this. Upcoming is a public feedback meeting on May 5 , with a draft of the plan itself available later this summer. While the plan will not be binding and so can't be enforced, its existence would help local townships secure federal grant money for road improvements, save them the effort of having to develop non-motorized plans themselves (some townships don't have the resources or in some cases the desire to do this), and give them something to show developers who might not otherwise address the needs of cyclists and pedestrians.
League of Michigan Bicyclists National Bike Summit, and other Michigan News
The LMB brought a delegation of six people from Michigan to DC this year, consisting of Jim Knakal, co-owner of Bikes USA in Birmingham, WBWC board member Jacob Van Dyke, John Waterman of Program to Educate All Cyclists (PEAC) in Saline, new LMB Board Member Dante Lanzetta of Birmingham, LMB Programs Assistant John Lindenmayer and Lucinda Means, LMB Executive Director. US DOT Director Norman Mineta was the Keynote Speaker and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) spoke at the Congressional Bike Reception and accepted the National Bicycle Advocacy award. The audience greeted both speakers with warmth and enthusiasm as well as sustained applause. It is remarkable that a biking advocacy event can attract a US Cabinet Member and a very high profile Senator. It was three intense days of learning, networking, and lobbying. The
LMB was there specifically there to ask Congress to pass the reauthorization
of TEA-21. That's the bill that has, for the last decade or so, provided
flexible federal funds that can and should be used for alternative Attempts at passage of the re-authorization have been tumultuous with 5-6 extensions since it expired last year. Funding has come through at a minimum maintenance level, but no new programs or new funding has been possible for that reason. The LMB’s main message was to ask Congress to pass the reauthorization soon. Beyond that, the LMB is also asking for some specifics from the bill as it moves forward (e.g. as the House and Senate reconcile their different versions)… 1. Full Safe Routes to School funding that provides national funding for every state and covers all parts of the program: engineering, enforcement, education, and encouragement 2. "Fair Share for Safety," or a mandate that states must spend their highway safety funds in proportion to the traffic safety fatality statistics. In Michigan, for example, 15% of traffic fatalities are bicyclists or pedestrians, yet we spend only .07% of our safety dollars on safety efforts aimed at reducing these fatalities. Instead, money goes to enforcement programs for seat belts, drunk driving, and work zone safety--all very worthy, but it's only fair to start using those funds to reduce bicycling and pedestrian deaths as well. 3. Inclusion of Rep. Earl Blumenauer's (D-OR) Bicycle Commuter Act, which would allow employers to extend the same tax-deductible benefits to employees that bike as they currently can to employees who take transit. 4. Mandates that ALL streets built or rebuilt must be complete streets that are safe, accessible and comfortable for all users. Streets that only serve motorized vehicles are incomplete. 5. Continues funding of the programs that have led to tremendous improvements for bicycling and walking across the nation, such as Transportation Enhancements, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, the Recreational Trails program, and more. The LMB representatives met with staffers from almost every legislator from the Michigan Congressional delegation. Generally, we were warmly received. Because of the time of year and the legislative cycle all the staffers were especially busy but all of them gave us at least 15 minutes. If you would like to take action, please write your Senators and your Representative. The most important message is that you are a constituent, and bicycling is important to you. For Senators, ask them to pass the bill they are currently debating. If you want to go into the details, use any of the points above that you like. See the LAB website at www.bikeleague.org for more info. Here's web contact info for Michigan’s Senators: Sen. Carl Levin (D) Sen. Debbie A Stabenow (D) The House of Representatives has already passed their version of the transportation bill. Please contact them and thank them for passing the bill,. You can also ask them to do what they can to get the Senate bill passed, and then to make sure that the final bill (that has to be reconciled between the House and Senate version) is as friendly to bicycling as possible. Area Michigan Representative websites are as follows… Joe Schwarz (R-7th) www.house.gov/schwarz Even just a few lines will really help to solidify the messages the LMB relayed in person just a short time ago. Please take a moment to write what you can and let them know that bicycling is a priority for Michigan, and that we need their help to make our streets safer and more accessible for folks on two wheels. Jackson Michigan Program Promotes Healthy Work SitesAccording to a March 23rd Citizen Patriot article, "Teresa Smith is looking forward to summer when she can make her two-mile trek to work on her bike. Smith, a customer services specialist at LifeWays, is a member of Fitness for Life, a group of LifeWays employees working to promote healthy lifestyles at work. LifeWays is the first member of the Fitness Council of Jackson's new Foot Energy program, which provides employers with a neighborhood walking audit that identifies safe routes and hazards to walking and biking in the area and to popular destinations. "Project U-Turn, a Fitness Council initiative created last year to increase walking and biking for transportation, is coordinating the program, which also provides personalized active transportation plans and bike safety and maintenance training. 'Over the past year we have been trying to encourage employees to be more conscious of their wellness as a whole,' said Lesia Pikaart, LifeWays community relations manager. 'Since we're right on West Avenue hopefully many of us will start walking and biking to places that are close by.'..." MDOT Pothole Hotline
Bicycle-friendly Legislation Multiplies in U.S. CongressThe House of Representatives passed their version of the TEA-21 reauthorization legislation, H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act – a Legacy for Users, by 417-9 on Thursday, March 10. The legislation preserves core funding programs and adds an $875 million Safe Routes to School program (for fiscal years 2005-2009). Senate action on the transportation bill is expected soon in the Committee on Environment and Public Works. Senators DeWine (R-OH) and Rockefeller (D-WV) established a marker for highway safety issues by introducing S. 562, the Safe Streets and Highway Act of 2005, on March 8. The legislation includes the Fair Share for Safety provision that would ensure a percentage of highway safety construction funds go to bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements in proportion to bicyclist and pedestrian shares of traffic fatalities in each state. Bicycle Commuter Act and Conserve By Bicycling Reintroduced in CongressCongressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mark Foley (R-FL) have reintroduced the Bicycle Commuter Act (H.R. 807). The Bicycle Commuter Act would allow an employer to add bicycling to the definition of transportation fringe benefit in the tax code. The transportation fringe benefit was added as an incentive to get more people to use alternative modes of transportation for commuting. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion, pollution and wear and tear on the roads. Under H.R. 807, employers could offer monthly cash reimbursement of up to $100 to an employee who commutes to work by bicycle, providing a tax benefit to the employer and helping defray commuting expenses for the bicyclist. In addition, Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN) has introduced H.R. 722, the Securing Transportation Energy Efficiency for Tomorrow Act of 2005. This bill also includes language very similar to H.R. 807, but with a $75 a month cap. Furthermore, H.R. 722 includes conserve by bicycling language, comparable to the language in last year’s energy bill. This language would provide $10 million to establish a pilot program with up to 10 geographically dispersed projects to use education and marketing and provide facilities to convert motor vehicle trips to bike trips as an energy savings measure. For more information, visit http://www.bikeleague.org or http://thomas.loc.gov.
Rack And Ride Transit Challenge Starts May 1Which U.S. city boasts the most popular bicycle transit system in the country? Sportworks, the maker of bus bike rack systems, is holding a contest to find out. Running from May 1 through August 31, 2005, the Sportworks Rack and Ride Transit Challenge will gather information from close to 70 transit authorities on bicycle usage aboard transit buses. Winners will be announced at the International Transit Expo in Dallas in September. Combine bicycling with your local transit system buses for travel to work, to the store, or just to see more of the city where you live and show the world how important bicycling is as a transportation option. Sprawl/Oil Film To Be Shown May 12thWith oil prices going higher and higher, more people are beginning to re-evaluate their dependence on motorized transportation. Related to this subject, a free showing of the film “The End Of Suburbia” will be shown on Thursday, May 12th at Seaholm High School Little Theatre (corner of Cranbrook and Lincoln in Birmingham. MI). The film will begin at 7pm. Questions the film looks at include, how soon will we reach global peak oil*, how does energy policy affect foreign policy, how will rising oil costs affect life in suburbia, and what can we do, now? *Peak oil is the point in time when extraction of oil from the earth reaches its highest point and then begins to decline. Most oil experts estimate this peak will occur between 2005 and 2015. Open to the public. Free admission (donations for cost of film presentation are encouraged and appreciated). For details about the film, visit endofsuburbia.com. Presented by the East Michigan Environmental Action Council (www.emeac.org . For more information, contact 248-258-5188 or emeac@aol.com. America Walks Website UpdatedAccording to a recent note from Andy Hamilton, "America Walks announces
its website has been completely
revised and updated. The site includes archived presentations (PDF) from
the 2004 National Congress of Pedestrian Advocates, and many other resources
for advocates. Among the new features is a list of America's University Of Wisconsin Opens Bike AnnexAlong the lines of “wouldn’t this be nice in Ann Arbor” is this story…According to an April 6th news release, "[the University of Wisconsin-Madison's] Bike Annex will reopen on Thursday, April 7, beginning its second year of operation. The facility...offers free maintenance classes to university employees and students who bike to work or class. It also provides them with an opportunity to do maintenance work on their bikes free of charge, and it has a selection of professional-quality tools that can be checked out for that purpose... "The Bike Annex is a component of the Bucky's Ambassadors program offered through UW Transportation Services. The Bucky's Ambassadors program, started in the fall of 2003, has been a campus success, says Matthew Burczyk, the university's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. Burcyzk says the ambassadors will be back out on the streets this spring, working to encourage bicycling and walking as modes of transportation, helping to educate people about the laws that govern those modes and promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety..." Census Study: Fewer People Walked To Work In 2003A recent media release noted that “Nationally, less than 5 percent
of commuters took public transportation. And when they did, it often took
them a few minutes longer to arrive at work than And if cars and trucks in high-occupancy vehicle lanes seem to be moving faster, it's because only about 10 percent of commuters carpooled. For a lucky few, work is within walking distance, but even their numbers are declining. In 2000, about 2.6 percent of commuters walked to work. By 2003, 2.2 percent of commuters depended on their feet to get to work..." For more on the American Community Survey, go to www.census.gov/acs/www Thousand Oaks (CA) Police Nab 35 In Cross Walk StingAccording to an April 7th Acorn article, "...On Wednesday, making crosswalks safer for pedestrians was the goal of [Thousand Oaks police] officers. They monitored cars on Thousand Oaks Boulevard near the 24-Hour Fitness gym, checking whether drivers yielded to pedestrians. Police chose one mid-block crosswalk and had three pedestrian volunteers use it. If drivers failed to yield, they were stopped and issued a violation. "'We want to make people aware that there are crosswalks that people use that are not governed by stop lights,' said Kenney. The operation resulted in 35 to 40 tickets issued in a four- to six-hour period, he said. 'This enforcement posture is to prevent people from being injured; we don't go out there to make revenue,' said Kenney. 'Our purpose is to protect people,' he emphasized..." Web Resources"THE
HIGH COST OF FREE PARKING" "MODEL
SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICIES" “DESIGNING
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES..." COMPLETE
THE STREETS ACTIVE
LIVING AND SOCIAL EQUITY... CARSICK |