Newsletter

WBWC Newsletter Archives

November-December 2005

WBWC Annual Membership Meeting

WBWC Board Meetings

The next regular Board meeting of the WBWC will be held on Thursday, December 1st at the Ecology Center, 117 N. Division in Ann Arbor (just north of Huron), starting at 7pm. Limited parking is available at the Ecology Center as well as next to Tios restaurant. WBWC meetings are generally held on the first Thursday of every month, 7pm, at the Ecology Center.

At the December meeting, the WBWC Board will elect its Officers to serve a one-year term of office. Officer positions include Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Those interested in serving as an Officer should contact WBWC Nominations Committee member Bob Krzewinski at 734/487-9058 or wolverbob@cs.com.

For previous WBWC Board meeting minutes, visit http://www.wbwc.org/minutes.htm

County Non-Motorized Plan Public Input Sessions

The following is a description of the Chelsea session by WBWC Board member Paul Alman….

I attended last evenings meeting in Chelsea.  A bit of a let down I would say, but I am not yet used to the current planning process.  About 10 attendees (all seemed to be 50+ years old) plus three WATS staff members.  A couple attendees were representing western County planning agencies.

The very general presentation that focused as much on process as on content but it did give a fair overview.  They then handed out three sets of maps, each set containing a county wide map, and Ann Arbor area map and an Ypsilanti area map (plus village maps for the pedestrian maps.  One set was on walking facilities which was mainly filled with "no data" markings, another was bicycling facilities, and the third was the destinations map.  It was a very non-technical presentation, designed for the general public, not planners, which was helpful.

We worked in 2-3 person groups, reviewing the maps and were asked to make corrections, additions etc., and the destination maps seemed to be the most deficient.  Missing were the Metroparks, university facilities Park/Ride lots, health care facilities, and major employment centers. The bike maps were missing many of the roads that have wide, rideable shoulders but there were not criteria explained about how roads got added to this map.  The walking map was the most confusing as no Ann Arbor neighborhoods had sidewalks marked, mainly because the City hasn't provided the data.  The Ypsilanti map was particularly good in this regard, by the way.

The maps themselves would have been useless if there hadn't been people in attendance who knew the various roads, as very few were identified, plus most of the colors/marking were so small as to be almost unidentifiable, particularly for those of us with aging eyes. While they did hand out the "Criteria for Non Motorized Deficiencies" there was no real discussion of this and I wasn't sure how to evaluate/comment on it. It appears the Steering Comm. has summarized these well.

To me the most valuable aspect of the meeting were the documents that WATS has put together on various transportation funding opportunities. Nice to have all that info all together in a brochure. They also presented a concise and clear time line regarding the Non-motorized planning process, which can be very useful to WBWC. 

WBWC Board Member Attends International Pedestrian Conference

WBWC board member and Ann Arbor walking-guide writer Brenda Bentley attended an international conference for pedestrian professionals in Zurich last month. It was the sixth annual Walk21 Conference, titled “Everyday Walking Culture” this year. Walk21 is dedicated to the support of professionals around the world who have the responsibility for developing, coordinating, and promoting walking initiatives.

Conference conclusions include:

Walking is the result, not the objective. The objective is quality of life. Quality of life is higher when exchanges are richer. Cities are all about exchanges. From the first market centers, to the great shopping streets, universities, stock exchanges, theaters, plazas and parks of modern cities. We desire formal exchanges (e.g. stores, universities, planned meetings) but we also benefit hugely from spontaneous exchanges, which happen in plazas, cafes, on the street, and other public areas which double as places of movement and places of rest and of play. Therefore, for quality of life, we must create and protect high-quality places at the scale of human interaction.

Politics

Traffic Calming

Speed, not volume, of motorized and wheeled traffic is the factor which endangers pedestrians. Therefore traffic calming is a prominent answer. Traffic designer Hans Monderman has redesigned some dangerous intersections by completely removing lights, crosswalks, curbs, and signs. Traffic slows, drivers take back responsibility for being careful, pedestrians cross more easily by their own ascertainment of safety, and accident rates decline! Walking happens automatically where spaces make it pleasant and safe to do so.

Lobbying

Take engineers out to problem areas on foot: it does no good to look at maps in the office.

Skills Needed

There is a massive gap between the public’s desire for walkable public spaces and designers available.

Transportation

Walking is transportation. Every time any kind of new facility is planned, ask how non-drivers (children, elderly, non-car-owners) will get there. Pedestrian zones are islands, and focused on retail, but they enable politicians to ignore advocates. An everyday walking culture is not about retail centers. Transit is for walkers. Making transit efficient and pleasant is a service to walkers. Given the great benefits which walkers give to a city—less demand on health care, lack of fuel use, lack of pollution creation, and contribution to street and business life, it makes sense for a city to provide good transit for them.

Good business environments are walkable. Good living environments are walkable. Yet, wherever walkability and cars are in direct spacial conflict, walkability—i.e.,quality of life--suffers. People feel undignified walking beside busy roadways. While enjoying our cars, we cannot have more walking without less parking. Paris study: a lot more development sites are available closer to city center when providing parking on housing sites is not required.

Health

Like the 1964 Surgeon General’s report against smoking, which eventually changed habits, the 1996 Surgeon General’s report on the need for more physical activity will change habits, too. The current young generation may be the first in history to be less healthy than its parents. Outdoor activity, especially the daily walk to and from school, is a major part of the equation.

“Non-motorized”

Calling walking “non-motorized” relegates it to the exception, the rule being motorized. Another problem is that the term lumps bicycling with walking. The phrase was coined when one term was needed for all deviant transportation modes, but now the deviants are becoming mainstream and becoming highly focused on their individual needs. It’s time to retire that term. Walking is basic; it’s not a non-entity.

Walking forms the base of the transportation pyramid. With the growing sophistication of bicycling, though, walking shares less and less with “non-motorized” wheeled vehicles. Fast-moving wheeled vehicles—first bicycles, then cars, and on up to 18-wheeler leviathans—all have different characteristics and cause stress for each other at each level. Fast-moving bicycles on multi-use paths, for example, cause stress for pedestrians, especially children and the elderly.

Public Space

The fun is missing from walking. We’ve become so risk-averse that the environment has become less interesting. Rather than focus on SAFETY (which results in barricades), we should focus on PLACES. Beautiful places, fun places, places for children, end up being safer.

“I do what I can where I am.” Leap from blame to responsibility and imagination. Imagine how you can improve the world within your own sphere of influence. David Engwicht is building an exciting pocket park for his neighbors in his front yard (it will help slow traffic and will provide adventure for children walking to school). Architects should not limit themselves to the design of the building only, but include the wider area: the public space. Economic and social benefits ensue.

It is a mistake to be anti-car. Gains for everybody are possible. The persistent peasants of Kensington and Chelsea argued against the national design rules and won! The resulting redesign of Kensington High Street is beloved by everyone, more beautiful, slower traffic, no more barricades for pedestrians, high quality brick and lamps.

Design the street as a room rather than as a conduit for traffic. Spaces are the glue that bind the city together. Our public spaces, our streets, are our “front rooms” but traffic has killed the role of the front rooms. Aesthetics lead directly to higher walking numbers. Walking is not simply walking – it’s also playing, eating, and sitting. “You can tell if a space is good for walking if you see people sitting there.”

“Sharrows” Symbol Gains in Popularity

Pioneered in Denver in the mid-1990s, “sharrows” - shared-lane pavement markings - are attracting the attention of transportation officials around the United States. But the markings are controversial. In June, Boulder, Colorado, became one of the few cities outside of California to install the shared-lane markings; that same month, sharrows were rejected by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Devices, an organization that sets national traffic standards. Portland, Oregon has also started using the markings. In Ann Arbor, “sharrows” have been painted on Liberty Street. To read the entire article, visit http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0831/p14s02-ussc.html

Arizona County Has Novel Way To Promote Cycling

Pima County, Arizona is seizing the opportunity presented by high gas prices, providing bicycle driver and commuter education classes, a free bike lighting kit ($40 value) for persons who sign up, and free food. The classes and perks are covered through local non-profit support, a small fee of $15 for most persons who sign up (sort of a 'buy in' from them, but free to high school classes), volunteer support, and a small part of a regional bicycle and pedestrian safety and education Transportation Enhancement Activities (TEA) grant. For more information, contact Matthew Zoll at the Pima County Department of Transportation, (520) 740-6746 or Matt.Zoll@dot.pima.gov.

Active Living Resource Center

The Active Living Resource Center (ALRC) is introducing the new Get Started Studio. This interactive process gets you and your local organization directly involved with our staff as you start making your neighborhood or community more walkable and bicycle friendly. Rather than giving you off-the-shelf resources, the ALRC will offer guidance on solving your local problems with regard to creating or improving pedestrian and bicycle access and transportation. We are particularly interested in working with communities that are striving to create active living opportunities for underprivileged youth.

The suggestions we offer may not be the "complete and perfect" answers, partly because we can't study your town for ourselves. However, they should get you going in the right direction. To use the Get Started Studio, start by filling out the online form. We'll also need several photographs and some other information that we've outlined at the information page linked below. We'll get back to you with questions, ideas, suggestions, and more.

Another Reason For Walking To School

According to an August Gloucester County Times (New Jersey) article, "With classes starting and gas prices rising, county schools don't have a chance of sticking to this year's transportation budgets. Patricia Hoey, superintendent for Harrison Township, said the district probably spent $20,000 more in buses last year than expected. 'I definitely do know we had a direct impact last year for increased cost on running our buses,' Hoey said. With buses burning approximately 8-miles per gallon and prices 50 cents a gallon higher than a year ago, budgets will be even more strained. Gloucester County Superintendent of Schools Dr. H. Mark Stanwood said he heard one school representative claim the district's allotted transportation costs this year could be twice as much as budgeted.

"'There are significant budget restrictions on how much a school is able to have in these fund balances,' Stanwood said. 'If some of these school districts don't factor these fuel increases in,' they will have budget concerns. 'We know now that we'll probably be going to be over budget and we're going to have to ask for a transfer from the board (of education),' said Margaret Meehan, business administrator for the Washington Township school district. 'We had anticipated a 10 percent increase and gas prices have already exceeded that.' The school district's fleet consists of 77 buses -- all with 54 student capacity -- and 11 vans. 'Our only benefit is that we filled our gas tanks in June,' before the great price increase, Meehan said..."

International Federation of Pedestrians Proposed

A number of people interested in promoting walking as a means of transportation and recreation are proposing the formation of the International Federation of Pedestrians. For more information contact christian.thomas@fussverkehr.ch.

Bike Racks on Buses Increase Commuters

Putting bike racks on buses brings new people to public transportation and to commuting by bicycle, new data from the National Study for Transit Research shows. The research showed that investment to put bike racks on buses is low, and return is high, with thousands of new riders using the racks and demand increasing for racks that hold three or more bikes. In fact, the study showed that one in four bikes on bus users is new to transit, and more than 80 percent of these new riders said the ability to use their bike on the bus was the reason they began using public transportation.

Approximately 72 percent use the bike-rack/bus service to commute to work. The study included 14 Florida transit agencies as well as Phoenix, Arizona, King County, Washington., Eugene, Oregon., and Santa Clara, California. Most of the agencies have 100 percent of their buses equipped with bike racks. For more information, or to see the complete study, visit http://www.nctr.usf.edu/pdf/576-05.pdf.

”Don’t Let Engineers Design Communities” Told To Houghton Group

According to a September Houghton (Michigan) Daily Mining Gazette article, "Before an audience spotted with engineering students and current representatives from engineering agencies, some of whom sponsored his talk, downtown revitalization expert Guy Bazzani may have committed a cardinal sin.’ I think it's important not to let engineers design our communities,' said the Grand Rapids developer before a crowd of 100 people at the Franklin
Square Inn Tuesday night. Following an audible gasp from audience members, many of whom were Michigan Tech University students, Bazzani smiled, took a gulp of water, and said, 'This is probably a funny place to say that.'

"Bazzani later clarified that his comment particularly targeted Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) engineers, whom he said focused too much on traffic patterns and not enough on making communities walkable. 'So often we let MDOT design our downtowns,' he said. 'The stakeholders must design the downtown they want to see.' Having said that, MDOT should be included in downtown planning as one of the spokes of a wheel. Successful revitalization depended on the collaboration of a number of parties, including municipal leaders, the business district and neighborhood associations, he said. 'You must have all three of those talking and working together,' he insisted, citing projects that had failed because one of the three elements was missing..." Source: http://tinyurl.com/7vrlx

New Report on Obesity, Nutrition & Activity

There is a new resource from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that lists legislation that has been introduced and summarizes bills that were passed by states in 2005 to address obesity, nutrition and physical activity. It includes legislation that addresses PE, school foods, food marketing, menu labeling, BMI reporting in schools, access to walking an biking, industry liability, health education, and other issues. To read the whole report, visit .
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/July%202005%20-%20Report.pdf.

NHTSA Releases Helmet Law Study

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted on its Web site a new study of bicycle helmet laws. Six communities were examined where helmet laws of various kinds had been passed, including one where it was subsequently repealed.

The study suggests: that law enforcement must make the law a priority; if the law is not enforced, it loses its effectiveness; on-going efforts in education and awareness are needed, similar to those supporting safety belt laws; proponents should educate the news media about the need for the law; the public needs to be better educated on the physics of injury; and those implementing the law must "continuously deliver the message" about bicycle helmet use and the law. Read the whole study.

U.S. Study: Most Will Be Fat Over The Long Haul

According to an October 3rd Mercury News article, "Just when we thought we couldn't get any fatter, a new study that followed Americans for three decades suggests that over the long haul, 9 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 women will become overweight. Even if you are one of the lucky few who made it to middle age without getting fat, don't congratulate yourself -- keep watching that waistline. Half of the men and women in the study who had made it well into adulthood without a weight problem ultimately became overweight. A third of those women and a quarter of the men became obese. 'You cannot become complacent, because you are at risk of becoming overweight,' said Ramachandran Vasan, an associate professor of medicine at Boston University and the study's lead author.

"He and other researchers studied data gathered from 4,000 white adults over 30 years. Participants were between the ages of 30 and 59 at the start, and were examined every four years. By the end of the study, more than 1 in 3 had become obese. The findings, published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, show obesity may be a greater problem than indicated by studies that look at a cross-section of the population at one point in time. Those so-called 'snapshots' of obesity have found about 6 in 10 are overweight and about 1 in 3 are obese, Vasan said. The findings also re-emphasize that people must continually
watch their weight, Vasan said..."

Mixing Vehicle And Foot Traffic Can Be Tricky (But It Helps If Walkers and Drivers Know When Each Has The Right Of Way)

In a recent Los Angeles Times article, it was reported that nearly 5,000 pedestrians are mowed down by cars each year across the nation, making up nearly 12% of total highway deaths. Walking down the street should be a lot safer — and would be a lot safer — if both motorists and pedestrians had a better understanding of the rules of the road.

The issue of pedestrian safety came up in a recent letter from a reader, Paul Eklof, who asked: "Does the law require that a driver making a right-hand turn on green stop and wait for a pedestrian who has just stepped off the curb on the other side of the intersection — even when the street is six lanes wide?"

It is a good question that I have been asked repeatedly in reaction to recent columns I have written about the California Motor Vehicle Code. Eklof notes that he was not ticketed, but had been warned by police that he was violating the law by making a turn when a pedestrian was anywhere in the crosswalk.

There is a huge amount of confusion about pedestrian rights, and the toll is significant. A detailed federal analysis of pedestrian safety in 2001 reported 4,882 deaths. The good news is that the figure is down from 5,801 in 1991. A lot about this issue is obvious: The young and old are most likely to be hit; it's more dangerous at night than during the day.

And some places are a lot more dangerous than others. In California, 711 people on foot were killed by a car in 2001, representing 17% of all highway deaths. With a rate of 2.1 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents, California is a lot less safe than North Dakota, which lost just .5 pedestrians per 100,000 residents. New Mexico ranks worst with a rate of 3.9 per 100,000.

A look at our state's vehicle code makes clear that mixing vehicle and foot traffic is a risky business. It is one of the few areas of the code in which the legislature almost begs for help, stating "it is the intent of the Legislature that all levels of government in the state work to provide convenient and safe passage for pedestrians and reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries." It's easier said than done, just as confusion about Eklof's question implies.

In fact, the vehicle code does not require that a motorist wait until a pedestrian is out of the crosswalk to complete a turn or pass through a crosswalk, but it does require that the motorist yield to the pedestrian when he or she has the legal right of way. It sounds easy, but it can get confusing and it goes to the heart of the often-quoted but erroneous maxim that the pedestrian always has the right of way. Vehicle Code Section 21950 states that "the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter."

Lt. Joe Whiteford of the California Highway Patrol says that a driver must wait only until it is safe to proceed through the crosswalk. A violation occurs if the pedestrian must take evasive action or stop to allow the vehicle to pass through. In that case, the motorist has violated the pedestrian's right of way.

So, if the pedestrian is walking away from the car, it is legal to proceed through the crosswalk when the pedestrian is a safe distance away. When the pedestrian is walking toward a car, it is legal to go through the crosswalk if the pedestrian is far enough away so that he or she does not have to slow down or stop for the vehicle to complete the turn.

In Eklof's scenario, it would be legal to complete the turn if the pedestrian had only stepped off the curb of a six-lane street and was walking toward the car. But by the time the pedestrian is in the middle of the street, it is almost certainly too late, according to Whiteford. The bottom line is that the pedestrian does not always have the right of way.

The code states in section 21950b that the requirement of a driver to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk "does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for is or her safety. No pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk."

When a pedestrian does not have the right of way and is hit by a motor vehicle, the driver is often not cited or charged with a criminal offense. Such an outcome is nonetheless tragic. The law only vaguely defines the moral responsibility of the driver to exercise care as part of the solution to reducing pedestrian deaths.

Walk To School Week Reports

While the official 2006 Walk To School Week is officially over (it took place October 3-7), reports have filtered in on how communities around the country took park in the event. The Ann Arbor News did a story on the local campaign . Some other examples that should inspire us:

-> Kansas: “According to an Oct. 6th Lawrence Journal-World article, "Merrick Vinke, 7, lives two blocks from her school, Quail Run. But Wednesday was the first time the second-grader walked to school. 'We usually drive, so it's kind of sad we don't walk more,' said Merrick's mother, Michelle Tebo. Mother and daughter opted to trek to school on foot Wednesday to be part of the annual International Walk to School Day, an event established so parents would walk their children to school and teach them safe pedestrian behavior. It's estimated that more than 7,000 Kansas children participated in the event, according to Safe Kids Kansas, which sponsors Walk to School Day for the state.”

"'Many factors contribute to the safety of our children as pedestrians, including how involved the community is as a whole,' said Jan Stegelman, Safe Kids Kansas coordinator. 'It is everyone's responsibility to protect the children in our state from pedestrian accidents.' Nationwide, pedestrian injuries are the second highest cause of accidental death among children between the ages of 5 and 14. About 650 children are killed and 43,000 are treated in emergency rooms yearly because of pedestrian injuries, according to Safe Kids Kansas. Lawrence residents are working to make the city more pedestrian-friendly. In June, the city's Traffic Safety Commission formed a pedestrian safety committee..."

-> Tinley Park (IL): "Schoolchildren across the Southland today are being urged to forgo school buses and rides from Mom and Dad as part of International Walk to School Day..." http://tinyurl.com/cbgat

-> Nashville (TN): "Mayor Bill Purcell, Police Chief Ronal Serpas, and other city leaders joined students and parents at 45 schools across the city as they made a brisk early-morning walk..." http://tinyurl.com/bnh8j

-> Fullerton (CA): "Fullerton elementary schools, Laguna Road, Hermosa Drive, Pacific Drive, and the Boys and Girls Club of Fullerton located outside Commonwealth Elementary, will participate in the international
event today..." http://tinyurl.com/9w87m

-> Jackson (MI): "More than 1,000 Jackson students from four local schools shuffled, skipped, hopped and ran to school Wednesday in honor of International Walk to School Day..." http://tinyurl.com/9a2xp

-> North Carolina: "Among the 19 N.C. cities where at least one school is participating are Raleigh, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Morganton, Asheville, Wilmington and even Waxhaw..." http://tinyurl.com/8wlhx

-> Wyoming (MI): "WOTV 4's Maranda walked with hundreds of students, parents and teachers at Oriole Park Elementary School in Wyoming. The group has dedicated themselves to one year of fitness..."
http://tinyurl.com/bk4hq

-> Montgomery (AL): "On Wednesday, Vandiver was one of several parent and community volunteers who helped walk about 200 children to school in recognition of the ninth annual International Walk to School Day..."
http://tinyurl.com/e36l2

-> Houston (TX): "So the Safe Kids Coalition at Texas Children's Hospital teamed up with HPD to make the walk to school safer for students at Rusk and other Houston schools. .." http://tinyurl.com/exfc5

-> Rutland (VT): "Today they will be symbolically joined by the governor and more than 3,000 other students taking part in Walk to School Day..." http://tinyurl.com/8l3sz

-> Middletown (NY): " [The Partnership for a Walkable America] has made no inroads in the mid-Hudson; no school administrator or parent had ever heard of the program. Though it sounded laudable to most, it also
sounded -- quaint..." http://tinyurl.com/adnez

-> Green Bay (WI): "This is the first year Sullivan, with a student population of 540, is participating in the annual Walk to School Day. At least four other area schools are also participating, according to the Brown County Health Department..." http://tinyurl.com/dbjgj

For more information on Walk To School week and the walk to school movement, visit www.iwalktoschool.org.

New Study: Overweight Folks Choose Suburbs?

According to a Sept. 21st Portland Oregonian article, "Conventional wisdom among urban planners says that if suburbs were designed with more opportunities for walking and bicycling, people would be more active and would lose weight. But a new research paper by Stephanie Bernell and Andrew J. Plantinga, two Oregon State University professors, suggests that planning exercise-friendly communities might be a big waste of money because of how people choose where to live. The study concludes that people who are already healthy and active are more likely to move into neighborhoods where they can walk to work or to shops than are people who
are overweight and inactive.

"Bernell says people who are overweight tend to choose where to live based on factors other than the opportunity to exercise -- a larger house with more amenities such as multiple garages and large lot sizes, for example. The main thrust of the study was to look at whether individuals self-select into a particular type of community and if an individual's weight plays a part,' she said. 'We've shown that.'...Nonsense, says Reid Ewing, a researcher and associate professor of urban planning at the University of Maryland, and author of a groundbreaking 2003 study of the effect of urban sprawl on health...'There is conflicting evidence of this relationship between the built environment and physical activity and obesity, and there will be for a long time,' he said..." Source: http://tinyurl.com/8u9cr

Simple But True Quote

I have a favorite saying about transportation: 'If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.' It sounds obvious, but when I make this point to audiences around the country, it's a real eye-opener. They love it. The power of this simple idea is that it reflects basic truths that are rarely acknowledged. One such truth is that more traffic and road capacity are not the inevitable result of growth. They are in fact the product of very deliberate choices that have been made (for us, not by us) to shape our communities around the private automobile. We as a society have the ability to make different choices--starting with the decision to design our streets as comfortable places for people..." – Fred Kent, Project for Public Spaces - http://tinyurl.com/9vxz2

Web Resources

High Gas Prices Encourage Biking

"So maybe my bike-riding friends have a right to be laughing at all of us with smug superiority. Their cost of living didn't double when the price at the gas station did..."
http://tinyurl.com/aqtb2

Study: Diet, Exercise May Lead To 100+ Year Lifespan

"A University of Florida study has found that mutations in the mitochondria caused by obesity and lack of exercise -- not oxidative stress from free radicals -- may be a key factor in the aging process..."
http://tinyurl.com/bl4xo

The Effect of 4-Lane to 3-Lane Road Conversions

"...on the Number of Crashes and Crash Rates in Iowa Roads;" by Li & Carriquiry, Iowa St Univ; for Iowa DOT; June 2005. http://tinyurl.com/8wscs

Before and After Study of Impacts Of Reducing Road Lanes
"of 4-lane to 3-lane Roadway Conversions;" by Stout, Iowa St Univ; for Iowa DOT; March 2005
http://tinyurl.com/aaknd

Guidelines For The Conversion of 4-Lane Highways
"...Undivided Roadways to 3-lane 2-way Left-turn Lane Facilities;" Iowa DOT, CTRE, April 2001
http://tinyurl.com/a3awl

Walking To School Easy Way For Kids To Exercise

"The Federal Highway Administration has reported that half of all students either walked or biked to school in 1969..." http://tinyurl.com/aexom

Center For The Study Of Pedestrian Culture

The Center for the Study of Pedestrian Culture has a website, listserv, and blog and can be accessed at http://www.pedestrianculture.com

Study: Fitness Level Declines Dramatically With Age

Monthly Reminders & Requests

WBWC Membership Applications Available

Member Discounts

Two Wheel Tango and Ann Arbor Cyclery are both WBWC members and have agreed to offer a 10% discount on purchases by WBWC members showing their membership cards. A hearty "thank you" goes to Ann Arbor Cyclery and Two Wheel Tango for helping promote bicycling in Washtenaw County. If you are in a shop that is not a member of the WBWC, a friendly word urging them to support bicycling by joining the WBWC.

WBWC OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS

WBWC Officers

• Chair: Kris Talley - 734/913-8604 - ktalley@umich.edu
• Vice-Chair: Tim Athan - 734/995-1621 - athant@asme.org
• Treasuer: Scott Koll - 734/844-3925 (work) 734/662-2729 (home) -
• scottkoll@kollcompany.com
• Secretary: Ken Clark - 734/214-4883 - kenclark@ameritech.net

WBWC Board Members

• Brenda Bentley-Goenka - bbgoenka@provide.net
• Ana Iacob - ruxandra@umich.edu
• Bob Krzewinski - wolverbob@cs.com - 734/487-9058
• Jim Nieters - anders@dundee.net
• Paul Alman - palman@comcast.net