Newsletter

WBWC Newsletter Archives

November-December 2006

WBWC Annual Membership Meeting – Thursday, November 2nd

The annual WBWC membership meeting will be held on Thursday, November 2nd at the Ecology Center, 117 N. Division in Ann Arbor (just north of Huron), starting at 7pm. One of the main purposes of this meeting is to elect approximately half the WBWC Board members to a two-year term.

WBWC Board Meeting – Thursday, December 7th

The WBWC will hold a Board meeting on Thursday, December 7th at the Ecology Center, 117 N. Division in Ann Arbor (just north of Huron), starting at 7pm. One of the main purposes of this meeting will be to elect WBWC officers for the 2007 calendar year.

For all WBWC meetings at the Ecology Center, limited parking is available at the Ecology Center itself (in the back of the building) as well as next to Tios restaurant. Bike parking loops are at the rear of the Ecology Center. WBWC meetings are generally held on the first Thursday of every month, 7pm, at the Ecology Center.

WBWC Board & Officer Elections

At the November 2006 WBWC meeting, elections for approximately half the sitting Board members will take place, followed by the election of WBWC officers for the 2007 calendar year at the December meeting. Anyone interested in serving on the WBWC Board (term of office – 2 years) or as a WBWC officer (term of office – 1 year) should contact WBWC Chair Kris Talley at 734/474-3575 or ktalley@umich.edu.

WBWC Supports Ann Arbor Park & Road Millages

At it’s October meeting, the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition voted to support Ann Arbor November 7th election millage votes dealing with park and road project funding. Behind this decision by the WBWC was the fact that both millages support projects that deal with non-motorized projects.

Car Free Ann Arbor Blog

WBWC member Scott TenBrink has recently set up a new Carfree Ann Arbor blog with daily postings covering "resources, tips, tricks and ideas for the car-free community in Ann Arbor, Michigan". He welcomes your story ideas and comments.

Bike Registration Reminder

Just a reminder that bicycles are required by City of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan ordinances to be registered with the City of Ann Arbor through the city clerk's office. The fee is $6.50.

Ann Arbor Bike/Ped Counts Continuing

Over the summer, WBWC members have been assisting the City of Ann Arbor of counting bicycles and pedestrians at various sites around town. This will be a continuing project with additional volunteers needed to serve on two-hour shifts. If you can volunteer, please contact Bob Krzewinski at 734/487-9058 or at wolverbob@cs.com.

AAPD Bicycle Questionnaire

As you're probably aware, there's a lot of misinformation out there regarding local enforcement of laws pertaining to bicyclists and police response to biking-related traffic incidents. As part of our efforts to educate motorists, cyclists and police officers about cyclists rights and responsibilities, the WBWC is coming up with a list of questions for the Ann Arbor Police Department to answer regarding bike usage, with an emphasis on car/bike incidents.  The questions and answers can then be posted on either the WBWC or (preferably) the AAPD website.  (A similar model could also be used for other law enforcement agencies like Ypsi PD and county sheriffs.)

Here's a start on the questions.  If you can think of any more that should be included or would like to expand on or clarify any that are here, please send a response to wbwc@topica.com.

1. What kinds of bicycle/car incidents should a cyclist report to AAPD, other than when a car hits a cyclist?  Examples: Driver passes bike too closely, Driver yells at cyclist, Driver verbally threatens cyclist, Driver repeatedly honks at cyclist, Driver steers towards cyclist, Driver leaves car and approaches cyclist,
Cyclist feels threatened by driver's behavior.

2. Are there any kinds of bicycle/car incidents that a cyclist should NOT report to AAPD?

3. Do you have to have a license plate number and/or be able to identify the driver in order to report an incident?

4. Under what circumstances should someone other than AAPD be notified, such as U-M campus police or county sheriffs?

5. What phone number should be used to report incidents? Can 911 be used?

6. How long after an incident happens can it be reported?

7. What actions does AAPD take if a license plate number and/or a driver description is supplied?  If a description of the vehicle is supplied?

8. Does AAPD track bicycle-related incidents, both those involving infractions by bicyclists or motorist-related incidents?

9. Under what circumstances would an AAPD officer cite a cyclist for an infraction?

Bicycle Cabs On University of Michigan Campus

In early October five bicycle cabs appeared on Ann Arbor’s State Street parked in the spaces across from the Michigan Union. Two of the "drivers", both clearly in their mid-twenties, were interviewed and it was learned that
they were offering free rides and had 5 customers this morning.  Chase Bank is financing the cabs as an advertising gimmick for October with the cabs having Chase advertising emblazoned on the sides. 

The company that owns the cabs is called Bici-Cab. They have 52 of the cabs in New York and some in a few other cities as well. The drivers make good money charging by the block. The cabs are high-quality with molded fiberglass shells, fully geared, with light-weight motorcycle wheels/tires, seating 2 + driver, made in Germany and selling for $14,000 apiece.

Detroit Explores More Walkability In The Region

A Sept. 20th Business Wire news release suggests, "Take a walk. That’s precisely what many Americans want to be able to do where they live and work. Studies show that a third, perhaps even more, of U.S. households want walkable living environments. 'There is pent-up market demand for walkable urban places right now representing trillions of dollars of development over the next 20 years,' according to Christopher B. Leinberger, director of the University of Michigan Graduate Real Estate Development Certificate Program and a Brookings
Institution Fellow.

"Key stakeholders in the City of Detroit -- including the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and others -- are busy crafting a market-driven redevelopment
plan for downtown Detroit. Central to the plan is fostering walkability in Detroit; an element many believe is a cornerstone to the city's revitalization. The Detroit metropolitan area has just three walkable urbane places -- the suburban communities of Birmingham, Royal Oak and Ann Arbor. Downtown Detroit, along with the cultural center anchored by Wayne State University, is quickly being added to that list. The DEGC and the DDP, chaired by Penske Corporation Founder Roger Penske, are spearheading the development of a strategic plan for the resurgence of Detroit's Central Business District.

"The research on which the market-driven strategy for Detroit is based will be presented next month at the 20th Annual University of Michigan/Urban Land Institute Real Estate Forum October 26 and 27 in Detroit. The Forum will highlight the market drivers of Detroit's resurgence and recap the progress to date, such as the recently announced $180 million redevelopment of the Book-Cadillac Hotel. Catalytic projects -- real development deals which DEGC has identified as the next steps in Detroit's rebirth -- will also be discussed..."

Michigan State University Forms “MSU Bikes”

MSU Bikes, now housed in a centrally-located facility known as the MSU Bikes Service Center, will continue to lease refurbished bicycles, offer repair services and promote bicycling to the campus community.

Formerly known as the MSU Bike Project, the group was a volunteer-run initiative of the MSU Office of Campus Sustainability, but it is now part of MSU Transportation Services. MSU Bikes opened earlier this month and is located in the canoe rental facility under the Bessey Hall auditorium. Bessey Hall sits alongside the river trail near the Farm Lane bridge.

“After providing more than 300 recycled green bikes to the campus community and a steadily increasing demand for more green bikes – not to mention the constant high demand for our bicycle repair services – the MSU Bike Project caught the attention of key campus administrators,” said Gus Gosselin, project co-founder and director of MSU Physical Plant’s Building Services. “Having more folks on campus riding bicycles accomplishes several good things for MSU simultaneously: healthier lifestyles, reduced traffic and parking congestion, and an improving campus environment.”

Bicycling at MSU has been a popular pastime since the first student bicycling club was created in 1894, and is a viable transportation alternative around campus that is often congested with auto traffic. “Riding a bike gives me great mobility and it’s great for my overall health,” said Jake Janetzke, a physical plant worker.

Tim Potter, one of the project’s first volunteers, is the coordinator of MSU Bikes. “The new MSU Bikes Service Center fits in nicely with the mission of transportation services and that is providing better transportation services to the MSU community,” he said. Potter and several other volunteers, including students from the MSU Cycling Club, have kept the project running and growing since its inception in 2003. Previously with the MSU Alumni Association, Potter will bring a lifelong love of bicycling and bicycle shop experience to the service center. “Four years ago I watched some neighborhood kids riding their bikes around with no tires and decided that I wanted to start helping others with what I’ve learned over the years about bike maintenance,” said Potter.

The new Service Center offers the campus community a full-range of services including repairs, green bike leases, short-term rentals, used bike sales, do-it-yourself workbench rentals, winter/ summer storage and more. MSU Bikes maintains a Web site that offers bike news from a variety of sources, cycling tips, maps, photos, profiles of MSU cyclists, information about volunteering and more.

Walk to School Day a National Success

In the U.S., a record number of communities from all 50 states participated in Walk to School Day on October 4, 2006. More than 2,200 events were registered on the Walk to School Web site. Of these events, 48 percent reported that their event was a part of an ongoing walking and/or biking program and 47 percent reported that their event was part of a Safe Routes to School program. On a global scale, this year's event saw a record 40 participating countries and also marks the establishment of the first International Walk to School Month. Find out who walked in your community.

New Motorist-Bicyclist Video Released

The League of Illinois Bicyclists, with funding from the Illinois Department of Transportation, has produced a nearly seven-minute video on motorist-bicyclist safety, which can be viewed at http://www.bikelib.org/video. The video, narrated by Robbie Ventura, a teammate of Lance Armstrong on the former U.S. Postal Service Team, presents the do’s and don’ts for new drivers for when they encounter bicyclists on the road. To make Illinois roads safer by bicyclists, DVDs have been distributed to 900 high school and private driving education programs and to more than 900 police and sheriff’s departments.

Bicycling Deaths Increase

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2005 Fact Sheet on bicycling accidents and deaths is up on their Web site. Bicyling deaths are up a shocking 20 percent since 2003.

World Car-Free Day Report

Over 1500 cities celebrated World Carfree Day on September 22, including 260 towns and villages in Spain. Montreal closed a 10-block area to motor vehicles from 10:00 to 15:30 and was the only city in Canada to hold its carfree day on a weekday. It was also the largest carfree closure in North America.

On bikes and dressed in swimming and diving gear, Cardiff Cycling Campaign members called attention to the lack of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Four drivers in New Zealand took up the Car Crush Challenge in Tarangua, New Zealand. Their registered vehicles will be crushed and in exchange they received one year of unlimited travel on the local bus. Transportation for Liveable Communities, in the steel capital of Canada, Hamilton, held a week of carfree events, including a women-only bicycle repair shop and a walking school bus operated by 17 children and 8 adults.

In Oxford, car addicts got prescriptions at the Petrol Addiction Rehabilitation Clinic. In the temporary, carfree Hsinyi business district, Taipei city officials and businessmen took their suits off to show that we can all have more fun when there are no cars around. In Prague, angels helped people cross the road in the early morning, and then lead 1,500 people in a Critical Mass bicycle ride. The Chicago Bicycleland Federation and theatre group Goat Island introduced Dr.Milos Ruzicka to the Czech Republic; Prague drivers received cards from Dr. Ruzicka that gave them the opportunity to buy roadside memorials for the people they kill with their cars. There were three carfree days in Portland, with public radio, drinks and snacks on the street, and a six-metre tall marionette who sings and dances.

Study Shows Bike Lanes Reduce Weaving On Roads

According to a Sept. 18th University of Texas news release, "By studying the interactions of drivers and bicyclists on Texas roads, transportation engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that having painted bike lanes on streets and roads helps both commuters stay in safer, more central positions in their respective lanes. 'Without a marked bike lane, there appears to be a lot of uncertainty about how much space each person needs -- even when adequate road space is provided,' said Randy Machemehl, the Nasser I. Al-Rashid Centennial Professor in Transportation Engineering and director of the university's Center for Transportation Research (CTR), where the study was conducted. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) provided $114,000 for the study conducted on two- and four-lane roadways where bike lanes had been added.

"Cities such as Austin, Houston and San Antonio where the study was conducted are considering how to increase bicycle lanes as part of meeting federal requirements of the Clean Air Act. Before the study,
little was known about the best approach for adding bike lanes to existing roadways for commuter comfort. TxDOT follows recommendations from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials to have five-foot-wide bike lanes. However, existing roadways can be too narrow to retrofit that way. By studying videos of thousands of passing events involving 31 paid, volunteer cyclists, and combining that with data from other studies, CTR researchers determined the best approach for narrower, retrofitted roadways...".

Full report

Safe Routes To School New Web Site

According to a Sept. 15th news release, "The National Center for Safe Routes to School has launched a new Web site...offering a resource to assist communities in enabling and encouraging children to walk and
bicycle to school." The Web site includes a Safe Routes to School Guide, NCSRTS Resources, an "Ask a Question" feature, an Online Library, and a News Room.

"Established in May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School assists communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school. The Center strives to equip Safe Routes to School
programs with the knowledge and technical information to implement safe and successful strategies. The National Center for Safe Routes to School is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety
Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration."

Safe Routes To School Video

As automobile traffic has progressively increased over the past four decades, the number of students walking or riding bikes to school has plummeted--from more than two-thirds of kids in the 1960s to just 10 percent today, according the League of American Bicyclists. But that trend is going into reverse, if the League has anything to say about it. They've produced a four-minute video to encourage parents, PTA groups, and other concerned citizens to get involved in Safe Routes to School, a program that was funded to the tune of $612 million by the
federal transportation bill passed last year. View the League's video.

Growing Number Of Commuters Give Up Cars

"A survey by the Pew Research Center in June found 55 percent of drivers said they had cut back on driving in response to high gas prices. However, making shorter trips or letting the car stand in the driveway isn't a very good way of saving money. The real savings come when you get rid of the car altogether. In 2004, U.S. households spent an average of $650 a month on transportation, of which only a fifth was gasoline and motor oil, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rest was mainly the cost of the car, insurance and repairs. Only $37 was spent on public transportation, which includes air travel. 'What the high price of gasoline has done is it's shone a spotlight on how expensive the cars are,' said Chris Balish, a TV journalist and author of the just published book 'How to Live Well Without Owning a Car.' Balish, 39, said he's saved about $850 a month by giving up his SUV three years ago. 'It was a big, eight-seater SUV and I was the only person in it most of the time. It was ridiculous, now that I look back on it,' Balish said, speaking by cell phone from a bus in Los Angeles.

"When I moved to St. Louis, everybody said 'You absolutely have to have a car in St. Louis,' and I found that not to be true," Balish said. 'Then I moved to L.A., and everybody said 'You really have to have a car in L.A.' And I found that not to be true either.' Los Angeles is full of walkable neighborhoods, he says. When he needs to get around, he loads his bike on a bus. It takes more time to get places, but he finds riding more pleasant than driving, and he can get work done on the bus. Kelly Rohlfs, an engineer in the relatively bike-friendly Mountain View, Calif., figures her family saved about $1,400 a month by getting rid of its BMW. Instead, they ride buses and bike to work. They got more space too: they converted part of the driveway into a dog run and put a pingpong table on another part. 'It's been surprisingly easy' being car-free for a year, she said. 'We also noticed things we didn't anticipate. Our lives slowed down ... not having a car, we're not out running errands all the time.'..."

Web Resources

Free???? Parking
"The High Cost of Free Parking" by Donald Shoup, which should make a lot of sense not only to ped and bike advocates, but to civic and business leaders as well. It's been published by American Planners Association.
NPR did a piece on it

Bicycle Helmets Endanger Cyclists?
New, and controversial, British research on bicycle helmets show that they may actually endanger cyclists, by encouraging drivers to pass closer than they otherwise would.

Getting Teens To Keep Biking
Scanning the blog Cyclelicious there is a great study about why teens choose to bike to school when they are old enough to drive. Find out how you can motivate teens in your life to bike by visiting .

Can The Bicycle Save Civilization?
"Thanks to the triumph of motorized vehicles over the past century, North Americans, who constitute some five percent of the world's population, consume fully a quarter of the world's energy..."

Ride Your Couch
While the endless debate over titanium, carbon or steel still rages, these men turned a couch into a bicycle. All the comfort of home, all the joys of life on the road: See for yourself:

Reminders & Requests

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 $25 a year.

If you would like to be a part of the WBWC “Go Team”, a Committee that attends local public hearings to speak out in favor of non-motorized facilities, please contact Bob Krzewinski at 734/487-9058 or at wolverbob@cs.com.