"Families at Bear Creek Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado are leading the community into life changing choices through a Car-Free Commute program. Through partnerships among the school, the City of Boulder, the Boulder Valley School District, and the Colorado SRTS Program, the number of students walking and bicycling to school has increased. Student travel tallies have shown that the percentage of students walking and bicycling to Bear Creek Elementary increased from 41 percent to 70 percent. A traffic count conducted by the City of Boulder found a 30 percent reduction in cars and corresponding traffic near the school.
Principal Kent Cruger serves as a role model for his students by hosting the Cruger Cup, a year-long challenge to arrive at school every day without a car. At the beginning of each month, Mr. Cruger tries a new form of transportation — he has been seen on a foot-powered scooter, a skateboard and a unicycle, and regularly car pools with other area principals to school district meetings.
“Although this initiative was initially adult-driven, it has been the students who have taken ownership of their own travel choices and inspired the adults around them,” says Cruger."
Read the full case study: www.saferoutesinfo.org/colorado
Bear Creek Elementary School was selected to receive the James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award for Outstanding Local Program in 2008.
Monday, September 21, 2009
I came across a story this morning on WorldChanging.com which hilights the emerging practice of elementary schools criticizing and even intimidating families of children who bike and walk to school. The impetus for this unfortunate behavior is fear of litigation against school districts stemming from children being abducted while traveling to school. There are a number of links in the article which profiles cities around the country in which this is happening (most alarming is a child who was met by school officials and a state trooper when he showed up to school with his bike after being asked not to.) I think this is an issue that definitely deserves attention...
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010539.html
Keep biking, kiddos.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Afghan candidate's bicycle campaign
"Every morning Sangin Mohammed Rahmani says goodbye to his wife, gets on his bicycle and sets out alone on a bumpy, unpaved Kabul road that he hopes will lead him to the presidency.
Presidential candidate Sangin Mohammed Rahmani goes out campaigning on his bicycle.
In a crowded field of 41 Afghan men and women running for president in the August 20th elections, Rahmani stands out because of his one-man, bicycle-borne campaign to become commander-in-chief. His is an unusually humble strategy in a society exhausted by decades of civil war and warlord-ism.
'Only a person who is poor can understand the condition of the poor," Rahmani explains. "The only person who can solve the problems of this country is someone who has experienced the problems firsthand."
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/03/afghanistan.cycle.presidential.campaign/Consider your day brightened.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Daley Hearts Bikes.
Mayor Daley proposes $40 mil improvement to Chicago's lakefront bike path, which would alleviate one of the worst pinch points along the widely used commuter and recreational corridor.
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?articleId=32362
"Construction is planned to start next year. To pay for it, the city is now seeking an additional $13.7 million in federal highway money set aside for projects that reduce pollution by taking cars off the road, on top of $8.6 million received years ago for design and engineering work. The federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program could eventually pay up to 80% of the cost."
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
WAY TO GO, MINNEAPOLIS!
In May 2010, the city of Minneapolis will launch a public bike sharing program!
…you can read more here: http://www.niceridemn.com/
Taking the lead from countries like France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Canada, China, Brazil, Chile, and New Zealand - the bike sharing program will be the first of its kind in the United States.
Through this public investment in biking, Minneapolis is showing a commitment to improve our environment, cut down on traffic congestion and help keep its residents more healthy.
Even more exciting is the donation of one million dollars the program has received from Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
"We're excited to be a part of this innovative program that makes it easier for Minnesotans to be active in their daily lives, as our well-known campaign advocates," said Patrick Geraghty, president and CEO, Blue Cross. "With two-thirds of Minnesotans overweight or obese, we need creative solutions such as Nice Ride to put the brakes on this trend. Public bicycle-sharing can help more Minnesotans lead active and healthy lifestyles, starting with downtown workers and the students, staff and faculty on the University of Minnesota campus."
There will be about 1000 bikes in 80 kiosks around the city, with a yearly subscription at a cost of only $50.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Commuter Pain Index
I absolutely love the city of Chicago and often describe it as being close to my heart. And one of the reasons for that is the fact that I commute by bike. There are many reasons that I like biking in the city so much, but perhaps the biggest is that no matter where I'm going I really enjoy the process of getting there and thus often feel good when I arrive at my destination.
A Chicago Tribune Article from today citing an IBM poll suggested that my situation is very much not the case for the majority of Chicago commuters:
Nearly 100 percent of the Chicago respondents said roadway traffic is negatively influencing their health. Specifically, 44 percent cited increased stress levels; 25 percent said they easily become angrier; and 12 percent said they are getting less sleep.
In addition, 15 percent said traffic congestion is hurting their performance at work or at school, the survey found.
My suggestion to everyone in Chicago is start riding your bike to work. By doing so, you will save money, be healthier, reduce your carbon footprint and reduce traffic congestion for everyone else. And it's fun! Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
-- Biking rules. Spread the word.
A Chicago Tribune Article from today citing an IBM poll suggested that my situation is very much not the case for the majority of Chicago commuters:
Nearly 100 percent of the Chicago respondents said roadway traffic is negatively influencing their health. Specifically, 44 percent cited increased stress levels; 25 percent said they easily become angrier; and 12 percent said they are getting less sleep.
In addition, 15 percent said traffic congestion is hurting their performance at work or at school, the survey found.
My suggestion to everyone in Chicago is start riding your bike to work. By doing so, you will save money, be healthier, reduce your carbon footprint and reduce traffic congestion for everyone else. And it's fun! Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
-- Biking rules. Spread the word.
Monday, August 17, 2009
New Law Protects Bikers and Pedestrians
The Crime Victims Compensation Act that Gov. Quinn recently signed into law has an amendment that includes in the definition of a 'crime violence' leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that involves the injury of death of a pedestrian or biker. The significance is that it gives pedestrians and bikers access to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund.
The Underground Railroad Route
Underground railroad by bike
The Rev. Joseph "Joe" Culpepper, pictured here, and his friend, the Rev. Rick Jensen, pedaled the 2,521-mile Underground Railroad Trail from its start in Mobile, Ala., to Ontario, Canada, in 48 days.
(For the Pantagraph)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Biking and Politcs
So the first entry goes out to Harry Wray. He's a professor at of Professor of Political Science at DePaul University in Chicago where he introduced a class called 'Biking and Politics'. And he literally wrote the book on the issue. Its called 'Pedal Power'. In an Aug 08 interview with Time Out he reflects on how the class and the book came about:
So it occurred to me that I could do a course on biking and politics where we’d have these big rides—some of them are as long as 60 miles throughout the area. And then when the regular quarter begins, we can start talking about how is it this experience is really connected to politics. And so that was an idea I could make a course out of.... And I knew there was a book there because when I was looking around for reading material for the course [“Biking and Politics”], I couldn’t find anything. So I said, Well I guess I should write it.
When I went to set up this blog I was curious as to whether the page name 'Biking and Politics' would be available. It was. And it occurred to me that I hadn't fully realized that Harry was the first person to really engage this idea of biking as something political in the contemporary political context. The notion that riding a bike could constitute a political action, I think is a pretty foreign concept to most people on their first take.
Well, it turns out that there is rather profound connection between biking and politics, if only because it goes so unnoticed. But here's the thing: it's not at all difficult to see, its just really unlikely that you'd see it unless someone pointed it out to you. Unless you're Harry Wray, which is why you should read his book.
So why is biking political? At the moment I am working very hard to convince a group of people that biking is very much political and moreover, that talking about it is the responsible thing to do. One reason that biking is political is because in order for you to bike, you need a road. And roads are a public good because they are paid for by all of us, which means that my use of the road should not inhibit your use of the road, or vice versa. But as anyone who bikes or drives in the city knows, conflict inevitably arises between bikers and drivers on the road, just as it does between drivers. In a battle of strength, the car wins everytime. But for obvious reasons, most of us do are best to avoid that. And so the battle of wits becomes a politcal battle as representatives both parties hash it out before those people dictating policy. As it turns out, we often times get a say in who gets to make that policy.
The United States is the most auto-centric country in the world. By far. But right now the bikers have got all the momentum, and the reason for it is simple: the biggest challenges that we face as a civilized society - the economy, healthcare, energy and the environment to name the big ones - are actually made worse by more driving. And they actually get better with more biking. Look it up.
Biking rules. Spread the word.
So it occurred to me that I could do a course on biking and politics where we’d have these big rides—some of them are as long as 60 miles throughout the area. And then when the regular quarter begins, we can start talking about how is it this experience is really connected to politics. And so that was an idea I could make a course out of.... And I knew there was a book there because when I was looking around for reading material for the course [“Biking and Politics”], I couldn’t find anything. So I said, Well I guess I should write it.
When I went to set up this blog I was curious as to whether the page name 'Biking and Politics' would be available. It was. And it occurred to me that I hadn't fully realized that Harry was the first person to really engage this idea of biking as something political in the contemporary political context. The notion that riding a bike could constitute a political action, I think is a pretty foreign concept to most people on their first take.
Well, it turns out that there is rather profound connection between biking and politics, if only because it goes so unnoticed. But here's the thing: it's not at all difficult to see, its just really unlikely that you'd see it unless someone pointed it out to you. Unless you're Harry Wray, which is why you should read his book.
So why is biking political? At the moment I am working very hard to convince a group of people that biking is very much political and moreover, that talking about it is the responsible thing to do. One reason that biking is political is because in order for you to bike, you need a road. And roads are a public good because they are paid for by all of us, which means that my use of the road should not inhibit your use of the road, or vice versa. But as anyone who bikes or drives in the city knows, conflict inevitably arises between bikers and drivers on the road, just as it does between drivers. In a battle of strength, the car wins everytime. But for obvious reasons, most of us do are best to avoid that. And so the battle of wits becomes a politcal battle as representatives both parties hash it out before those people dictating policy. As it turns out, we often times get a say in who gets to make that policy.
The United States is the most auto-centric country in the world. By far. But right now the bikers have got all the momentum, and the reason for it is simple: the biggest challenges that we face as a civilized society - the economy, healthcare, energy and the environment to name the big ones - are actually made worse by more driving. And they actually get better with more biking. Look it up.
Biking rules. Spread the word.
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