2011 archive

When you read the news about cities and states making streets safer for bicyclists, you'd be correct to assume that the push comes from the advocacy arm of a bike club.

Usually, the more members in the club, the louder their voice.

The 14,000-member Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle, for instance, can afford to have paid and volunteer advocates pressing for better streets in cities and visiting the offices of lawmakers in Olympia. They also run education and bike commuting programs, as well as present a slate of cycling events every year.

Chris Kostman would like to achieve that kind of support for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. ….

Update: Sept. 15 — US. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has backed off on his plans to block a Transportation funding bill.

His opposition would have threatened funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects, as well as force a shutdown of the FAA and airports.

Coburn opposed the transportation funding measure because of enhancements that go to bike paths and other roadside improvements — about 2% of the total appropriation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) made the announcement on the Senate floor Thursday night. He had previously said that Coburn was acting “like a dictator.” …

If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.

That was the strategy for New Orleans as it improved its habitat for bicyclists and joined the list of 11 cities to achieve Bicycle Friendly status from the League of American Bicyclists in the fall of 2011.

The road wasn't easy for the Big Easy, which had finished with only an honorable mention for three straight years.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told the Times-Picayune that the city had quadrupled its miles of bikeways since Katrina.

Also, 14 cities renewed their Bike Friendly status, including Redmond, Wash., which improved to silver….

Now that New York City is finally getting on the bandwagon with a bike-sharing system, I suppose we'll soon be hearing a lot more about the advantages of substituting short auto trips with bike trips. That's a good thing.

Of course, some media outlets are already raising fear and loathing about the launch of the bike-sharing system announced Wednesday with 10,000 bikes operating from 600 bike stations in the summer of 2012. Turf wars are expected where bike kiosks could take up room on sidewalks, just as bike lanes sparked a debate earlier this year.

The Wall Street Journal points out the system “could dramatically expand the already growing number of bicyclists in New York City.”

Could? It would …