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#PROBIKE/PROWALK: MAKING THE PUBLIC HEALTH CONNECTION">PB/PW: Making the Public Health Connection
Walk Our Children To School Day - October 4th
Bike-Ped Coordinators Step Down
Pedestrian Take-Over Set For NYC's Times Square
San Francisco Tests Countdown Ped Signals
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PROBIKE/PROWALK: MAKING THE PUBLIC HEALTH CONNECTION
ProBike/ProWalk 2000 was the biggest in the conference series' history,
with more than 550 people taking part. Participants from a wide range of
backgrounds, disciplines and perspectives exchanged ideas and information
and inspired one another to continue the important work of making our
nation's communities more bicycle-friendly and walkable.
This year it was impossible to overlook the growing presence of public
health at the conference, as evidenced in the list of participants and in the
conference agenda. There's much to be gained by creating partnerships
between the transportation, bicycling and walking communities, and the
public health community. Our missions are the same: to get people to live
healthier, better lives by promoting bicycling and walking, and making this
possible by improving the political, social, and physical environments.
To help make the connections between the bicycling, walking and transportation
communities and the public health community, we will include regular updates
on current issues in public health. CenterLines will feature news, information
and ideas to help you create more active, more walkable and bicycle-friendly
communities. You can also stay up-to-date by browsing our website.
Check it out:
http://www.bikewalk.org/Safe_Routes_to_School.htm
http://www.bikewalk.org/cdc_active_community_environments.htm
http://www.bikewalk.org/walk_a_child_to_school.htm
http://www.bikewalk.org/state_departments_of_health.htm
http://www.bikewalk.org/data_&_statistics.htm
http://www.bikewalk.org/smart_growth.htm
WALK OUR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL DAY - OCTOBER 4TH
More than two and a half million people in the US and six other nations
will take part in the 4th Annual Walk Our Children to School (WOCTS)
celebration will take place in communities across the country and around
the world on Wednesday, October 4th. School children will be joined by
parents, public officials, school administrators, transportation pro-
fessionals, safety program specialists and others to highlight the need
for safe routes to school for our nation's children.
This year marks the first ever International Walk To School Day; par-
ticipants in the U.S. will be joined by walkers in Canada, the United
Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, the Isle of Man and the British Colony
of Gibraltar.
Bill Wilkinson, NCBW Executive Director, will join U.S. Surgeon General Dr.
David Satcher along with representatives of the National Highway
Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shape Up
America!, State and local officials at East Silver Spring Elementary School
in Maryland to celebrate Walk Our Children to School Day.
See the Walk our Children to School website: http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/
to find out more about previous events, and WOCTS 2000. Walk Our Children To
School Day is sponsored in the U.S. by the Partnership For A Walkable
America.
Find an event near you!
http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/usa_walk/2000/2000db.htm
WOCTS Press Release (PDF Format)
http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/usa_walk/pdf/Ireleas.pdf
Getting to School Safely Around the World:
--Global Headquarters on the Web: http://www.iwalktoschool.org/
--In Australia: http://www.walk.com.au
--In Canada: http://www.goforgreen.ca
--In France: http://www.preventionroutiere.asso.fr
--In Great Britain: http://www.walktoschool.org.uk
--In New Zealand: http://www.ccc.govt.nz/saferoutes
--In the United States: http://www.walktoschool-usa.org
"The 'Velo-city' international cycle planning conference will be held
from
September 17th through 21st, 2001 in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. This
conference series which started in 1980 regularly attracts over 550
delegates from more than 30 countries. YOU have a chance to be part of the
workshop program next year in Scotland - we need to hear of the best
practice, innovative policies and just plain good news too.
"A call-for-papers is now in progress with a deadline date of November 1st.
There are five conference themes, which along with the other conditions are
set out in the web site http://www.velo-city2001.org Abstracts need be no
more than 300 words, and can be submitted on the web site. Oh! and why
the two sites? Because on Monday and Tuesday the event will be in
Edinburgh, Thursday and Friday we will be in Glasgow, and on Wednesday
the whole conference has the opportunity to cycle from one to the other -
a rolling event. Be there." --Olly Hatch oh@velo-city.org
BIKE-PED COORDINATORS STEP DOWN
Three well-known bicycle/pedestrian coordinators recently announced
their resignations. Each is moving on to new challenges. Mignette Dorsey,
Houston's popular coordinator, has taken a position in another city agency,
managing communications. Mary Hardison, Albuquerque's coordinator,
just received a promotion within that city's transportation department. And
Tom Fisher, Tucson's bike/ped coordinator, will soon become an Intermodal
Planner with the Pima Association of Governments, Tucson's MPO.
We'll miss them all, wish them luck in their new endeavors, and encourage
them to keep active in the field!
PEDESTRIAN TAKE-OVER SET FOR NYC'S TIMES SQUARE
According to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, "After 3-1/2 years
of planning and numerous public meetings, the New York City Department
of City Planning's innovative Times Square Pedestrian Improvement Plan
is soon to be built. According to the NY Post, the improvements are strongly
supported by the Times Square BID, which has played a key role in
shepherding the plan past the city's traffic engineers.
"The proposed improvements are a boon for pedestrians. Sidewalks will be
widened from 8 to 14 feet and the TKTS traffic island at the north end of the
square significantly widened. Passenger cars will be prohibited from using
Broadway between 44th and 47th Streets, sidewalks will be widened
between 41st and 47th Streets, truck deliveries will be limited to the hours
of 10am to 4pm, and automobiles will be banned from making turns on
several streets. All of which should decrease the pedestrian accident and
fatality rates. Over a five-year period, there were 4,840 pedestrian
accidents
including 31 fatalities.
"The city has announced the project will begin before the end of 2000,
though no formal schedule has been determined. The Times Square will
join Herald Square and Lower Manhattan/Wall Street as the third major
pedestrian improvement project underway in Manhattan's Central Business
District."
source: "MOBILIZING THE REGION," the weekly bulletin of the Tri-State
Transportation Campaign, #287. For more info, contact: Kristen Fountain
at tstc@tstc.org or visit http://www.tstc.org
SAN FRANCISCO TESTS COUNTDOWN PED SIGNALS
The San Francisco Chronicle reports, "People crossing
the street near San Francisco City Hall will soon be able to count
the seconds they have left to beat the onslaught of traffic. In the
next month, four pedestrian ``countdown clocks'' will be installed
around City Hall and at 10 other busy intersections in San Francisco,
Supervisor Mabel Teng said yesterday.
"At the same time, about 50 fluorescent pedestrian signs will be
posted at key crossing points, replacing the smaller, yellow signs
that warn drivers to slow down at crosswalks, Teng said. The clocks
and signs will be put up in conjunction with a ``Slow It Down''
advertising campaign that urges drivers in San Francisco to be
more careful..."
source:
http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/09/21/MN34801.DTL
September 22nd (or 21st or 24th, depending on who's talking) was
World Car-free Day. Organizer Margot Wallstroem, the European
Union's environment commissioner said that 65 million people in
813 cities across some 30 countries participated, although some
news stories suggested low participation, especially in the U.S.
The purpose of World Car-Free Day was to raise awareness to the
car-related problems in urban areas, and discuss climate change,
noise levels and air pollution.
For more information:
http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/cf_index.htm
http://www.carfreeday.net/
http://www.22september.org/ [European Car Free Day]
For an alternative view, see:
http://www.carbusters.ecn.cz/WCFD2.htm/
Here's a sampling of the most interesting Car-Free Day news reports...
BANGKOK TRAFFIC DOWN 10% ON CAR-FREE DAY
According to the Bangkok Post, "Most Bangkok motorists ignored
Car-free Day, but authorities said the number of private cars on the city's
streets was still down by 10%.
"There was a big improvement in air quality as well.
"Dr Pongpisit Visetkul, of the National Energy Policy Office (Nepo), said an
estimated 130,000 private cars were off the streets, resulting in a 10%
improvement in traffic flow on the streets and 20% on the expressways.
"Air quality checks by the Pollution Control Department showed 13%
less dust and carbon monoxide in the air, he said. The 10% cut in car
numbers amounted to a saving in petrol of seven million baht..."
source: http://www.bangkokpost.net/230900/230900_News01.html
LIMERICK'S TRAFFIC AND NOISE DOWN
In Limerick, Ireland, according to the Irish Times, "Hourly traffic
movement on the Dublin road was down by 12 per cent on last year, and
in O'Connell Street the noise-monitoring unit found "a remarkable reduction"
in background levels.
"It is one aspect that we have to consider if we want to
sell traffic congestion solutions to the public," Mr McDermott said.
"In the city centre there was a relaxed atmosphere as pedestrians reclaimed
the quiet streets for a few hours. The Labour Party TD, Ms Jan O'Sullivan,
who was shopping, said it was a pleasure to walk around. "Overall, I
think it is great. It is an educational experience for people," she said...
source: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2000/0923/car1.htm
DENMARK'S GREEN TRANSPORT WEEK
Denmark's version of the Car-Free Day was a week-long celebration
called "Green Transport Week," which took place from 18 to 24 September
2000. Denmark decided to shift their focus away from the issue of car-free
cities and extend activities to cover a whole week under the motto:
"Rethinking Transport Habits". Forty-four large and medium-sized
communities participated in the campaign, among them 16 of Denmark's
largest cities.
source: http://www.miljoetrafik.dk/
(English version available)
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"IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: A LOOK AT THE CAR
FREE CITY POLICY IN THE NETHERLANDS"
A 17-page paper by Lindy Molenkamp, ARCADIS Heidemij Advies,
presented at the 1999 Annual TRB Meeting in Washington, D.C.
This paper discusses the problems that car-free areas in Dutch downtowns
cause for nearby residential areas. It proposes solutions and shows how
public involvement should be a key ingredient to such projects.
http://www.ch2m.com/trb_pi/00494.pdf
"CHANGING DIRECTION: FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION SPENDING
IN THE 1990s"
In this 37-page March 2000 report, STPP analyzes ten years of data
from the U.S. DOT's Fiscal Management Information System as well
as reports from the FTA that track how the states have spent federal
transportation dollars.
http://www.transact.org/reports/cd/tea21color.pdf
"MAKING WALKING AND CYCLING SAFER: LESSONS
FROM EUROPE"
Published in Transportation Quarterly (Vol. 54, No. 3, Summer 2000,
pp. 25-50). According to authors John Pucher and Lewis Dijkstra,
pedestrian and bicyclist casualties are too high in the US and
European solutions can help improve the situation. Downloadable
from the Rutgers University website.
http://policy.rutgers.edu/papers
"EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY CHECKLIST"
Among the many features of the AdVanced Consulting website is a
detailed checklist for advocates. Find it at:
http://www.advocacyguru.com/checklist.htm
Also, check out their free online advocacy teleseminar at:
http://www.avidlearn.com/catalog/freelist.php
"MAKING CROSSWALKS SAFER FOR PEDESTRIANS:
APPLICATION OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH..."
54-page report documents the steps involved in assessing
pedestrian safety, prioritizing and selecting countermeasures,
implementing engineering, education, and enforcement
interventions, and evaluating effectiveness. From St. Petersburg, FL
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/safety/ped_bike/handbooks_and_research/research/pedyield.pdf
"CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND THE AIMS OF ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION"
In-depth report by the UK Department of the Environment, Transport
and the Regions presents a view that is in "marked contrast to a
widely-held view in the road safety field that children are inherently
incapable of dealing with the traffic environment until they have
reached a certain level of cognitive development."
http://www.roads.detr.gov.uk/roadsafety/aims/index.htm
"WHEN A HIGHWAY RUNS THROUGH IT"
Handbook on Main Street design published by the Oregon Downtown
Development Association and Oregon DOT. Talks about what towns can do
when their Main Street also is a state highway. Emphasis is on balancing
access and mobility.
Order online ($25) at http://www.odda.org/Services.htm#Publications
"MINNESOTA BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND
DESIGN GUIDELINES"
Published by the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation in 1996, this 74-page
guide includes sections on planning, on-road design, off-road design,
bike parking, and other topics. Color graphics can be hard to read.
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/sti/mg1004.pdf
"PEDESTRIAN SAFETY HANDBOOK: A HANDBOOK FOR ADVOCATES"
The American Council of the Blind's handbook on "improving the pedestrian
environment, guaranteeing people who are blind or visually impaired
access to intersection identification and traffic control information."
Second
edition published in April, 2000
http://www.acb.org/pedestrian/phd2a.zip
"ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS"
Produced in 1998 by Accessible Design for the Blind under contract with
the U.S. Access Board, this study includes details on audible signal
technology and other approaches to making signals accessible to the
blind.
http://www.acb.org/pedestrian/signals.html
"ROADKILL BILL"
"The weekly comic that looks at cars, technology, ecology and
philosophy from the viewpoint of a frequently squashed rodent.... "
[Couldn't resist including this wonderful site! --JW]
http://www.roadkillbill.com
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October 4, 2000: International Walk to School Day. Info: email:
chad_sattler@unc.edu also for info the international program,
as well as linkes to nine national events, visit their website.
website: http://www.iwalktoschool.org/
U.S. event website: http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/
October 4-10, Rail~Volution 2000: Building Livable Communities
with Transit, Denver, CO. Info: 800-788-7077
website: http://www.railvolution.com
October 19-21, 2000: 3rd International Congress Greenways in the
Millenium; Gijón, Spain. Info: Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Espanoles,
fax: +34(0)91-528 09 86, email: viasverdes@ffr.es
website: http://www.viasverdes.com
October 28, 2000: Northeast Bicycle Advocate's Conference, Hartford, CT.
Info: CT Bicycle Coalition at (860) 527-5200 or Thunderhead Alliance
website: http://www.thunderheadalliance.org
November 1, 2000: Velo-city 2001, Call for Papers Deadline; see
Sept. 2001 entry below for Conference and access information.
January 7-11, 2001:80th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research
Board, Washington, DC. Info: TRB, 2101 Constitution Ave, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20418, voice: (202) 334-2934 fax: (202) 334-2003
website: http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/annual.nsf
February 20-22, 2001: Australia: Walking the 21st Century:
An International Walking Conference, Perth, Western Australia. Info:
John Seaton, Metropolitan Div., Dept. of Transport, PO Box 7272
Cloisters Square, Perth, W. Australia - 6850,
voice: +61 8 9313 8680 fax: +61 8 9320 9497
e-mail: jseaton@transport.wa.gov.au
website: http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/conferences/walking/index.html
March 25-28, 2001,17th Annual ITE Spring Conference: Improving
Transportation Performance and Productivity, Monterey, CA. Info: ITE, 525
School Street, SW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20024 USA ,
voice: (202) 554-8050 fax: (202) 863-5486, email: ite_staff@ite.org
website: https://www.ite.org/conference2001/sixdays.asp
July 3-6, 2001,Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA)
Annual Meeting, Edinburgh, Scotland. Info: EDRA, P.O. Box 7146,
Edmond, OK 73083-7146, voice: (405)330-4863
fax: (405)330-4150, email: edra@telepath.com
website: http://www.telepath.com/edra/home.html
September 17-21, 2001, Velo-city 2001, Edinburgh/Glasgow, Scotland.
Info: Meeting Makers Ltd, Jordanhill Campus, 76 Southbrae Drive,
Glasgow G13 1PP, Scotland, voice: 0141 434 1500 fax: 434 1519,
e-mail: Velo_city@meetingmakers.co.uk
website: http://velo-city2001.org/
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JOB > BIKESTATION COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
The Bikestation Coalition is seeking a full-time salaried position in Long
Beach, CA. Individual would be responsible for developing and
implementing communications strategies for both the Long Beach
Bikestation, a public bike-transit center, and the Bikestation Coalition,
a national non-profit transportation/advocacy organization. For more
information, contact Mark Shandrow at < shandrow@earthlink.net >
GRANT > MPO WALKABLE COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM
The U.S. Department of Transportation is sponsoring a competitive
matching grant program for metropolitan planning organizations
(MPOs) who would like to host walkable community workshops.
Six MPOs will be chosen in December to host eight 1/2 day workshops
each. MPOs are required to provide a $6k match, along with local
logistical support. Application forms will be sent to MPOs in the
first week of October. For more information, contact Lys Burden of
Walkable Communities at < walkable@aol.com>
Send us your job, grant program, and request for proposals
announcements and we'll let a LOT of people know!
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COPYING: We encourage you to copy our content as long as you identify
the source in this way: "from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National
Center for Bicycling & Walking."
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Contributors: Bill Wilkinson, Peter Moe, Oliver Hatch
Editor: John Williams Send news items to: john@montana.com
Director: Bill Wilkinson
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National Center for Bicycling & Walking 1506 21st St NW, Suite
200, Washington D.C. 20036 Voice: (202) 463-6622 Fax: (202) 463-6625
Email: info@bikewalk.org
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