*early release for Veteran's Day holiday
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Spotlight: OnLine Pedestrian Guide
TRB Annual Meeting Program Available
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Walkable Retail Loses In Atlanta
But Sidewalks/Pedestrians/Bicyclists Win!
Miami Bike Rodeo To Draw Hundreds
Car-Free Ballot Measures Go Down In S.F.
Seattle Trail Battle Pits Rich Vs. Public
Two-Thirds Of Drivers Speed In School Zones
In Race With Traffic, D.C. Pedestrians Losing
Court Wary Of Air Rules Cost Argument
Bike Lanes In Spain Run Mainly On The Plain
Study Finds Decline In Hiking, Biking
Melbourne Path Has Cyclists Riding On Water
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------------->In this issue, we mention a few results from
Tuesday's election. As reports come in between now and the
next issue, we'll start filling in the gaps.
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In the last issue, I mistakenly attributed the new report
on elderly driver safety to the Federal Highway
Administration. In fact, the report was produced by The
Road Information Program, a lobbying effort of highway
construction interests. --JW
SPOTLIGHT: ONLINE PEDESTRIAN GUIDELINES
Log on to BikeWalk.org and take a tour of the On-Line
Pedestrian Guide, the electronic version of the forthcoming
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report "Implementing
Pedestrian Improvements at the Local Level". The e-Guide
covers each of the traditional 4 E's (education,
encouragement, enforcement) identifying typical issues
and possible solutions.
The Guide content was developed collaboratively by Peter
Lagerwey, our own favorite editor John Williams, and Bill
Wilkinson and Bruce Burgess of the NCBW. The printed report
is scheduled to be printed later this year, or early 2001,
according to the FHWA. We'll keep you posted on its
availability.
In an October 14th letter to Hong Kong pedestrians,
Commissioner for Transport Robert Footman asked "Have you
ever dreamed of walking on a road in Hong Kong free of
traffic and traffic noise ? Have you ever dreamed of taking
your children on the road without fear of vehicles?"
While noting that "road space and priority is so often
biased against pedestrians," he proposed to shift the
priority to pedestrians and enhance road safety for
pedestrians and improve the overall environment for
pedestrians. To accomplish these ends, he identified three
primary initiatives:
(a) Full-time pedestrian streets whereby the streets will
be closed to vehicular traffic throughout the day except
for emergency vehicles.
(b) Part-time pedestrian streets whereby vehicular traffic
will only be permitted during certain hours of the day
mainly for deliveries.
(c) Traffic calming streets to reduce traffic flow and
speed; features will include widened footpaths to improve
pedestrian circulation, and lay-bys to regulate curb-side
activities.
In closing, Commissioner Footman said "I believe that all
of us have the will to improve the quality of life in Hong
Kong for our future generations and ourselves. We need your
support. We welcome your views and suggestions so that we
can build better pedestrian schemes as we move ahead."
Source: http://www.info.gov.hk/td/eng_commiss.html
TRB ANNUAL MEETING PROGRAM AVAILABLE
The Transportation Research Board 80th Annual Meeting
will be held in Washington, DC from January 7-11, 2001.
Here are the pedestrian and bicycle-related sessions noted
in the program:
59 Pedestrian Access to Transit
65 World Developments in Bicycling
90 Bicycle Facilities and Users Research
125 Non-Motorized Trans. Planning, Techniques and Safety
190 Keeping Pedestrians Safe
191 Pedestrian Modeling Studies
194 Bicycle Safety: Research, Methods and Design
313 Factors in Pedestrian Modal Choice
346 Crosswalks with Uncontrolled Approaches
385 Walkability Research: Audits, Indicators and LOS
402 New Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way I
427 New Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way II
443 Proposed Guide for Pedestrians in Response to TEA-21
The workshop program is available at
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/annual.nsf
According to a Nov. 8th AP story, "There's a good way to
prevent cardiac arrest during vigorous exercise, a new
study finds: Get plenty of vigorous exercise. The 12-year
study of thousands of male physicians showed that men who
exercised at least five times a week had a much lower risk
of sudden death - about sevenfold less - than those who
only exercised once a week, said Dr. Christine M. Albert, a
cardiologist and a researcher at Brigham and Women's
Hospital.
"Cardiologist Dr. Daniel Shindler called the finding by
researchers at three Boston hospitals and the Harvard and
University of Miami public health schools very important.
'If you're constantly exercising - not one of those weekend
warriors - (the study shows) you have a much better
outcome,' said Shindler, an associate professor at Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J."
Source:
http://www.examiner.com/ap_a/AP_Exercise_Sudden_Death.html
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WALKABLE RETAIL LOSES IN ATLANTA
According to a Nov. 6th article in the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, a new 1256-unit subdivision in the
Atlanta area features sidewalks, a greenbelt, and walking
trails but is missing an important ingredient of
walkability: close proximity to retail. "Plans to
incorporate a 10,000-square-foot retail center, with a
convenience store, video rental outlet and pizza place at
the subdivision entrance were shelved during a contentious
rezoning process."
As a result, shops are a 3-mile round trip from homes and,
according to Sally Flocks, president of Pedestrians
Educating Drivers on Safety, 'That's not walking distance,'
Flock said. 'That makes it an hour trip, and not many
people will do that unless they're looking for physical
exercise.'..."
Source:
http://www.accessatlanta.com:80/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/monday/business_a36002e6f202711d00b0.html
BUT SIDEWALKS/PEDS/BICYCLISTS WIN IN ELECTION!
In Tuesday's election, Atlanta voters gave the "thumbs
up" to four measures that will help pedestrians and
bicyclists. According to Sally Flocks of Pedestrians
Educating Drivers on Safety, "The City of Atlanta approved
four bond issues that focus on sidewalks, pedestrian safety
improvements, green space, and road and bike lane
improvements." All the bond issues passed with comfortable
margins of 75% to 25% or better.
Source: Sally Flocks, peds@mindspring.com
MIAMI BIKE RODEO TO DRAW HUNDREDS
According to a Nov. 2nd article in the Miami Herald,
"Miami Lakes' second annual Bike Rodeo is kicking off at 10
a.m. Saturday at the parking lot of Don Shula's Hotel &
Golf Club on Main Street. The sidewalk of the hotel will be
converted into a safety course for bicyclists that will
feature marked roads, mini-homes, cars and stop signs to
show children -- and adults -- how to properly ride a bike
and safely get by obstacles on the road.
"'The main purpose of the bike rodeo is to educate children
and parents about safety awareness and to let them learn
about the laws of riding their bikes on the street,' said
Keith Lindholm, an officer with the Miami-Dade Police
Department's bicycle squad..."
Source:
http://www.herald.com:80/content/thu/news/dade/northwest/digdocs/087311.htm
CAR-FREE BALLOT MEASURES GO DOWN IN S.F.
According to a Nov. 8th story in the San Francisco
Examiner, "Voters turned down two measures that would have
closed JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park on Saturdays, as it is
on Sundays. They rejected Proposition F, a measure placed
on the ballot by bicyclists, joggers and other recreational
groups, which would have closed the drive starting in
January. The 'no' vote on Prop. F was 54 percent, with most
of the vote counted.
"Voters also turned thumbs down to a competing measure,
Proposition G, which had the support of six members of the
Board of Supervisors, with 62 percent voting 'no.' The
measure would have delayed the closure of JFK Drive until a
voter-approved underground garage was built beneath the
Music Concourse."
Source: http://eXaminer.com/001108/1108measures.html
SEATTLE-AREA TRAIL BATTLE PITS RICH VS. PUBLIC
According to a Nov. 6th article in the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, "Winding 11.6 miles along the lush
lakeshore, the proposed East Lake Sammamish Trail resembles
many of the miles of converted-railroad biking and walking
trails elsewhere in King County with its meandering curves,
gentle slopes and beautiful vistas.
"Similar, except for the required armed police escort. The
threats of shotgun blasts to those who use it. The
snowdrift of litigation. The construction materials and
crews cobbling multimillion-dollar homes along its flanks.
The barbecues and homeowner flotsam in the yards it cuts
through.
"The trail is a work in progress -- or regress, depending
on who's talking. Planted squarely in the Burlington
Northern Railroad's 100-year-old right of way, the
county-owned trail runs through land coveted both by its
wealthy owners and by trail advocates who pushed for its
purchase. The ELST, as locals call it, has pitted the rich
against the public, city against county and consultant
against consultant in a battle over public land vs. private
property rights..."
Source: http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com:80/local/samm06.shtml
TWO-THIRDS OF DRIVERS SPEED IN SCHOOL ZONES
According to a national survey recently released by the
National SAFE KIDS Campaign, "the majority of motor
vehicles in school zones exceed the speed limit. According
to the SAFE KIDS Campaign, the prevalence of speeding
around schools, where safety measures exist, suggests that
drivers are even more neglectful in residential areas.
"The results of Child Pedestrians at Risk in America: A
National Survey on Speeding in School Zones, the first
national survey of its kind, were based on an analysis of
vehicles traveling in 63 school zones in 29 cities in
September 2000. SAFE KIDS coalitions and local law
enforcement observed vehicle speeds using speed- measuring
devices during 30-minute time periods before and after
school, the busiest traffic times for children who walk to
school. A total of 16,714 vehicle speeds were captured.
"The findings revealed that the majority of drivers speed
in areas where children most frequently walk:
-65% of drivers were traveling over the speed limit;
-Nearly 25% of drivers were traveling at least 10mph above
the speed limit
-5% of drivers were traveling at least 20 mph above speed
limit.
"In addition, the Campaign found that regardless of speed
limit, many cars were traveling at speeds that could be
lethal to children:
- 33% were going 30 mph or above.
- 7% of drivers were traveling at 40 mph or above..."
The survey results are available at:
http://www.safekids.org/pedestrianreport.pdf.
IN RACE WITH TRAFFIC, D.C. PEDESTRIANS ARE LOSING
According to a Nov. 6th article in the Washington Post,
"Each morning, Saul Murcia has two choices on how to get to
the bus stop across Georgia Avenue near Hewitt Avenue in
Wheaton. He can take the longer, safer route or opt for
short and risky. Almost always, he says, he chooses
danger--otherwise known as a mad dash across six lanes of
Georgia Avenue, at an intersection where more than 41,000
cars whiz by daily.
"Two pedestrians have been hit and killed while scurrying
across that stretch of Georgia Avenue in one month, but
dozens of people are still crossing without using the
nearby crosswalk, which requires an extra hike of a few
hundred feet. People even ran past police as they were
investigating the fatalities..."
Source:
http://washingtonpost.com:80/wp-dyn/metro/A27471-2000Nov6.html
SUPREME COURT WARY OF AIR RULES COST ARGUMENT
According to a Nov. 7th AP story, "Supreme Court
justices voiced skepticism Tuesday about ordering the
federal government to change decades of clean-air policy
and begin considering compliance costs - not just health
benefits - in setting nationwide air quality standards.
"A lawyer for industry groups asked the justices to rule
that federal Clean Air Act requires the Environmental
Protection Agency to weigh the cost of reducing harmful
emissions against the benefits of improved air quality.
"Justice John Paul Stevens said the industry groups
appeared to be seeking a rule that the EPA must set
air-quality standards 'to protect the public health,
provided it doesn't cost too much.'..."
Source:
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/001107/16/scotus-clean-air
BIKE LANES IN SPAIN RUN MAINLY ON THE PLAIN
According to a Nov. 6th Environmental News Network
story, "Spain is the most mountainous country in the
European Union, which can make it a rough ride for
bicyclists. The country's politics don't always help
either. In Madrid, Spain's capital, the right-wing mayor is
on record as saying bicyclists are not welcome, and they
remain a rare sight.
"But change is afoot. A national network of 80 bicycle
trails has just opened. The greenways, or vias verdes, run
mainly along old railway lines, and about 600 miles are
finished with new surfacing and signage. Another 400 miles
can be traversed by mountain bike, though perhaps not by
the faint of heart..."
For the rest of the story, go to:
http://www.enn.com:80/features/2000/11/11062000/spain_39730.asp
STUDY FINDS DECLINE IN HIKING, BIKING, CLIMBING
According to a Nov. 7th article in the Rocky Mountain
News, "Representatives of the outdoor recreation business
got a hard lesson Monday from their next generation of
customers: Outdoor activities are losing to the indoors.
"A youth panel at the Outdoor Recreation Coalition of
America's regional meeting - held at REI's store in
downtown Denver - gave a variety of reasons that they are
not participating in outdoor recreation or buying outdoor
gear. The reasons primarily had to do with weather, cost
and competing urban activities. 'I don't like to get cold
or get my shoes dirty," said East High School student Jason
Fordham, 17. "Plus, it's too complicated and too
expensive.'...
"A preliminary study found that youth participation is
declining in 13 of 14 outdoor recreational activities. The
categories include backpacking, road bicycling, mountain
bicycling, dirt road cycling, camping, kayaking, canoeing,
hiking, rafting, rock climbing, cross-country skiing,
telemark skiing, snowshoeing and trail running. The only
area that showed a slight increase was kayaking..."
Source: http://insidedenver.com:80/business/1107out6.shtml
NEW MELBOURNE BIKE PATH HAS CYCLISTS RIDING ON WATER
According to an Oct. 30th article in The Age, "A $4
million floating bike path on the Yarra was opened
yesterday, giving cyclists from Melbourne's eastern suburbs
an express route into town.
"Bicycle Victoria welcomed the path, calling it a
"magnificent addition" to Melbourne's bike network. But the
group blasted a decision to tear up an old path that would
have continued the north bank route to the city centre.
"The two-kilometre trail, 600 metres of which is on
pontoons to avoid flooding, runs alongside the Monash
Freeway on the north bank of the Yarra from Burnley to the
Morrell Bridge near the tennis centre..." For the rest of
the story, go to:
http://www.theage.com.au:80/news/20001030/A14930-2000Oct29.html
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"A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF INDUCED TRAVEL EFFECTS IN THE
U.S. MID-ATLANTIC REGION"
Paper by L. Fulton, R. Noland, D. Meszler, and J. Thomas;
presented at the Jan. 2000 TRB Annual Meeting. According to
the authors, "The results presented indicate a significant
relationship between the level of highway capacity, as
measured by lane miles, and the level of travel, measured
by daily VMT, in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S."
Downloadable as a 59k PDF file.
http://www.bts.gov/jts/V3N1/fulton.pdf
"PIERCE COUNTY NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION PLAN"
"It is 2020, and the citizens of Pierce County often ride
their bikes and walk to work, school, the bus stop, park,
library, post office, store and other destinations. People
are pleased with their system of bike lanes, sidewalks,
trails and roads that allow them to travel throughout
Pierce County using non-motorized transportation.
Equestrians are even able to ride to popular trailheads and
riding areas. The non-motorized mobility is the result of
the Pierce County Non-motorized Transportation Plan adopted
in 1997..."
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/services/transpo/nmplan.htm
"SPRAWL CITY: RACE POLITICS AND PLANNING IN ATLANTA"
Edited by Robert D. Bullard and Glenn S. Johnson of the
Clarke Atlanta University Environmental Justice Resource
Center, Sprawl City "uses a multi-disciplinary approach to
analyze and critique the emerging crisis resulting from
urban sprawl in the ten-county Atlanta metropolitan region.
Local experts including sociologists, lawyers, urban
planners, economists, educators, and health care
professionals consider sprawl-related concerns as core
environmental justice and civil rights issues." [from the
publisher's website, Island Press,
http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/sprawlcity.html
The book is available online ($30) or from your bookstore.
"A NETWORK OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES"
Subtitled "Evaluating Travel Behavior Effects of
Alternative Transportation and Community Designs for the
National Capital Region," this 1996 Environmental Defense
report about transportation futures in the Washington D.C.
area suggests "combining pragmatic pricing reforms with
transit service improvements, transit-oriented development,
the curtailing of growth in areas where people have no
travel choices but the car, and significantly improving
conditions for walking, bicycling, and local access to
public transportation." Available for download as a PDF
file.
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/pubs/Reports/Network/
"FACILITIES FOR NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION"
Washington State's Highway Design Manual chapter 1020,
which deals with designing bicycle, pedestrian, and
equestrian facilities. Downloadable as a PDF (1.5mb).
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/hlrd/PDF/1020.pdf
And now for something completely different...
"PEDALING HISTORY BICYCLE MUSEUM"
As they say, "There's more to bicycles than you think and
'Pedaling History Bicycle Museum' is here to tell you about
it!"
http://www.pedalinghistory.com/
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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
January 19-20, 2001: Redefining Community: A Smart Growth
Approach to Street and Neighborhood Design, Crime
Prevention, and Public Health and Safety conference, San
Diego, CA. Info: Michele Kelso, Local Government
Commission, 1414 K St, Ste 250, Sacramento, CA 95814,
voice: (916) 448-1198, e-mail: mkelso@lgc.org
website:
http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/RedefiningCommunity/
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 28-30, 2001: National Bike Summit 2001, Washington,
DC. Info: Paul Weiss, League of American Bicyclists, 1612 K
Street NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20006-2082 voice:
(202) 822-1333 fax: (202) 822-1334 email: paul@bikeleague.org
website: http://www.bikeleague.org
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 > EXEC. DIRECTOR OF GEORGIANS FOR GTA
Georgians for Transportation Alternatives (GTA) is seeking
an Executive Director who is a leader and a collaborator,
with fund-raising experience, an advanced degree or
equivalent experience in public administration, urban
planning, non-profit management, or related area, success
working independently and on a team, and excellent writing
and speaking skills. Deadline: Nov. 15, 2000. For the full
details, go to http://www.gatransalt.org/EDjob.html
GRANT > TCSP 2002 GRANT PROPOSALS DUE JAN. 31, 2001
The purpose of the Transportation and Community and System
Preservation Pilot Program (TCSP) is to fund grants and
research to investigate and address the relationship
between transportation and community and system
preservation. States, local governments, MPOs, tribal
governments, and other
local and regional public agencies are eligible for
discretionary grants for planning and implementation.
Applications for Fiscal Year 2002 grants and research
recommendations are due at your FHWA Division Office by
close of business on Jan. 31, 2001. For more information on
the program, visit:
http://tcsp-fhwa.volpe.dot.gov/index.html
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Contributors: Bill Wilkinson, Peter Moe
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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