Riding bikes and walking aren't just for fun. They are a serious part of the Berks County transportation plan, designed to reduce traffic and pollution and help people get healthier.
See the story Monday at http://www.bctv.org/.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Riding bikes and walking aren't just for fun.
Riding bikes and walking aren't just for fun. They are a serious part of the Berks County transportation plan, designed to reduce traffic and pollution and help people get healthier.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Investing in Biking and Walking Could Save Lives Says Report
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PRESS RELEASE January 28, 2010
For Immediate ReleaseContact:
Alliance for Biking & Walking
Investing in Biking and Walking Could Save Lives Says Report
States with the lowest levels of biking and walking have higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease
Washington, DC - January 28, 2010 - A new report released today by the Alliance for Biking & Walking shows that lack of investment in biking and walking could be contributing to higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease rates in the U.S. Bicycling and Walking in the United States:
The 2010 Benchmarking Report reveals that in almost every state and major U.S. city, bicyclists and pedestrians are at a disproportionate risk of being killed, and receive less than their fair share of transportation dollars. While 10% of trips in the U.S. are by bike or foot, 13% of traffic fatalities are bicyclists and pedestrians. Biking and walking receive less than 2% of federal transportation dollars. Seniors are at an even greater risk. While adults over 65 make up 9% of walking trips and 4% of biking trips, they account for 19% of pedestrian fatalities and 9% of bicyclist fatalities.
"State investment choices can be a life or death issue for people who walk and bike," says Jeff Miller, President of the Alliance. "Creating safe streets for everyone will save lives and improve health and quality of life in communities."
The report also highlights the fact that states with the lowest levels of biking and walking have, on average, the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. In contrast states with the highest levels of biking and walking have, on average, the lowest rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. In addition, where rates of biking and walking are greater, more of the adult population is likely to achieve the 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to CDC, physical activity can reduce your risk of dying early from the leading causes of death, like heart disease and some cancers.
The report also ranks states and the 51 largest U.S. cities in biking and walking levels, safety, funding, advocacy, and policies. It further compares U.S. cities to their international peers finding that overall, U.S. investment in biking and walking lags far behind that of other developed nations. This may explain why the U.S. has fewer people who bike and walk than its international peers.
Miller says, "our data show that increasing investment in biking and walking could lead to more people biking and walking. The more people bike and walk, the safer it is and the healthier the community. It's a virtuous cycle."
Bicycling and Walking in the United States was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and made possible through additional support from Bikes Belong Coalition and Planet Bike.
For more information and to download the report visit http://www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org/benchmarking. For a fact sheet highlighting report findings click here.
About the Alliance:
Alliance for Biking & Walking is the North American coalition of over 160 grassroots biking and walking advocacy organizations. The Alliance works to strengthen state and local organizations through research, sharing best practices, training, resources, and grants. For more information or to find a local organization visit www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org.
###
PRESS RELEASE January 28, 2010
For Immediate ReleaseContact:
Alliance for Biking & Walking
Investing in Biking and Walking Could Save Lives Says Report
States with the lowest levels of biking and walking have higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease
Washington, DC - January 28, 2010 - A new report released today by the Alliance for Biking & Walking shows that lack of investment in biking and walking could be contributing to higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease rates in the U.S. Bicycling and Walking in the United States:
The 2010 Benchmarking Report reveals that in almost every state and major U.S. city, bicyclists and pedestrians are at a disproportionate risk of being killed, and receive less than their fair share of transportation dollars. While 10% of trips in the U.S. are by bike or foot, 13% of traffic fatalities are bicyclists and pedestrians. Biking and walking receive less than 2% of federal transportation dollars. Seniors are at an even greater risk. While adults over 65 make up 9% of walking trips and 4% of biking trips, they account for 19% of pedestrian fatalities and 9% of bicyclist fatalities.
"State investment choices can be a life or death issue for people who walk and bike," says Jeff Miller, President of the Alliance. "Creating safe streets for everyone will save lives and improve health and quality of life in communities."
The report also highlights the fact that states with the lowest levels of biking and walking have, on average, the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. In contrast states with the highest levels of biking and walking have, on average, the lowest rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. In addition, where rates of biking and walking are greater, more of the adult population is likely to achieve the 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to CDC, physical activity can reduce your risk of dying early from the leading causes of death, like heart disease and some cancers.
The report also ranks states and the 51 largest U.S. cities in biking and walking levels, safety, funding, advocacy, and policies. It further compares U.S. cities to their international peers finding that overall, U.S. investment in biking and walking lags far behind that of other developed nations. This may explain why the U.S. has fewer people who bike and walk than its international peers.
Miller says, "our data show that increasing investment in biking and walking could lead to more people biking and walking. The more people bike and walk, the safer it is and the healthier the community. It's a virtuous cycle."
Bicycling and Walking in the United States was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and made possible through additional support from Bikes Belong Coalition and Planet Bike.
For more information and to download the report visit http://www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org/benchmarking. For a fact sheet highlighting report findings click here.
About the Alliance:
Alliance for Biking & Walking is the North American coalition of over 160 grassroots biking and walking advocacy organizations. The Alliance works to strengthen state and local organizations through research, sharing best practices, training, resources, and grants. For more information or to find a local organization visit www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org.
###
Friday, January 8, 2010
What Kind of Bicyclist Are You?
Do you use your bicycle to commute? Or do you use it for sport or recreation? Does it matter? As a junior I use to race in sanctioned races on the road with USA Cycling's predecessor United States Cycling Federation. I would ride long distances and do interval training so I could improve my results in the local races I attended. I considered myself a serious athlete, a serious cyclist.
Once college started and then career and then family I found less and less time to go for rides. I was now not even an athlete but an out of shape man in his mid 30's pushing high cholesterol levels.
Eventually, I started to find time to go riding again and went for long weekend rides and shorter rides during the week. I started to lose weight and my cholesterol levels improved. Even though I wasn't a competitive cyclist I was a "road cyclist".
As a cyclist who use to race I looked down on those recreational bicycle riders or those people who would ride their bike to do groceries or go to work. I thought I was in much better shape then "those" people even when I would just ride on the weekends. I thought a cyclist was serious, fast and fit while a bicycle rider was just someone who would ride their bike.
Over the past 2 years I found I couldn't ride my bike as much and be with my family as much as I should or wanted. So, I started riding my bike to work to get the exercise in I needed. The first year I started about 50% of my miles on the bike were commuting to work. It didn't dawn on me but I still considered myself a road cyclist even though I was now doing half my riding on trails and commuting.
This past year I reached a personal milestone by riding over 3,000 miles on my bike. Over 67% of those miles were commuting miles. And despite the fact that I now ride mostly as a "commuter" I am in much better shape then if I just road my bike over the weekend on long 3-4 hour rides. So, I have to ask myself. . . am I a commuter or a road cyclist or a recreational cyclist? I guess I could say with pride that I'm a commuter. But what does it matter? In the end we all love the experience of getting on the bike, feeling the wind in our face, experiencing the outdoors and getting exercise.
So, as a new year is beginning I encourage you, no matter how you use your bicycle, to use it and get out there on the road or the trails and enjoy all the benefits a bicycle has to offer! And if you find you need help getting started or have questions about how to ride. . . . give us a call. We're not just commuters, or recreational cyclists, or racing cyclists. . . we're advocates! We'll advocate for you so you can continue to enjoy the invention of the bicycle.
By the way. . . here's me on New Year's Eve getting my 4 miles in to reach 3,000 miles.
Once college started and then career and then family I found less and less time to go for rides. I was now not even an athlete but an out of shape man in his mid 30's pushing high cholesterol levels.
Eventually, I started to find time to go riding again and went for long weekend rides and shorter rides during the week. I started to lose weight and my cholesterol levels improved. Even though I wasn't a competitive cyclist I was a "road cyclist".
As a cyclist who use to race I looked down on those recreational bicycle riders or those people who would ride their bike to do groceries or go to work. I thought I was in much better shape then "those" people even when I would just ride on the weekends. I thought a cyclist was serious, fast and fit while a bicycle rider was just someone who would ride their bike.
Over the past 2 years I found I couldn't ride my bike as much and be with my family as much as I should or wanted. So, I started riding my bike to work to get the exercise in I needed. The first year I started about 50% of my miles on the bike were commuting to work. It didn't dawn on me but I still considered myself a road cyclist even though I was now doing half my riding on trails and commuting.
This past year I reached a personal milestone by riding over 3,000 miles on my bike. Over 67% of those miles were commuting miles. And despite the fact that I now ride mostly as a "commuter" I am in much better shape then if I just road my bike over the weekend on long 3-4 hour rides. So, I have to ask myself. . . am I a commuter or a road cyclist or a recreational cyclist? I guess I could say with pride that I'm a commuter. But what does it matter? In the end we all love the experience of getting on the bike, feeling the wind in our face, experiencing the outdoors and getting exercise.
So, as a new year is beginning I encourage you, no matter how you use your bicycle, to use it and get out there on the road or the trails and enjoy all the benefits a bicycle has to offer! And if you find you need help getting started or have questions about how to ride. . . . give us a call. We're not just commuters, or recreational cyclists, or racing cyclists. . . we're advocates! We'll advocate for you so you can continue to enjoy the invention of the bicycle.
By the way. . . here's me on New Year's Eve getting my 4 miles in to reach 3,000 miles.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Pennsylvania IS AWARDED SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL STATE NETWORK PROJECT
Safe Routes to School State Network ProjectServing 19 States and the District of Columbia in 2010 and 2011 - Get Involved!
The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership announced an expansion of the State Network Project to 19 states and the District of Columbia beginning in January 2010. The project, which was first launched in 2007, brings together state leaders to remove barriers to waking and bicycling to and from school.
From 2010 to 2011, the project will support networks in Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Lessons learned from working with nine states and the District of Columbia during 2007-2009 will help inform this second phase of the project.
The State Networks will work to increase physical activity among all students, ensure that federal SRTS funds are spent on quality projects, work to leverage additional state resources for SRTS initiatives, and advocate to remove barriers to walking and bicycling to schools through policy initiatives. At the heart of the State Network effort is policy change-specifically working to remove policy barriers to walking and bicycling to schools by implementing complete streets, changing statewide school siting and other policies, and by implementing legislation that would result in funding or policy changes.
The 2010-2011 phase of the State Network Project also will focus on serving low-income communities and reducing crime. The specific policy strategies for each jurisdiction will be determined by the State Network and based on the capacity of the partnering organizations.
Agencies and organizations within the 20 project jurisdictions are encouraged to get involved. Each network will hold a telephone kick-off meeting in January or February. If you would like to participate, please contact the organizer in your state.
Each state organizer will manage the daily operations and work with partners from around the state who are involved in health, equity, transportation, youth, environmental, and smart growth issues to develop and implement an action plan.
According to Robert Ping, State Network Director, "The State Network Project has been very successful in bringing together partners to change state level policies that are resulting in opportunities for more children to walk and bicycle to schools safely. We're honored and excited about expanding this project, and about the impact that it will make towards the goal of reversing childhood obesity by the year 2015. We encourage state agencies, policymakers and non-profits to join us in launching this new project."
The SRTS National Partnership held an open call for applications inviting all states to apply for the State Network Project. The networks were selected based on need and their capacity to support the program. High levels of childhood obesity, diversity and low-income communities also were considered. States that were not selected may still receive technical assistance to help move their state processes forward.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided funding for 15 states and Kaiser Permanente provided funding for another five states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provided financial support for the project.
Bikes Belong Coalition P.O. Box 2359 Boulder CO 80306
The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership announced an expansion of the State Network Project to 19 states and the District of Columbia beginning in January 2010. The project, which was first launched in 2007, brings together state leaders to remove barriers to waking and bicycling to and from school.
From 2010 to 2011, the project will support networks in Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Lessons learned from working with nine states and the District of Columbia during 2007-2009 will help inform this second phase of the project.
The State Networks will work to increase physical activity among all students, ensure that federal SRTS funds are spent on quality projects, work to leverage additional state resources for SRTS initiatives, and advocate to remove barriers to walking and bicycling to schools through policy initiatives. At the heart of the State Network effort is policy change-specifically working to remove policy barriers to walking and bicycling to schools by implementing complete streets, changing statewide school siting and other policies, and by implementing legislation that would result in funding or policy changes.
The 2010-2011 phase of the State Network Project also will focus on serving low-income communities and reducing crime. The specific policy strategies for each jurisdiction will be determined by the State Network and based on the capacity of the partnering organizations.
Agencies and organizations within the 20 project jurisdictions are encouraged to get involved. Each network will hold a telephone kick-off meeting in January or February. If you would like to participate, please contact the organizer in your state.
Each state organizer will manage the daily operations and work with partners from around the state who are involved in health, equity, transportation, youth, environmental, and smart growth issues to develop and implement an action plan.
According to Robert Ping, State Network Director, "The State Network Project has been very successful in bringing together partners to change state level policies that are resulting in opportunities for more children to walk and bicycle to schools safely. We're honored and excited about expanding this project, and about the impact that it will make towards the goal of reversing childhood obesity by the year 2015. We encourage state agencies, policymakers and non-profits to join us in launching this new project."
The SRTS National Partnership held an open call for applications inviting all states to apply for the State Network Project. The networks were selected based on need and their capacity to support the program. High levels of childhood obesity, diversity and low-income communities also were considered. States that were not selected may still receive technical assistance to help move their state processes forward.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided funding for 15 states and Kaiser Permanente provided funding for another five states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provided financial support for the project.
Bikes Belong Coalition P.O. Box 2359 Boulder CO 80306
Friday, December 25, 2009
Make your comments before December 31
We wanted to make sure everyone was aware of an opportunity to comment on the Healthy People 2020 objectives. These objectives are issued every 10 years by the US Department of Health and Human Services. They are extremely wide-ranging, but there are several objectives that pertain to Safe Routes to School and bicycle and pedestrian issues.
Comments are due on objectives by December 31, 2009 – but it’s extremely informal and easy to comment. Most people are just submitting a sentence or two on the objectives they are interested in.
To comment, go to http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/objectives/TopicAreas.aspx and either browse the topic areas or search by topic. To comment, click on a section header of interest, and then scroll through the objectives to find ones that you are interested in. When you click on the objective you can see other comments that have been submitted, and then click on “Submit Objective Comment” to add your own comments.
Please consider commenting on these sections:
Environmental Health section, objectives 9, 19, and 25·
Injury and Violence Prevention objectives 6, 7, 24 and 25·
Physical Activity and Fitness objectives 10 and 11
Happy holidays to all!
Comments are due on objectives by December 31, 2009 – but it’s extremely informal and easy to comment. Most people are just submitting a sentence or two on the objectives they are interested in.
To comment, go to http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/objectives/TopicAreas.aspx and either browse the topic areas or search by topic. To comment, click on a section header of interest, and then scroll through the objectives to find ones that you are interested in. When you click on the objective you can see other comments that have been submitted, and then click on “Submit Objective Comment” to add your own comments.
Please consider commenting on these sections:
Environmental Health section, objectives 9, 19, and 25·
Injury and Violence Prevention objectives 6, 7, 24 and 25·
Physical Activity and Fitness objectives 10 and 11
Happy holidays to all!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
...a lack of sidewalks shows a lack of respect for human dignity
Enrique Penaloso transformed Bogota Columbia by prioritizing people -- and creating a transportation plan that was meant to serve people. He focused his priorities on asking, "How will people travel in this city?" Not -- "How will cars travel through this city?" His comments below are quite remarkable. I hope you find them useful for your work.
Urban Democracy and Quality of Life Mayor Enrique Penalosa served the City of Bogata, Columbia from 1998 - 2001. During his tenure, he'd bought public lands, created pedestrian and bike ways, and created the "Transmillenium" bus system, building on Curitiba, Brazil's noted success. Penalosa's remarks about creating high quality urban environments were passionate and democratic. In doing so, he established an ethical rudder for the conference. Effective urban environments have space and access for all.
"Why can't we stop making 'dumb decisions' and step up the dual challenges of development and sustainability?" he asked. Ironically, as cities get richer their transport systems get worse. Wealthy citizens buy cars, highways are built that destroy urban cultures, and quality of life deteriorates. Thus developing countries have a huge advantage: "They can see that the highest quality cities have moved past cars!"
In Zurich and Amsterdam, mass transit systems are mature. In these cities, 40% of people travel by bike, irrespective of income. In Los Angeles and Houston, cars rule and the quality of life suffers. Mature cities are lowering auto use through policies on congestion pricing and stiff registration fees.
"Shouldn't the public interest prevail? Transportation corridors ought to be for the people first. And the people need sidewalks, bus and bike lanes, not massive arterials for the rich in their cars, only to be gridlocked in traffic." Penalosa believes that a lack of sidewalks shows a lack of respect for human dignity. "The quality of life in any city can be measured by the width of the sidewalks. All great cities have great sidewalks. Think of Paris, Buenos Aires, and New York!"
The 20th century will go down in history as a disastrous era in urban planning. American cities that myopically feature low densities keep looking to add more freeways and lanes of traffic.
"Increasing roads is like putting out a fire with gasoline! It's totally irrational." And the higher the density, the more opportunities for walking and biking and highly efficient, frequent, mass transit. "And if you must build new highways," Penalosa noted, "at least leave a few lanes for high-capacity buses."
"In safe and highly democratic urban environments," Penalosa remarked, "a $30 bicycle is just as prestigious as a $30,000 car. A good city is where people want to be out of their house, and not in a mall. The city becomes a playground, safe for kids and adults. It is where people are happy, not where there are happy cars!"
Urban Democracy and Quality of Life Mayor Enrique Penalosa served the City of Bogata, Columbia from 1998 - 2001. During his tenure, he'd bought public lands, created pedestrian and bike ways, and created the "Transmillenium" bus system, building on Curitiba, Brazil's noted success. Penalosa's remarks about creating high quality urban environments were passionate and democratic. In doing so, he established an ethical rudder for the conference. Effective urban environments have space and access for all.
"Why can't we stop making 'dumb decisions' and step up the dual challenges of development and sustainability?" he asked. Ironically, as cities get richer their transport systems get worse. Wealthy citizens buy cars, highways are built that destroy urban cultures, and quality of life deteriorates. Thus developing countries have a huge advantage: "They can see that the highest quality cities have moved past cars!"
In Zurich and Amsterdam, mass transit systems are mature. In these cities, 40% of people travel by bike, irrespective of income. In Los Angeles and Houston, cars rule and the quality of life suffers. Mature cities are lowering auto use through policies on congestion pricing and stiff registration fees.
"Shouldn't the public interest prevail? Transportation corridors ought to be for the people first. And the people need sidewalks, bus and bike lanes, not massive arterials for the rich in their cars, only to be gridlocked in traffic." Penalosa believes that a lack of sidewalks shows a lack of respect for human dignity. "The quality of life in any city can be measured by the width of the sidewalks. All great cities have great sidewalks. Think of Paris, Buenos Aires, and New York!"
The 20th century will go down in history as a disastrous era in urban planning. American cities that myopically feature low densities keep looking to add more freeways and lanes of traffic.
"Increasing roads is like putting out a fire with gasoline! It's totally irrational." And the higher the density, the more opportunities for walking and biking and highly efficient, frequent, mass transit. "And if you must build new highways," Penalosa noted, "at least leave a few lanes for high-capacity buses."
"In safe and highly democratic urban environments," Penalosa remarked, "a $30 bicycle is just as prestigious as a $30,000 car. A good city is where people want to be out of their house, and not in a mall. The city becomes a playground, safe for kids and adults. It is where people are happy, not where there are happy cars!"
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Save Lives -- Support Complete Streets
Poorly designed roads like the one below cause hundreds of pedestrian deaths every month.
The Complete Streets Act would change the landscape and save lives.
Tell your lawmakers to support safer streets TODAY.
It's unfathomable, really. 400 people are killed in America every single month, just crossing the street, walking from A to B, or riding their bike through town.That's like two school-buses filled with kids disappearing every single week.The worst part is that many of these deaths are preventable. We need to start building roads in a way that works for everyone who uses them - motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and those with limited mobility.
Tell your lawmakers to get behind safer streets TODAY.
With the help of activists like you over the last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is now making pedestrian safety a priority, but if legislators on Capitol Hill don't join the effort, we won't see the change we need to save lives. There's a proposal in Congress that would make safer streets the standard - it's called the Complete Streets Act - but it won't go anywhere until more representatives and senators signal their support. Too many in Congress have yet to take a stand on this life-or-death issue - it's time to demand safer streets from our leaders in Washington.
Tell your lawmakers to get vocal in support of the Complete Streets Act of 2009.
One-third of Americans either can't drive or choose not to. Yet, most communities around the country are laced with roads that are inhospitable, at best, to people traveling by foot. Children, older Americans, and minorities are especially at risk. The desperate need for safe, "complete streets" in our communities is abundantly clear. Please don't miss this opportunity to help stop these preventable deaths. Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Ilana PreussNational Outreach Director
Transportation for America
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