B1 Bicycles has 50% OFF Tune Ups through 2/29!

[B1 Bicycles website]

Mohican Area Gravel Adventure Ride Recap 01282012

Highlights
7 cyclists (Tim, Bill, Dan, John D, John C, Carey, myself)
25+ grade percent max
2600+ feet of climbing
Mix of paved and gravel roads
Gravel road surface was a mix of snow, slush and mush (slow going)
The CareyDactyl made multiple appearances by squawking
Route [from Tim]
Started at Mohican MTB trailhead
Brinkhaven/Gann turnaround point
Passed blueberry farms
Passed Landoll's Mohican Castle

US teacher tracks his bike rides by GPS - and creates some stunning artwork (+ gallery)

Jellyfish Invasion (copyright WallyGPX.com)

A man in Baltimore, Maryland, is using pedal power to turn maps of the city into art, tracing pictures of his journeys round the city by using his GPS-enabled phone. Michael Wallace’s works have now been featured in newspapers, websites and other media around the world, and here he shares with road.cc how he got started, the idea of launching a website to showcase his work, and his plans for his biggest piece yet.

[Continue reading at Road.cc]

Kiwi Chronicles: Episode 4 - The Forgotten World Highway - PathLessPedaled.com

Kiwi Chronicles: Episode 4 - The Forgotten World Highway - PathLessPedaled.com from Russ Roca on Vimeo.

In this episode, we experience our first Kiwi Christmas. We also ride the Forgotten World Highway, one of NZ's Great Rides. We have a chat with the team behind the new cycle trail network in New Zealand and Jonathan Kennett, a reknowned bicycle advocate in NZ.

For behind the scenes info, check out:
www.bicycletimesmag.com

For more visit:
www.pathlesspedaled.com
www.facebook.com/pathlesspedaled

Does a Three Foot Law make sense? For PA it does! [via LAB]

PA Senate PAsses safe PAssing

6Share

Too much with the PA joke? Sorry. Anyway…

Big news today out of Pennsylvania. The PA Senate passed House Bill 170, the Safe Passing Act by a vote of 45 to 5. The bill will now go to Governor Corbett’s desk for his signature.

Read more about who voted for and against the measure at the blog of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Photo from Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

Read our previous coverage of this campaign.

Link --> League of American Bicyclists

MORPC Regional Bikeways Plan STILL TAKING COMMENTS! (This is where money comes from for the central Ohio area)

As part of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) update, MORPC has developed a draft bikeway prioritization methodology for the region. This methodology will help MORPC to prioritize future bikeways at a regional level. We are reviewing comments received during the official comment period ending January 18, 2012. We will be considering those comments during the development of the final draft map and methodology, available for comment beginning February 29. Feel free to continue to submit comments. We will review for possible incorporation as best as possible prior to final draft map release. Comments can be submitted to MORPC, 111 Liberty Street, Suite 100, Columbus, Ohio 43215 or by email to Andrew Taylor attplan@morpc.org.

To view and download the methodology, please click on the following link: 2012 Draft Bikeway Prioritization Methodology.

To view an interactive version of the map, please click on the following link: 2012 Draft Bikeway Prioritization Interactive Map.

---

MORPC plans for the development of bikeways as a component of a multimodal regional transportation plan. The goal of the bikeway planning effort is to create a network of bikeways that provide transportation between Delaware and Franklin counties, Bloom and Violet townships in Fairfield County, and Etna township and Pataskala in Licking County. (This is the MORPC planning area.)

The development of a regional bicycle transportation system requires the following collaborative efforts:

• Local governments provide data on existing and committed bikeways.
• The bicycling community provides desired routes.
• Bicycle organizations and public agencies provide technical information on bikeway design, location, barriers, and the overall cycling environment.

For more information contact Juana Sandoval at (614) 233-4140 or jsandoval@morpc.org.

Link --> MORPC.org

House Bill Threatens to Eliminate Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding [LAB]

For the past 20 years, the federal Transportation program has included dedicated funding for biking and walking. Over the course of twenty years and three federal transportation laws, federal support for bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure projects has slowly ticked upwards. As a result, more and more communities feature safe roads for people who travel on foot or by bicycle and more people are bicycling — there has been a 40% increase in bicycling from 2000 to 2009 and a surge in Bicycle Friendly Communities.

In 1992, Congress passed ISTEA, the first federal transportation bill to include funding for transit, biking, and walking. As each consecutive transportation bill passed and continued dedicated funding for biking and walking, funding increased from $23 million for 50 new projects in 1992 to $297 million dollars and 971 projects in 2000, to a record $1.2 billion dollars and 3010 projects in 2009.

However, recently there has been a drop in funding and projects — since 2009 — as a result of the decline in stimulus spending that was available for a limited period and uncertainty over the future of the programs. A similar phenomenon occurred between 1997 and 2005. Now, however, a new transportation bill threatens to eliminate federal support for biking and walking infrastructure all together.

Next Thursday, the House Transportation Committee will vote (see timeline) on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funds for biking and walking. Representatives on the Transportation Committee are key positions to save dedicated funding for biking and walking.

[keep reading at Bikeleague.org]

Creating ‘The Most Bicycle Friendly City in America’ ... In Southern California [The Atlantic]

Creating ‘The Most Bicycle Friendly City in America’ ... In Southern California

• NATE BERG
• 8:25 AM ET
• 1 COMMENT

There have been numerous studies that show how adding a new lane to a freeway or road has the opposite effect than what was intended. Rather than easing congestion (which it does only briefly), the new lane merely creates more room for more cars, and quickily induces even more congestion. This same principle applies to bicycle traffic, though in a slightly different way. Few cities – and even fewer American cities – struggle with bike traffic congestion. Rather, what more and more cities find themselves struggling with is a lack of bike traffic. They want more bicyclists on their streets. To get them, cities are finding that when they build more bicycle lanes – and, more broadly, “bicycle-friendly” environments – more bicyclists emerge.

This theory is moving full speed ahead in unlikely Long Beach, Calif., where a focused effort is underway to modify city streets to encourage bicycling to become a viable day-to-day transportation option in and around the city. The transformation has been rapid in this city of 460,000, 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. In just a few years, the city has allocated more than $20 million for bike-related projects, adding new bike routes to city streets, building protected bike lanes, painting shared lanes, and installing the signage, signaling and parking that restate non-verbally the city’s new motto, now prominently displayed on a wall outside City Hall: “Long Beach, the most bicycle friendly city in America.”

[continue reading at The Atlantic]

Maybe Columbus can become the Mostest?

Where is my bike made? [Bicycle Retailer]

[Hi res PDF from Bicycle Retailer]

Segregated cycle facilities - On road: cycle track [from Wikipedia]

On road: cycle track

Cycle Track: Car parking lane protects bike lane from motor traffic

A cycle track is an exclusive bike facility that has elements of a separated path and on-road bike lane. A cycle track, while still within the roadway, is physically separated from motor traffic and is distinct from the sidewalk.^[2]

Cycle tracks may be one-way or two-way, and may be at road level, at sidewalk level, or at an intermediate level. They all share in common some separation from motor traffic with bollards, car parking, barriers or boulevards.^[2]

In the UK, cycle track is a roadway constructed specifically for use by cyclists, but not by any other vehicles. In Ireland cycle track also covers cycle lanes marked on the carriageway but only if accompanied by a specific sign. In the UK, a cycle track may be alongside a roadway (or carriageway) for all vehicles or it may be on its own alignment. The term does not include cycle lanes or other facilities within an all-vehicle carriageway.^[3]

Learn more about segregated cycle facilities at Wikipedia -->

Barclays Cycle Superhighways

Current TV - Urban Mobility: Creating a Bike Friendly City

Current TV - Urban Mobility: Creating a Bike Friendly City from Trunk Films on Vimeo.

Our first commission from Current TV USA took us to a very cold Copenhagen in February 2010.

As part of the 'Urban Mobility' series sponsored by Scion, we asked the author of the blogs 'Copenhagenize' and 'Copenhagen Cycle Chic', Mikael Colville-Anderson to show us around all of the innovative ways in which Copenhagen is encouraging it's people to use the bicycle as its main form of transport.

Here at Trunk, we like bicycles... with cities like Copenhagen leading the revolution, the future is two-wheeled and we're diggin' it.

http://current.com/
http://www.copenhagenize.com/

BRAT 2012 is Sept. 8-15, 2012

Welcome to the 23rd annual Bicycle Ride Across Tennessee (BRAT 2012). This seven-day ride will start at Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, TN and features a combination of rolling hills, valleys, and some flat terrain. The tour will include a balance of some long-distance rides and some short distance days – designed to challenge expert cyclists, while accommodating recreational riders.

Riders will camp overnight at four Tennessee State Parks along the route, including Cumberland Mountain, Standing Stone, Pickett, and Harrison Bay State Park’s. The City of Kingston will host one overnight stay at Fort Southwest Point. One layover day is planned at Cumberland Mountain State Park, giving cyclists an opportunity to sightsee – including nature hikes and canoeing. Also a three-day ride option is available for those who aren’t ready for a weeklong tour or have limited vacation time.

Daily mileage ranges from 70 miles on the first and longest leg of the route to 52 miles on the final day.

[website is here]

FOR SALE: Thule Hitching Post Pro Hitch Bike Rack for 2

Holds two bikes, includes anti-sway attachments

Fits 2" Hitch
Includes all the accumulated stickers
$100 OBO
Columbus, OH area only
email raymondmgeorge [at] gmail [dot] com if interested

Priceonomics Lists: Most Hipster, Largest Bicycle Markets, Top Cities and more!

Excerpted from Priceonomics Blog - 

The Top Cities for Bicycling in America

Of course, we can look at the Priceonomics bicycle data more broadly to find out where lots of used bicycles are sold.  Our central assumption is that cities with large and vibrant secondhand markets should be the ones where many people are bicycling enthusiasts. While this assumption is not perfect, it’s better than most rankings of “bike friendly cities” where the rankings are just made up.

First, we look at raw volume of bicycles offered for sale by city to determine which are the largest markets. Obviously, this is biased toward larger cities where the average citizen may only have a lukewarm interest in biking.

Full list of all cities available here.

It’s very pleasing to this author that San Francisco comes in first in this ranking and beats Portland handily. However, the above analysis does not control for population and the Bay Area is much larger than the Portland metropolitan area. Instead, to build the official Priceonomics Rankings of Top Cities for Bicycling, we adjust for population to build an index of how many bikes per capita are for sale in each city (the Bike Index).

Full rankings of all cities available here.

[See the full story here]

Mapping The Link Between Obesity And Car Driving [FastCompany]

Mapping The Link Between Obesity And Car Driving

What are you doing when you’re driving? Not exercising, that’s for sure. And in the parts of the country where people drive the most, they also pack on the most pounds.

It stands to reason that the less you bike or walk, the more you drive. And the more you drive, the less exercise you get from the aforementioned activities. The link between obesity and driving can now be seen in map form, thanks to some research fromPlanetizen.

In this first map, we can see the prevalence of obesity in the U.S.

Click to zoom.

Here, we can see the percentage of commuters that drive.

Click to zoom.

Notice any similarities? The so-called "Diabetes Belt"--the area running from the deep South to Appalachia--is also home to a lot of commuters who drive. As the Planetizen researchers note, this belt of car commuters goes even further, moving into Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

These two factors don’t necessarily mean that the two factors are related. But in the scatterplot below, the relationship between obesity and increased car commuting becomes even clearer.

Click to zoom.

This still doesn’t necessarily mean that driving more causes obesity, especially since walking and biking make up such a small percentage of commutes even in less obese areas. And in fact, another map of median household income shows that lower incomes are also correlated with increased obesity.

Click to zoom.

As we have explained in past posts, there are a number of unexpected factors that contribute to obesity--sitting at your desk working all day, drinking diet soda, and even your mom’s pregnancy diet. But the Planetizen story isn’t the first to recognize the connection between driving and obesity.

After analyzing national statistics between 1985 and 2007, researchers at the University of Illinois found that vehicle use (measured in annual vehicle miles traveled) correlated 99% with annual obesity rates. So every other contributing factor notwithstanding, it still makes a lot of sense to ditch the car and hop on a bike (or just your own two feet) whenever you can.

[FastCompany]