1. There were a lot of articles last week about high gas prices and biking to work, including this AP story
About 20 million bikes were sold in the United States in 2005, one of the industry's best years ever, and retailers are optimistic that escalating gas prices will lead to record bike sales this year
Unlike most countries, the vast majority of bikes sold in the United States are used for recreation rather than transportation. About 550,000 Americans - less than 1 percent of U.S. workers - bike to work regularly, according to Blumenthal. "You don't feel the love in a lot of places when you're riding your bike,"
The $286 billion federal transportation bill signed last year will double the amount of money available for bike and pedestrian facilities to about $4 billion.
2. The National Park Service is guiding free bike rides almost every weekend this summer. Check out this flyer (pdf) For Example:
Off the Beaten Path – Discover Lonely Landmarks
You may have seen them on a map, driven past them hundreds of times, or even walked up to one of them out of curiosity. What are they, who are they, and more importantly, why are they here? This is the story of Washington DC’s lonely landmarks. These statues, urns, and symbolic gestures of friendship and remembrance can be found all over DC. Find out the stories of these lonely landmarks from our Rangers.
3. The Virginia IMBA mountain bike festival is this weekend. So is the Arlington Community Bike Ride.
4. The Montgomery County Council authorized $200K to repair the interim CCT.
5. The 20 finalists for the Solving DC Problems contest have been announced. One is bicycling related.
The city could purchase a fleet of (ugly, theft-resistant) bikes and set up secure racks for them across downtown DC. For a reasonable membership fee, residents get a pass that allows them to pick up a bike, ride it to where they need to go, and drop it off at any official bike sharing rack (not just the one they took it from).
It's kind of weak that they chose an idea that's already in the works.
6. Gas prices are pushing cops out of cruisers and onto bikes and foot patrols. It will be interesting to see if this impacts crime (either reduces or increases).
7. One less place to rent bikes in the area.
‘‘When I was in high school, we would have almost 200 kids a day that would come in and out of there and go out in canoes or take bicycles out,” Swain said.
Deciding to shut down the lockhouse's boat and bicycle rentals and concession stand was a ‘‘tremendously difficult decision,” Swain said.
8. Adults ride bikes, but kids are so darn photogenic
My main concern is that the pictures suggest that bicycles are children’s toys. Bicycles are vehicles covered under Maryland’s Uniform Vehicle Code. The Gazette missed an opportunity to reflect a main purpose of the Millennium Trail — to make Rockville more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.
9. Metro is going to add hundreds of bike racks.
"At some stations people weren't even using the older racks," says Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith. "They were opting to lock their bikes to trees, to light poles, because the old racks were missing pieces or they had a loose installation, or sometimes they were even just stripped down."
I do hate the old metro bike racks. I feel the same the way about them that I do gray hairs. I'd rather not have them, but they're better than nothing.
10. How I often feel
By using mass transit or riding my bike whenever possible, I may not be able to influence greenhouse-gas emissions standards or reduce mass global addiction to fossil fuels one iota.The question, however, is not "What can't I do?" but rather, "What can I do?"
The answer: next to nothing.
Police on bike, they have baaad riding manner and don't follow rules as they were on cruiser.
How I often feel, using mass transit or riding my bike whenever possible is nothing to do with influence greenhouse-gas emissions standards or reduce mass global addiction to fossil fuels. It is my way of life, life style.
Posted by: charinko | May 24, 2006 at 09:59 AM