Why I'm thankful for walking...

From Where the Sidewalk Starts:

1. Even my most expensive pair of shoes is cheaper than new tires.


2. There are no one-way sidewalks.

3. Unlike at the gym, if the person next to you grunts or wears too much perfume, you can walk away.

4. It's better at reducing healthcare costs than Congress.

5. No one celebrates International Drive to School Day.

6. A lot of people in the street = block party. A lot of cars in the street = roadblock.

7. You can't get a ticket for walking too fast.

8. Building a sidewalk next to your community doesn't increase asthma rates.

9. Bumping into someone you know while driving isn't a pleasant surprise.

10. You don't burn off Thanksgiving dinner by going for an after-meal drive.

How the Dutch got their cycle paths

Paralysed cyclist is 'cured' by bike crash

Monique van der Vorst was partially paralysed at 13 after ankle operation created nerve damage. Years later she was hit by a car, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. But after yet another crash, she now can walk, is riding a standard bicycle, and dreams of riding in the 2016 Olympics.

Read the complete inspiring story at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2065790/Paralysed-cyclist-cured-bike-crash-Olympic-hope.html

Couldn't We Ride?

Winter Riding

Here is some good information on riding in the winter:

http://www.commutebybike.com/2011/11/18/sucking-it-up-in-winter/

I would add studded tires to her list. They are worth the extra money.

There is also more good information here: http://bikewinter.org/
and here: http://www.icebike.org/

I look forward to riding this time of the year. With the right equipment it is a fun way to
stay in shape and beat the winter blues.

How Blind People Cross the Street Alone

Benefits of a Bicycle

Traffic School

This should be mandatory in the U.S.


Self-Reliance Grows in the Utrecht Traffic Garden from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Life

Woman Steal Bike Back From Theif

Here's a great story about a woman in Boulder, Colorado who steals her bike back from a theif.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/29712338/detail.html

Study Reports that Biking Saves Lives and Dollars

University of Wisconsin researchers found that bicycling could answer many of their environmental and health problems. According to the report published in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives, if Mid-westerners replaced half of their short trips with bicycle trips during the warmest six months of the year, they would save about $3.8 billion per year from avoided mortality and reduced health care costs for conditions like obesity and heart disease. The report calculated that these measures would save an estimated $7 billion, including 1,100 lives each year from improved air quality and increased physical fitness.The length of trips in the study were 2.5 miles one way and less than 25-minutes by bike.

Streetless in Seattle

The mayor imposes a diet on cars.

Mike McGinn, the mayor of Seattle, won office in 2009 after making transportation policy a centerpiece of his campaign. He catapulted himself over his establishment-friendly opponents, including the incumbent, by vigorously opposing the construction of a multibillion-dollar highway tunnel beneath the city’s waterfront. McGinn also gained fame for bicycling to and from campaign events. And he promised to put Seattle on a “road diet” in which car lanes on many busy multilane roads would be converted into bike lanes. The city’s paper of record, the Seattle Times, has called McGinn “philosophically anti-car.” A former Washington State Sierra Club chairman, McGinn likens autos to in-laws: “You want to have good relations with them, but you don’t want them to run your lives.”

Click here for the entire article

A Bike That Shifts With Your Mind

Toyota has come up with a bicycle that will shift just by thinking. Hard to believe?

Read about it here: http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech/2011/1101/The-Prius-of-bicycles-switches-gears-by-reading-your-mind

Post Falls Wants Your Input

The City of Post Falls Engineering Division is seeking public comment on priorities established for pedestrian & bicycle facilities within the community. Comments will be accepted through Jan. 3, 2012. The survey, supporting maps and ranking tables are available on the City’s website http://www.postfallsidaho.org/.

The current pedestrian and bicycle facilities within the community were reviewed by City staff, who developed a list of priority improvements for those facilities. One of the focus efforts was to provide for improved access to the City Center area. The public comment survey, maps and decision ranking table are the result of a series of workshops with City staff to develop the plan. Facilities improvements that are currently funded were not placed on the list. At present, no funding sources have been identified or provided for any of the listed projects. It will involve staff’s efforts over the coming years to pursue dollars where available, to address these areas.

At this stage in the process, the City is seeking public comment on the priorities as established. It is important to receive feedback from the community; as to how they view the plan that was developed, so those comments can be included in the implementation of the plan.