Captain Plan→it
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More curbside parking provided instead of a safe harbor for children to get to and from school. Photo: Old Knotty Buoy
wow looking at these photos makes me glad I am here instead of still in San Diego. (moved back to the East Bay recently, for those who haven’t been following closely.)
feels so much safer cycling here in Oakland, Berkeley, and SF even if I extremely nearly got doored once, and even though some roads in Oakland are badly in need of repairing/repaving.
sharrows are definitely a cop-out to citizens who deserve a choice in transportation modes. taking the lane on a one-lane each way road feels dangerous, and is highly likely to get drivers made and honk at you. San Diego is so conservative. just f—ing kill some parking spots to make separated bike lanes already! instead of another human life every month!
I think I’ve only ever ridden that street (Voltaire and/or Nimitz) with Critical Mass or AWLF at night.
we need safer streets for kids! for our future! stop the kindermoord!
but yes, yay, at least another councilmember (after Todd Gloria) is getting to know what’s it’s like to cycling in San Diego.
Both Nicole and others were very appreciative of Councilmember Kevin Faulconer and representative Michael Patton taking the time out of their busy schedule to explore their district in a fun way to learn more about the potential that OB had. Nicole stated that the ride was a perfect opportunity for the Councilmember to learn about the issues faced by riders who ride on Voltaire and Nimitz — two main thoroughfares in Ocean Beach.
There IS a Bicycle Economy, Two Cities FindPortland, Oregon and New York City, two very different cities, are finding something similar about cyclists and pedestrians — they tend to spend a bit more money in local economies.
Transportation Alternatives has been promoting the ‘bicycle economy’ in New York’s East Village, finding that:
“Streets that promote bicycling and walking mean more business for local shops and restaurants,” said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives (TA). “When it comes to the impact bike lanes have on local businesses, it’s a case of ‘if you build it, they will come.”
Full Story: TreeHugger, 02.10.12.
Related: Bikenomics on Girst
In our discussion, Jan Gehl lamented the lack of cycling infrastructure in most Canadian cities and cited the significant social and economic benefits it can have. He referred to a study commissioned by the mayor of Copenhagen indicating that when taking all factors into account, every kilometre ridden on a bike saves Danish society 25 cents and every kilometre travelled by car costs them 16 cents.
According to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, by decreasing the number of cars on a high volume urban street by only three per cent, peak rush hour congestion can be reduced by nearly 30 per cent. With the cost of road construction being more than 10 times that of segregated bike lanes, significant economic savings can be realized by enticing more commuters to choose alternate means of transportation.
Implementation of an active transportation network has shown to be an effective government policy for targeting employment growth. Bike-lane construction is labour-intensive rather than equipment- and material-intensive. A study done in Baltimore revealed that for every dollar invested in developing segregated bike lanes, more than twice as many jobs were created when compared to road construction.
winnipegfreepress, 01.10.12.
