Monday, June 23, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
rural roads
In my research, I find lots of information pertaining to city streets, but very little focusing on rural roads. Here is an excerpt from an article on "Basic improvement for bicycling" that addresses rural roads:
Improving Rural Roads
Rural roads offer miles of quiet and enjoyable cycling. Many bicyclists consider this type of riding to be the very best recreation available. What can be done to improve rural roadways?
Pave shoulders on busy rural roads.
Some states, such as Wisconsin, add paved shoulders to rural highways when they reconstruct. They do this to encourage bicycling — they have a very active tourism program — and to improve conditions for motorists as well. On narrow rural roads without paved shoulders, cars and trucks occasionally drop a wheel off the pavement edge. When the driver corrects, the wheels tend to tear up that edge. This damage can lead to continuing maintenance problems. Paved shoulders can cut down on maintenance costs by giving the motorists more room to correct steering errors. Further, paved shoulders can cut the incidence of run-off-the-road accidents. How wide is wide enough? Consider paving at least three to four feet to a reasonable high standard with adequate sub-base. The Maryland Department of Transportation, for example, covers their previously-paved shoulders with a slurry seal for smoothness. They find that cyclists appreciate and use the smooth shoulders.
Use caution with rumble strips.
Rumble strips along the edge of rural highways have been shown to reduce the incidence of run-off-the-road crashes among motorists. However, unless carefully designed, they can cause serious problems for bicyclists. A rumble strip that covers the entire paved shoulder gives the bicyclist nowhere to ride except in the travel lane. A number of states have worked hard to design rumble strips that cause fewer problems for bicyclists. For example, some state policies require the use of a narrow 12” rumble strip next to the shoulder stripe and discourage use on shoulders narrower than 6 feet.
Rural roads offer miles of quiet and enjoyable cycling. Many bicyclists consider this type of riding to be the very best recreation available. What can be done to improve rural roadways?
Pave shoulders on busy rural roads.
Some states, such as Wisconsin, add paved shoulders to rural highways when they reconstruct. They do this to encourage bicycling — they have a very active tourism program — and to improve conditions for motorists as well. On narrow rural roads without paved shoulders, cars and trucks occasionally drop a wheel off the pavement edge. When the driver corrects, the wheels tend to tear up that edge. This damage can lead to continuing maintenance problems. Paved shoulders can cut down on maintenance costs by giving the motorists more room to correct steering errors. Further, paved shoulders can cut the incidence of run-off-the-road accidents. How wide is wide enough? Consider paving at least three to four feet to a reasonable high standard with adequate sub-base. The Maryland Department of Transportation, for example, covers their previously-paved shoulders with a slurry seal for smoothness. They find that cyclists appreciate and use the smooth shoulders.
Use caution with rumble strips.
Rumble strips along the edge of rural highways have been shown to reduce the incidence of run-off-the-road crashes among motorists. However, unless carefully designed, they can cause serious problems for bicyclists. A rumble strip that covers the entire paved shoulder gives the bicyclist nowhere to ride except in the travel lane. A number of states have worked hard to design rumble strips that cause fewer problems for bicyclists. For example, some state policies require the use of a narrow 12” rumble strip next to the shoulder stripe and discourage use on shoulders narrower than 6 feet.
via Bike Plan Source
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Perils for Pedestrians
While lacking some of the cool factor of StreetFilms, Perils for Pedestrians is a TV series on public access addressing pedestrian safety. The website also has useful links and information.
Monday, June 2, 2008
StreetFilms
StreetFilms is documenting the renaissance of New York City streets (and many others as well) through promotion of bike and pedestrian access. I've been watching all afternoon.
impressive
I did a craft show this weekend and the girl across from me brought her entire booth (minus the table but including the tent) in one trip on her bike. Impressive.
Friday, May 30, 2008
contested streets
"It shouldn't be considered a privilege to walk or bicycle in your own neighborhood and not get hit by a truck. It should be a basic right."
-From the documentary Contested Streets, which aired on Sundance Channel last week.
links to local government
Here are some useful links for getting in touch with local officials about BIKE WALK RUN's mission:
Thursday, May 29, 2008
filthy footprint
Today's article in The Patriot-News reveals the Harrisburg area's poor carbon emissions ranking. Unfortunately, in the "What you can do" section, it mentions "Drive less by combining trips, carpooling, using mass transit." but mentions nothing about biking or walking. Its time to promote those activities more in the mid-state.
running news
It would seem, based on the links I've posted, that I favor biking - however I consider myself a runner first. So I jumped over to Runner's World to see if there was anything newsworthy there, and I found this blog post called Pain at the Pump = Running Less?
I don't have a usual group run, but have been training with a friend. We've been meeting at the high school, and I'm trying to get into the habit of biking to meet her for our runs.
I don't have a usual group run, but have been training with a friend. We've been meeting at the high school, and I'm trying to get into the habit of biking to meet her for our runs.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
big ideas for a small planet: transport
Sundance Channel's series Big Ideas for a Small Planet newest episode is Transport. You can view video clips here. (via Bike Pittsburgh)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
trailers and saddlebags
My mother-in-law wants to start biking to work more (she's a teacher) but wants a trailer for her bike to make carrying easier. So I've been doing a little bike trailer research. My thoughts - get an Xtracycle. (Which also happens to be my new dream bike.) With the windy, hilly roads of LebCo, I think an Xtracycle will be easier to use.
Now my only question is, what can I use to haul my 90 lb dog without a trailer?
Friday, May 16, 2008
route 72
My husband and I were driving on Route 72 between Lickdale and Jonestown yesterday, and I couldn't help thinking that this is a prime candidate for a complete streets makeover. Lots of small shops, that right now don't get a lot of traffic, as well as the ability to link the county north to south. (Not to mention this could continue on 72 right into Lancaster - a stretch known for its bad traffic.)
Other streets worthy of the complete streets makeover:
Route 22
Route 422 (including Cumberland and Walnut Streets)
Market St./Jonestown Road (connecting Jonestown and Ono)
Airport Road/Main St. in Fredericksburg
934 through Annville
I'll be adding to this list as I think of more.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
burn fat not oil
Bike Pittsburgh has a collection of stickers with great slogans. (Though they're sold out right now.) Here are a few of my favorites:
burn fat, not oil
think globally, bike locally
i heart hills
complete the streets
Complete the Streets is a project whose goal is to create streets designed for pedestrians, cyclists, people with disabilities, and cars - not just speeding cars. This is an amazing concept that I agree with wholeheartedly!
Complete streets improve safety. They reduce crashes through safety improvements. One study found that designing for pedestrian travel by installing raised medians and redesigning intersections and sidewalks reduced pedestrian risk by 28%. Complete streets also improve safety indirectly, by increasing the number of people bicycling and walking. A recently published international study found that as the number and portion of people bicycling and walking increases, deaths and injuries decline.
Complete streets encourage more walking and bicycling. Public health experts are encouraging walking and bicycling as a response to the obesity epidemic, and complete streets can help. One study found that 43 percent of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels, while just 27% of those without safe places to walk were active enough. Residents are 65% more likely to walk in a neighborhood with sidewalks. A study in Toronto documented a 23% increase in bicycle traffic after the installation of a bicycle lane .
Complete streets can help ease transportation woes. Streets that provide travel choices can give people the option to avoid traffic jams, and increase the overall capacity of the transportation network. Several smaller cities have adopted complete streets policies as one strategy to increase the overall capacity of their transportation network and reduce congestion. An analysis by the Victoria Transportation Policy Institute found that non-motorized transportation options can replace some vehicle trips, and in urban areas where more people commute by foot or bicycle, people drive fewer miles overall. In Portland, Oregon, a complete streets approach has resulted in a 74 percent increase in bicycle commuting in the 1990s .
Complete streets help children. Streets that provide room for bicycling and walking help children get physical activity and gain independence. More children walk to school where there are sidewalks. And children who have and use safe walking and bicycling routes have a more positive view of their neighborhood. Safe Routes to School programs, gaining in popularity across the country, will benefit from complete streets policies that help turn all routes into safe routes.
Complete Streets are good for air quality. Air quality in our urban areas is poor and linked to increases in asthma and other illnesses. Yet if each resident of an American community of 100,000 replaced one car trip with one bike trip just once a month, it would cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 3,764 tons of per year in the community. Complete streets allow this to happen more easily.
Here are some of the benefits as listed on the Complete the Streets website:
Complete streets make economic sense. A balanced transportation system that includes complete streets can bolster economic growth and stability by providing accessible and efficient connections between residences, schools, parks, public transportation, offices, and retail destinations. Complete streets can reduce transportation costs and travel time while increasing property values and job growth. Research shows that building walkable streets and lowering automobile speeds can improve economic conditions for both residents and business owners, and anecdotal evidence indicates that home values increase on streets that have received complete streets treatments. (Drennen, Cervero, Burden)
Complete streets improve safety. They reduce crashes through safety improvements. One study found that designing for pedestrian travel by installing raised medians and redesigning intersections and sidewalks reduced pedestrian risk by 28%. Complete streets also improve safety indirectly, by increasing the number of people bicycling and walking. A recently published international study found that as the number and portion of people bicycling and walking increases, deaths and injuries decline.
Complete streets encourage more walking and bicycling. Public health experts are encouraging walking and bicycling as a response to the obesity epidemic, and complete streets can help. One study found that 43 percent of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels, while just 27% of those without safe places to walk were active enough. Residents are 65% more likely to walk in a neighborhood with sidewalks. A study in Toronto documented a 23% increase in bicycle traffic after the installation of a bicycle lane .
Complete streets can help ease transportation woes. Streets that provide travel choices can give people the option to avoid traffic jams, and increase the overall capacity of the transportation network. Several smaller cities have adopted complete streets policies as one strategy to increase the overall capacity of their transportation network and reduce congestion. An analysis by the Victoria Transportation Policy Institute found that non-motorized transportation options can replace some vehicle trips, and in urban areas where more people commute by foot or bicycle, people drive fewer miles overall. In Portland, Oregon, a complete streets approach has resulted in a 74 percent increase in bicycle commuting in the 1990s .
Complete streets help children. Streets that provide room for bicycling and walking help children get physical activity and gain independence. More children walk to school where there are sidewalks. And children who have and use safe walking and bicycling routes have a more positive view of their neighborhood. Safe Routes to School programs, gaining in popularity across the country, will benefit from complete streets policies that help turn all routes into safe routes.
Complete Streets are good for air quality. Air quality in our urban areas is poor and linked to increases in asthma and other illnesses. Yet if each resident of an American community of 100,000 replaced one car trip with one bike trip just once a month, it would cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 3,764 tons of per year in the community. Complete streets allow this to happen more easily.
I would love to see this complete the streets initiative happening in Lebanon County - it seems particularly suited for Route 22.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
best cities for cycling
One of the other articles that encouraged me to start this was Bicycling magazine's Best Cities for Cycling. I was encouraged to read about cities implementing bike friendly policies, but couldn't help wondering - "what are more rural areas doing?"
Still, its worth checking out the cities that made the list.
walk your way green (and healthy!)
Here's an excerpt from an article in Fitness magazine - one of the things I've been reading lately that prompted me to start bike hike run:
-About 15 percent of all trips in the US are less than one mile long, and more than 50 percent of those are made by car. Drive 10 fewer miles each week and you'll reduce the pollution that causes global warming by more than 500 pounds a year.
-If Americans walked just 30 minutes a day instead of driving, we'd save about 8.4 billion gallons of gasoline a year and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 82 million ton.
-If for one year, 10,000 people hoofed it five miles a week instead of driving, we'd eliminate the CO2 created by 219 cars.
-Walk three miles a day and you'll burn about 240 calories - about the amount in a Snickers bar - while likely lowering your blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, which helps protect you against diabetes and heart disease.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
route 22 greenway
One of my long term goals would be to see the creation of a Route 22 greenway stretching across northern Lebanon County. This would be a bike and pedestrian path running parallel to the highway. Right now, Route 22 is a relatively ugly (in my opinion) stretch of highway known for serious accidents, speeding, and heavy truck traffic when Interstates 81 and 78 are backed up.
The creation of a greenway could do a number of things for this area of the county:
-Beautify the area
-Encourage responsible commuting
-Provide safe access to Northern Lebanon High School (located on Route 22)
-Connect northern Lebanon County with surrounding areas
-Encourage locally-owned businesses and restaurants to locate along Route 22
-Make northern Lebanon County a destination to spend the day in - not just a place to speed through
about bike walk run
bike walk run's goal is to promote awareness and safety for biking, walking, and running as forms of alternative transportation and fitness in Lebanon County, PA and surrounding areas.
Some of bike walk run's goals include:
-Promote and educate safe biking, walking, and running habits
-Promote and educate motorists on bike and pedestrian safety and awareness
-Encourage local businesses to support biking and walking by adding bike racks and making parking lots safer for pedestrians
-Lobby local and state government for safer roadways through the addition of wider shoulders, bike lanes, and bike and pedestrian paths
-Lobby for the creation of a Route 22 "greenway" through northern Lebanon County
This blog will be a gathering place for resources and information about biking, walking, and running.
about me
My name is Megan and I have lived in Jonestown, PA for most of my life. This blog has grown out of my love of running and my desire to abandon my car in favor of walking and biking. Unfortunately, I feel that many of the roads in Lebanon County are not safe enough to fully enjoy these activities. I would like to see that change. This blog will help serve as a resource as I (and hopefully others) promote bike and pedestrian awareness and safety in Lebanon County.
I've been a runner since junior high, when I joined the cross country team. I ran cross country and track my entire high school career. I ran only sporadically while in college, but fell back in love with the sport during graduate school. This past fall, I helped coach the Northern Lebanon cross country team, and will be helping again this fall. I'm totally addicted to running and can't imagine my life without it.
I started walking a lot as a method of transportation in graduate school. My apartment was near campus, and so I walked to the studio, to class, and around town. I always enjoyed seeing how many days I could go without getting in my car. Now that I'm back in PA, I've settled into bad habits - driving places that are easily walkable. I'm trying to get back into the hang of walking places whenever I can.
Biking is certainly the area where I feel least comfortable, but that only increases my desire to make the roads around here safer. My limited bike exposure (until recently) included a semester in undergrad where I attempted to bike to class, but got frustrated when Public Safety put notes on my bike saying I wasn't using the "approved lock". This winter, however, I started training for the Mt. Gretna Triathlon, and have since started to see the potential in biking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)