 NCBW Newsroom - The National & International SceneThe National & International Scene | Regional and Local Actions | The Research Beat | Resources | Jobs, Grants & RFPs PRO WALK/PRO BIKE® CONFERENCE NEWS: 106 AICP CM CREDITS AVAILABLE! -> The American Planning Association has just informed NCBW that approximately 70 of our conference sessions have qualified for planners to earn credits towards their Certification Management. Take advantage of this tremendous opportunity by registering today! The Pro Walk/Pro Bike® 2010 conference takes place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 13-16. We will have a wide-ranging program focusing on everything from basic bike/ped planning to sessions covering the latest design manuals in sessions led by national experts. Our conference theme is Bringing Livable Communities to Scale—a timely theme considering how Federal agencies like DOT, EPA, HUD, and HHS are now beginning to coalesce their efforts under the umbrella of livability. Much of our program will reflect cutting edge practices in the areas of planning—specifically, environmental sustainability, active transportation, and transportation equity. Want to understand how health impacts and health outcomes can be incorporated into planning? We will have several sessions addressing this emerging (and exciting) practice. Pro Walk/Pro Bike® 2010 marks the second conference where NCBW has partnered with the American Planning Association, and the nearly ten-fold increase in the number of sessions eligible for CM credits speaks both volumes about the APA’s confidence in the quality of our conference, and of the rising stock of bicycling and walking when it comes to planning livable places. And, in case you haven’t noticed, the field of planning has been experiencing a bit of resurgence as of late. No one could be more pleased with these recent developments than NCBW’s own Sharon Roerty, herself a planner by training. "Just over a year ago, as the Obama Administration searched the country for shovel-ready projects, we were all served with a reminder of how important planning is for keeping communities healthy and economically vibrant," said Roerty. "Communities that had long term plans in place; plans that emphasized livability and multi-modalism, were able to successfully compete for Federal grant funding through ARRA, TIGER, CPPW, and the new HUD Community Challenge Planning Grants. For those communities left behind, it was a wake up call. We should all go hug a planner today." See you in Chattanooga! Source: http://www.bikewalk.org/conference.php PRO WALK/PRO BIKE® ATTENDEE SPOTLIGHT: THE METAL COWBOY AND THE CDC RIDES FROM ATLANTA! -> In our last edition of CenterLines we highlighted the Livable St. Louis Network’s plan to fill a bus for the trip to Chattanooga. That bus is filling fast and now we would like to direct your attention towards Atlanta, where four CDC staff have organized a bike train that is Chattanooga-bound. The approximately 150-mile trip will take 2.5 days, and will utilize the Silver Comet trail for part of the ride. CenterLines will follow up with the riders during a special Pro Walk/Pro Bike® conference edition. Special guest Joe Metal Cowboy will be riding along with the group, providing entertainment along the way. Another person we will be catching up with in Chattanooga is Ricardo Rios, who plans to bring sustainable transportation to Caribbean cities through Caribbean GreenBikes. We will be interested in hearing how GreenBikes will help plan new infrastructure and guide development efforts to support bicycling and walking in the region. We will also be asking him about his plans to equip low resource/low income communities with bicycles, equipment, and basic bike facilities. Stay tuned. PRO WALK/PRO BIKE® CONFERENCE NEWS: BIKE RENTALS -> Want to see Chattanooga by bike, but don’t want to risk your Precious to the airlines or shipping companies? Now you’ve got a third option: renting a bicycle for the week in Chattanooga. The Pro Walk/Pro Bike® Local Host Committee has arranged for special weekly rental rate, which includes a fitted bike, helmet, lock, and mechanical support. For more information see Source: http://www.bikewalk.org/2010conference/bikerental.php PRO WALK/PRO BIKE® CONFERENCE NEWS: Special Meetings -> On Monday Sept 13 a Site Design workshop will be offered by Michael Ronkin and Peter Lagerwey. Access to destinations is as important to walkability and bikability as sidewalks and bikeways. Buildings should be designed to serve all users, but current practices and policies assume everybody will arrive by car, creating hostile conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists. Participants will learn how to apply human factors and redesign commercial, civic, and office sites to provide safe and convenient access for all users, as well as help create beautiful communities. This interactive course, with classroom exercises, covers: Access management; Building orientation; Parking lot design; Pedestrian/bicyclist access; Bicycle parking; Building design (exterior access/interior layout); how codes and regulations can promote or hinder more human-scale design; and how to overcome resistance from developers and public officials to enact more favorable policies. Attending this workshop will encourage you to bring it to your community, so developers, planners, architects, engineers and elected officials promote more universally accessible development. APBP will be marketing this course nationally, and will seek future instructors; jump ahead of the line by attending in Chattanooga! Cost is $135; for registration, send an email to <michaelronkin@gmail.com> The full list of special meetings at Pro Walk/Pro Bike® is available at http://www.bikewalk.org/2010conference/index.php watch it for updates. Ice Breaker, Monday evening September 13th (following the Pro Walk/Pro Bike® 2010 Welcome Reception) -> In an, Aug. 22nd message, Michelle DeRobertis wrote, "Come relax and watch and/or perform Bike/Walk-themed songs at the new karaoke bar on Market Street just 8 blocks from the convention center. It will be a fun, relaxed evening of musical parodies, and maybe even an original song or two. (It's up to you.) If you've ever heard a song and thought 'If I just change a word or two, I can make a point about how we all need to bike and walk more and drive less,' then this is your chance! For example, 'Hit the Road Jack' has been turned into 'Share the Road Jack.' 'This Land is your Land, This Land is My Land' has been turned into 'This Lane is your Lane, This Lane is My Lane.' The possibilities are endless. Come to Watch or Come to Sing, but Come! Where: "Sing It or Wing It", 412 Market Street, 8 blocks from the convention center When: Monday 9/13/10 8:00 p.m.- 11:00 +p.m. Comments or questions? Go to: http://tinyurl.com/35sle2d BIKES BELONG AWARDS $15,000 IN GRANTS -> According to an Aug. 31st news release, "Bikes Belong is delighted to make funding awards to three great projects in our Summer 2010 grant cycle. These projects will build bike paths and increase advocacy to provide better connectivity and more options for seasoned, new, and emerging riders. " -- Austin, TX: $5,000 for Austin Metro Trails and Greenways 2010 Advocacy Initiative to promote a new transportation bond package, which is up for voter approval in November. Included in the bond package is $40 million in funding for a diverse mix of 15 bike and pedestrian projects, totaling more than 50 miles of facilities. -- Salisbury, CT: $5,000 for the Housatonic Covered Bridge Bike Trail, which will extend for 45 miles along New England's scenic Housatonic River Valley. In addition to the Bikes Belong grant, the National Park Service has committed one year of technical assistance to the trail's development. The trail will be part of a system running from New Milford, CT, to Pownal, VT, and will connect to the East Coast Greenway in the future. -- Kings Mountain, NC: $5,000 for a 2.8 mile extension of the multi-use Kings Mountain Gateway Trail, including stream and rail crossings. The new trail will allow cyclists to start their ride from downtown Kings Mountain and improve connectivity within the town as well. Future phases of trail construction will connect to nearby state parks, the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, and more. Source: http://tinyurl.com/2vuns6u MIA BIRK'S NEW BOOK TO HIT THE SHELVES SOON -> According to a recent news release, "Two thirds of America's energy needs are tied up in transportation. How we get around shapes our communities, our health and our future. Americans dream big, but those dreams have gotten out of hand. The results: expanding waistlines, sprawling communities, vehicles so large and thirsty that wars are fought to keep them running, oil disasters and an energy plan that heats everything up to maintain a way of life. Beyond the blame, America needs real solutions: lean, clean, game-changing answers that put people on the road to health and energy independence." "America needs to go for a bike ride. With 'Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet', author and transportation expert Mia Birk helps them out the door." "'Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet' follows pioneering transportation leader Birk's 20-year crusade to integrate bicycling into daily life. With just a table scrap of funding, Birk led a revolution that grew Portland, Oregon into a city where bicycling is a significant part of their transportation system. Birk then hit the road, helping make communities across the nation more healthy, safe and livable. While many books extol the pain of the world's problems, 'Joyride' offers hope and a blueprint for changing our world for the better..." Note: Mia Birk is a keynote speaker at the Pro Walk/Pro Bike® 2010 Tuesday lunch plenary, September 14. For more info, go to: http://tinyurl.com/33ff8es BICYCLE CITY: A PLACE FOR CAR-FREE, SUSTAINABLE LIVING -> A recent Take Part article suggests, "America, say hello to Bicycle City -- Gaston, South Carolina’s entry into sustainable, green living. The planned bicycle-only development, which will not allow cars, will be home to 10 eco-friendly houses and 4.5 miles of interconnected bicycle and walking trails. Founder and co-developer Joe Mellett hopes to begin construction 'this summer or fall' on homes situated on the 160-acre tract of land that he and his fellow investors purchased for nearly $1 million. The company has the option to purchase an additional 600 adjacent acres." "'There are other industries—solar, wind, what have you—that address the individual components of climate change, but Bicycle City puts it all together into one home,' says Mellett. Bicycle City’s homes, which will be up to 1,600 square feet, will be constructed according to one of two eco-friendly building guidelines—the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certifications or One Planet Living’s 10 principles. Lot price tags will range between $25,000 and $35,000, with individual homes clocking in just north of $100,000. Plans for 'bicycle taxis' are also in the works. 'The beauty of that is that if you want to live next to your car, you buy a lot on the perimeter of the community and you’d be within under a minute’s walk to your car,' says Mellett..." Source: http://tinyurl.com/236xchg ROADS SCHOLAR TAKES STAND FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY -> According to a June 29th Ottawa Citizen article, "The first time Barry Wellar was called to testify as an expert witness in a traffic accident involving a pedestrian was, he says, 'a rough one.' 'A four-year-old girl, hit by a car, first day of kindergarten,' he recalls. 'She was crossing the street with her 12-year-old sister. Turns out there is a high school down the road and a 16-year-old blew threw the intersection. She went up over the front of the car and became a quadriplegic.' In researching the case, Wellar discovered there had been six previous accidents at that same intersection in Moose Jaw, Sask. " "'I was just astounded at the inaction on the part of the police department to correct the situation,' he says. 'It was immediately clear in my mind that there was a liability on the part of the police department that they hadn't taken measures to modify that intersection. Once you have one accident, you should be looking very seriously at whether pedestrian safety is jeopardized -- particularly the safety of children -- regardless of whether the driver was speeding or being careless.' That was eight years ago. Since then, the 70-year-old urban transportation consultant has been called to testify in cases across Canada..." Source: http://tinyurl.com/24jy2z8 CNT’S TRANS COST DATA NOW SEEN ON WALK SCORE -> According to an Aug. 16th Center for Neighborhood Technology announcement, "The popular website that gives you a score based on the walkability of your neighborhood will now include CNT’s ground-breaking transportation cost information to its suite of consumer-oriented tools. Walk Score, which allows users to obtain a 'walkability' rating for a specific location based on the number of nearby amenities, is using data from CNT’s Housing + Transportation Affordability Index to provide a better sense of the transportation costs and environmental impact for a neighborhood. Adding the H+T Index to Walkscore will further illustrate how choosing to live in walkable, transit-connected neighborhood can lower household expenses and one’s impact on the environment. " "CNT is making our transportation cost data available through an application programming interface (API), which allows partner sites, such as Walk Score, to integrate average transportation costs and carbon impact with their own content. We’re very excited that such a well-regarded and popular site like Walk Score is our first API partner. 'People need a complete picture of affordability when making important decisions about where to live, and CNT is excited to work with other groups to disseminate this information as far and wide as possible,' said Linda Young, CNT’s Research Director..." Source: http://tinyurl.com/25u63rd Via CMAP Weekly Update: http://tinyurl.com/24rnb9a AUSTRALIAN "BIKE RACK AS ART" DESIGN COMPETITION -> The Aug. 26th edition of Bicycle NSW e-news suggests readers "Elevate the humble bike rack to a glorious work of urban art! Applications are now open for this exciting Australia-wide design competition, which is being run by the Powerhouse Museum in conjunction with the RTA. The search is on for creative, street-savvy designers to design a cutting edge public bike rack that can be seen as a beautiful item of street art as well as a long-lasting, easy-to-use, functional device." "The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and their bike rack will be manufactured and installed, to be viewed and used by thousands of people at selected locations in the Western Sydney River Cities of Parramatta, Liverpool and Penrith. Second and third place entries will receive $5,000 and $2,000 respectively. All completed applications must be submitted by Monday 18 October 2010..." Source: http://tinyurl.com/2fh95w6 Get a jump start on this news by subscribing to CenterLines. Discuss these news articles with other advocates in the Forum section of the ALRC Commons. |
|