This was found in my email this morning from our local Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Dick Winters.

Many of you may already know that 76,000 Americans have been hit by cars while walking or biking in their communities in the last 15 years.  That’s because most of America’s roads are designed for cars – and for cars only. That doesn’t make any sense in a country where one in three people doesn’t have access to a car and where half of all trips could be accomplished with a 20-minute bike ride.

A new bill just introduced in Congress will jumpstart the process of transforming our transportation infrastructure to make it friendlier to bikers and walkers – the Active Community Transportation Act (H.R. 4722). It will create a federal grant program to fund local projects aimed at improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.

Your help is necessary in asking our representatives in Congress to co-sponsor this bill.  Use the link below…it just takes a second.

http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/3224/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2434

Thanks so much for your help!

Deadline for public comments is TODAY.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has drawn up preliminary plans to refurbish a two mile portion of US Highway 27 through Richmond, Indiana in Wayne County. No representatives of non-motorized transportation were consulted in creating these plans. The city has asked INDOT to redo the plans with Complete Streets principles in mind.

If you are an Indiana resident, please sign the online petition in support of the city’s request TODAY. Mark Stosbert of Bike Richmond will forward your names and commentary to INDOT hearings examiner Mary Jackman. The deadline is TODAY, March 18 by the close of business, so please take a moment to visit the petition site to add your name.

Read more about this effort: “Richmond to INDOT: Make U.S. 27 a Complete Street.”

Photo credit : Steve of Cool Breeze Cyclery

Last week was the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. .  Due to being in rainy Florida, I couldn’t attend.  I’ve tried to list the best round up from across the web that I could find for all of you that may not have been keeping up with minute by minute happenings.

Round up across the blogosphere

Bike Portland had one of the most comprehensive list of articles, they were there in sponsorship by Planet Bike. Make sure to check out both sites.

Voices from the National Bike Summit on Streetfilms

WashCycle didn’t attend but has a good review for all

Photo Credit : www.GaryHovland.com

Picture yourself driving down a main road in your town, and you spot in an interesting sight.  A family of four, two adults and two middle aged children, all riding the same bicycle to get where they are going.

Family of four, spending 10 days, going through multiple cities regardless of the weather conditions biked (a bike specially designed to allow 4 riders at the same time), started their journey from Anhui (安徽阜阳), has successfully arrived their destination –Shanghai.  Throughout their journey, the bike caught much attention from people, and the journalist finally spotted them around Weihai Road (威海路).  The bike was made by 2 regular bicycles next to each other with one common steering wheel.  ….

After planning for approximately 10 days, Huo Yun finally found his ideal travel route – starting from  capital of the province Hefei (合肥), routing through Chaohu (巢湖), Wuhu (芜湖), Nanjing (南京), Wuxi(无锡), and finally arriving Shanghai (上海).  Total travel time planned to be approximately 10 days, such that the family would be able to arrive Shanghai around New Year’s Eve.  To ensure the whole family will be able to travel together, Mr. Huo also purchased the 4-rider bide from the internet.

Originally found at ChinaHush.com via a readers email.

Does your family commute by bike together?  Do you ever drop your child off to school along the way to work?  Have you ever thought of taking a family vacation by bicycle?

Commuting by bike does not stop from the daily errands, or commute to work.  Commuting by bike could include a trip, or vacation.  Anytime you are choosing a bicycle over a car to go to a destination, you are commuting by bike!

If you are ever searching the internet and find something exciting that you think others would enjoy, shoot us an email: Arleigh@CommuteByBike.com

Follow us on Twitter : @BikeShopGirlcom

If you aren’t signed up for the League of American Bicyclist email list, you should sign up now.   Incase you don’t, here are some things that peaked my interest from the latest newsletter

The State of the Union speech has been given, the budget has been introduced, and now Congress and our state legislatures are getting into the groove for 2010. Check out the list below for a sampling of the action – and if your state isn’t shown yet, find your statewide groupand keep an eye out for action alerts.

Meanwhile, the early registration deadline for the National Bike Summit is fast approaching – this Thursday, February 4! Sign up today for reduced rates.

Sincerely,

Andy Clarke
League President

Senate Job News

Senate Democratic leaders have drafted an initial version of an $80 billion-plus job-creation bill that will be heavy on tax breaks designed to spur businesses to make new hires.

Highlights:

• Total layout is $82 billion – roughly half the House’s proposal. Half of it will be funded by TARP Funding.
• The Senate is expected to be debating a small jobs bill starting next week.
• This bill will likely include a number of tax cuts/ incentives and likely transportation (although there is some debate)
• Highways will make up $14 billion, transit $7.5 billion, and high Speed rail and other rail $2.5 billion – an extremely different highway-transit ratio from the past – traditionally it’s 80 percent highway and 20 percent transit.

Check America Bikes for further updates.

Biking and Walking – 2010 Benchmark Report

The new report Bicycling and Walking in the United States: The 2010 Benchmarking Report, published by the Alliance for Biking and Walking, shows that lack of investment in biking and walking could be contributing to higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease rates in the U.S. Visit the Alliance Web site and the League’s Blog to find out more.

State Legislation

Action at the state level always picks up around this time of year. Here’s a sampling of some of the issues being tackled this year; let us know if your state/group should be on the list.

• The Iowa Bicycle Coalition continues to work on the first 5 foot passing law! Learn more here. All RAGBRAI fans should stay tuned to the IBC site as they prepare to fend off farm-to-market roads bicycle ban legislation that may get introduced.
• One Less Car is pushing an aggressive legislative agenda in Maryland for 2010 – three-foot passing law, removal of mandatory shoulder use, vehicular manslaughter and more. Come find out how to push this in Maryland at the OLC Smart Transportation & Bicycle Symposium.
• Bike Walk Mississippi is working on updated state traffic codes regarding bicycling, adding a three-foot passing law and a cyclist harassment language and penalties. Missippi residents can show their support here.
• Both the New York Bike Coalition and NYC-based Transportation Alternatives are gearing up for a busy year, with everything from bike parking to harassment laws on the table.
• The South Dakota Bicycle Coalition is working on a 3 foot passing law. Find out how to bring it to the attention of Transportation Subcommittee members here.
• Utah advocates are pushing to remove “far to right as practicable language” from their state codes and anti-texting while driving legislation. Learn more here and here.
• Virginia Bicycle Federation has a full slate of items this session ranging from following-too-close and three-foot passing, to allowing cyclists to proceed through a red light who’s sensor fails to respond. Follow their activity here.
• Washington State advocates are working hard to pass Complete Streets legislation and Vulnerable Road Users protection. Learn more at the Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s Legislative Issues page.

Go Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh’s Mayor Ravenstahl announced a $1.1 million transportation planning effort, MOVEPGH, that includes Complete Streets and Livable Communities amongst its top priorities. The agenda tasks the City Planning Department to produce a Comprehensive Transportation Plan that will provide a vision and action plan for a more livable city that accommodates all users  regardless of age or mode of transportation.Read more.

When I think of the city Pittsburgh, I think of steel, the Steelers and Dirt Rag Magazine.   Slowly, with BikePGH’s help, many are looking at Pittsburgh as a bike commuting city.

Pittsburgh will soon offer a secure parking situation for commuters who cycle rather than drive into town.

The Bicycle Commuter Center has been built on the northern side of the Century Building in the Cultural District. The concept is simple: Two shipping containers have been converted into indoor bicycle storage with space for 26 bikes. The bikes in the facility will be safe from vandalism, theft, rain and snow–elements to which they may be vulnerable with on-street parking. Annual leases will begin April 1, and are available for $100, with a $10 key deposit. There are also 21 wall-racks and official BikePGH racks outside, available for free for short-term Cultural District parking.

Originally found at POPCity.com

A great video provided by TrekBikes.com and their advocacy program, One World Two Wheels.

With the state legislative session underway, Albany will soon turn its attention to business that lawmakers never got the chance to address last year. One bill to keep an eye on would give police and prosecutors a new tool to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

After two preschoolers were killed in Chinatown last January by a van driver who left his vehicle idling and unattended, lawmakers and advocates drafted “Hayley and Diego’s Law.” The bill is what’s known as a “vulnerable user law.” It would create a new offense called careless driving, which would carry penalties of up to $750 in fines and 15 days in jail for drivers who hit and injure vulnerable street users — including all pedestrians and cyclists.

Originally found at Streetsblog.org

$750 and 15 days in jail seems very light after hitting a street user.  In certain towns, like Annapolis, MD, the fee is much more strict and time in jail is the least of your worries.  Yes, a step forward but not the complete answer.

The Department of Transportation chose locations near transit hubs like park and rides, in areas chosen by DOT’s CityRacks team, or based on recommendations from residents.

Of those racks, there are 59 single steel pipe loops at a cost of $255 each, with room to park two or three bikes, and 53 double pipe loops, which cost $308 each and can fit as many as five bikes.

At $400 a piece, 29 new iron “hoop” shaped racks can accommodate two to three bikes. The horizontal bar across the center of the hoop allows riders to lock more than one part of their bike for added security.

Among the bike rack locations are the Great Kills library and a Walgreens store in Eltingville, and the DOT plans to install about 40 more racks this year.

Residents can suggest locations through their community board.

Originally found at Silive.com

If you happen to live in New York and have seen these racks, let us know!  Also any type of photographic evidence would be greatly appreciated.

There is a new bike plan for Portland, this plan has many layers, with a completion date of 2030, seems to have many hopes for gaining momentum.

“Yesterday the Bureau of Transportation released the final version of the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. This version reflects many changes — some large, some small — to the public comment draft released back in October. Meanwhile, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and a new activism group, TransConPDX are gearing up for a final push to raise awareness about the plan before it’s adopted by Portland City Council on February 4th.” -BikePortland.org

It will be exciting to see how many new cyclist the plan can pull in, especially in this US based city that many cycling Americans hold as the “go to cycling city.”  Many are trying to mirror what Portland has done for cycling as an alternative transportation and lifestyle.  We will be keeping our eyes on the numbers to see how Portland keeps people on bikes, or gets new people to become cyclist.