It's Time to Treat Bike-Share as Mass Transit

In a recent issue of the Journal of Public Transportation, UCLA planning scholars Rui Wang and Chen Liu make a strong case that U.S. cities should do a better job integrating bikes into metro transit systems. Here are five big reasons why. Read more.

A Bike Trip Towards Happiness

The “World Happiness Report” is a study by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, aiming to determine the levels of perceived happiness in the countries according to a set of criteria ranging from average income to mental wellness to freedom of movement and action. At the ECF, we also have opinions on how certain policies (namely: pro-cycling measures) can improve the people’s well being, thus their productivity and the economy as a whole. Read more.

Mandatory Helmets: An Attack on Spanish Cycling

On October 4, 2013, the Spanish cabinet approved amendments to the existing Law on Traffic, Circulation, Motor Vehicles and Road Safety and has passed the proposed bill to Parliament for approval. Under the heading ‘Improving Road Safety’ is an amendment that could make bicycle helmets mandatory for all cyclists under the age of 18 on all roads (urban and rural). Based on the experiences of countries with mandatory helmet laws, the number of cyclists is likely to reduce with the introduction of a mandatory helmet law (Robinson 2008). Read more.

Pediatricians push to make helmets mandatory for cyclists of all ages

Children aren’t the only ones who should be required to wear a helmet while cycling, the Canadian Paediatric Society says in a paper pushing for tighter safety regulations across the country. Read more.

Realtors® Report Americans Prefer to Live in Mixed-Use, Walkable Communities

According to National Association of Realtors^®'s 2013 Community Preference Survey, 60 percent of respondents favor a neighborhood with a mix of houses and stores and other businesses that are easy to walk to, rather than neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation. Read more.

Vancouver - Politicians, business leaders sound alarm over Lower Mainland gridlock

Politicians and business leaders are flashing a giant warning sign to the province: Figure out a way to pay for a massive transit expansion in the Vancouver region or watch the economy in B.C. get strangled.

With a referendum on transit finance looming, mayors and others at a special conference on Thursday hammered home the message that traffic jams are already hurting the region. And another million people are expected in the region over the next 30 years. Read more.

UK - City to test driverless pods on pedestrian routes

Plans are being drawn up for  on-street trials of autonomous pods in Milton Keynes. The electric vehicles with capacity for two passengers would operate between the city’s railway station and the city centre, a distance of about a mile. Read more.

Bike helmet mandate for all sought by pediatricians

Bicycle helmet use should be legislated for all ages in all provinces and territories, Canadian pediatricians say. Evidence is strong that bicycle helmet legislation increases use of the safety gear and there's ample research that legislation reduces the risk of bicycle-related head injury, the Canadian Pediatric Society said Friday. Read more.

A Policy Win for Active Transportation

The Center for Active Design applauds the State of California’s adoption of the bill that created the Active Transportation Program (ATP). The ATP invests $129.5 million in walking and biking infrastructure and commits to spending at least 25 percent of program funds on projects in disadvantaged communities. The program greatly increases public spending on active transportation projects, representing a 35 percent boost in dedicated state funding.

Ottawa - Public health budget promotes food safety, active kids

More restaurant inspections and getting kids to walk or bike to school are priorities in the city's 2014 public health budget. That would include eventually developing active-transportation plans for all 230 public elementary schools in Ottawa. The city is already working on demonstration plans with 12 schools, said Ottawa Public Health manager Sherry Nigro. Read more.