Michael Haynes - Out of Country

Just an update: I will be Australia until late-April, where I will be presenting at a number of conferences and workshops, both on trails and on Active Transportation. I suspect that I will not be making any posts while I am travelling, so do not be surprised if it is not until late-April that the next items are added.

Have a great spring!

Making the Case for Active Transportation (Again)

Just in time to help make the case is a new report about the return on investment, in terms of fuel savings and reduced health care costs, of Portland's bikeways. Thomas Gotschi, the paper's author, writes, "This paper provides the first cost-benefit analysis for an urban bicycling network in the US. The analysis is made possible not only by almost 20 years of investments and growth in bicycling, but also by the availability of long term data unique for a US city which document the impacts of investments.” The paper concludes that bicycling investments are "cost-effective, even when only a limited selection of benefits is considered.” Gotschi, an APBP member, is a researcher with the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. (Read the report: Journal of Physical Activity and Health)

Portland OR: Evaluation of Innovative Bicycle Facilities

Researchers at Portland State University have completed an evaluation of Portland's cycle track on SW Broadway and buffered bike lanes on SW Stark and Oak. The analysis, prepared for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), shows that both of the bikeway types are "working well," but PSU also laid out some recommendations on how to make them work even better.

Biking Advocacy and Race: Where’s the Disconnect?

An interesting article, writtin in the US, that looks at the often mono-cultural composition of cycling groups. Although this looks at the question across the US's traditional black/white divide, the questions it asks may also be relevant in Canada's increasingly multi-ethnic communties. -MH

Township of Georgian Bay is holding an active transportation workshop on Wednesday, March 30

The session will be held to collect information from cyclists, runners, walkers, and other similar activities of that type to make roads safer. This also increases awareness of the trail network and links. Get connected, to Kevin Datema at kdatema@gbtownship.ca as soon as possible.

Kingston ON: Symposium aims to put more bikes in motion

The Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT) will host a symposium Wednesday, March 30, which will go a long way towards Kingston's stated goal of becoming Canada's most sustainable city.

Orillia ON: Active living research

The rutted and crumbling sidewalk beneath his feet had David Stinson wondering aloud at the cause of its sorry state. "Is it a maintenance issue?" Stinson asked as he dodged icy pockets that had formed in the crevices. "Is it a design issue?"

Thunder Bay ON - Safe cycling courses given funding boost

Thunder Bay cyclists will have a chance to learn the rules of the road on the cheap thanks to a provincial government grant. The Trillium Foundation Friday gave EcoSuperior a $115,000 grant, which will go toward the launch of Safe Cycling Thunder Bay, said Adam Krupper, EcoSuperior’s active transportation coordinator.

Quispamsis NB - Town adopts active transportation plan

Town council has adopted a plan that will make human-powered modes of transportation a priority in Quispamsis over the next five years.

Data Confirm What Cyclists Knew: San Francisco Streets Are Hazardous

[T]he streets of San Francisco are a tense and dangerous place in which vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians jostle for space along the undulating thoroughfares, sometimes with injurious and even lethal results. Who makes the streets more dangerous? Cars or bikes?

[Although about a city in the US, this article asks a question heard in Canadian cities as well. -MH]