Show me the money. On the same day President Obama announced $8 billion for high speed rail and “the largest investment in infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System,” a report released today by the non-profit Alliance for Biking and Walking (formerly known as the Thunderhead Alliance) shows that in almost every state and major U.S. … Read more
Shared-lane markings, like this one in San Francisco, are now officially recognized by the FHWA.(Photo © J. Maus) This morning the Federal Highway Administration released a 135-page comprehensive update to their Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), a standards guide that has driven (pun intended) the design of traffic controls in America for over … Read more
The new logo Cities for Cycling, a new initiative to push bike planning innovation in America with roots in Portland, was officially launched at an event in Washington D.C. last night. Streetsblog was at the event and reported this from New York City DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan: “Some of the most celebrated and popular [bike] … Read more
Paul Steely White in a still from video.-Watch it below- Since many of us in Portland’s bike advocacy sphere are wondering who will take the reins of our state’s largest bike advocacy organization, I thought I’d share a short video (which I found via Intersection 911) featuring the leader of New York’s Transportation Alternatives, Paul … Read more
Sunset Blvd like you’ve never seen it before.(Graphic: Colleen Corcoran/cicLAvia) Two bits of news that came across my desk in the last 24 hours speak to the growing momentum (should we call it a revolution?) across America for carfree streets and more dedicated space for bike traffic. According to an article published in the Los … Read more
Bike parking at Franklin High School in Southeast Portland.(Photos © J. Maus) U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer announced a new bill yesterday that would expand the existing Safe Routes to Schools program to high schools. The Safe Routes to High Schools Act would enable high schools to vie for federal grants that would help them build … Read more
The Advocacy Zone, a welcome sight for this Interbike newbie.(Photos © Elly Blue) It’s my second day at Interbike (see Day 1 report here) and the main event is open — a giant exhibition hall packed with many hundreds of booths and the many thousands of bike industry insiders who have come to gawk, shop, … Read more
Streetsblog alerted us to this just-released training video for traffic enforcement officers in Chicago’s police department. It’s worth watching — in about ten minutes, it even-handedly explains the laws that govern both driving and bicycling in Chicago, with the frame of increasing bicycling safety as much as possible, and promoting a culture of respect on … Read more
Robert Bertini Portland State University professor Robert Bertini has been selected by the Obama administration to be the deputy administrator of the federal Research and Innovative Technology Administration. According to The Oregonian, Bertini starts his new job on August 17th. At PSU he was a professor of civil and environmental engineering and the director of … Read more
US Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.(Photo © J. Maus) Obama’s Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today that he’ll hold a summit in September to “address the dangers of text-messaging and other distractions behind the wheel.” The summit is slated for late September in Washington D.C. and, according to a US DOT press release it … Read more
Let’s hope Rep. Oberstar’s love of biking seeps into his thinking on federal transportation policy.(Photos © J. Maus) On Thursday (6/18), U.S. Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) is expected to release a white paper outlining his plans for the forthcoming re-write of the federal surface transportation bill (Oberstar is Chair of the House Infrastructure and Transportation … Read more
Blumenauer in Portland on May 11th.(Photos © J. Maus) A few weeks ago, in the Rose Room in Portland’s City Hall, U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer hosted an invite-only, roundtable discussion about biking. Around the large conference table sat electeds (like Metro President David Bragdon) and representatives from a variety of local, regional, and statewide agencies, … Read more