Google Maps to include bike trails?  According to Biking Bis, Google is using a specially outfitted trike to map bike trails.

EcoVelo has also written about the trike.

Labels: bike trails, google maps

posted by Bruce Wright at 4:03 PM #

 Women pass men in Philadelphia pro race  For the first time ever, the women racers in the Liberty Classic passed the slower men. The two groups race on the same 14 mile course. The women have a shorter race and start when the men have raced half of a lap. The women have never caught up with the men. This time the women's breakaway caught them and Ina Teutenberg, who went on the win her third Liberty Classic, gave the men a hard time as they raced by the neutralized men's field.

We often travel to Philadelphia to watch the race and ride the Schuylkill River Trail. On the day of the race there is a fun ride that does one lap on the race course. This year we volunteered to be ride marshalls on Paul's Ride for Life.

Postings here have been few and far between lately. I spend most of my time on bike advocacy, updating the FABB blog much more frequently than posting here. Plus there have been some computer problems that have taken up way too much time. Hope to post more soon.

Labels: liberty classic, philadelphia

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:49 PM #

 USA ranks low on road fatality index  USA ranks between Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, Slovenia with about 14 road fatalities per 100,000 people. That's compared to about 5/100,000 people in Netherlands, Great Britain, Norway, United Kingdom. From How We Drive, the Blog by the author of Traffic.

One part of the strategy is an increase in "self-enforcing" 20 MPH speed zones in urban areas (London now has more than 700, it notes).

Research suggests that pedestrians struck at 30 mph have about a 1 in 5 chance of being killed. At 20 mph the chance of a pedestrian dying is 1 in 40. In order to improve safety on the streets where we live, we will amend our guidance on speed limits, recommending that highway authorities, over time, introduce 20 mph zones or limits into streets that are primarily residential in nature and which are not part of any major through route. Similarly, we will encourage local authorities to consider introducing 20 mph limits or zones in town or city streets, such as around schools, shops, markets, playgrounds and other areas where pedestrian and cyclist movements are high.

Not only do these zones make our streets safer, but they also have potential to reduce pollution and improve public health by encouraging walking and cycling. The limited evidence gathered to date suggests that people walk and cycle more in areas subject to 20 mph zones. We believe that these road safety measures will have the effect of enhancing both public safety and public perception of safety, so encouraging more walking and cycling.

Labels: road fatalities

posted by Bruce Wright at 10:53 AM #

 Philadelphia pro bike race in jeopardy  Phila.'s bike race gets a one-day reprieve:

Philadelphia's annual professional bike race got a one-day reprieve yesterday as organizers hoped a last-minute meeting set for today might stay the event's cancellation.

Race organizer Dave Chauner had said he would decide the event's fate at 5 p.m. yesterday. He pushed the self-imposed deadline ahead 24 hours, he said, to meet with a possible backer today.

Labels: philadelphia, pro bike race

posted by Bruce Wright at 11:33 AM #

 NASCAR driver prefers his bike for recreation  According to the CNN article NASCAR driver shows off his Missouri hometown

Carl Edwards, one of NASCAR's elite, makes a living traveling at speeds upwards of 200 mph and is on the road more than 200 days a year. So when he wants to slow down, he heads to his hometown of Columbia, Missouri.

Labels: bike, NASCAR

posted by Bruce Wright at 11:29 AM #

 Walking school bus article in NYT  They call the walking school bus the piedibus (literally foot-bus in Italian) according to the NY Times article Students Give Up Wheels for Their Own Two Feed.

To encourage use, children receive fare cards that are punched each day. The bus routes have distinctive names (the one through the graveyard is the mortobus), and compete for prizes like pizza parties for the students. Teachers have students write poems about the piedibus.

Labels: SRTS, walking school bus

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:58 PM #

 SRAM maintenance videos online  The latest SRAM maintenance videos are now online.

Labels: SRAM, videos

posted by Bruce Wright at 4:40 PM #

 Blind Pilot  Not many groups tour the country by bicycle. That's what Blind Pilot did.

Blind Pilot released its album with no label support, but the duo has already won widespread national attention and made its late-night network TV debut. Still, a do-it-yourself spirit persists: Members Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski have done most of their touring by bicycle.

Their SXSW concert is available on the NPR site.

Update: A documentary of their bike tour is being put together and here's a clip:

Labels: bicycle tour, blind pilot

posted by Bruce Wright at 4:35 PM #