After years of hard work by the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation, the first batch of 1000+ Share the Road License Plates are in the process of being distributed throughout the state. (Photograph courtesy of Jim Mead.) Some people have already received letters from their counties informing them about picking up their plate orders. A lucky few have already received their plates by now.
Reaching this point is quite a milestone in terms of cycling advocacy throughout the state. What are future milestones that we can aspire to? In the near future anyone will be able to get such a plate for his/her car (this initial batch of 1000 was by pre-registration only.)
The Atlantic Cities has an excellent book review on the book Walkable City by Jeff Speck. Numerous other outlets have also reviewed the book. In short, the 10 pieces of walkability are as follows (quoted from the review):
The review's author then goes into some more detail about areas of disagreement such as the pros and cons of pedestrian-only zones, the desirability of green space, and the like. Parking and congestion pricing is tricky, in that newly revitalized downtowns should seek to welcome people coming in and visiting. Regardless, the book promises to be an interesting read.
A public hearing will be held at South Doyle Middle School December 6 at 5:00 PM over the proposed extension to the James White Parkway in South Knoxville. The TDOT description of the proposed project and lengthy history is here. The proposed project has drawn significant opposition because of the number of homes that will have to be taken, plus the degradation to the numerous trails and such that have been constructed in the area that would occur were the project to proceed. Parts of South Knoxville do not want through traffic to bypass it by going around Chapman Highway. Here is a partial list of project opponents. The proposed project would cost more than $100 million dollars.
The project is designed to alleviate an expected increase in traffic on Chapman highway in the future. Alternatives that have been proposed are improvements on Chapman Highway. Chapman Highway, being one of the main streets in south Knoxville, can certainly be upgraded in its bike/ped friendliness with sidewalks and bike lanes as part of any overall improvement project.
The Knoxville Regional Bicycle Program has a free 1-hr class on safely riding one's bicycle on city streets. The class consists of a 5 min talk followed by a slow ride around town. An upcoming session is on Thursday September 27, at 6:30 PM starting at Market Square downtown. A bike and helmet are required. Signups are at the following link.
For beginning riders, taking a class such as this one can go quite a ways toward building riding confidence, as well as avoiding common beginner mistakes. The League of American Bicyclists has their own training courses. What other similar courses exist around the state?
The Knoxville Track Club is sponsoring a fitness walking program starting September 8. They are looking for people to commit to one walk a week for seven weeks, culminating in an entry into the October 28 Crossknox 4 mile walk. Further information is available here.
This and other (hiking) events are listed at the Knoxville News Sentinel's Off the couch: Active options, Sept. 7 and beyond page.
The National Women's Bicycling Summit will be held in Long Beach, CA on September 13 and registration is now open. I've heard it said that there are many more men who ride than women. What are the reasons for such? Speaking of which, there are the claims that drivers tend to give more passing distance if they believe the rider is female; having a ponytail sticking out the back of one's helmet does the trick.
There is an inspiring story at the link that also points to the value bikes bring to people. A Zambian girl was attending school seven miles away from home. Walking took about two hours each way; having a bike enabled her to drastically reduce her commute time, and she would no longer be too tired to attend some Fridays. This difference in speed is applicable to transportation planning everywhere.
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CNN reports that a report series in The Lancet notes that physical inactivity is just as deadly as smoking or obesity. (Obviously the latter and physical inactivity are also linked.) If inactivity rates drop by 10-20%, then anything between one half to 1.3 million lives can be saved annually worldwide. The authors consider such inactivity to be equivalent to a pandemic.
In the third article of the series, Gregory Heath of the University of Tennessee wrote that "Because even moderate physical activity such as walking and cycling can have substantial health benefits, understanding strategies that can increase these behaviors in different regions and cultures has become a public health priority," and that improvements in mass transit and the walking and cycling environment can produce real benefits. As has been previously mentioned, we have engineered much physical activity out of our lives, but we can reverse the trend. Support for improved cycling and walking infrastructure in our communities have the following beneficial effects.
Nashville was featured in Smart Growth America's email as a city that has successfully redeveloped its Riverfront. The riverfront has now become "an asset for revitalization efforts" and is a place that people want to go to, rather than simply go by. The fact that Rick Bernhardt, a Nashville planning executive, remarked that "Not any one of the downtown attractions can succeed on its own, but the synergy from different elements, along with the locals and tourists creates something special" points to the importance of good planning. This development took decades, and has helped to revitalize downtown.
Out in Knoxville, a similar process has occurred and is ongoing with its own riverfront. I believe the same is occurring in Chattanooga, and perhaps Memphis and elsewhere as well. Note how although such growth does not automatically tie into bike/walk things, the development of urban landscapes inherently favors biking and walking.
Reuters is reporting that generation Y (people aged 16-34) is driving less than previous generations. There was a 23% drop in vehicle-miles travelled in the last decade, (10,300 down to 7,900 vehicle-miles) with people flocking to mass transit and bicycles. More than a quarter (26%) of them lack a driver's license, up 5% from that a decade ago.
David Jacobs of The Tombras Group here in Knoxville points out several possible reasons for the trend. Factors include the high cost of cars, the lack of the "cool" factor, environmental concerns, as well as improvements in electronic communication with cell phones and the like. This shift away from an auto-centric system by the young would have drastic implications on the design and maintenance of our roads in the coming decades.
The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting near record-high temperatures Friday across the state. The all-time record temperature was broken in Nashville at 109 (was 107). Chattanooga hit 106, tying its all-time record. Same with the Tri-Cities at 102. Knoxville tied its June record at 102 as well. Oak Ridge broke the June record at 104. The Tour de Rocky Top, taking place today (Saturday June 30) had its century ride (100 miles) cancelled this year due to the heat for safety reasons.
The Farragut Press Enterprise is reporting that the proposal to widen Concord Rd (west end of SR-332) from Turkey Creek Rd to Northshore Dr is running into opposition. The road would go from two lanes to five, with bike lanes and a sidewalk on one side of the street. A asphalt greenway would line the other side. Opponents of the project have raised objections over the amount of land (and a home) that would have to be taken. In addition, there is the argument that development in the area has come to a standstill, and that the widened road would end at two lane Northshore Dr, which is arguably a busier road.
The west (actually north) end of the proposed project (going beyond Turkey Creek Rd) has previously been widened to include sidewalks on both sides, but no bike lanes, and has a 40 mph speed limit. The stretch in question currently has a 30 mph speed limit, but has no sidewalks, bikelanes, or parallel greenways. Many drivers exceed the 30 mph limit there. Certainly sidewalks would provide a means for people living in the area to more readily walk to the rest of town, including other neighborhoods, Kroger Marketplace, The Little Gym, and beyond. The bike lanes unfortunately would not extend past Turkey Creek Rd, although the road itself is actually quite ride friendly due to the presence of two lanes on each side.
Would going from two lanes to five (with probable higher speeds) be better or worse for cyclists? As previously mentioned, sidewalks would benefit pedestrians. Long term plans call for a greenway paralleling Northshore Dr to improve connectivity throughout the area. In this era of tightened budgets, could improvements short of going to five lanes be made that would not be so expensive and potentially disruptive?
