Knox County Pedestrian struck twice, killed near her home

On Tuesday night, around 10:30 PM, a pedestrian was struck by first one car, and then a second going the opposite direction on Snyder Rd near Catlett Ln near her home. The newspaper reports are available here, with a followup here. Those who live in the area can attest to the strong rainstorms that were in the area that night. A senseless tragedy, no doubt.

Electric Bicycles - HummingBike

This report on a Knoxville startup company, HummingBike, that makes electric bicycles serves as a reminder to advantages that these vehicles bring. Most of the advantages are there regardless of whether the bike is electric or not. The advantages listed in the article are as follows.

Another view on Sharing the Road

This comment from fellow touring cyclist David Irvine.

The Yehuda Moon comic strip has some interesting commentary from its readers.  Here is a link to comment about bikers sharing the road with cars and trucks:

http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2008/11/shared-space.html

The Scottsboro ride had elements of an epiphany for me; namely, I really detest what rumble stripping does to destroy what little bike lane may be available on a highway shoulder; and I really detest sharing the road with dense car traffic when there is absolutely no bike lane or shoulder (i.e., the ride into Winchester when the local school let out).  I agree with the blog writer Hembrow about "shared space", it's a bogus concept, at least around here.  Give me a rail-trail, a bike lane, a rural road, or a highway with a bike lane type shoulder; I don't want to "share" my space any more.  Getting crabby in my old age.
DTI

Share the Road License Plates - Deadline extended to June 2011

The Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation is trying to get people to sign up for "Share the Road" (3 ft law) specialty license plates. They need at least 1000 pre-orders by June 2011 for the plates to go into production, and as of today, they only have 189 orders. The deadline was already extended once; it's unlikely to be extended again. Please consider signing up for this worthy cause.

Oak Ridge Turnpike - phase I expansion complete

Oak Ridge Turnpike, one of the main thoroughfares through the city of Oak Ridge, has had a 4 mi section widened with 5 ft sidewalks and 6 ft bike lanes on both sides. The phase I widening project extended from Illinois Ave to Westover Drive. More details are available at the Oak Ridger Website. The project cost $26.1 million.

NYC Reclaims it's Streets from Automobiles

If New York City can create more than 200 miles of bike lanes. If New York City can begin that transition of turning their streets into places for people rather than places for personal vehicles. Just think what the rest of us can do!

Take a look at this video put together by EMBARQ. It shows what New York City has done, and it just may spark some ideas for the rest of us.

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-10-11-how-nycs-streets-are-being-reclaimed-from-the-automobile-video

Rumbles again

On a recent ride we encountered this bit of rumbling along TN SR 290 in Bedford Co between Chapel Hill and Shelbyville. The part in Marshall Co was not rumbled, had the same shoulder and same traffic. The part in Marshall Co felt perfectly safe but the part in Bedford Co did not. The bit of shoulder that was left was too narrow to ride, especially when there was a multi foot drop off from pavement to grass. After almost falling when being chased off the travel lane by a horse hauling truck and trailer having to move back to the right to accommodate oncoming traffic, we searched and found a usable side road. This road has no special merit except for being direct and easy to follow and in the future I will avoid 290 entirely. However it does highlight several issues.

Is there safety in numbers?

Elly Blue, reporting for grist, discusses the phenomenon of "safety in numbers" that has occurred as more and more people take to the streets on their bicycles. In her article she discusses the findings of Peter Jacobsen, a public health researcher, who studied the crash data of various communities.

What Jacobsen found was surprising. "The number of crashes involving bikes correlated with the number of riders in a community. As ridership fluctuated, so did the crash rate. More riders, fewer crashes; fewer riders, more crashes."

Knoxville News Sentinel Editorial - Tennesseans can walk away from obesity

In an editorial Friday, the Knoxville News Sentinel noted that healthy lifestyles are not inherited, and that Tennessee ranks second in the nation (tied with Alabama) for obesity rates. A new free program by the Knoxville Track Club seeks to get people walking rather than running, meeting every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6:30 PM at Cherokee Blvd. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee is also encouraging school walking programs.

Active Healthy Transportation Developments website

Here's a website that really does look at the positive outcomes taking into consideration alternative active modes of transportation. Their goals?

Pedestrian bridge over Alcoa Hwy under construction

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel a bridge connecting greenways on both sides of Alcoa Hwy (US-129) was put into place Sunday. Plans call for the bridge to be opened in early December.

Alcoa Highway is a high-speed road that's notorious for car crashes, and having a way to safety cross it is an improvement. Perhaps more importantly is the fact that neighborhoods will be linked to the Blount County greenway system that were previously separated by the road. For transportation infrastructure to be functional and useful, they have to go to enough places that people want to go; network breaks are highly destructive. Hopefully we have just eliminated one such break in the network.

NE TN Regional Directors of Bike Walk TN Invite You To an OCTOBER 10'th Gathering

CANCELED UNTIL NOVEMBER

IMPORTANT GATHERING OF BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN ADVOCATES: 
How we can affect policies and attitudes concerning:
- Safety for bicyclists and pedestrians
- Enforcement of existing laws
- Better municipal and regional planning for alternative transportation
- Increased funding for bicycle and pedestrian facilities
- Challenging attitudes toward those who choose to bike and walk
Click here for More Info , Visit us at BWT Region 6

Defining Bicyclists’ and Pedestrians’ Right to Use Public Roadways

Many people believe that nonmotorized modes (walking, cycling, and their variations) have an inferior right to use public roads compared with motor vehicles. This reflects the belief that motor vehicles are more important to society than nonmotorized modes, and that roads are funded by motorists.

Here is a study that investigates these assumptions. It finds that nonmotorized modes have the legal right to use public roads, that nonmotorized modes provide significant transportation benefits, and pedestrians and cyclists pay a significant share of roadway costs. Although motorist user fees (fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees) fund most highway expenses, funding for local roads (the roads pedestrians and cyclists use most) originates mainly from general taxes. Since bicycling and walking impose lower roadway costs than motorized modes, people who rely primarily on nonmotorized modes tend to overpay their fair
share of roadway costs and subsidize motorists.

I highly recommend this as rational for alternative transportation design and planning.

CDC Promotes Trails for Better Health

The federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) understands that walking and hiking on trails are a good way to get your 30 minutes of physical activity 5 times per week. Trails for Health supports CDC’s Active Community Environments (ACES), an initiative to promote walking, bicycling, and the development of accessible recreation facilities. ACES was developed in response to data that suggest that characteristics of our communities such as proximity of facilities, street design, and availability of pedestrian and bicycle facilities such as trails play a significant role in promoting or discouraging physical activity.For more information refer to the Trails for Health brochure, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/pdf/trails_july_2003.pdf .

Sept 28 - Bcycle Bike Share Demo in Nashville

Bike Walk Tennessee does not blanket endorse commercial activities.  But this event gives Nashvillians an opportunity to get a look at Bike Share technology and equipment.  If you've never seen this kind of equipment, it's worth stopping by to check it out.  Hopefully if you don't see it now, you'll see bike share equipment installed around Tennessee!

Pat Clements

People For Bikes Pledge

In recent years, the bicycle industry has stepped up to support our advocacy and education programs like never before. Much of that leadership has come from Bikes Belong, the industry's advocacy and education organization. We realize that we have a common interest in getting more people on bikes more often and more safely, and we know we need every voice we can muster to have an impact at the Federal, state and local level. That's why I am writing to you today to ask for your help.

The best walking cities

This article lists the 20 best walking cities in the USA, according to Prevention magazine. The list of cities is as follows.

Tennessee State Bike Route Survey

. . The Tennessee Department of Transportation is currently gathering information for an update to the state bike route network, and is inviting citizens to complete a short online survey regarding their experiences bicycling Tennessee’s highways.  Input from the survey will help guide the department in developing a comprehensive bicycling network that will assess state routes with respect to bicycle suitability and determine future action items pertinent to the furtherance of the goals of TDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian plan.

. . In 2005, as part of PlanGo, TDOT’s Multi-Modal Long Range Transportation Plan included a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan element that recommended a statewide bicycle system.  Since that time, the department recognized that changes in infrastructure and data collection necessitate an update to the existing bicycle route network.  In order to provide meaningful connections to cyclists’ destinations, TDOT invites the public to participate in the online survey by new deadline October 30, 2010.  Below is a link to the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TNBikeSurvey

Black Hawk Down

Colorado's Black Hawk Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance banning bicycle riding on almost every street in town, including its only paved street. The police are now issuing a ticket to anyone "caught riding" through town. Attempts by Bicycle Colorado to get the ban lifted have failed. The City Council has made it clear that they have no intention of changing their ordinance.

The legality of the ban is now being tested in courts and it is instructional to read the defense brief in complete detail. My guess this ban was initiated by more than a concern for the Bicycle Level of Service on these roads.

Tennessee Titans Game and Walk Week! Nashville Ped Volunteer Opportunity

Bike Walk Tennessee is working with the Nashville Area MPO to locate 10 volunteers to help hand out 5,000 Walk Nashville Week stickers to fans walking to the Titans game on Sunday, October 3rd.  The time commitment is from 10:30am -12pm.  The Titans Fans Walk to the Game Day is an event of the 12th Annual Walk Nashville Week.  Fans walking to the game across the Woodland Street Bridge and Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge are thanked for walking to the game and for getting some exercise.  It is a fun event and the fans enjoy receiving the stickers.  All volunteers receive a free t-shirt.  To volunteer, please email Leslie Meehan meehan@nashvillempo.org, and mention you were referred by Bike Walk Tennessee!

Thank you in advance for your help!

Pat Clements

President 

Bike Walk Tennessee

Publish Post

Isn't it Ironic?

Jonathan Hiskes, a staff writer, reports in Grist magazine that Maryland's Green Party Senate candidate, Natasha Pettigrew, died two days after an SUV hit her while cycling. Find his article at http://www.grist.org/2010-9-22-maryland-green-party-senate-candidate-killed-by-suv-while-cycling/.

Hiskes states that the Washington Post reported that driver of the SUV did not realize she had hit someone until she arrived at home and found the bicycle under her car....she did think maybe she had hit a deer or a dog....the Washington Post article can be found here: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/9/21/ar2010092105239.htm

One of the most interesting things Mr. Hiskes pointed out was a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration " car wrecks killed 26,791 drivers and passingers, 4,414 pedestrians, and 718 cyclists in 2008"....kinda of makes you think driving a car is hazardous to your health in more ways than one.

What are "we" going to do about it?

AAA Wants to Block Spending on Greenways and Trails

The American Automobile Association want to remove all Greenway and Trail funding from the federal highway budget. The president of AAA Mid-Atlantic recently advocated for the elimination of existing federal dollars that help build bicycle and pedestrian trails and sidewalks. These funds have helped create more than 19,000 miles of trails, walking and bicycling facilities across the country—likely including your favorite nearby trail.

Cumberland Trail Events: Fall 2010- Spring 2011

September 25-26: National Public Lands Day event (NPLD), volunteers needed to help with bridge and trail repair in the Tennessee River Gorge segment of the Cumberland Trail.  Volunteers will meet at 8:00am ET at the Signal Mountain parking lot.  Please register with the CTC for this event, cumberlandtrail@rocketmail.com , www.cumberlandtrail.org or 931-456-6259.  

Courtesy on the Roads - by Kelley Segars

Here is an email that I received a while back from Kelley Segars, our excellent transportation planner at the Knoxville Regional TPO on sharing the road with cars and trucks. The email is reproduced with permission, and what she spells out should be applicable throughout the state.