Gasoline at $4 per gallon did wonders for promoting bikes as a lean and green solution.

The price of oil has dropped 55% since July. Local gas prices are “falling like leaves.”  Daylight is getting more scarce and the temperatures are dropping.   All these factors might mean more bike commuters will be hopping back into their cars.

We could speculate on this, but the results will come out soon enough.

The August report from the Federal Highway Administration was recently released.  In summary, vehicle travel dropped 5.6% in August (a 15 billion mile decrease.)  The culmulative vehicle miles for 2008 are down 3.3% or 67.2 billion miles.

Those decreases aren’t all attributable to more bike commuters.

According to a special report from Inrix, “While consumers react to the high costs of fuel by decreasing all driving, the most significant impact to consumers is the reduction of discretionary driving.”

Even so, the report’s survey found that higher gas prices caused 8% of the respondents to bike (and use scooters) more.  That compares well with increases in car pooling (9%) and public transit (7%).

Inrix also predicts that the drop in gas prices will not lead to significant increases in driving due to the weak economy.   Perhaps the interest in bike will continue

The Capital News Service ran an interesting article today on trails and their increased use for transportation.

The Lansing-based Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance also supports linking trails across the state.

It works with local and state agencies in organizing discussions and outlining criteria for selecting corridors to develop.

Nancy Krupiarz, executive director of the alliance, said her organization gears trail expansion toward a non-motorized network for bicyclists. Widening road shoulders for bike lanes and adding signs to alert motorists are part of the initiative.

“Urban trails get more use as a transportation aspect when they are well-connected to businesses and shipping districts,’ said Krupiarz.

The alliance is involved in a plan to add a non-motorized network of bike paths around Detroit. The system will connect neighborhoods, schools, parks, businesses and other major destinations around the city.

The article also discusses Detroit’s recently endorsed non-motorized master plan.

Link: Capital News Service article

Congressman Earl Blumenauer

The bailout bill passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House today.  This bill has gotten many additional unrelated items added to it, presumably to gain the vote of certain legislators.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer is our biggest bicycling advocate.  He voted against the first bailout bill.  And although he did not request it, this new bailout bill includes his bicycle commuter legislation.

What does this bike commuter legislation do?  Currently, employers get a tax break when they provide company cars or pay for their employee’s use of public transit in order to get to work.  This legislation would add bicycles as a tax break.  This would give employers a financial incentive to provide a bicycle and cover the expenses associated with riding it to work.

According to the Congressman’s web site, this legislation “provides a strong incentive for employees to bike to work, which is a cleaner, healthier, more efficient mode of transportation.”

Even though Blumenauer’s bike bill is in the bailout, he’s indicating he will vote against the overall package.

We made a suggestion that it’d be real nice if the Art, Beats, and Eats festival in Pontiac had a secured bike corral for bikes commuters.  After all, the Clinton River Trail will eventually pass through Downtown Pontiac once completed.

The organizers were listening.

My bike will be in the corral on Friday and Saturday.  Hopefully it’ll be parked next to yours!

From the Arts, Beats, and Eats web site:

Take your bicycle to the festival, as well feature a bicycle corral where festival volunteers will register bikers to win cool gear.  Downtown Pontiac is easily accessible from the Clinton River Trail, which extends through Rochester on the eastern side and Waterford to the west.  You bring a lock and well have a place to park your bike, and we will have security watching them as well. More information on the ITC Greenways Biking Corral is coming soon