The League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) is hosting a Bicycle Summit in Lansing on March 29th, 2008 from 9AM until 4PM. There will be “full day of workshops, presentations on LMB’s advocacy and education efforts and discussions about coalitions.”
The workshops include
The cost is $25 and includes lunch.
The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance (MTGA) has launched their Trails Finder for Michigan. It’s a new mashup combining Google Maps with Michigan trail information. The trails include everything from singletrack to paved off-road trails to bike lanes.
There are some caveats to this project, as they are with anything this new and cutting edge:
The database reflected in this website marks is a work in progress. Not all trailways have been mapped, nor have we received all the data for existing GIS Trails data. There may also be updates needed for new trails or extensions to trails for which we have not received information.
There’s a new blog GoogleMapsBikeThere.org that’s leading a petition to get bike directions added to Google Maps. In other words, when you type an address into Google Maps, you could request biking directions instead of driving directions.
In some cities, there is an option to select public transit options rather than driving directions. It’s called Google Transit and Detroit SMART bus routes are included. It’s a very cool mashup.
So why not do that for bikes? Google apparently likes bikes. They sell Google bike jerseys. Their Ann Arbor office has secure bike parking. They encourage their Birmingham employees to commute by bike.
I think the biggest problem is safety. (more…)
According to the Associated Press, “Oil prices marched past $103 a barrel on Monday, the latest in a recent string of record-high oil prices, before settling at $102.45… ‘It’s like throwing sands in the wheels of the economy,’ said Brian Bethune, economist at Global Insight.”
No doubt. But, it’s also be throwing more air into America’s bicycle tires.
For the next three days, bicycle advocates from across the U.S. will be in Washington D.C. for the National Bike Summit. Their collective message? Biking is one way to conserve energy in light of these high prices.
Michigan is sending a contingent of advocates primarily from the League of Michigan Bicyclists. Local Detroit area cyclists Dante Lanzetta and Steve Roach will be part of that group.
Many of the bicycling facilities we now have — or are getting — are a result of bicycling’s inclusion in the federal transportation bills ISTEA, TEA-21, and SAFETEA-LU. That’s why it’s so important that cycling advocates continue the annual trek to DC and make sure we continue to receive transportation funding.
The Daily Press (Virginia) ran an article today that asks, “Will the high price of oil help make 2008 the Year of the Bicycle?”
We sure hope so.
Building a bike facilities is a great start, but you also need to devote some resources to getting the word out. We did this in Ferndale by creating videos that described why and how the bike network came about, as well as how to properly use them from a cycling and driving perspective. These videos were run on the local public access channel.
This week I came across a couple excellent public service announcements that also get the word out and get more non-cyclists on a bike.
This first one is from London, England (where they apparently had a decent budget):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK5K6pNBEes