Tuesday, July 27 by sandy
Perils for Pedestrians is a monthly television series promoting awareness of issues affecting the safety of people who walk and bicycle. Producer John Z. Wetmore interviews advocates and government planners from around the country (and sometimes the world) about problems such as missing sidewalks and crosswalks, dangerous intersections, speeding traffic, and obstacles to wheelchair users and people with disabilities; solutions to such problems are offered.
The most recent episodes are available at on blip.tv and older episodes (the series began in 1996) are linked from the index on pedestrians.org.
The shows are broadcast on the Princeton Public Access TV Channel (available in West Windsor on Verizon FiOS Channel 45). This summer they are shown on Tuesdays at 7 PM, Fridays at 1:30 PM, and Sundays at 11:30 AM.
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Posted in Advocacy, Bicycle routes, Bicycling Trip, Bikeability, Film, Pedestrian, Safety, Trails, Walkability |
Friday, July 9 by sandy
Did you know that the U.S. Bicycle Route 1, between Virginia and North Carolina, and Route 76, through Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois, opened in 1982?
The U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) is a proposed national network of bicycle routes, spearheaded in part by Adventure Cycling, a nonprofit group that began with the idea of a cross-country ride to mark America’s Bicentennial in 1976. It’s also gotten the attention of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Work has picked up recently, and Michigan is leading the way. Route 20 is under way and Route 35 should follow. As the network develops, look for it to connect many existing trails. Still to be decided is where it will go in New Jersey. (Adventure Cycling’s Atlantic Coast route skips the state, but the East Coast Greenway goes right past West Windsor.)
Links:
Adventure Cycling: U.S. Bicycle Route System News and Updates
U.S. Department of Transportation Blog about the USBRS
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Posted in Bicycle routes, Bicycling Trip |
Wednesday, July 7 by silvia
Biking Hiking with Kids: Trail information and tips on mountain biking and hiking with kids, with links to other hiking and cycling blogs.
Car-Free American: Bill Poindexter profiles people around the country who use bicycles for commuting, running errands, and recreation.
Car Free Days: Since 2007, two parents have been using cargo bicycles and setting an example for their kids by setting aside days without getting into their cars.
Free Range Kids: “Do you ever…let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk to school? Make dinner? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free-Range Kid!”
Kids and Nature: Jeff Hoagland is a naturalist and Education Director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.
Let’s Go Ride a Bike: Two friends bike-commute in Nashville and Chicago.
Livin’ in the Bike Lane: Ride hard, ride safe, ride on!
NJ Wild: Carolyn Edelmann blogs about nature, especially along the D&R Canal and towpath.
Pedal Around: a chronicle of living car-free since Sept. 15, 2009 and his current adventure of bicycling cross-country. Love how he signs off with: PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.
Streets Blog: The national blog network for sustainable transport, smart growth, and livable streets.
Suburban Bike Mama: Without a car for a few days, this city girl remembered her strong pedestrian roots and vowed to never “need” a car again.
A View from the Cycle Path: David Hembrow blogs about cycling in the Netherlands.
Walk Bike Jersey: The authors are advocates and professionals working to make our residents healthier, our air cleaner, our streets safer and the overall quality of life in New Jersey better.
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Posted in Bicycling Trip, Bikeability, Health, Pedestrian, Trails, Walkability |
Sunday, July 4 by sandy
Here are two easy ways women can keep from adding pounds: brisk walking and biking. An article in the Archives of Internal Medicine, “Bicycle Riding, Walking, and Weight Gain in Premenopausal Women,” reports that even modest amounts of exercise can be effective. A summary of the findings is in Business Week, June 28, 2010, “A Little Biking May Help Premenopausal Women Stay Slim.” The study found that biking is particularly effective for overweight or obese women. (Sorry, but that casual stroll around the neighborhood at a pace of less than three miles an hour doesn’t have that weight-control effect.)
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Posted in Bicycling Trip, Health, Pedestrian |
Wednesday, June 30 by sandy
Celebrate Bicycling on Car-Free Philadelphia Streets
Sunday, September 12 at 8:00 am
Would you like to bike through the heart of Philadelphia surrounded by bicyclists instead of cars?
Join others for a family-friendly bike tour celebrating the freedom of car-free Philadelphia streets. Ride through historic neighborhoods and explore hidden corners of Fairmount Park. Bicyclists of all skill levels are welcome. Bike Philly rolls rain or shine.
Early-bird Registration ends June 30th and includes a free t-shirt ($10 after).
Click here for more information and registration.
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Posted in Bicycling Trip, Philadelphia |
Wednesday, June 2 by sandy
Bicyclists of all ages and abilities attended the seventh annual West Windsor BikeFest on Sunday, May 30 (postponed a day because of the weather) over Memorial Day weekend. The weather on Sunday couldn’t have been better! A bike rodeo helped to educate young riders about the rules of the road and safe riding practices.
Watch a Slide Show from BIkeFest 2010.
BikeFest focuses on bringing awareness of safe cycling and enables families to experience bicycling at various skill levels. Participants discover that West Windsor has many roads that will accommodate all levels of cyclists.
BikeFest is run by a small committee led by Dan Gerstenhaber and supported by Ken Jacobs of the West Windsor Division of Recreation and Parks. Local businesses support the event and many volunteers support registration, rest stops, sweeping, and feeding the event participants. Volunteers are always welcome. For more information go to West Windsor BikeFest.
Funding from BikeFest
The BikeFest committee focuses on safe cycling in West Windsor; funds raised by the event are used to support designated community bicycling improvements. Along with the installation of bike racks in various parts of the township, the BikeFest committee has donated money to help with some of the WWBPA initiatives, most notably the printing of the WWBPA map, Share the Road signs, bicycle racks for theWest Windsor Community Farmers’ Market and the soon-to-be-completed bicycle parking facilities at the Princeton Junction Train Station.
The WWBPA isn’t a sponsor of BikeFest but thanks the BikeFest committee for its continued support for safer cycling in West Windsor.
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Posted in Bicycle routes, Bicycling Trip, Bike Rodeo, Bike Skills, BikeFest |
Monday, May 3 by silvia
The Mets’ bullpen catcher, Dave Racaniello, dreamed of riding his bicycle cross-country. Instead, with some encouragement from Mets star David Wright, he rode his bike from Newark to spring training in Florida. That’s one way to get in shape for the season! (If CC Sabathia had joined him, maybe he wouldn’t have started the season with such a big tire around his middle.) Read more here.
May is National Bike Month. How are you taking part?
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Posted in Bicycling Trip, National BIke Month |
Tuesday, April 6 by JerryFoster
Folding Bike in Suitcase
Bicycles are treated differently from other luggage when it comes time to check them for your flight. According to Delta Airlines luggage policy, a bicycle is charged $200 per flight – $400 for a typical round trip.
While this may be reasonable for full-sized bikes in large boxes that require special handling, Delta notes that the bicycle charge even applies to a folding bike, which fits into a non-oversize suitcase and weighs less than 50 lbs, in a recent email clarification to Dave Schlabowske, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
At this level of expense, bicyclists traveling for tourism have a good incentive to just buy bikes where they’re going an leave them on the street when they’re done. An inexpensive mountain bike can be bought for $200 – $300 at a bike shop, with plenty of gears for hill climbing, or as low as under $100 at national big-box retailers.
Bicycle tourism is big business – a 2006 study found bicycle recreation and tourism added over $924 million per year to the Wisconsin economy, and a separate 2006 study found an economic impact of over $60 million annually to the North Carolina Outer Banks region. A 2000 study found bicyclists spent $166 million annually in the province of Quebec.
There would appear to be no additional handling necessary for folding bikes, but Delta is charging the fee anyway, presumably because they think they can. If you consider this fee unreasonable, please contact Delta to ask them to reconsider this policy.
How have you been treated on other airlines?
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Tags: Bicycle Tourism, Bikes on Airlines
Posted in Bicycling Trip |
Monday, March 22 by sandy
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is conducting a quick online survey of bicyclists and non-bicyclists in our region.
Shifting Gears is an outreach program run by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to help determine bicycle issues and priorities for our region. Shifting Gears seeks input from bicyclists and non-bicyclists through an online survey at www.dvrpc.org/shiftinggears.
The online survey only takes about 5-10 minutes and asks questions about bicycle use, facilities, policy, and information on what would best enhance the cycling environment.
Please go to www.dvrpc.org/shiftinggears and tell them what is on your mind. If you’ve already taken the survey, then tell your friends– don’t keep it to yourself. Bicyclists of any level, as well as non-bicyclists are invited to participate.
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Posted in Advocacy, Bicycle routes, Bicycling Trip, Bike Racks, Bikeability |
Wednesday, March 3 by sandy
On July 10th 2010, 200+ riders and support crew members will depart for a grueling one-week, 500 mile marathon ride that begins in Charlottesville,VA and end at Quaker Bridge Mall.
The goal:
To raise money necessary to keep open the doors of Trenton-based Anchor House. Your support will help to sustain its many programs available to the thousands of kids and their families whose lives that have been impacted by Anchor House for 32 years.
Anchor House, Inc. is a multi-service agency for runaway, homeless, abused, and at-risk youth and their families. For the past 30 years, Anchor House has committed its efforts to providing comprehensive, life-saving assistance to our most vulnerable population.
In 2009, several WWBPA members, including Ken Carlson, Jerry Foster, and Daryl McMillan, participated in the ride. You can read more about this year’s ride here.
To sign up (applications are due by March 5) or to sponsor the riders, go to anchorhouseride.org.
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Posted in Anchor House Ride, Bicycling Trip |
