Volume 5, Issue 9 – September 22, 2006

Bike Pittsburgh is on the cutting edge of urban environmentalism – visit www.bike-pgh.org and become a member of our exciting organization!

If your business is interested in sponsoring this newsletter, which reaches an estimated 2,000 bicyclists in and around Pittsburgh, please contact info@bike-pgh.org

In this issue:

* Action Alert: Comment on PA Transportation Funding & Reform Commission’s Report (sample letter included)
* Subscribe to Bike Pittsburgh’s Google Calendar!
* Report Bicycling Safety Concerns
* Map Your Favorite Routes and Rides with Bikely.com
* Love Your Bike: Lock It Right!
* Announcing Pittsburgh Optimist Heritage Trail Ride
* October 2nd: Port Authority Officially Launches New and Improved Rack ‘n Roll program
* Bike Events (September October)
* Spare Parts (News Links)
* Be an Agent of Change: Become a Member of Bike Pittsburgh!

ACTION ALERT: COMMENT ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TRANSPORTATION FUNDING AND REFORM COMMISSION’S REPORT

The Commission recently published their report addressing the funding crisis in Pennsylvania for roads, bridges, and public transportation. They are now seeking the public’s input in order to shape and refine their recommendations that they will present later this year. Specifically they ask “Has anything been missed in the assessment of PA’s highway and bridge and public transportation problems?” and “Are there other reform options you would like the Commission to consider?”

Bike Pittsburgh has identified two things that are ignored in this report that need to be addressed by the Commission as they relate to combining modes of transportation and the missed opportunity to address public health as it relates to transportation. Mary Shaw, co-author of Freewheeling Easy in Western Pennsylvania and one of Bike Pittsburgh’s most active members submitted the following letter to the commission, and welcomes you to use it as a template so that you can also weigh in on these important points. Please feel free to use and alter as you see fit, then sign and email it to tfrc@state.pa.us. Thank you, Mary, for writing such an excellent letter and sharing it with the biking community!

Comments on Investing in Our Future: Addressing Pennsylvania’s Transportation Funding Crisis

Date

Dear Commissioners:

Today I wish to comment on opportunities that have been missed in the report, Investing in Our Future: Addressing Pennsylvania’s Transportation Funding Crisis, assessing Pennsylvania’s highway, bridge, and public transportation problems, together with other reform options the Commission should consider. This addresses the first two questions in the listening session mandate.

My major point is that these transportation decisions interact with other state initiatives, in particular the PennDOT Statewide Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan and the PA Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan, and that those initiatives should be considered when resolving the highway, bridge, and public transportation problems.

Supporting this point, my second point is that considering the PennDOT Statewide Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan and the PA Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan may address costs by reducing those costs rather than forcing allocations among the alternatives. Specifically, increasing the use of bicycles for transportation can reduce the highway/bridge capacity that must be built and maintained; increasing the number of multimodal trips combining bicycle and public transit can increase the usage and thereby the efficiency of public transportation.

In reading the report, Investing in Our Future: Addressing Pennsylvania’s Transportation Funding Crisis I was not able to find any consideration of bicycle, pedestrian, or public health concerns.

More specifically:
• The Draft 2006 PennDOT Statewide Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan calls for doubling the percentage of trips by foot and bicycle. In support of this it calls for improvements in existing infrastructure and in new facilities that will encourage bicycling and walking.
• We face a statewide health crisis. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/browse.asp?a=174&bc=0&c=38832), “The 2002 Pennsylvania Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicated that 60% of adult Pennsylvanians were overweight or obese (BMI>25), and that 25% of adults were physically inactive. …Individuals who are overweight, inactive, and do not adopt healthy eating habits are at an increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, osteoarthritis, endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancer, and psychological disorders such as depression, eating disorders, and distorted body image.” Their Pennsylvania Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan (PaNPA Plan, http://www.health.state.pa.us/pdf/nutrition/nutrition.pdf) aims to increase physical activity. The Plan recommendations include enhanced access to places for physical activity and policy and infrastructure changes to promote non-motorized transit.

Improvements to encourage bicycling include repair of rough low-traffic roads, suitable and well-maintained shoulders on high-traffic roads, signage, intersection design, bicycle-friendly traffic signal detectors,, and bicycle-friendly traffic calming. New designs should not only encourage bicycles and pedestrians to use the new facility, they should also preserve access previously available, for example by not breaking the continuity of local roads or paths that cross new construction (e.g., by including pedestrian under- or over-passes). While there are initial costs associated with these improvements, every trip taken by bicycle or foot is a trip not taken in a car. Increasing the volume of bicycle traffic decreases the volume of traffic on the road. The highway capacity required per bicycle trip is far smaller than the capacity required per automobile trip, so shifting travel away from private automobiles should reduce the long-term costs of highways.

Similarly, allowing public transit to deteriorate increases the capacity required for private vehicles. For public transit to be truly effective, it must run frequently and on time. Service cuts can lead to a death spiral – if I have to find alternate transportation part of the time, I’m likely to use it all of the time. Keeping public transit viable depends on increasing the ridership, thereby justifying more service in a virtuous spiral. Since public transit can’t reach all destinations, it is important for it to support multimodal transit, in particular bicycling to the transit and from the transit to the final destination. This requires bicycle accommodations on busses, rail, and other facilities. The City of Pittsburgh is expanding its program to put bike racks on busses; this is important, because in order to plan a bike-bus-bike or bike-trolley-bike trip you need to be able to count on putting your bike on the bus or trolley.

I believe that considering these other state initiatives should lead to better decisions about funding priorities. These initiatives should be synergistic, not antagonistic. In particular:
• The Commission should actively seek out alternatives that reduce the need for expanded highway systems. These include increasing the number of trips by bicycle and foot, by supporting carpooling/vanpooling/ridesharing, and by encouraging dual-mode transportation such as part bicycle, part public transit
• All highway projects should make provisions to support use by commuting and recreational bicyclists and to avoid interrupting existing use. Adding these provisions should have miniscule cost compared to their benefit in reducing required capacity.
• Transit planning should include support for trips partly by bicycle and partly by transit by making provisions to carry bikes on transit.
I encourage you in the strongest terms to do this.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Address

SUBSCRIBE TO BIKE PITTSBURGH’S GOOGLE CALENDAR OF EVENTS!

Finding out what’s going on in Pittsburgh’s bicycling scene has never been easier. With our online Google Calendar, you can now stay up-to-date on all things biking in Pittsburgh. Just go to www.bike-pgh.org and you will find the subscription link to our calendar of events. If you have a bicycling event to submit please email submit@bike-pgh.org and we’ll be sure to add it to the calendar. We’re all really excited about all the possibilities of using this application. We’ve used a lot of calendar programs over the years and this is by far the best we’ve seen!

Click here to subscribe to Bike Pittsburgh’s Event Calendar

Note: You will have to sign up for a Google account in order to subscribe to our calendar. However, soon enough we will have the Google Calendar directly on our website so you will be able to check out the events without having to sign up for an account.

REPORT BICYCLING SAFETY CONCERNS

Biking in Southwestern PA can be tough. Many times there are no shoulders and many streets are riddled with potholes. If you have experienced safety hazards* on a street in Pittsburgh or any of the 10 counties that SPC represents, please fill out this form on the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission website and they will be sure to pass the concern on to the proper agency whether it be PennDOT, or various County or city agencies (e.g. DPW or the Water and Sewer Authority to name two).

*Safety hazards include but are not limited to: gravelly or overly narrow shoulders, no shoulder at all, obstruction in the road or bike lane, and excessive wear or potholes.

MAP YOUR FAVORITE ROUTES WITH BIKELY.COM

Here’s a resource for cyclists we found a few days ago. It’s called Bikely, and it’s the bees knees!

From their website:
What is Bikely? Put very simply, Bikely helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes.
It can be quite tricky traversing a car dominated city by bicycle, particularly when you need to travel an unknown route to a new destination. But the chances are, someone has cycled that way before you. Bikely makes it easy for him or her to show you the best way.

Check it out and add your favorite rides and routes: www.bikely.com

IMPORTANT NOTE: Bikely.com does not work with Safari browser so be sure to use Firefox or IE.

ANNOUNCING PITTSBURGH OPTIMIST HERITAGE TRAIL RIDE

Help Friends of the Riverfront expand the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. The Optimist Heritage Trail Ride is a fun way to show your support for the beautiful Three Rivers Heritage Trail around downtown Pittsburgh. Ride with friends and family along the rivers and help raise money to expand and maintain the trails.

Registration fee/donation for this ride is $25 per adult and directly supports Friends of the Riverfront and their efforts to develop more trails throughout the region. All children under age 18 ride free. Preregister by September 25th and save $5 per adult. Register online at www.pittsburghoptimist.org.

Riders will receive a water bottle, T-shirt, cookies and fruit while supplies last.

Date: Sunday, October 1st
Time: Between 2 and 2:30 pm
Where: REI [map]

LOVE YOUR BIKE: LOCK IT RIGHT!

Bike Pittsburgh has been receiving a number of emails lately from people who have gotten their bikes stolen. Getting your bike stolen causes severe sadness, stress, and irritability. Avoid these symptoms by following these do’s and don’ts:

Do’s:
1) Do use a U-lock, or NY-strength chain lock, or better yet, two types of locks
2) If you keep your bike in your garage, do make sure it’s locked to something big and heavy, or attached to the inside of the garage itself. A lot of bikes are taken right out of people’s garages.
3) Do lock to something secure, not something that can easily be taken apart, or kicked off like a wooden railing.
4) Do secure your seatpost and remove any lights and pump/bags from your bike.

Don’ts:
1) Don’t lock your bike using only a cable lock unless you have one thick cable lock.
2) Don’t lock to a chain link fence. The links can easily be cut.
3) Don’t lock only your wheel, unless that’s the only part of your bike you want to keep.
4) Don’t leave your bike unlocked on your porch. This is the number one “stolen-bike scenario” we hear.
5) Don’t lock to a sign post or a parking meter without a sign or a parking meter head.
6) Don’t leave your bike locked in one spot for a long period of time.
7) Don’t lend your bike to a stranger even if he says he’ll bring it right back. This scenario played itself out right here in Pittsburgh recently.
8) Don’t leave your bike unlocked “for only a minute” while you run into a store etc. It takes less than a minute to steal a bike.

*Our new website (ETA: mid-late October) will have a dedicated resource for reporting stolen bikes

OCTOBER 2ND: PORT AUTHORITY OFFICIALLY LAUNCHS IT’S NEW AND IMPROVED RACK ‘N ROLL PROGRAM!

We announced this in August’s eMessenger as well, but we think it’s important so we’re focusing attention on it again:

Port Authority is enhancing and expanding its Rack ‘n Roll Program, making it easier for bicyclists to incorporate public transportation into their daily commute or recreational activities.

EXISTING bus routes that have been re-outfitted with racks:
11D Perrysville
21A Coraopolis
54C North Side-Strip District-Oakland-South Side
71A Negley
77D Highland-Friendship
77F Morningside-Friendship
77G Stanton Heights-Friendship
500 Highland Park-Bellevue.

NEW bus routes that will be in service as of October 2nd:
26A Ingram-Sheridan (West End)
26D Chartiers City (West End)
56C McKeesport-Lincoln Place (Take this bus to get to the Great Allegheny Passage Trailhead)
59U South Side Works-Oakland-Squirrel Hill-Waterfront

Bikes are also permitted on all light rail vehicles and the Monongahela Incline during off-peak service hours. There is no additional cost for your bike when you use Port Authority.

Pamphlets describing the simple procedure for loading and unloading bikes and offering safety tips are available at all major Port Authority schedule rack locations, on buses, and by contacting Bike Pittsburgh. This pamphlet, along with additional Rack ‘n Roll information, is also available on Port Authority’s website, www.portauthority.org.

Port Authority anticipates expanding the program to more routes in the future. To see this program grow, we must use it and communicate to Port Authority the benefits of the program for the thousands of bicyclists in the Pittsburgh region.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you experience any issues with the bus racks – if one happens to be broken or a bus on a rack-designated route doesn’t arrive with a rack just follow these simple steps:
1) Please contact Port Authority Customer Service at 412-442-2000
2) When you call, tell them the bus route, time and location of when you intended to board the bus (e.g. “the rack on the 54C route at 1:12 p.m. on South 18th Street at Carson Street…”).
3) If you were able to obtain the four digit vehicle number, found on the back exterior or front interior of the bus, give that number to customer service as well.

Also, if you have a positive experience using a bus rack, call and tell your story!

BIKE EVENTS (SEPTEMBER OCTOBER)

Here is a sample of upcoming cycling events in the Pittsburgh Region. For complete details and updates be sure to check out our Google Calendar and subscribe! If you have a bike event you’d like to submit, just email us at submit@bike-pgh.org. Be sure to answer all the typical questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how much.

September 24th
P.O.R.C. Mt. Bike Ride for Kids
Purpose: To expose kids to the joys of trail riding!
Place: Hartwood Acres Park, Mansion Parking Lot
Time: 2-4ish pm For more info, please email or call Holly Forsyth hollyforsyth43@hotmail.com (412)897-8551

September 29th
Critical Mass
Meet at the Carnegie Library in Oakland at 5:30PM

October 1st
Optimist Heritage Trail Ride
Visit to www.pittsburghoptimist.org for more info

PTAG Trail Maintenance – North Park @10am
For more info go to www.bike-pgh.org/PTAG.html or email dclewis@andrew.cmu.edu

October 4th
SPC’s Bike/Ped Meeting
10am 23rd floor of the Regional Enterprise Tower
For more info contact Sara Walfoort at (412) 391-5590 x339 or e-mail swalfoort@spcregion.org.
or visit www.spcregion.org/trans_pedbike.shtml

October 7th
March for Sustainability
October 7,2006 at 2pm, starts at the First Unitarian Church (605 Morewood Avenue) ends at Flagstaff Hill, Schenley Park, in Pittsburgh.
The objective of the march is to convey the message that many aspects of our lifestyles are unsustainable, and that it is our moral responsibility to consume less and preserve the planet’s resources for future generations. If you’re a bicyclist be sure to march with your bike or ride slowly with the procession!
For more info visit www.geocities.com/sustainability_march/

*If you’re looking for some fun and easy rides in the city, be sure to check out Team Decaf (every Tuesday evening) or Team Caffeine for some more intense riding (every Thursday evening). Both rides leave from Enrico’s Tazza D’Oro Cafe at 1125 N. Highland Avenue in Highland Park at 6:15pm sharp. For more information please contact John Strait.

More biking events and rides can be found at WPW, P.O.R.C., and Venture Outdoors

SPARE PARTS: NEWS LINKS

Bike Pittsburgh, Free Ride, and PTAG in the news:
Post Gazette: Bicycle lanes gain support on long stretch of Liberty Ave.
City Paper: Wheels turning for new bike lanes

Links:
Bike Pittsburgh’s Blog: http://bikepittsburgh.blogspot.com
MapHub: www.maphub.org
ByCycle: www.bycycle.org
Bikely: www.bikely.com
Sign up to BikePool: www.commuteinfo.org
Free Ride: www.bike-pgh.org click on Free Ride
Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen: www.wpwbikeclub.org
P.O.R.C.: www.porcmtbclub.org
Friends of the Riverfront: www.friendsoftheriverfront.org
Sustainable Pittsburgh: www.sustainablepittsburgh.org

BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE: BECOME A MEMBER OF BIKE PITTSBURGH!

Maybe you like to ride recreationally, maybe you’re a daily commuter, maybe you just like the idea of creating and living in a healthy, bike-friendly city. Join Bike Pittsburgh and make a difference! Membership directly helps us transform Pittsburgh into a city that is safe, accessible, and friendly to bicycle transportation. Every great biking city such as Portland, Madison, San Francisco and Chicago has bike advocacy organizations working to make their cities more bike-friendly exactly like Bike Pittsburgh is doing here. We can’t do this without your support. Some of the projects we are working on include a commuter-oriented bike map of Pittsburgh, a new and improved website to better communicate with the public, educational brochures on commuting and shopping by bike, expanding the public bike rack project, BikeFest, Bike to Work Week, working with the city to stripe bike lanes, and more!

With your tax-deductible donation you will receive a Membership Card good for discounts with participating businesses, invitations and discounts to special Bike Pittsburgh-sponsored parties and events, and the satisfaction that you are making a difference for all of us who ride in Pittsburgh. For details, go to www.bike-pgh.org and click on BECOME A MEMBER. Join us today!
Bike Pittsburgh gratefully acknowledges the Richard King Mellon Foundation for their generous support

The eMessenger is an electronic newsletter published once a month. Previous issues of the eMessenger can be found in the Newsletters section of our website. Bike Pittsburgh, Inc. does not rent, sell, or make available any personal information, including email addresses. If you would like to be removed from the distribution list, simply email remove@bike-pgh.org ms acceptance loans biloxi1 2007 needed loanon loans 100 000 as tvace debit loan cardfree sex anal moviescollege ac loansclips free gay movieloan 8 mortgages lenders Map