Charleston's "Stimulus Package" Applications

NOTE: SINCE THIS WAS FIRST PUBLISHED, WE HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS LIST IS NOT NECESSARILY COMPLETE AND THAT THERE ARE STILL CHANCES THAT ONE OR MORE OF THE BIKE/PED PROJECTS COULD BE INCLUDED. STAY TUNED

The following list of projects was copied from a list provided by the US Conference of Mayors, and is not warrantied to be complete. We do not have explanations for any of these projects, all of which are supposed to be more or less "shovel-ready." We note with interest that the list does not contain any specific reference to the West Ashley Greenway, or to the Bike/Ped crossing over the Ashley River.

Each line contains the project name, the dollar amount, and the number of estimated jobs.

White
 Point
 Gardens
 Phase 
II 




















2,000,000
 34
Charlotte
 Street
 Park 




















2,100,000
 35
Woodland
 Road
 Park 




















2,000,000
 35
Ball
Field
 Lighting 
at
 Six
 Locations 




















2,100,000
 37
Brittle
Bank
 Park
 Pier
 Restoration
 and
 Bank
 Stabilization 




















2,500,000
 44
City
 of
 Charleston
 Rosemont
 Development 




















2,000,000
 50
Gilchrist 
Properties 




















1,500,000
 50
Elliotborough
 Park 




















3,000,000
 51
Dill
 Tract
 Park 
Development 




















 3,000,000
 53
Waterfront
 Park
 Restoration 




















3,000,000
 53
Stoney
 Field
 Renovation 




















5,000,000
 89
Ladson
 House
 Redevelopment 




















2,000,000
 100
Meetng 
&
 Morrison 
Street
 Revitalization 




















2,000,000
 100
Concord
 Park 




















6,500,000
 111
Boyer's
 Court
 &
 Indian
 Street
 Redevelopment 




















2,000,000
 120
Reuse/Redevelopment 




















2,000,000
 200
St.
Phillip/Fishburne
 Properties 




















2,500,000
 200
West
 Ashley 
Site 




















3,000,000
 200
City
 Wide
 Aquatic
 Facilites 
Repairs/Renovations 


















12,000,000
 215
Dill
 Tract
 Park
 Development
 Phase 
II 


















18,000,000
 242
Charleston
 Development
 Academy 




















3,000,000
 250
CRBN 
Infrastructure 


















16,290,000
 255
St.
 Andrews
 Garden 
Apartments 




















3,000,000
 350
Johns 
Island
 Five
 Acre
 Site 




















2,750,000
 400
Horizon
 Parking 
Deck 


















24,000,000
 408
Ray
 Site
 on
 Johns 
Island 




















2,400,000
 660

OBAMA TAPS "GREEN," SMART-GROWTH GUY

...does this bode well for "Complete Streets?" --- IT JUST MIGHT
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Obama administration has scooped up Shaun McGrath, the green mayor of Boulder, Colo., to serve as the deputy director of intergovernmental affairs within the White House.
McGrath has been mayor of Boulder since 2007 and a city council member since 2003. He has also worked on environmental issues for the Western Governors' Association since 1995. It was under his leadership that Boulder set out to become the first smart-grid city in the country. Voters there also approved the country's first carbon tax in 2006.
For more, click here to go to the source, GRISTMILL.

Coastal Cyclists Spring Oyster Roast Feb. 28

good time, great friends, and awesome oysters and other treats

Pass the Word

........fun things for children to enjoy, too

Location: Wappoo Shelter at James Island County Park
Time: 4 PM till the beer runs out!
Program: In lieu of our monthly club meeting, we'll have an oyster roast and membership drive. We'll have membership forms at the park, but most folks find it more convenient to print out THIS FORM, fill it out, and bring it with them. This is a "pot luck" party, so bring something yummy to eat and whatever you like to drink (we do have a beer permit). We'll provide the oysters!

SFO: Showing the Way!

SAN FRANCISCO

BIKE SHARING

PILOT PROGRAM

...from California Chronicle..

California Desk

January 28, 2009

PARIS, FRANCE – Mayor Gavin Newsom today used his visit to the successful bike sharing network in Paris to announce that San Francisco will implement a bike sharing pilot program in 2009. San Francisco's bike sharing program is intended to build on the recognition of San Francisco as a gold-level bicycle friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists-the largest United States city to receive such an honor.

"Bike sharing will help connect thousands of residents and commuters to their workplaces and shopping destinations by providing bikes that they can easily borrow," said Mayor Newsom. "This bike sharing pilot project will allow us to test and perfect the bikes and technology that will be used in our citywide network."

The pilot program will include 50 bikes located at five stations on non-city property (as required by a Court injunction until environmental review of the City's Bicycle Plan is complete). Each station will have either nine or 12 bikes and will provide approximately 50 percent more bicycle parking slots to help ensure proper distribution between available bikes and open, available drop-off spots. The stations will be in the Financial District, Mission Bay, the Presidio, Civic Center and the City College campus.

Bike sharing customers will sign-up through an online registration system linked to the website of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which manages the City's Bicycle Program. Registration will require a valid credit card to charge an annual user fee, hourly fees, and to provide security for lost bikes (which will be the responsibility of the user). A subscription will provide members access to all rental stations and the use of a bike for a limited period of time per day.

"We are committed to the vision of increasing bicycling in San Francisco through innovative programs like bike sharing," said SFMTA Executive Director/CEO Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr.

According to the 2007 Census update, 2.7 percent of San Franciscans commute via bicycle compared to an average of 0.5 percent in the United States and 0.9 percent in California. The SFMTA's 2007-2008 Bicycle Count found a 25 percent increase in bicycling over the previous year, and a 2008 survey showed that fully 6 percent of all trips in San Francisco are made by bicycle.

The start-up costs for the pilot program are estimated to be between $400,000 and $500,000, while the annual operating costs are projected to be $450,000. As provided for in the SFMTA's Transit Shelter Advertising Contract with Clear Channel, these costs are for Clear Channel to staff the pilot program and have responsibility for installation and maintenance.

Today in Paris, Mayor Newsom received a briefing on the history, organization and success of the "Velib" or bicycle share program in Paris, and toured the repair, design and showroom facilities along with the research and development facility. The "Velib" program was introduced by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe as a way to reduce traffic and environmental

degradation in Paris by having a shared bicycle program encompass the entire city. Today Paris has over 20,000 bicycles as part of the "Velib" program and it has proven to be very popular and successful.

Your Name

Recipient's Name

Recipient's Email

Recession Threatens Bike/Ped-Friendly Streets Progress

The word is circulating that the State Department of Transportation Commission will consider, among other things meant to cut costs, the prospect of shelving its own 2003 resolution endorsing "Bike-Friendly Streets."

This, of course, would send us into a deep funk, and we've been joining other groups in urging people to write to their commissioners not to fall for this. (That's the Resolution, to the left... )

You can CLICK HERE FOR TO READ EDM22, SCDOT'S "RECIPE" FOR COMPLETE STREETS

Here's a part of the e-mail we sent out today urging people to write to Commissioners to urge that they NOT shelve these important initiatives:




WRITING INSTRUCTIONS
Please join Charleston Moves and the Palmetto Cycling Coalition and write an e-mail or letter to your DOT Commissioner, encouraging him or her to support the value of both the resolution and EDM22. The Commission is comprised of seven members, six of whom are elected by the legislative delegations of each of the state's Transportation Districts. These Transportation Districts coincide with the state's six Congressional Districts. One at-large member is appointed by the Governor.

The DOT Commissioner for much of the tri-county area surrounding Charleston is:
Danny Isaac
1004 8th Avenue North Extention
Myrtle Beach, SC 2957
Office: (843) 448-8485
Fax: (843) 444-2964
E-mail isaacdh@scdot.org.

Please also consider sending this same letter or email to
Tee Hooper, Commissioner at-large
Post Office Box 16359
Greenville, South Carolina 29606
Office: (864) 277-9900
Fax: (864) 299-1800

If you do NOT live in the Charleston Area, please click here to go to the information page for the SCDOT Commission

Below you will find a draft of a letter. Feel free to edit it to suit your needs. Then, by snail mail or the internet, send it to the Commissioner(s).


LETTER TO YOUR COMMISSIONER:

Dear __________,
As a citizen of South Carolina, I believe that it is crucially important to accomodate pedestrians and cyclists, now and into the future. As you know, there are epidemics obesity and diabetes in South Carolina, epidemics that can be dealt with effectively by encouraging physical exercise. And along with the rest of the nation we must vigorously pursue alternatives to the use of fossil fuel.

I know the state must make drastic cuts, and I know some of this burden falls upon you as a Commissioner of the SCDOT. Belt-tightening means laying less asphalt, putting some road projects "on the shelf" temporarily. But please reject any thought of suspending provisions of the Bicycle-Pedestrian Resolution and EDM22. They codify the ideas embodied in the concept of "Complete Streets," and spell out just how "complete" streets and roads should be built. They are suported by Federal policies.

South Carolina has been praised on the national level for its successes in encouraging walking and bicycling in the past few years, and you and the Commission deserve our thanks and gratitude for your part in this progress. The number of people walking and using bicycles is up, and accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians is down. As more people take more short trips on foot or by bike, the state's medical costs will shrink. Eventually there'll be a positive impact on auto traffic too.

Last year, the League of American Bicyclists ranked South Carolina 15th in the nation for bicycle friendliness -- up from bottom-basement ranking the last time the evaluation was made. The Bike/Ped Resolution we're defending helped put us in a closer to the top, in a league with Oregon, California, Illinois and Florida. Great projects like the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston marked our progress and point the way we should take in the future.

But this not just about prestige. It is about our health, about medical costs, about our citizens' transportation needs and thei personal well-being. Not long ago, gasoline prices forced many people to curtail their driving. Now, gas prices are down somewhat but incomes are shrinking and some people are losing their jobs. Once again, many of us are forced to curtail driving. But we still need good roads to get places, no matter what mode of transportation we choose.

We have also learned that when pedestrian and cycling options are included there are benefits that can be measured in dollars -- business dollars, tourism dollars and real estate dollars and revenue dollars.

So, if costs must be cut, don't doom great ideas. Shelve projects, not enlightenment. Please insist that walking and bicycling improvements be incorporated whenever and wherever projects go forward, no matter how much slower this process becomes.

Times are tough, but South Carolina must stay focused on the future. I am grateful for your contributions to this vision in the past. Please help us keep that vision intact for the future.

Sincerely yours,

The Most Popular Airline Routes Which Shouldn't Be

A fun article from treehugger.com

Most Popular Airline Routes Which Shouldn't Be
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01.20.09

This tally of the most popular airline routes reveals that several of the busiest flight routes are absolutely unnecessary. In the top three, we can understand the Hong Kong to Taipei trip, and numbers two and three--LA to New York and London to New York. But Milan to Rome at number 5--come on! It's a 4 hour train ride , with high speed links, through the Tuscan countryside--what could be better? Or a 6 hour drive along the autostrada del sole--either of which would be an improvement on flying.

If the United States had any kind of decent high-speed train system, Los Angeles to San Francisco would be against the law! And maybe it will be: California has just voted for a high speed link between the two cities that will make travel time two and a half hours. Now what about Boston to New York (number 16)--that's another one to get working on. At number 11, London to Paris is surprising since the Eurostar train is now so fast, environmental and convenient. Businessmen should be ashamed to be seen on that flight.

Ditto Marseilles to Paris (number 13) with the TGV trains zooming down the length of France every day at top speed. As for Amsterdam to London, at number 8--shame on those travellers as well. It's a 5 and a half hour train ride, compared to 4 and a half by air. The Man in Seat 61, the easy and brilliant train travel website, can make any European train travel a cinch.
This fascinating survey was drawn up by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and the statistics are based on trips by business travellers, rather than tourism. Financial Times

Rail Is Booming in China

An interesting story about the growth of rail as a means to spur economic growth in China from the Hindustan Times.

The rail map I'm including was not part of the story but is a map from 2006 of the rail network.

China rail races as economy slows

January 19, 2008 Reshma Patil, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
BEIJING -- Deng Sun, who works on laying a railway track in Inner Mongolia near Russia, isn't worried about losing his job during the economic crisis. "The rail line is so long, I don't know where it ends,'' Deng told HT, guarding cartons of instant noodles at the Beijing railway station. The world's biggest train travel movement began this week ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday. China is now fighting the slowing economy by expanding its railway network faster than any nation. In the process, while the great China railroad comes strategically closer to India's borders, it will also create six million jobs and demand for 20 million tonnes of its own steel as the world's largest steel producer.

"China has long-term plans for lines to the borders in Burma, Central Asia and Pakistan," Richard Bullock, an Australia-based transport consultant to the World Bank in Beijing, told the Hindustan Times." So, India also ought to start thinking about the potential of all-land routes to China," said Bullock, a former consultant to the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation.This year, when its growth could slump to a 19-year-low, China will spend a record 600 billion yuan (88 billion dollars) on railway infrastructure -- double of last year's investment. And this year alone, China will begin construction of 5,148 km of new lines -- more than twice India's target for new lines over the next four years. By 2012, China's railroad will expand from 79,000km today to 1,10,000 km.

At the same time, India's denser railway network will skip 2,000 km ahead to reach 65,300 km. "Nobody's building railways like the Chinese these days," William C McCahill Jr., vice-chairman of the China-focussed research and consulting firm JL McGregor & Company, told HT in Beijing. This week, China's vice-minister of railways Wang Zhiguo said construction would begin for up to 30,000 km of new lines with an investment of over two trillion yuan (292.5 billion dollars) in two years. About 13,000 km of the lines will be for passenger trains hitting over 200-250 km per hour.Some of the most strategic long-term plans beyond 2012 include linkages for over 2,000 km of tracks in the northwest Xinjiang region that borders remote parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Ladakh. According to previous State media reports, these plans include a China-Pakistan railway, a China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and lines to Mongolia." China's current spurt of railway construction parallels its massive national expressway projects of the last decade, with 50,000 kilometers of highways built since 1998,'' McCahill pointed out. "And the stupendous 600 billion yuan figure does not include equipment purchases or urban transport.''

As the Chinese railroad spreads, it's also getting faster. The world's longest high-speed rail line is 91 per cent ready with 1,203 km of tracks laid. Around 2012, Beijing and Shanghai will be less than five hours away instead of 11. But for now, many of China's holiday travellers will only get a spot to stand on the entire train journey home.(with inputs from Srinand Jha in Delhi)

A Bicycle Evangelist With the Wind Now at His Back

Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Portland is a passionate advocate for bicycling. But for him (as it is for Charleston Moves) it's not just about bikes.


As today's New York Times reports: "...He seeks to create what he calls a more sustainable society, including wiser use of energy, farming that improves the land rather than degrades it, an end to taxpayer subsidies for unwise development — and a transportation infrastructure that looks beyond the car.

For him, the global financial collapse is “perhaps the best opportunity we will ever see” to build environmental sustainability into the nation’s infrastructure, with urban streetcar systems, bike and pedestrian paths, more efficient energy transmission and conversion of the federal government’s 600,000-vehicle fleet to use alternate fuels.

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE NEW YORK TIMES STORY

Wholly Cow Event: Early Registration Advised

Register now and save.

Wholly Cow Ice Cream & Coffee Ride (WCICCR) Celebrating 25 years & Benefiting Louie's Kids! & Charlestlon Moves

Sunday, March 22, 2009, 09:00 AM
Start @ Bulow Landing off Davidson Road
Bulow Landing Road
Ravenel, SC 29470

Click here for more info and to register

Speak Up: Allow Mountain Biking in National Parks!

This was relayed to my by CM Board member nominee Ben Gruber, the owner of the Trek Store in Mount Pleasant:
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The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has proposed an important rule change that will make it easier for parks to open trails to mountain biking. IMBA has been asking the NPS to make this change since the 1990s We now enter a 60-day commentary period to make the change official.
I ask that you register comments in support of the new rule. IMBA has made it easy for you to lend support by filling out an online letter.

We know that several groups are working hard to defeat this proposal. It will take thousands of comments supporting the NPS to ensure the rule is approved. Please lend your voice to the discussion today.
Click here for a more detailed outline and a white paper analysis of the proposed change or go to IMBA.com.

Why am I asking this of you?
1 . This proposal achieves a more manageable and efficient system for adopting mountain bike trails in National Parks.
2. Cycling in National Parks is a way to connect people with the natural world. Something you cannot do from the seat of your car.
3. Shared-use trails have proven successful in thousands of locations, including many federally managed parks.
4. This proposal will make history. Your children and grandchildren will read about it and enjoy the benefits for years to come.


So many people have helped get this proposal this far in the process. Now it's your opportunity to lend a hand and make a historic difference. Please ask your family members and friends to sign the proposal as well. The more support we give, the better our change of passing the new proposal.

For Your Calendar!

Charleston Moves, with the great help of our board member Charles Fox, is teaming up with Wholly Cow Ice Cream and Coffee to put on a ride to benefit Louie's Kids, and to build membership for Charleston Moves at the same time.
The Wholly Cow Ice Cream & Coffee Ride (WCICCR) Celebrates 25 years for Wholly Cow
It will be held in Ravenel on March 22, 2009
click here to find out more and to register..

if that doesn't work, paste the following URL into your browser:

http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1637698&assetId=bf0cd145-8749-4d3c-9934-3b7581891476

Police, cycling advocates team up

Teamwork approach follows complaints of dangerous cycling, lack of respect by drivers

By Robert Behre (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Friday, January 2, 2009

A bicyclist cruises down a King Street sidewalk, safe from traffic but endangering those who are entering or leaving stores.

Another pedals down the same street in the same lane as oncoming cars, increasing the likelihood of a bone-jarring collision.

Yet another rides at night without a light, virtually invisible to others on the road.

All three cyclists are technically breaking the law, but Lowcountry police have been reluctant to crack down on these sorts of violations.

Generally speaking, they still are, but as the number of cyclists continues to rise, both police and cycling advocates are talking about what mix of education and enforcement is necessary to keep everyone safe.

Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen recently met with the bicycle advocacy group Charleston Moves after his department received complaints from downtown residents and businesses about cases of dangerous cycling — and complaints from cyclists who feel motorists didn't give them proper respect.

The city now plans to work with Charleston Moves, local colleges and other groups to increase awareness about the rules of the road — the laws cyclists are expected to obey and what they have a right to expect from cars and trucks.

(for complete Post and Courier Coverge Click Here)