The Dutch Way: Bicycles and Fresh Bread

(...from New York Times Opinion Section...Sunday)

(Thanks to Whitney Powers!!)

By RUSSELL SHORTO

Published: July 30, 2011

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Russell Shorto is the author of “The Island at the Center of the World” and a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. He is working on a book about Amsterdam.

(excerpt...)

While Europe is dealing with congestion and greenhouse gas buildup by turning urban centers into pedestrian zones and finding innovative ways to combine driving with public transportation, many American cities are carving out more parking spaces. It’s all the more bewildering because America’s collapsing infrastructure would seem to cry out for new solutions.

to READ THE ENTIRE PIECE, CLICK HERE...

Think "Shift" and This Bike Shifts!

The system was developed by human/digital interface specialists Deeplocal. The helmet is stuffed with neurotransmitters that allow riders to shift gears "without using a single one of their appendages," according to the bike's webpage. Think "gear shift," and that command is sent to an iPhone app, which in turn controls the bike and makes it obey your wishes.
More via the link above and at LATimesBlog.

RIDEdwin

First Annual RIDEdwin

1 year anniversary - 2nd year there has been a ride in his honor and celebration of everything he has done for all of us.

A large group came out to Pedal, Have fun, and Help continue Edwin Gardner’s Work.

Check out David Quick's Album for more.

EDWIN GARDNER thought it was cool, fun, and efficient to get around Charleston on his bicycle. Plenty of other Charleston residents feel the same way. Today a bunch of us came together to celebrate Edwin and the bicycle, his preferred mode of local transportation at 9am (July 30) for the first annual RIDEdwin. The rally/ride started and ended at Cannon Park at the corner of Calhoun and Rutledge. Lots of news coverage, photos and video coming soon. We estimate over 200 people came out to join the ride by 9am, with many more coming in as the group headed down the road.

Edwin died one year ago after being struck on his bike by an auto. But RIDEdwin isn’t a mournful event. “I hope we get a lot of people together to make our city a safe place to ride bikes,” says architect Whitney Powers, Edwin’s widow. (She and their daughter Olive continue pedaling their bicycles all over the Charleston peninsula.)

The pre-ride rally was brief with some coffee and snacks provided. The short, safe (police-escorted) ride was fun for everyone, children included. Food and beverage provided by Wild Flour bakery, D'allesandro's Pizza, Normandy Artisan Bakers, Coastal Cyclists, Holy City Bike Co-op, Fox Music, Charleston Moves, and especially to everyone that came out to celebrate Edwin and the love of riding today.

It was a great day to be on a bike in Charleston.
See you all next year when we do it again - late June 23rd, 2012

A few local cyclists out on Rifle Range Road in Mt Pleasant. Where there is extra space, even when it isn't enough for a full bike lane, everyone is happier and safer.

Helen Hammond from the Moultrie News wrote a nice piece about some of the missed opportunities around the Charleston area.
http://www.moultrienews.com/news/-20HELENBIKEPICS-

Meet some local bicyclists

All kinds of people are out there riding. Charleston City Paper did a nice job introducing some of them to us:
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/it-takes-different-strokes-to-make-charleston-a-bike-friendly-town/Content?oid=3549567

Also from Charleston City Paper - more people out riding around town is good for everyone. There was a Great turnout for RIDEdwin today.

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/the-way-to-make-charleston-bike-friendly-is-to-get-more-bicyclists-on-the-road/Content?oid=3550283

10 great Cities for Cycling

A list of 10 cities that have nice cycling options. Take a look, we can learn from these places.
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/10great/story/2011/07/10-great-places-for-city-cycling/49584724/1?csp=tf

VeloMobiles: Coming to the U-S!

I saw one of these just over a week ago in Zurich, Switzerland.  It was early on a rainy morning, on a couple relatively quiet downtown streets. And the guy driving it just seemed to be out doing an errand or something.
For more, CLICK HERE.

Federal Funding for Bicycling and Walking projects in jeopardy

From our Friends at People For Bikes: http://www.peopleforbikes.org

.............................................................................................................................

Federal funding for bicycling and walking is in jeopardy. We need you to send a short email today to your members of Congress.

Today, Congressman John Mica of Florida, Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, outlined his plans for the new transportation bill and called for the elimination of dedicated funding for biking and walking programs, which he suggested, “do not serve a federal purpose.”

In the Senate, James Inhofe of Oklahoma is leading a similar attack. Inhofe, a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said that one of his top-three priorities for the next multi-year federal transportation bill is to eliminate “frivolous spending for bike trails.”

If Representative Mica and Senator Inhofe get their way, dedicated funding for three crucial programs -- Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements, and Recreational Trails -- will be eliminated. The cost-effective federal investment in bicycling that is making our nation better will shrink dramatically. We can’t allow this to happen.

That’s why we are asking you to reach out to the two U.S. Senators and the U.S. Representative who represent you in Congress. Ask them to support ongoing, dedicated funding for biking and walking in the next transportation bill. (You can find your representatives and send your note directly from our website. Click here to review clear, basic, suggested text for your email. Feel free to customize it and/or add a personal story.)

Your simple messages will make a difference. You can help refute Representative Mica’s and Senator Inhofe’s unreasonable, counterproductive cuts. You can help assure that progress will continue in all 50 states to make bicycling safer and better for people of all ages.

At peopleforbikes.org, our goal is to unify support for bicycling and celebrate all the great things that happen when people ride bikes. Occasionally, we need to stand strong together to keep bicycling on track. This is one of those times!

Thanks for your support and your quick response to this call to action.

Bike Commuting levels are increasing

From a friend with the Harvard Business Review:

Bike Commuting Surges, Led by Middle-Aged Men<http://links.mkt3142.com/ctt?kn=37&ms=MTc0MzUyMgS2&r=Mzc4ODM3ODc1S0&b=0&j=Mjg5MDU2MTcS1&mt=1&rt=0>

The age group of 40 to 64 more than *doubled* its share of bicycle trips in the U.S., from *10%* to *21%*, between 2001 and 2009, a period when the number of daily bike commuters rose by nearly *100%*. At the same time, the share of cycling trips made by women fell from *33%* to *24%*, according to John Pucher of Rutgers University and others. The percentage of U.S. commuters using bicycles is lowest in Alabama, Tennessee, and West Virginia (*0.1%*) and highest in the District of Columbia and Oregon (*1.9%*), but the continent's highest rates are in Yukon (*2.6%*) and the Northwest Territories (*2.1%*), two of the coldest parts of Canada.****

Source: Bicycling renaissance in North America? An update and re-appraisal of cycling trends and policies<http://links.mkt3142.com/ctt?kn=37&ms=MTc0MzUyMgS2&r=Mzc4ODM3ODc1S0&b=0&j=Mjg5MDU2MTcS1&mt=1&rt=0>

The regular ride that Mitch did with friends on Saturday mornings, and mentioned earlier, has been pushed back to Sunday morning. There will be a group headed out on Sunday morning at 8am from Earthfare if you are interested in joining in. This is not a rally, just friends out for a nice ride.

Lowcountry Cyclists has a group headed out on Saturday morning ride if you are looking to get out and ride.

Mitch Hollon's regular ride

Mitch Hollon's riding buddies are keeping up his regular Saturday ride and have invited others to join in tribute. The ride is Tomorrow, Saturday, July 9th @ 9 am. Meet behind Earth Fare in West Ashley. Moderate tempo recreational ride to Folly Beach and back.

Please note that this is recreational ride and is appropriate for active cyclists.

There will be a more family friendly ride (much shorter and slower) on July 30th, the second installment of the Edwin Ride downtown.

The Funeral for Mitch Hollon will be this Saturday at 11am at East Cooper Baptist Church.

Dr. Mitch Hollon

There is now a fund set up in honor of Dr. Mitch Hollon. The family has requested donations in his name in lieu of flowers. They very much appreciate the flowers and support from everyone, but they request donations in his name to help create a long lasting memory of Mitch.

Donations can be mailed to:

Mitch Hollon Memorial Bike Safety Fund
P.O. Box 600
Charleston SC 29402.

There is also a candlelight vigil this evening at 8pm at the East Cooper Medical Center Healing Garden. The garden is located on the left hand side of the new hospital

Mitchel Hollon was killed while ridding over the James Island Connector yesterday morning. It appears that the van drifted over into the shoulder and stuck Mitch from behind. We are aghast and terribly saddened at this horrible news.

Mitch was a devoted husband and father, and a caring and knowledgeable physician. His zest for life revolved around his love of his family and cycling, as a avid cyclist and ardent fan of professional racing. He could spin his knowledge of bikes or the latest news from the peloton for hours. He will be very missed by all that knew him and all that he would have helped.

Post and Courier has some information about the accident here: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jul/05/bicyclist-knocked-james-island-connector-following/

Channel 2: http://www2.counton2.com/news/2011/jul/06/22/breaking-cyclist-killed-james-island-connector-ar-2068332/

Channel 4: http://www.abcnews4.com/story/15026375/bicyclist-knocked-off-james-island-connector

Channel 5: http://jamesisland.live5news.com/news/news/police-van-drifted-bike-lane-striking-bicyclist-connector/60973


A neighbor of Mitch's has asked that the cycling community give Yellow Flowers, to symbolize his love of the Tour. Charleston Moves will deliver yellow roses to the family. You can contact us at if you would like contribute to more for the services if you wish.

We have also been contacted about Donations in his name from some friends and fellow enthusiasts. We are honored that we might be considered in this manner, but all in due time. Our thoughts should be with his family in this time of need.

It is way past time to have a safe route for Everyone to get across the Ashley River.

America's Top Cities for Bike Commuting: Happier, Too

This article in ATLANTIC does the math: Metropolitan areas  where more people cycle to work are more affluent. Further: Metros with a greater share of bike commuters have higher average wages, they have higher levels of education or human capital and more knowledge-based economies as well. Cycling to work is positively associated with the share of creative class jobs, too.  Further, those metro areas turn out to be more diverse. The share of commuters who cycle to work to work is positively associated with higher levels of immigrants and even more so with higher concentrations of gays and lesbians.  CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ARTICLE.