Urban Cycling Institute’s Post

🚶🏽♂️+🚌+🚴♀️=🦸♂️ (H/t to #MontyPython)

A group of people on #bikes protested the ongoing #failure of #California officials to prioritize completion of a bike path on the Bay Bridge by doing a slow roll in the bridge’s motorist lanes. California Highway Patrol officers were summoned to deal with the protestors. 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏿🚴🏼♂️🚓🚓🚁 Caltrans put a path on the new section of the bridge extending from #Oakland to the midpoint at Yerba Buena Island, but 10 years later no effort has been made to extend it to #SanFrancisco. Apparently, state and local officials expect #cyclists to swim the rest of the way. 🏊🏽♀️🤪 Here’s an easy solution: take away a motorist lane on the western, unimproved span of the bridge and give it to people on foot or on bikes and other #micromobility. Research shows that road diets like this do not lead to more congestion, so there’s no downside. 📖Read more about how road diets lead to Reduced Demand here👉 https://lnkd.in/g2QRcNPf). https://lnkd.in/evGy9r33

Behold US car-dependency in its most absolute form: a drive-through #restaurant with FOUR lanes. This is wider than many highways! 🤯 This facility will serve those whose lethargy has become so extreme that they are unwilling to climb down from their giant pickup trucks and SUVs to walk the short distance from a parking spot to the #ChickfilA. 🛻🚙🤤 Also, note that the post from Chick-fil-A Restaurants actually includes a car emoji spewing #pollution. 🤔 Well, they clearly know the effects of their restaurants on those unfortunate enough to live nearby. #Cities interested in promoting #publichealth and #cleanair may want to revisit their regulations and codes before one of these monsters turns up.😱

The US City of Houston suffers from a #livability crisis due to its longstanding extreme dependence on #cars. Its streets are notoriously deadly and the air is heavy with toxic #pollution. Previous leaders recognized this crisis and tried to build more bike lanes and #transit, but the #fossilfuel industry perceived a threat to their revenues. They worked with #realestate and highway #construction interests to stop the city’s embrace of #bikes and other #micromobility by funding their candidate to the City of Houston Mayor's Office, John Whitmire: “Whitmire, an attorney and former #Democratic Party state lawmaker, did not respond to several requests for comment. But in past speeches and statements, Whitmire has dismissed bicycle lanes as “recreation projects” and said he wants to prioritize spending on road repairs. In the 2023 election, he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from energy companies, construction firms, real estate and big-ticket donors, and he vastly outspent his opponent, the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.).” Will the citizens of #Houston tire of the dystopia being forced on them and demand a course correction? Or, are some #cities are simply beyond saving? The ones that do embrace #sustainability stand a better chance of surviving the onslaught of the #climatecrisis. They will out-compete those like Houston that fail to adapt. Read more here (possible paywall)👉https://lnkd.in/eRPpPDjG Or try this MSN link👉https://lnkd.in/eFNnd7_Z

🧍Citizens - 🧑🔬Researchers - 🏙️City Our educational bicycle infrastructure tours are making new connections! An enriching, inspiring activity for residents and visitors, and an avenue to see research that has made a difference on the Amsterdam streetscape. These twice-weekly excursions are open to anyone to sign up and are a great way for the interested public to get a look inside the process of how leading urban planners are shaping cycling in future Amsterdam. “Plusnetten” of the City of Amsterdam are one strategy that we mention. By planning networks for each mode of transportation in the city, Amsterdam is able to make designated corridors attractive and efficient for designated modes. Interested in joining one of our educational excursions? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eSdUW7ua Image: Gemeente Amsterdam (https://lnkd.in/eZj4HyDG)

Hidden in this article from The Washington Post on converting conventional #bikes into #ebikes is a bit of truth for those who wrongly claim that the Dutch model of sustainable #transportation is too unique to be imported to the US: “As the Dutch learned in the 1970s, a period when the country was suffering traffic congestion and road deaths comparable to the United States, only a massive effort by parents, city planners and politicians made the streets safe and free for everyone again. But it worked. Today, 64 percent of the Netherlands’ population cycles at least once a week, while the number of children killed by cars has fallen more than 95 percent since 1970. The country’s transformation from a car culture to a bike culture happened in just a few decades.” All it takes is the political will that comes from voters valuing their lives along with those of their kids more than a harmful, car-dependent lifestyle. Here’s a link to the article👉 https://lnkd.in/enSTPCiy

🇮🇳🚲A quiet #cycling revolution is underway in #India. Women, particularly those of #school age, are riding #bikes in rural areas because of the freedom, convenience, and low cost this mode offers. 🚙🚗🚛🚚💨Unfortunately, the country’s dense #cities have yet to experience this revolution, because their streets are notoriously dangerous due to extreme car dependency. Plus, #infrastructure offerings for those using #micromobility are very inadequate. 🤔Will public pressure eventually force India’s politicians to build protected bike lanes and paths? https://lnkd.in/gQ_3xEgC

Cycling is the best investment if your are interested in the economy 🤑! (or health 🏥)

Here is a case of a VERY busy multi-user path in a dense part of a major city. Is this a case of good design or is it outmoded for current demand by those #walking, #running, or riding #bikes and other #micromobility? Watch the video (enjoy the music 😏) and take the poll. https://lnkd.in/eV6iHbgV