Micromobility is the future of transportation in cities, but cities and investors need to plan ahead to avoid challenges. Jonny Kennaugh / Unsplash
By Carlo Ratti, Ida Auken
On the window of a bike shop in Copenhagen, a sign reads: Your next car is a bike.
<p><a href="http://www.cycling-embassy.dk/2017/07/04/copenhagen-city-cyclists-facts-figures-2017/" target="_blank">More than 62 percent of Copenhageners cycle to work</a> in one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world, and the municipality is actively investing in new bike lanes and green light waves to allow seamless commutes in the morning traffic. In recent years, new types of bikes, such as cargo and electric bikes, have also reduced the need for family cars.</p><p>But these trends aren't unique to Copenhagen. Around the world, cities are witnessing the emergence, and sometimes the demise, of smarter, healthier and cheaper transportation tools and systems, and they are attempting to integrate them into existing mobility patterns.</p>
<p>Paris pioneered one of the first city bike schemes, the Vélib', and projected it onto the global stage. The system took advantage of innovations in smart cards in the early 2000s to deploy a fleet of around 15,000 bikes, accessible by the hour, to residents and tourists. It soon became a refreshing new mode of discovering the city's leafy boulevards, away from traffic jams and crowds. The system was very successful and inspired similar schemes across the globe: Milan in 2008, London in 2010 and even NYC in 2013, which, to the surprise of many, has raced ahead on the path to becoming a bike-friendly city.</p><p>The next wave of innovation came from the East. Chinese startups Mobike and Ofo and Singapore-based oBike took advantage of GPS tracking. If you know where a bike is at all times, why do you need docking stations? And dockless systems were born, with clear advantages in terms of usage for customers and deployment for cities. Before spreading to many other cities in 2017, these companies raised billions of dollars in funding and became known as Chinese bike "unicorns," Silicon Valley jargon for companies with a valuation of $1 billion or more.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA4MjI1Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMjY5ODQwNH0.z-rWsIBlGFV2l9bjTUQsige8ywgT0tuuiJzu2ONgbko/img.jpg?width=980" id="cc95a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b084ba95f84e175b2722cf620066c1c0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>Then, the issues started.</p><p>First, quality. Many bikes required constant maintenance and were often out of service.</p><p>Then, vandalism, as bikes freed from docking stations were much more vulnerable to improper usage. They were drowned in Amsterdam's canals, and they eventually ended up in urban bike cemeteries around the world, giving rise to pollution concerns and prompting cities to get more stringent in granting licenses.</p><p>Finally, the business model came under pressure. At the beginning, new deposits by customers financed the deployment of new bikes, but market saturation soon threatened this strategy. As of now, several dockless bike startups have gone bankrupt, and Mobike — the remaining largest player — is considering selling most of the stakes of its European arm.</p><p>Yet, micromobility addresses important urban issues, and as such, it will certainly have a role in tomorrow's cities. Of all trips in the United States, 80 percent are under 12 miles, and in New York City, most don't exceed 2 miles. This is precisely where the car is not particularly competitive — and where micromobility is handy. Micromobility is more energy and space efficient, and safer if accompanied by dedicated urban areas.</p>
<p>Besides, why use a five-seat, 2,000-pound SUV to move what is often less than 200 pounds? If you can access one the vehicle that best suits you at the touch of an app, it would be better to go for a two-seater, when moving with a partner, or when alone, a single-pod car, bike, or even dockless electric scooter, which are now deployed by companies like Bird, Lime, Bolt and others. These scooter companies have attracted investment from big ride-hailing operators such as Uber and Lyft, and they're probably just the first sign of a richer biodiversity (or bike-diversity?) in mobility.</p><p>If micromobility can play a big role in the coming years, cities and investors should plan ahead to avoid recent shortcomings. To avoid polluting bike cemeteries, cities should start providing designated spaces for dockless parking. This would fit well with the trend of managing the curb as a city-wide resource that could provide income to public administrations. To manage this multipurpose physical space, there could be a corresponding unique digital platform — granting us the freedom to choose between cycling, scootering, walking, taking an on-demand vehicle, using the subway or train and hitching a ride with friends. We could call it the "moving web" — an integration platform similar to what happened with the airline industry a few decades ago.</p><p>Cities should also manage citizens' expectations. Urban tech means using the city as a lab. The next few years are an important time for experimentation, but city governments should communicate with citizens to educate them about tolerating failure. This means allowing ideas and innovations to be tested by people and using feedback loops to take users' responses into account.</p><p>If we are able to address the above issues, the future of micromobility will be bright — and will help make our cities healthier and more sustainable. And then, your next car could, indeed, be a bike.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/why-your-next-car-is-a-bike/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em></p>
<p><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
- Why I Ride My Bike to Work, by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands ›
- Can Copenhagen Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2025? - EcoWatch ›
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Why U.S. Cities Are Becoming More Dangerous for Cyclists and Pedestrians
21 February 2019
Insights + Opinion
Cycling advocates set up "ghost bikes," like this one in Brooklyn, in memory of bikers killed in traffic. Nick Gray / CC BY-SA
By John Rennie Short
As cities strive to improve the quality of life for their residents, many are working to promote walking and biking. Such policies make sense, since they can, in the long run, lead to less traffic, cleaner air and healthier people. But the results aren't all positive, especially in the short to medium term.
<p>
In Washington DC, for example, traffic fatalities as a whole declined in 2018 compared to the year before, but the number of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/pedestrians-continue-to-be-at-high-risk-on-washington-regions-roads-data-show/2019/02/09/e6a4e7a8-1f52-11e9-8b59-0a28f2191131_story.html?utm_term=.bf31bf0e0b04" target="_blank">increased by 20 percent</a>. Pedestrian deaths also have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/01/nyregion/traffic-deaths-decrease-nyc.html" target="_blank">risen in New York</a>, and pedestrian and cycling fatalities have <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2313301/would-you-ride-bike-los-angeles" target="_blank">increased in Los Angeles</a> in the past several years.
</p><p>
Across the nation, cyclist fatalities have increased by 25 percent since 2010 and pedestrian deaths have risen by
<a href="https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/facts_stats/" target="_blank">a staggering 45 percent</a>. More people are being killed because cities are encouraging residents to walk and bike, but their roads are still dominated by fast-moving vehicular traffic. As <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17450100903434998" target="_blank">my research has shown</a>, this shifting mix can be deadly.
</p><h2>The Long Decline in Traffic Fatalities</h2><p>
From a long-term perspective, traffic fatalities in the U.S.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year#/media/File:US_traffic_deaths_per_VMT,_VMT,_per_capita,_and_total_annual_deaths.png" target="_blank">are declining</a>. In the early 1970s, almost 55,000 Americans were killed in traffic accidents yearly, including people in vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. By 2017 that figure had fallen to around 40,000, even with an increase in the number of vehicle miles driven.
</p><p>
The overall decline is a confirmation of Smeed's Law, named after
<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2984177?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" target="_blank">R.J. Smeed</a>, a scholar at the United Kingdom's Road Research Laboratory. Smeed found that initially, with the early introduction of motor vehicles, traffic deaths tend to rise. Around the world, almost <a href="https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/" target="_blank">1.35 million people die each year</a> in traffic accidents, but 93 percent of those fatalities occur in low- and middle- income countries where mass vehicle usage is a recent phenomenon.
</p><p>
As manufacturers produce safer vehicles, cities improve roads and drivers become more adept, fatalities
<a href="http://real.mtak.hu/30558/7/is_smeeds_law_still_valid.pdf" target="_blank">tend to decline</a>. But Smeed's Law only seems to hold up for people in cars—not for other road users.
</p><p>
A
<a href="https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/" target="_blank">global status report</a> shows that road traffic injuries are now the single biggest cause of death for children and young adults, and that more than half of all traffic deaths are pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. In the U.S. driver fatalities fell from 27,348 in 2006 to 23,611 in 2017, but <a href="https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/pedestrians-and-bicyclists/fatalityfacts/pedestrians" target="_blank">pedestrian and cyclist fatalities increased</a> from 5,567 to 6,760.</p><h2>The Vehicle-Centric City</h2><p>
Modern U.S. cities are designed largely for motor vehicles. At the turn of the 20th century, people and cars shared city streets, which served as places for children to play, adults to walk and neighbors to meet. From the 1900s to the early 1930s
<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/fighting-traffic" target="_blank">a battle was fought</a> as motor vehicles became increasingly dominant. As traffic fatalities rose, angry mobs <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan-history/2015/04/26/auto-traffic-history-detroit/26312107/" target="_blank">dragged reckless drivers from their cars</a>, and some cities printed "murder maps" showing where people had been killed in traffic.
</p><p>
However, automotive interests won out. From the 1950s forward, city streets lost their conviviality. Roads were engineered for fast-moving and unhindered vehicular traffic, with few pedestrian crossings or bike lanes.
</p><p>
Even today, motorists in many cities are able to turn onto streets at intersections where pedestrians are also crossing. Most pedestrians and bicyclists are killed or injured while they are
<a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2018/05/01/anita-kurmann-bicycle-crash-boston/" target="_blank">obeying the law</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e4cd4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3CGES11576662645"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="851921674400346113" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Where Anita Kurmann was killed by a truck driver.
If @BostonBTD doesn't put the posts back & tighten this corner it… https://t.co/qzVeV4E2Q4</div> — Jonathan Fertig (@Jonathan Fertig)<a href="https://twitter.com/rightlegpegged/statuses/851921674400346113">1491948929.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><h2>A New Wild West</h2><p>
In the 21st century, a new city ideal has emerged of a more bike-friendly, walking-oriented city. But piecemeal implementation of bike lanes, pedestrianized zones and traffic calming measures often just adds to the confusion.
</p><p>
Many bike lanes and pedestrianized zones only extend for short distances. Most American drivers have yet to fully appreciate that urban streets are to be shared. And even in the best of times, cars and trucks are not good at sharing the road. Vehicle drivers are often
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3122986.3123009" target="_blank">moving too fast to identify and respond</a> to pedestrians and bicyclists. Blind spots for drivers can be <a href="http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/11/30/what-cyclists-need-to-know-about-trucks/" target="_blank">death traps for other road users</a>.
</p><p>
Then there's the asymmetry. Drivers are operating fast-moving lethal weapons, and are encased in a protective shield. And speed literally kills. A car hitting a pedestrian at 36 to 45 mph per hour is
<a href="https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/pub/hs809012.html" target="_blank">four times more likely to cause death</a> than a vehicle traveling between 26 to 30 mph.
</p><p>
Adding to the dangers are
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-value-of-unplugging-in-the-age-of-distraction-43572" target="_blank">distracted drivers and pedestrians</a> and the introduction of <a href="https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2018/10/31/506097.htm" target="_blank">electric scooters</a>. Some observers also believe an epidemic of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201401/why-is-narcissism-increasing-among-young-americans" target="_blank">narcissism</a> is causing <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/motr/narcissism-is-a-driving-hazard-research-suggests.html" target="_blank">more aggressive driving</a>.
</p><p>
All of these factors are making walking and bicycling more dangerous. While pedestrian deaths in Norway declined by 37 percent from 2010 to 2016, in the U.S. they increased by 39 percent. Non-driver traffic fatalities are increasing in the U.S. at
<a href="https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/irtad-road-safety-annual-report-2018_0.pdf" target="_blank">higher rates than most other wealthy nations</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-vimeo">
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/263377367" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="266e38e7763ff41c670411b6b7918a57"></iframe>
</p><h2>A Better Vision</h2><p>
Vision Zero, a strategy first proposed in Sweden in 1997, imagines cities with
<a href="https://visionzeronetwork.org/" target="_blank">no traffic fatalities or serious injuries</a>. At least 18 U.S. cities and states have signed on to reach that goal by 2024, including <a href="https://www.boston.gov/transportation/vision-zero" target="_blank">Boston</a>, <a href="http://visionzerochicago.org/" target="_blank">Chicago</a>, <a href="http://visionzero.lacity.org/" target="_blank">Los Angeles</a>, <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/visionzero/index.page" target="_blank">New York</a> and <a href="https://ddot.dc.gov/page/vision-zero-initiative" target="_blank">Washington DC</a>.
</p><p>
Strategies vary from one city to another. Boston, for example, has
<a href="https://visionzeronetwork.org/cities-can-look-to-boston-iihs-for-inspiration-to-reduce-speed-limits/" target="_blank">reduced the city speed limit</a> from 30 miles per hour to 25 mph. Washington DC is improving 36 intersections that pose threats to pedestrians and enacting more bicycle-friendly policies. These cities still have far to go, but they are moving in the right direction.
</p><p>
There are many more options. Manufacturers can make vehicles
<a href="https://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/vehicles/pedestrian-protection.pdf" target="_blank">less threatening to pedestrians and bicyclists</a> by reducing the height of front bumpers. And cities can <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/26/18025000/walkable-city-walk-score-economy" target="_blank">make streets safer</a> with a combination of speed limit reductions, traffic calming measures, "road diets" for neighborhoods that limit traffic speed and volume, and better education for all road users.
</p><p>
Initiatives to create more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly infrastructure should also be sensitive to
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bike-friendly-cities-should-be-designed-for-everyone-not-just-for-wealthy-white-cyclists-109485" target="_blank">social and class differences</a> that may shape local priorities. And advocates contend that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2015.04.003" target="_blank">shifting to autonomous vehicles</a> could make streets safer, although the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-self-driving-cars-need-driver-education-97644" target="_blank">verdict is still out on this claim</a>.
</p><p>
The most radical shift will require not only re-engineering urban traffic, but also
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0631158243/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i9" target="_blank">reimagining our cities</a>. In my view, we need to think of them as shared spaces with slower traffic, and see neighborhood streets as places to live in and share, not just to drive through at high speed.
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-us-cities-are-becoming-more-dangerous-for-cyclists-and-pedestrians-111713" target="_blank">The Conversation</a></em><em>.</em>
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Bike-Friendly Cities Should Be Designed for Everyone, Not Just for Wealthy White Cyclists
08 February 2019
Insights + Opinion
This narrow street, lined with parked cars but devoid of people, is both unwelcoming and unsafe for cyclists. Anne Lusk, CC BY-ND
By Anne Lusk
Designing for bikes has become a hallmark of forward-looking modern cities worldwide. Bike-friendly city ratings abound, and advocates promote cycling as a way to reduce problems ranging from air pollution to traffic deaths.
But urban cycling investments tend to focus on the needs of wealthy riders and neglect lower-income residents and people of color. This happens even though the majority of Americans who bike to work live in households that earn less than $10,000 yearly, and studies in lower-income neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Boston have found that the majority of bicyclists were non-white.
<p>
I have <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=o8dc4GsAAAAJ&hl" target="_blank">worked on bicycle facilities for 38 years</a>. In a newly published study, I worked with colleagues from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Boston groups focused on health and families to learn from residents of several such neighborhoods what kinds of bike infrastructure they believed <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/3/484" target="_blank">best met their needs</a>. Some of their preferences were notably different from those of cyclists in wealthier neighborhoods.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/213680801" width="640"></iframe></div><h2>Cycling Infrastructure and Urban Inequality<br></h2><p>
Bike equity is a powerful tool for increasing access to transportation and reducing inequality in U.S. cities. Surveys show that the fastest growth in cycling rates since 2001 has occurred among <a href="https://www.bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/equity_report.pdf" target="_blank">Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American riders</a>. But minority neighborhoods have fewer bike facilities, and riders there face <a href="https://peopleforbikes.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EquityReport2015.pdf" target="_blank">higher risk of accidents and crashes</a>.
</p><p>
Many U.S. cities have improved marginalized neighborhoods by investing in grocery stores, schools, health clinics, community centers, libraries and affordable housing. But when it comes to bicycle infrastructure, they often add only the easiest and least safe elements, such as painting sharrows—stencils of bikes and double chevrons—or bike lane markings, and placing them next to curbs or between parked cars and traffic. Cycle tracks—bike lanes separated from traffic by curbs, lines of posts or rows of parked cars—are more common in affluent neighborhoods.
</p><p>
Compared with white wealthier neighborhoods, more bicyclists in ethnic-minority neighborhoods <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/wisniewski/ct-met-bike-tickets-getting-around-20180211-story.html" target="_blank">receive tickets for unlawful riding</a> or are involved in collisions. With access to properly marked cycle tracks, they would have less reason to ride on the sidewalk or against traffic on the street, and would be less likely to be hit by cars.
</p><p>
In my view, responsibility for recognizing these needs rests primarily with cities. Urban governments rely on public participation processes to help them target investments, and car owners tend to speak loudest because they want to maintain access to wide street lanes and parallel parking. In contrast, carless residents who could benefit from biking may not know to ask for facilities that their neighborhoods have never had.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE3NDY4My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODYwNDE4OX0.a2D69lPEL_3TJVwb_9wy1U4kUdUjq6YIcpQ758QvSMw/img.jpg?width=980" id="41900" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="19afc355ac5c5460b9d34d26c9e334e6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Substandard bike lanes, like this one in Seattle, expose cyclists to unsafe passing by motorists and collisions with cars turning right at intersections or pulling out of driveways. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://flic.kr/p/eEHMuy" target="_blank">Joshua Putnam</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a></small></p><h2>Protection From Crime and Crashes<br></h2><p>
For our study, we organized 212 people into 16 structured discussion groups. They included individuals we classified as "community-sense"—representing civic organizations such as YMCAs and churches—or "street-sense," volunteers from halfway houses, homeless shelters and gangs. We invited the street-sense groups because individuals who have committed crimes or know of crime opportunities <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.sj.8340097" target="_blank">have valuable insights about urban design</a>.
</p><p>
We showed the groups photos of various cycling environments, ranging from unaltered streets to painted sharrows and bike lanes, cycle tracks and shared multi-use paths. Participants ranked the pictures according to the risk of crime or crashes they associated with each option, then discussed their perceptions as a group.
</p><p>
Studies have shown that awareness of criminal activity along bike routes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2015.04.593" target="_blank">can deter cyclists</a>, and this is an important concern in low-income and minority neighborhoods. In a study in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, I found that African-American and Hispanic bicyclists were more concerned than white cyclists that their bikes could be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.01.006" target="_blank">stolen</a>. Some carried bikes up three flights of stairs to store them inside their homes.
</p><p>
From an anti-crime perspective, our focus groups' ideal bike system was a wide two-way cycle track with freshly painted lines and bike stencils plus arrows, free of oil or litter. Conditions around the route also mattered. Our groups perceived areas with clean signs, cafes with tables and flowers, balconies, streetlights and no alleyways or cuts between buildings as safest. They also wanted routes to avoid buildings that resembled housing projects, warehouses and abandoned buildings.
</p><p>
For crash safety, participants preferred cycle tracks separated from cars by physical dividers; wide cycle track surfaces, colored red to designate them as space for bicyclists; and bike stencils and directional arrows on the tracks. In their view, the safest locations for bike facilities had traffic signals for bikers, clearly painted lines, low levels of traffic, and did not run near bus stops or intersections where many streets converged.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="8b84e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="MDZY6D1576661959"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1015992716126228481" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">It's been four years since the City installed the popular Penn Ave bike lanes. However, they end at 16th St, where… https://t.co/s8SifGrtQI</div> — BikePGH (@BikePGH)<a href="https://twitter.com/BikePGH/statuses/1015992716126228481">1531066514.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><h2>Rules for the Road<br></h2><p>
We compared our results with widely used bicycle design guidelines and <a href="http://www.cpted.net/" target="_blank">Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design</a> principles to see whether those sources reflected our participants' priorities. The guidelines produced by the <a href="https://nacto.org/references/aashto-guide-for-the-development-of-bicycle-facilities-2012/" target="_blank">American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials</a> and the <a href="https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/" target="_blank">National Association of City Transportation Officials</a> provide engineering specifications for designing bicycle facilities that focus on road elements—paint, delineator posts and signs—but do not describe design features that would protect vulnerable humans bicycling through an environment at night. Our study asked people about what kinds of surface markings and features in the surrounding area made them feel most comfortable.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" frameborder="0" height="1005" id="instagram-embed-0" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgBqn7Bs7S/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=12&wp=1110&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecowatch.com&rp=%2Fcore%2Fdashboard%2Feditor%2F2628379356#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2528051.2999999337%7D" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;"></iframe> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>As an example, our groups preferred street-scale lighting to brighten the surface of cycle tracks. In contrast, tall highway cobra-head lights typically used on busy urban streets reach over the roadway, illuminating the road for drivers in vehicles that have headlights.<br></p><p>
In higher-income neighborhoods, cyclists might choose bike routes on side streets to avoid heavy traffic. However, people in our study felt that side streets with only residential buildings were less safe for cycling. This suggests that bicycle routes in lower-income ethnic-minority neighborhoods should be concentrated on main roads with commercial activity where more people are present.
</p><p>
Decisions about public rights-of-way should not be based on how many car owners or how few bicyclists show up at public meetings. Our study shows that city officials should create networks of wide, stenciled, red-painted, surface-lighted, barrier-protected, bicycle-exclusive cycle tracks in lower-income ethnic-minority neighborhoods along main streets. This would help residents get to work affordably, quickly and safely, and improve public health and quality of life in communities where these benefits are most needed.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="9e0f3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="BM68AS1576661959"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1039257278019448833" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Designing #GreenerStreets Starts With Finding Room for #Bicycles and #Trees https://t.co/x9rEeT6Vqr @GreenNewsDaily @good</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1039257278019448833">1536613218.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><em>Anne Lusk is a research scientist at Harvard University.<br></em><em>Disclosure statement: Anne Lusk does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond her academic appointment.</em></p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://theconversation.com/bike-friendly-cities-should-be-designed-for-everyone-not-just-for-wealthy-white-cyclists-109485" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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By Anne Lusk
City streets and sidewalks in the U.S. have been engineered for decades to keep vehicle occupants and pedestrians safe. If streets include trees at all, they might be planted in small sidewalk pits, where, if constrained and with little water, they live only three to 10 years on average. Until recently, U.S. streets have also lacked cycle tracks—paths exclusively for bicycles between the road and the sidewalk, protected from cars by some type of barrier.
<p>
Today there is
<a href="https://www.curbed.com/2017/4/18/15333796/best-cities-bike-commute-us-cycling" target="_blank">growing support for bicycling</a> in many U.S. cities for both commuting and recreation. Research is also showing that <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-more-cities-need-to-add-up-the-economic-value-of-trees-57928" target="_blank">urban trees provide many benefits</a>, from absorbing air pollutants to cooling neighborhoods. As an academic who has <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=o8dc4GsAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">focused on the bicycle for 37 years</a>, I am interested in helping planners integrate cycle tracks and trees into busy streets.
</p><p>
Street design in the U.S. has been guided for decades by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, whose
<a href="http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pdf/Webinar_PBIC_LC_081012_AASHTO_1.pdf" target="_blank">guidelines for developing bicycle facilities</a> long excluded cycle tracks. Now the <a href="https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/" target="_blank">National Association of City Transportation Officials</a>, the <a href="https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/separated_bikelane_pdg/page00.cfm" target="_blank">Federal Highway Administration</a> and the <a href="http://www.tooledesign.com/sites/default/files/2018%20AASHTO%20Bike%20Guide%20Preview_Fields_Onta_small.pdf" target="_blank">American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials</a> have produced guidelines that support cycle tracks. But even these updated references do not specify how and where to plant trees in relation to cycle tracks and sidewalks.
</p><p>
In a study
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.06.024" target="_blank">newly published in the journal Cities</a> and spotlighted in a <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/multimedia-article/bike-infrastructure-climate-change" target="_blank">podcast</a> from the <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health</a>, I worked with colleagues from the University of Sao Paulo to learn whether pedestrians and bicyclists on five cycle tracks in the Boston area liked having trees, where they preferred the trees to be placed and whether they thought the trees provided any benefits. We found that they liked having trees, preferably between the cycle track and the street. Such additions could greatly improve street environments for all users.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-vimeo">
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/230636028" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9409df2b6925e4a8d2bcf7de54924983"></iframe>
</p><h2>Separating Pedestrians and Cyclists From Cars</h2><p>
To assess views about cycle tracks and trees, we showed 836 pedestrians and bicyclists on five existing cycle tracks photomontages of the area they were using and asked them to rank whether they liked the images or not. The images included configurations such as a row of trees separating the cycle track from the street or trees in planters extending into the street between parked cars. We also asked how effectively they thought the trees a) blocked perceptions of traffic; b) lessened perceptions of pollution exposure; and c) made pedestrians and bicyclists feel cooler.
</p><p>
Respondents strongly preferred photomontages that included trees. The most popular options were to have trees and bushes, or just trees, between the cycle track and the street. This is different from current U.S. cycle tracks, which typically are separated from moving cars by white plastic delineator posts, low concrete islands or a row of parallel parked cars.
</p><p>
Though perception is not reality, respondents also stated that having trees and bushes between the cycle track and the street was the option that best blocked their view of traffic, lessened their feeling of being exposed to pollution and made them feel cooler.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODUyODE4OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDQ3MDI4N30.tI-xb7mA7LUOb50XFtysREjVCBAJT9oiABKMLspMzZY/img.jpg?width=980" id="0c19a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1e5a8337c2d9a10dcc843b530271f8ea" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Photomontage of Western Avenue in Allston, Massachusetts, with trees separating the cycle track from the street and curb separating cycle track from sidewalk. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Anne Lusk, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-ND</a></small>
</p><h2>Factoring in Climate Change</h2><p>
Many city leaders are
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-trump-administration-retreats-on-climate-change-us-cities-are-moving-forward-91612" target="_blank">looking for ways to combat climate change</a>, such as reducing the number of cars on the road. These goals should be factored into cycle track design. For example, highway engineers should ensure that cycle tracks are wide enough for bicyclists to travel with enough width to pass, including <a href="https://momentummag.com/cargo-bikes-guide-usa-canada/" target="_blank">wide cargo bikes</a>, bikes carrying children or <a href="https://electric-bikes.com/trikes/" target="_blank">newer three-wheeled electric bikes</a> used by seniors.
</p><p>
Climate change is increasing stress on street trees, but better street design can help trees flourish. Planting trees in continuous earth strips, instead of isolated wells in the sidewalk, would enable their roots to trade nutrients, improving the trees' chances of reaching maturity and ability to cool the street.
</p><p>
Drought weakens trees and makes them more likely to lose limbs or be uprooted. Street drainage systems could be redesigned to direct water to trees' root systems. Hollow sidewalk benches could store water routed down from rooftops. If these benches had removable caps, public works departments could add antibacterial or anti-mosquito agents to the water. Gray water could also be piped to underground holding tanks to replenish water supplies for trees.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="8839d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="57HERC1576662645"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1033538299007184898" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The ripple effects in San Francisco of subsidizing private car use... no street trees here due to the curb cuts for… https://t.co/sR1ow3KKx3</div> — Patrick Traughber (@Patrick Traughber)<a href="https://twitter.com/ptraughber/statuses/1033538299007184898">1535249707.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><h2>Thinking More Broadly About Street Design</h2><p>
The central argument against adding cycle tracks with trees to urban streets asserts that cities need this space for parallel-parked cars. But cars do not have to be stored on the side of the road. They also can be stored vertically—for example, in garages, or
<a href="https://untappedcities.com/2013/10/22/cities-101-stacked-mechanical-parking-lots-nyc/" target="_blank">stacked in mechanical racks on urban lots</a>.
</p><p>
Parking garages could increase occupancy by selling deeded parking spaces to residents who live nearby. Those spaces could provide car owners with a benefit the street lacks: outlets for charging electric vehicles, which
<a href="https://theconversation.com/apartments-rarely-come-with-access-to-charging-stations-but-electric-vehicles-need-them-100296" target="_blank">rarely are available to people who rent apartments</a>.
</p><p>
<a href="https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/what-is-brt/" target="_blank">Bus rapid transit</a> proponents might suggest that the best use of street width is dedicated bus lanes, not cycle tracks or street trees. But all of these options can coexist. For example, a design could feature a sidewalk, then a cycle track, then street trees planted between the cycle track and the bus lane and in island bus stops. The trees would reduce heat island effects from the expansive hardscape of the bus lane, and bus riders would have a better view.
</p><p>
More urban trees could lead to more tree limbs knocking down power lines during storms. The ultimate solution to this problem could be
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-the-us-put-power-lines-underground-83771" target="_blank">burying power lines</a> to protect them from high winds and ice storms. This costs money, but earlier solutions included only the conduit for the buried power lines. When digging trenches to bury power lines, a parallel trench could be dug to bury pipes that would supply water and nutrients to the trees. The trees would then grow to maturity, cooling the city and reducing the need for air conditioning.
</p><h2>Climate Street Guidelines for U.S. Cities</h2><p>
To steer U.S. cities toward this kind of greener streetscape, urban scholars and planning experts need to develop what I call climate street guidelines. Such standards would offer design guidance that focuses on providing physiological and psychological benefits to all street users.</p><p>
Developers in the U.S. have been coaxed into green thinking through tax credits, expedited review and permitting, design/height bonuses, fee reductions and waivers, revolving loan funds and the U.S. Green Building Council's
<a href="https://new.usgbc.org/leed" target="_blank">Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system</a>. It is time to put equal effort into designing green streets for bicyclists, pedestrians, bus riders and residents who live on transit routes, as well as for drivers.<br>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/designing-greener-streets-starts-with-finding-room-for-bicycles-and-trees-101064" target="_blank">The Conversation</a></em><em>.</em>
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Bike to Work Day Summer 2017. City of Fort Collins / John Robson / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Today is Bike to Work Day, and while that sounds deceivingly simple—you know, hop on a bike and ride to work—your city might not be the best place to make that commute. For instance, how safe is it? Are there designated lanes? Does your town support bike culture?
Luckily, there's a way to find out if you should leave your car keys or metro card at home today. The nonprofit PeopleForBikes launched a new database that rates the bike-ability of 480 cities in the U.S.
<p>
The rating system is based on five factors, as PeopleForBikes's website
<a href="https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/methodology/" target="_blank">details</a>:
</p><ul class="ee-ul">
<li>The "Ridership" score reflects how many people in the community ride bikes for both recreation or transportation.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul">
<li><span></span>The "Safety" score considers fatalities and injuries of people on bikes as well as those walking and driving. Perceptions of safety are also given weight.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul">
<li>The "Network" score evaluates the quality of the bike network, in how completely it connects people to each other and local destinations using comfortable routes.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul">
<li><span></span>The "Reach" score determines how well a community's low-stress network serves all members of the community. It uses demographic data to understand differences in access and connectivity for traditionally underserved populations compared to the whole city.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul">
<li>Finally, the "Acceleration" score assesses how quickly a community is improving its biking infrastructure and how successful its encouragement programs are at getting people to ride. </li>
</ul><div>
<p>
That last factor is important. As PeopleForBikes staff writer Michael Andersen noted in a
<a href="https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/americas-best-places-bikes-new-system-rates-480-u-s-cities/" target="_blank">blog post</a>, while there are already many "best bike cities" lists out there, this new system lets communities identify their strengths and weaknesses so they can make positive changes that encourage more cycling.
</p>
<p>
<span></span>"What gets measured gets done," PeopleForBikes research director Jennifer Boldry, Ph.D., who spent three years developing the rating system, said in the blog post. "I would love if this were a tool for cities to measure where they are and track their progress."
</p>
<p>
Here are the top 10 cities in the system:
</p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzY1OTE1OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzc4MzgwMX0.8E7QWE1UFh4E1qa6H3BM4mnTicaQMfQSiO6xsiwhxSU/img.png?width=980" id="d2542" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="82351d63c5698e38932dc7977c559060" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p>
<p>
Fort Collins, Colorado—which
<a href="https://www.visitftcollins.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventures/biking/" target="_blank">features</a> hundreds of miles of bike lanes, more bikes than cars in its Downtown, a bike share program and many bicycling non-profit organizations—topped the rankings.
</p>
<p>
"This is a great honor and one that shows how important cycling is to our community," Mayor Wade Troxell said in a statement to the
<a href="https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2018/05/10/fort-collins-beats-boulder-best-bike-city-united-states/596662002/" target="_blank">Coloradoan</a>. "Our amazing cyclists and cycling infrastructure helps to make Fort Collins a wonderful place to enjoy and safely travel by bicycle."
</p>
<p>
PeopleForBikes also revealed the top five most bike-friendly cities by size.
</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzY1OTE5Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MjE2NTc4OH0.BJj3MZ7PvhseDGn3uGnjCiGABXR7F79cJEyS3L0V5Lw/img.png?width=980" id="16493" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0885535b5ead152a1fc7672d2ec32134" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p>
<p>
That said, even though today is Bike to Work Day, it's always a great idea to bust out that bike whenever you can.
</p>
<p>
"When people ride bikes, great things happen: they get <a href="https://www.bicycling.com/training/a20027680/why-cycling-feels-so-damn-good/" target="_blank">happier</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/cycling-to-work-major-new-study-suggests-health-benefits-are-staggering-76292" target="_blank">healthier</a>, <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/transport_transitions_in_copenhagen_418na1_en.pdf" target="_blank">richer</a>, <a href="https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/how-protected-bike-lanes-helped-denmark-win-its-war-on-inequality/" target="_blank">more equal</a> and <a href="https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/how-to-design-bike-lanes-that-make-a-city-more-like-itself-video/" target="_blank">more connected to their communities</a>," Andersen pointed out.<br>
</p>
<p>
"Great things happen to those communities, too, even for people who never bike:
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717301559" target="_blank">less pollution</a>, <a href="https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/four-simple-lessons-from-austins-brilliant-bike-plan-update/" target="_blank">higher-capacity roadways</a>, <a href="https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/outer-london-is-about-to-activate-the-secret-weapon-of-the-suburbs-the-bicycle/" target="_blank">better mass transit</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21350262" target="_blank">lower health care premiums</a>, and local economies that have <a href="https://bikeportland.org/2016/07/25/portlands-drop-in-car-use-is-freeing-up-138-million-in-the-local-economy-every-year-186387" target="_blank">more money to invest in themselves</a>."
</p>
</div>
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Citibike station in midtown Manhattan. Jim Henderson, CC BY
By Douglas Johnson
Residents of major U.S. cities are becoming used to seeing docks for bike sharing programs nestled into parking spaces or next to subway station entrances. Adorned with stylish branding and corporate sponsors' logos, these facilities are transforming transportation in cities across the country.
The modern concept of bike sharing—offering bikes for short-term public rental from multiple stations in cities—was launched in Copenhagen in 1995, but U.S. cities only started piloting their own systems in the past decade. Washington, DC led the way, launching SmartBike DC in 2008 and an expanded network called Capital Bikeshare in 2010. This program now boasts more than 480 stations and a daily ridership of 5,700.
<p>
Within a few years, bike-share systems launched in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and dozens of other cities. In 2016 there were <a href="https://nacto.org/bike-share-statistics-2016/" target="_blank">55 systems across the country with more than 40,000 bikes</a>.
</p><p>
And momentum continues to grow. In 2017 <a href="https://www.citibikenyc.com/" target="_blank">Citi Bike</a> in New York City added 2,000 bikes, increasing its fleet to a total of 12,000. San Francisco is expanding its system from just 700 bikes to 7,000, thanks to a <a href="https://www.fordgobike.com/expansion" target="_blank">sponsorship deal with Ford</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3da76440a9bf9d5203ac100b05f8b7c9"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/heXUm57Xrk4?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
</p><p>
<strong>Going Dockless</strong><br>
</p><p>
The newest twist in this rapid expansion is dockless bike sharing, which lets users park bikes anywhere within defined districts and lock and unlock their bikes with smartphone apps. Users don't have to locate docking stations or worry about whether space will be available at their destination. These systems also are cheaper to set up, so providers can charge lower user fees. Some dockless bike-share companies <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottbeyer/2017/09/30/limebike-eyes-expansion-in-new-york-city-and-washington-dc/#7fbda0a6a4c9" target="_blank">offer rides for as little as $1 for the first half hour.</a>
</p><p>
Dockless systems are also helping to address <a href="https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/07/what-keeps-bike-share-white/533412/" target="_blank">equity issues posed by public dock-based systems</a>, which often are located in more affluent and predominantly white urban neighborhoods. Because dockless systems don't require stations, they can be rapidly deployed in zones that dock-based systems may be slow to reach.
</p><p>
<a href="https://www.itdp.org/dockless-bikeshare-know-so-far/" target="_blank">Students at Beijing University</a> developed this approach in 2014 to improve campus mobility. Dockless bike-share companies have flooded Chinese cities with bikes in the past two years, leading to massive piles of discarded bicycles in public spaces.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4NjMxMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzAzMzYyNn0.kpj9nRv95-zgtCk8ff_JjkyXm70HIonxNtR1PffC4V8/img.jpg?width=980" id="e3aa4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="65453db6bd02b184a5463c8b4d613317" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Dockless cycle share bike in Seattle </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Joe Mabel, CC BY</small>
</p><p>
Seattle turned to dockless companies to fill the gap after a publicly funded dock bike-share system there failed in 2016. The city could soon have <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/18/technology/business/seattle-bikeshare/index.html" target="_blank">one of the largest bike-share systems in the country</a>. Cities around Boston that are outside of the service area of Hubway, the area's public bike-share system, just reached a deal to provide dockless bike-share service, <a href="https://www.mapc.org/news/mapc-selects-limebike-spin-for-15-community-regional-bike-share-system/" target="_blank">expanding access to hundreds of thousands of people</a>. And in San Francisco, Uber <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-uber-jump-bikes-20180409-story.html" target="_blank">recently purchased Jump Bikes</a>, a dockless electric bike-share startup, and soon will allow users to reserve electric bikes with their Uber app.<br>
</p><p>
If recent examples are any indication, bike sharing in the U.S. will be a mix of complementary dock-based and dockless systems, run by both public entities and private companies. The humble bicycle, aided by smartphone technology, is resurging as an urban transportation option.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="d864e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7PRORD1576662646"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="938965117785530368" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">12 Reasons Bicycling Will Continue to Soar in Popularity https://t.co/sqZAYhQY3i @BicyclingMag @peopleforbikes</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/938965117785530368">1512701703.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://theconversation.com/bike-share-companies-are-transforming-us-cities-and-theyre-just-getting-started-95267" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em><br></p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95267/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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By Davis Harper
Do you live in the safest or the most dangerous state for riding a bike? The 2017 Bicycle Friendly State Report Card has the answer.
<p style="">Each year, the <a href="https://bikeleague.org/content/about-league" target="_blank">League of American Bicyclists</a>, an advocacy group founded in 1880 to improve street conditions for bikers, releases a detailed ranking that cyclists can use to track where it's safe, and not so safe, to hop on wheels. The group also monitors each state's progress toward increased bicycle safety. The rankings are derived from a variety of factors, including five key bicycle-friendly actions, federal data on bicycling conditions, and summaries with feedback on how each state can improve the safety and mobility of bicyclists.</p><p style="">Washington—<a href="http://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/BFS2017_ReportCard_Washington.pdf" target="_blank">ranked number one since 2008</a>—has paved the way for safe biking conditions, with $20 million per year in state spending committed to biking and walking projects for the next 16 years. Some of these <a href="http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/F061CF6D-7B96-4E61-BF20-50EAF2716997/0/BikePedPlan.pdf" target="_blank">projects</a> include new roadway crossings, better signage in high traffic areas and safer bike lanes. The rainy state's plan has a unique component that addresses pooling from stormwater runoff as a danger to bikers and proposes planting <a href="https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-rain-gardens" target="_blank">rain gardens</a> in stormwater infiltration areas to prevent, treat and store runoff.</p><p style="">Machiko Threlkeld, ride leader for Cascade Bicycle Club (CBC) in Seattle, agrees that the state has made progress to protect bikers. But she is still not fully content with urban biking conditions. "I believe we're going in the right direction when I realize I have more options on routes, SDOT sweeping protected bike lanes, and clubs like CBC spreading the joy of cycling 365 days a year," said Threlkeld, "but I still have mixed feelings about Washington being the top state because of so many thefts, incidents, and aggressive drivers and cyclists." Going forward, Threlkeld emphasizes the importance of education and communication among both drivers and cyclists in shared spaces. </p><p>Washington has made an ambitious goal to have zero fatal and serious injury bicycle-and-pedestrian collisions by 2030 (currently there are 3.7 fatalities per every 10,000 bike commuters). </p><p>The <a href="http://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/BFS2017_ReportCard_Nebraska.pdf" target="_blank">state</a> that ranks worst is Nebraska, with a low ridership rate (.5 percent of commuters biking to work) and modest spending on biking and walking ($2.44 per capita). Most notably, Nebraska lacks a statewide bike plan—a key component for state Departments of Transportation if they're to make any real progress for bicycling conditions, according to Ken McLeod, policy director for the League of American Bicyclists and founder of the Bike Friendly State Program. </p><p style="">Julie Harris, native Nebraskan cyclist commuter and executive director of the Nebraska Bicycling Alliance, works to change these conditions. "We need state policy to address more than just cars when deciding to build or improve a road, especially in rural communities where the state highway is the main street," said Harris. "Many streets are built with too wide of lanes or without considering sidewalks or trail and transit connections." </p><p style="">Despite numerous concerns, Harris has seen improvement. "We have seen things starting to change in the last year or two, such as leaving gaps in new rumble strips so people can get on and off the shoulder more safely and comfortably and getting a side-path added to a major bridge project. As long as we keep going this general direction, we're confident that our ranking will improve." </p><p style="">The league's goal is not only to educate bikers and pedestrians on the processes by which states create safer conditions and infrastructure to minimize accidents, but also to promote bike culture. "People are seeing the cross benefits of biking not just for transportation, but also for improving health or access to public lands," said McLeod. "It's also a very low-cost means of getting around, which makes providing a good biking network a good solution for areas with high transportation costs."</p><p style="">Between 2012 and 2017, the number of bike riders in the U.S. <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/1448/bicycle-industry-in-the-us/" target="_blank">increased</a> from 51 million to 66 million—a trend that's likely to continue if states keep bike-safety conditions a priority.</p><p style=""> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/your-state-bicycle-friendly" target="_blank">SIERRA Magazine</a>.</em></p>
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Electric bikes are a great way to zip around town with less pedal power, but they have two problems. First, the machinery can make them heavy or bulky. Second, at some point, they will run out of juice.
But Austria-based VELLO BIKE has solved these two problems with its innovative VELLO Bike+, the world's first self-charging electric folding bike that gives cyclists ultimate freedom.
The bike claims to be lighter than most folding e-bikes on the market—the titanium model weighs about 24 pounds, and the chromoly frame model weighs 26 pounds.
It can easily fold down to just 72 x 53 centimeters, or suitcase size, making it easy to store in tight spaces, such as under a desk or in the trunk of a car. You don't even have to carry it—once folded it can also stand on its own, meaning you can just wheel it around. The bike's patented magnetic release makes it quick and easy to fold.
"A self-locking magnet allows hands-free folding, which makes it very different from a typical folding bike with complicated hinges to open," company co-founder and designer Valentin Vodev said. "They don't tend to be very user-friendly as the folding process is lengthy and can be frustrating."
Vodev was given a Red Dot award, an international product design and communication design prize, for the bike's innovative design.
"I always try to take a novel, previously unexplored approach in my designs. This mostly results in unconventional solutions, which I can then turn into innovations. In my opinion, design is a mixture of logic, aesthetics and art," he said of his work after being given the award.
As for its self-charging feature, the bike's integrated lithium-ion battery can be completely recharged just by pedaling or braking, the developers claim. Using its Integrated Kinetic Energy Recovery System, the VELLO Bike+ converts mechanical energy into electricity to power a 250-watt motor.
"You can ride up to 15 miles per hour for unlimited mileage in 'self-charging mode,' or in 'turbo mode' up to 18-30 miles on a full charge without any effort," the company says. "As soon as you stop pedaling, the motor will stop pushing. The generated power depends on several factors including the bike speed, the pedaling speed, the road slope and the selected power mode."
The bike comes with its own smartphone app with features such as a custom dashboard (to see your speed, miles, battery, etc) and an option to lock the bike remotely.
"Riding performance was also essential to us in the development of the VELLO BIKE+, it feels and rides better than most of the existing folding bikes on the market," Vodev said.
The VELLO Bike+ has already blown past its €80,000 ($87,863)
Kickstarter goal with 18 days to go. Prices start at €1,599 ($1,756) on Kickstarter and will ship anywhere around the world.
Watch the bike in motion here:
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A new product from FlyKly could be the answer for those who want the fuel and emissions savings of biking without the sweat and tired legs.
The company has created the Smart Wheel, a replacement wheel for bikes that contains a 9-pound motor and lithium battery. The motor turns on once a biker begins pedaling.
"We decided to turn an ordinary bike into a smart bike," said FlyKly founder Niko Klansek, whose company produced the first line of electric bicycles sold in the U.S. "It makes the riding effortless."
Photo credit: FlyKly
The battery can be fully charged via wall socket in two to three hours. The user can travel 30 miles per charge. The battery life is good for about 1,000 charging cycles.
The 250-watt motor can propel a rider to a top speed of about 20 miles per hour. The product works in conjunction with a FlyKly smartphone app, which allows the user to set his or her top speed.
The app also suggests routes, includes a GPS locator and can lock the motor and deliver a message if the bike has been stolen.
The wheel is available in 26- or 29-inch versions and in eight colors.
Graphic credit: FlyKly
The wheel comes with an LED Smart Light, which can be attached to a handle bar. The light serves two other functions—smartphone stabilizer and charger with a USB port.
Mass production of the Smart Wheel is expected to begin early next year, with assembly and packaging and shipping to follow in the spring.
