#Cycling Infrastructure

[the-city-in-mind]

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"Having access to safe walking and cycling routes is a basic tenet of social justice."

The new Labour government in Great Britain will invest "unprecedented levels of funding" in cycling and walking as a critical part of plans to improve health, wealth inequality and the environment, has said Louise Haigh, the new secretary for transport.

"We're in a climate crisis. We're in a public health crisis. Getting people walking and cycling and moving more are essential to solving both of those," she said.

Haigh added: "Car ownership now is just so expensive, insurance as a young driver is completely out of reach for a lot of people. So having that access to safe cycle routes is a basic element, is a basic tenet of social justice."

More at bit.ly/46VOSNk

[wittylittle]

Rue Rachel, 2019

[diocletiansbikelane]

Feels like the bikepath design in this 17 second clip tried to kill the cyclist like 3 times. Like, I’ve biked all my life - including routes where I had to share the road with cars - and I’d be way too terrified to follow the bikelane’s instructions to actively weave at an angle directly into the middle of traffic

[atlurbanist]

It's taking too long to get safe routes for cyclists in Atlanta.

While looking at Google Maps photos of Boulevard (this is a couple of blocks south of North Avenue) I spotted a couple of cyclists grappling with the mixed traffic on this six-lane street.

Why have we not put bike lanes here for safety? This isn't a state road that we don't control. It's a city street that we could change tomorrow.

Why does this mess of a car-sewer still exist in 2024?

On the Atlanta DOT website, the plans for a "complete street" redesign for this part of Boulevard only state "consideration for bike lanes" 🙄 (meanwhile a linked PDF shows a concept with no bike lanes.)

Also, the project start is 2016, and the end is 2028. Ugh. This should not be acceptable by anyone in our city government. Atlanta voters have approved special taxes *twice* in the last 10 years for safer streets.

Aside from the special taxes, Atlanta is a gentrifying city with escalating land values that should be funding improvements with equitable results.

The fact that we still have a major lack of safe routes for cycling in much of the city, especially on major routes like this, is ridiculous.

[detragefietser]

[jb5d]

Wild Beast Alchemy

Cycling adventures of Beast & Smol

[rage-city]

Great turnout today!

[pauldotbike]

Direct Action Alert! Join us Thurs. Nov. 21 as we deliver Ghost Bikes to Queen's Park while the Govt finalizes their reading of the anti-bike lane Bill 212. Meet at Matt Cohen Park at 5, ride leaves 5:30, QP meet at 5:45:

[the-city-in-mind]

via

[diocletiansbikelane]

This is not so much 'bicycle infrastructure' as it is 'vehicular manslaughter'

[megalopolousity]

Also add: the "why would we invest in and improve the bus because only the poors take it" mentality that prevents us all from having a world class transit system in this country!

[ardri-na-bpiteog]

Just a reminder to my European followers that the European Parliament elections are coming up and they are very important! The far-right parties are projected to win a lot of seats and many of the left/environmentalist parties are expected to do poorly.

This could have serious implications for major issues like climate action in the EU. It is very important that young people turn out to vote, EU elections typically have relatively low turnout but the composition of the EU Parliament does impact the lives of people in the European Union in a lot of ways.

[bhrarchinerd]

Are cyclists better people than drivers? A recent study published in the Journal for Environmental Psychology found that people who navigated cities by cycle were more interested in the common good than drivers. “Duh,” you’re probably saying to yourself. The study looked at a pool’s orientation toward the common good by looking at four key indicators: political participation, social participation in organizations, neighborhood solidarity, and neighborly helpfulness. Their data showed that the predominant throughline was that these folks were more likely to participate in active transportation (walking, cycling). This news isn’t necessarily new, as previous studies showed how proper urban street design can increase community engagement. But it does reinforce things we already know. How does cycling increase that orientation? Being outside helps. Finding yourself around other people makes you more likely to have spontaneous contact. Navigating a community on foot or by bike gives you a better sense of what your built environment is like and a stronger emotional bond around your neighborhood. That bond, the study says, leads folks to be more likely to be active participants in a community’s direction. In contrast, being in a car removes those sensory connections. A driver’s interaction is predominantly with the origin and destination of their travel, removing them from the diversity within a community. This isolation can lead to more individualistic behaviors, many of which reduce opportunities for social interaction. It’s much easier to be a jerk to someone outside when you’re isolated in a two-ton hunk of metal and glass, as we can all agree on.

[detragefietser]

[worldbicycleday]

Ten Global Cities Named Winners of the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure.

In recognition of World Bike Day on June 3, Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced the first-ever winners of the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure (BICI), with ten global cities receiving support to build innovative cycling infrastructure and sustainable mobility options for their residents. The goal of BICI is to help cities design streets that increase biking rates, revitalize neighborhoods, and promote the health and well-being of their communities. Led in partnership with the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), in addition to funding to enact their proposals, each winning BICI city will receive technical assistance from GDCI on project development, cycling facility design, data collection, and resident engagement.

Successful cities need transportation systems that allow people to move safely, efficiently, and sustainably. Research consistently shows that providing cycling infrastructure brings social benefits that far outweigh its initial investment and that people who cycle are healthier and happier. However, a significant barrier to cycling in many cities is the lack of safe cycling infrastructure. BICI is designed to help city leaders meet the urgent need to build more connected and expansive cycling infrastructure that serves as many residents as possible.

The 10 BICI winners are: Fortaleza, Brazil—winner of a $1 million prize—and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Bogota, Colombia; Lisbon, Portugal; Milan, Italy; Mombasa, Kenya; Pimpri-Chinchwad, India; Quelimane, Mozambique; Tirana, Albania; and Wellington, New Zealand, each of which will receive $400,000 in funding.

“Fighting climate change goes hand-in-hand with giving people more transportation options,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City. “These proposals to make cycling safer and more accessible will require robust technical assistance, and our team is glad to support the winners as they turn their ideas into action. The progress that these 10 cities make will help clean the air, protect the environment, and drive economic growth, too. We’re looking forward to seeing the results.”

“Cycle lanes aren’t amenities, they are essential infrastructure for cities,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, Transportation Principal at Bloomberg Associates and former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation. “These grants will help these 10 cities take the decisive action necessary to transform streets and turn the corner on traffic violence, pollution and climate change.”

The 10 winning BICI cities named today hail from 10 countries on five continents and collectively represent more than 15 million residents. Winners were selected from 275 applications submitted between November 10, 2022, and February 3, 2023, from cities with over 100,000 residents.

The 10 winning projects include:

Fortaleza, Brazil (winner of the $1 million prize): Develop 180 kilometers of cutting-edge cycling infrastructure to invite more community members to cycle.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Double the number of protected cycle lanes to achieve Africa’s largest city cycle network.

Bogota, Colombia: Co-design new infrastructure with children to revitalize a low-income neighborhood and engage young residents.

Lisbon, Portugal: Roll-out new solutions to increase the diversity of residents cycling throughout the city.

Milan, Italy: Build sustainable, green cycle lanes that connect over 40 schools.

Mombasa, Kenya: Protect and connect a cycle network along key corridors with high cycling volumes.

Pimpri-Chinchwad, India: Launch a neighborhood model for a 15-minute city, starting with cycling.

Quelimane, Mozambique: Build new cycling infrastructure that includes protected cycling lanes, pedestrian space, and unique bicycle taxi parking to support non-motorized travel.

Tirana, Albania: Create an all-ages cycling network through the implementation of safe intersection design.

Wellington, New Zealand: Increase the number of bike lanes in the city by 160 percent using resident input to inform planning and development.

“When it comes to reducing emissions and promoting healthier, greener cities, we must keep raising our collective ambitions,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “The Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure gave cities around the world the chance to dream big and show what’s possible—and these winning projects demonstrate the extraordinary ideation that this opportunity has unlocked. We look forward to working with these global cities to implement their powerful projects, and as we do, share lessons with their peers worldwide.”

“Building safe, connected cycling networks is a universal need that benefits people’s physical and mental health and well-being, just as much as it benefits the environment and the economy,” said Skye Duncan, Executive Director of GDCI. “Through their ambitious cycling infrastructure projects, the selected cities will transform their streets by putting people above all else—while benefiting their local communities to ensure healthier, safe, and more equitable spaces for everyone. The BICI team at GDCI is eager to start working alongside these cities to assist them in achieving their city cycling infrastructure initiatives.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies will convene the 10 winning cities from June 26 through June 29, 2023, in London, providing an opportunity for those city leaders to meet, trade ideas with peers, begin their project planning, and learn from GDCI’s urban design experts.

BICI, the first global city initiative of its kind, was announced in October 2022 at Bloomberg Philanthropies’ CityLab. To learn more about BICI and the winning cities, visit bloombergcities.jhu.edu/bici or globaldesigningcities.org.