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More News About Support for Bike Commuters: Here are more details about the tax break for cycling commuters, which allow employers to provide modest financial support ($20/month) to cycling commuters (just like motorists or others receiving free parking or bus passes), without causing any tax concerns. You can find more information and easy to use forms, courtesy of the League of American Bicyclists. Commuters can download the reimbursement card, sign the pledge on the card stating they commute to work by bike at least three days per week, and submit your receipts with the card to employers. The money can help offset some of your commuting costs, such as a new helmet, routine repair needs and the like. To employers, it might not sound like a big amount, bur every little bit helps.Visit Visit the LAB website for details and forms.
Bay Village Students Crank Out for
Bike to School: ClevelandBikes wants to congratulate Bay Village middle school and high school students, who rode a total of 37,042 miles biking to school during Bay Bike To School Challenge, May 4-22. The event is supported by Century Cycles and Chipotle. More than 1,200 students participated in the challenge, including 675 middle school students and 540 Bay High School students. On average, more than 500 Bay Middle School students biked to school each day, or 62%of the school. 249 Bay High School students biked to school each day, or 31% of the school. Ninety teachers and administrators rode as well. The event also included a Bicycle Safety Fair, with more than 100 bicycles inspected, 40 bicycle helmets given away, and scores of bicycles were registered for bike licenses by the Bay Village Police Department.
Congratulations Bay Village Schools and their sponsor Century Cycles, who have already committed to a third challenge with Bay Bike To School Challenge 2010. With the terrific success, it's easy to see why.
New York City Transportation Data Finds Big Increases in Cycling:
Here's some interesting data to share from the New York Times.
Based on figures from an annual count of bicyclists conducted since
1984, the New York City Department of Transportation announced on
Thursday that commuter cycling rose a remarkable 35% from
2007 - 08. The
Commuter Cycling Indicator, as the annual tally is known, was
conducted at the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queensboro and Williamsburg
Bridges; at the Whitehall Terminal of the Staten Island Ferry; and
along the Hudson River Greenway, at West 50th Street. According to
the department, the 18-hour count showed that over a quarter of the
cyclists counted used city streets earlier in the morning and later in
the day than previously believed. Certain bike routes have become
particularly popular: The number of cyclists crossing the Williamsburg
Bridge has quadrupled from 2000 to 2008, to 4,000 on a typical day. (The report has changed and expanded, but they have made adjustments to make accurate comparisons). New York City has made significant investment in cycling access and it seems to have paid off with handsome dividends in terms of the number of cyclsits. The lesson? Well, to quote James Earl Jones from the baseball movie 'Field of Dreams' .. "Build it and they will come"!
Cyclist Killed on Cleveland's Eastside: Cyclists are very troubled about a "hit and run" cycling fatality on Tuesday September 22nd. As an organization, we support a thorough investigation of any cycling fatality and, at this point, the police are apparently still investigating. The car/cyclist collision occurred at the busy intersection
of Woodland Avenue and East 55th Street and Kinsman Avenue. This is a
complex intersection, with major roads in all directions and cars and trucks accessing the
interstate highway further south on East 55th Street . It's a real concern that the motorist left the scene, proceeding south on the highway. Media reports indicate the motorist told police he was unaware he struck anyone. ClevelandBikes encourages police to conduct a full, thorough investigation and urges the Prosecutor to pursue appopriate charges, based on the circumstances they identify, including reviewing video cameras from a nearby gas station. As ClevelandBikes learns more, will be certain to pass the information along. Here's the full story in the Plain Dealer.
Cycling Death in Newbury Township, Geauga County: An expeienced, avid cyclsit and popular John Carroll University professor died Saturday while riding.Miles Coburn, 58, was hit by an sport utility vehicle around 9 a.m.
while biking on Ohio 44 (Ravenna Road) in Newbury
Township, Geauga County, according to the State Highway Patrol, dying later that afternoon at MetroHealth Medical Center.
Our hearts go out to the Coburn family and cyclists everywhere. Coburn biked 5,000 miles annually. there is no news regarding a police report. We remind motorists that bikes are vehicles for purposes of traffice law, entitled to use all roads (other than freeways) and encourage motorists to share the road - it's the law.
The following was ClevelandBikes's statement on the tragedy:
:
The volunteers of ClevelandBikes extend their love and support to the
Coburn family and cyclists everywhere following the death of cyclist
Miles Coburn. The popular John Carroll University biology professor
an avid and experienced cyclist, was struck by a sport utility
vehicle in Newbury Township in Geauga County on Saturday.
We encourage the police to pursue a vigorous investigation to find the
cause of this tragedy and protect the rights of cyclists lawfully in
the roadway. We understand an accident report is still pending and no
fault has been attributed to the cyclist, which is consistent with
Miles Coburn's years of experience. We urge everyone to understand
that bicycles are vehicles that should be operated on the same roads,
by the same rules and with the same rights and responsibilities as are
other vehicles. We are concerned by media reports, citing a
"dispatcher," that no charges may be filed. At this stage of an
investigation, it would seem very premature for the police to rule
things in or out.
ClevelandBikes, a 50`1C3 not for profit organization, was founded in
2003 to promote cycling safety and education and support cycling in
all forms as healthy recreation, sport and transportation, "Share the Road, It's the Law"
Free Bike Parking at University Crcle for Wade Oval Wednesdays WOW) Entertainment: With the support of a range of environmental groups, ClevelandBikes, the Ohio City Bicycle Co-Op and the Earth day Coalition are
pleased to host bike parking at University Circle for their popular Wade Oval Wednesday concerts. Ride on down and enjoy the music, every Wednesday this summer. want more details about WOW? Visit WOW here.
Silent Ride to Honor and Respect those Killed or Injured While Riding: Thanks for those joinnig the hundreds of rides and thousands of riders across the country and aroud the world who drew attention to the issues of road safety. Locally, the group rode in Cleveland and Garfield Heights, including the site of a 2007 cycling fataility. The rides illustrate that safety on the road and motorist education is a critical, ongoing priority,
Cleveland Bicycle Week: Thank you for joining us for the biggest gathering of cycling interests and activities ever in Northeast Ohio as we celebrate, educate and collaborate for a stronger cycling community. There are still some important activities that we have added to the list of activities (after all, it is national Bike Month), so I hope you can continue to join us. Whether you bicycle for transportation, recreation, health or sport, did in the past, or want to again in the future, we have something for you.For a detailed schedule, you can visit the Cleveland Bicycle Week website.
Bike to Work Rides: We are working on new "Bike to Work" plans and encourage you to register for through the "bike buddy" website offered by the Ohio Department of Transportation and NOACA to match riders, based on their routes. Check out the Bike Buddy website here to create your account! We hope to have additional news and information on bike commuting ideas later this summer. Be your own renewable fuel (just add water) and save some of that $3 or $4 /gallon gas money!
Promoting Safety on the Roads: We're always looking for new ways to promote safety on the road. Here's a quirky little PSA from Great Britain to promote safety for cyclists .... Let me know what you think!
Earth Day Events at the Zoo: Plans are underway to improve the bike parking option at the Cleveland Zoo. In addition to a temporary bike station and free bike parking, ClevelandBikes will assist in leading rides to the Zoo from a variety of community locations. To download the registration form, go here. To learn more, visit the Earth day Coalition's EarthFest website. We are encouraging the Zoo to approve a new, bike parking site, closer to the entrance. In a letter to the Vern Hartenburg, Zoo Executive Director, we wrote: "ClevelandBikes is promoting the creation of bike
parking facilities all around the city and views Earth Day as an
important opportunity to promote riding for transportation, recreation
sport and health. The closer the facility is to the entrance, the more
visitors we can greet, describe the activity and promote fun, safe
riding.
A parking facility near the entrance reminds those who choose to use a
car, that there are other options.
"Close-in" bike parking acknowledges individuals and families choosing
to bicycle for their effort to support the Earth Day principal of
conservation, Our volunteers look forward to participating in zoo events to promote
riding, safety and good health, helping to create a greener, healthier
community."
The NOACA Governing Board, the leaders of the nine counties that are Northeast Ohio, approved the Regional Bike Transportation Plan n March 14th. This project has taken years to develop and while individuals can disagree about specifics, it's good to have government agencies acknowedge that cycling is an important element of transportation. If you want to see the report, visit: www.noaca.org/finalbikeplan.pdf.
From the NOACA Executive Summary: The five goals that were adopted in the 1997 Bicycle Plan to make bicycling a more viable transportation choice remain in this document, with some minor word changes. These are NOACA’s goals for bicycle transportation:
1. Create a regional network of safe bikeways and supporting bicycle facilities.
2. Increase bicycle planning and provision of facilities at the local level.
3. Increase bicycle ridership in the region, in particular, for transportation.
4. Promote safer bicycling in the region and reduce accidents.
5. Encourage involvement of the private sector and other support for bicycling for transportation and recreation.
Each of the five goals have strategies associated with them, many of which have been implemented. Some of the strategies include conducting bikeway planning and design workshops, producing bicycle transportation maps, and conducting a “Bicycle Friendly Community” campaign.
Tax Breaks for Canadian Cyclists: Here's some interesting news from the north.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced plans to exempt bikes (up to
$1000) and helmets from provincial sales tax, starting in December. This is even a bigger
exemption than a US version would be, given the 12% sales tax rate. McGuinty said, "We want to encourage more Ontarians - young and young-at-heart - to get
outdoors, spend time riding bikes as a family and with friends, or to try
riding to work if possible, leaving the car at home ... Together, we're building a culture of health and well-being across Ontario by
encouraging more families to embrace active living." Click the link above for the Canadian newswire story.
Improving Public Safety: Please join us in making your community a safer place to ride, by educating your local officials. ClevelandBIkes members include leading safety advocates, Fred Oswald and Cal Kichick, who were key reformers in the 2006 bicycle law reform effort, To learn about cycling safety, visit these safety pages. To learn more how you can help, visit our transportation safety project.
Administration Criticizes Cycling in Gas Tax Debate: The August 15th PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer featured an interview by Gwen Ifill with Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. Commenting about a possible gas tax increase, the Secretary repeated President Bush's response: 'No, there can be no tax increase because Congress is wasting the money they already get,' citing "bicycle paths" as a prime example of the waste because bicycles are not a transportation use of the gas tax money. The League of American Bicyclists posted a response, criticizing the Administration for attacking Minnesota Representative Jim Oberstar's for his support for cycling, the Minneapolis bridge repair efforts and steps to raise all the funding for transportation maintenance. Click here to read the LAB's response. If you want to let the Secretary know your views, you can visit the agency website and leave a message here.
Cyclist-Motorist Accident Injures Cyclist Representative Michael Skindell:
We share everybody's horror about the accident and injuries to State Rep. Michael Skindell and am very glad to hear he's in the hospital and receiving appropriate care. From the description, the motorist is clearly at fault for cutting off the cyclist to make a left turn. It's certainly fortunate that the cyclist's helmet helped, but it's far better to stay out of accidents in the first place. This also presents an opportunity for public education, reminding motorists about cyclists' right to the road. Read the story, This is an opportunity to remind motorists that a cyclist is directed under the law to ride towards the right side of the road, but only if it's safe to do so and is the direction the cyclist is going. If the right side of the road is riddled with glass, debris, potholes, a "turn only" lane or includes a parked car that may open a door, a cyclist should move to the center lane in order to operate safely. There is a need for motorist education about cyclists' obligation use the roadway. Cyclists, other than young children, operating vehicles under the laws of all 50 states, are directed to use the roadway (other than freeways).
I am also very troubled by some of the posts on websites of major daily newspapers that suggest action, such as blaring horns or cutting off cyclists, is an appropriate message to cyclists lawfully riding in the roadway.
Share the Road, It's the Law!
Bicycle Village, Was a Popular Destination for Ingenuity Festival, with bike art, riding safety classes, stunt ridnng, Big Screen Tour de France and More: ClevelandBikes and the Ohio City Bicycle Co-Op hosted Bicycle bike plan.htmVillage to celebrate cycling arts, health and culture at the July Ingenuity Festival. The 216 Bicycle Demonstration Team, the official bicycle stunt team of Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park, thrilled Sunday crowds with their stunt riding, German dancers manipulated and amplified sound through their costumes, kids (and adults) just loved the bike art opportunities and we finally just stopped counting the number of people taking their picture with John Ranally's fabulous artwork, the Hippogrif! See more.
Policy News:
Cleveland Adopts Bike Plan: ClevelandBikes supports the Cleveland Planning Commission and it's action to approve a City Bike Plan, a big step forward in creating a more bike friendly community. The Bike Cleveland Plan is the first comprehensive plan to incorporate cycling for health, recreation and transportation. ClevelandBikes shares the City's goals of working to increase bike ridership, connect neighborhoods and parks and open spaces to create a better regional transportations system, improve public health, air quality and the environment and commits to continue to work with the City to ensure that plan implementation promotes riding and national best safety practices.
ClevelandBikes joins with RTA in announcing a six month evaluation period, during which RTA will end restrictions to allow bicycles on trains during all hours of the regular day (for more information about the policy and special events days, contact RTA), expanding the partnership between public transportation and bicycling. We're pleased RTA acknowledge what its own data shows: that cyclists and the public can share the train, as well as share the road
Cyclists are making progress with federal legislation in Congress, as well. This month, legislation to provide support for cyclists, support long extended to motorists, was incorporated into the House-passed energy legislation. The bill would provide money for trails and tax benefits for those who burn calories, not gasoline. What's it cost to commute by car? Learn here!
Commuting and Tourism: Planning for a ClevelandBikes Bicycle Station in Cleveland's Gateway Neighborhood. To learn about how a ClevelandBikes bicycle station can help residents, click here!
Green Future for NE Ohio: ClevelandBikes works to secure funding for the last six miles of the Towpath Trail into Downtown Cleveland.
Bike Safety Month: Cleveland "White Bikes" offer a safety message on the streets. This year, supporters have even asked that they keep th bikes up throughout the summer, as a safety reminder. We're happy to oblige! Ride safely everyone!
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