Bicycling Saves Lives

An afternoon on the bike trail could extend your life!!

So often, we hear about all the ways to help us live longer, and they often involve sacrifice. I mean, who wants to stop eating fun food. Most people would say, "Go ahead & take a couple years off my life if I can keep enjoying the treats I love."

Hit the trail and help your heart!!

But now, we're finding out that there's a fun way to get healthier and fight heart disease.

According to a recent study, "Three hours of bike riding per week could cut your risk of heart attack and stroke in half." Wow... talk about having your cake and eating it too. Riding bicycles (especially on trails) is a blast!!   AND... it's good for you. Talk about doubling your fun!

Thanks to People for Bikes for a great web page with the above bike facts and more. They made a nice graphic showing the benefits of bicycling. If you get a chance, check it out. 

Bicycling Saves Lives

Blogging Community Discusses Bike Transportation Issues

Lyon, France bicycle data

To bike, or not to bike; that is the question.

Whether tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of errant drivers or...

Okay, enough w/ the bad Shakespeare.

I'm loving the current dialogue that is happening in the blogosphere regarding the role of bicycling in the overall transportation infrastructure. It was first brought to my attention thanks to a recumbent blog post entitled "Interested but Concerned."  (Thanks Rob)

That particular post discusses four levels of cyclists who range from "strong & fearless" to "no way, now how." I was pleased to see that strong & fearless was the least representative group. The reason I was glad to see this is that among cyclists "strong & fearless" often equates to a lack of common sense. If you are riding on the roads, and you are fearless, then you are out of touch w/ reality. There is a good reason for you to be somewhat fearful when it comes to riding your bike on the street. It's not that the drivers are out to get you; it is that many of them do not do much to avoid you. Let's face it; you are way under their radar most of the other time. Especially when they have a few other things to distract them like: kids, cell phones, applying make-up, other cars, traffic signals, changing radio stations, eating tacos, talking to passengers, resetting their GPS... well you get the picture. (I hope.)

I don't need to tell you where I'm going with this. There's one surefire, safe, and common-sense solution, and it's not bike lanes, or more road rules, or biker/driver education. Sure, those things will help and shouldn't be abandoned. But the true answer is bike paths, pedestrian trails, rail-trails, multi-use paths, etc. They are good for cyclists, good for pedestrians, good for the environment, good for recreation, good for traffic mitigation, good for health, good for families, good for the community... just plain good... nay great!!

Let me step down off my soap box to give you a few of the links I discovered when researching this topic:

• recumbent blog
• streets blog
• Portland Online
• Walkbike Jersey
• Commute by Bike (This one includes interesting info about a bikeshare study in Lyon, France.)

You will find many more links, blogs, facts, & opinions once you start visiting these sites. 

Let's keep the conversation going, but ultimately, you need to convince your community leaders to make cycling safer and more viable as a transportation and recreation option.

Blogging Community Discusses Bike Transportation Issues

Cycling is on the Increase

"Government data published this morning confirms that in 2009 cycle use increased to the highest level in decades."


Hopefully this isn't a surprise to you because it certainly isn't to me. I mean, what's not to love about cycling?

• It's fun.
• It's easy.
• It's inexpensive.
• It's environmentally friendly.
• It uses no fossil fuels.
• It's great exercise.
• It's a great activity for all ages.
• It's a wonderful family activity
• I could go on and on...

Bicycling is the perfect activity for any economy, but it is especially appropriate for this recession.

Anyway, the National Travel Survey shows that while biking is on the increase, "car use is steadily falling." Now that's double good news.

Cycling is on the Increase

Biking women

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel... the picture of free, untrammelled womanhood.” - Susan B. Anthony, 1896

Biking women

"On your left"

What do you say when you approach another trail user from behind?
According to the politically correct trail monitors, you're supposed to announce yourself with a firm, "On your left."
But I have some problems with that.
First, from my own experiences, that does more harm than good. When I'm quietly and peacefully walking or riding on the trail, and someone comes up behind me and blasts out, "On your left," it (in the words of my college literature professor) "scares the bejasus out of me!" I'd much prefer that people just ride by. Of course that may be because I always stay to the far right and don't feel compelled to take up the entire trail.
And whenever I pass someone and say, "On your left," they either ignore me, get the bejasus scared out of them, or hear the word "left" and move in that direction thereby making matters worse.
So I thought I'd solve that little problem by installing a little bell on my bike and unobtrusively ringing it as I approached a pedestrian or slower bicyclist. (There aren't many of those.)
Well boy was I ever upbraided. About the second person I came to was a lady walking her dog. Upon ringing my bell, she moved to the opposite side of the trail as her dog, held his leash about neck-high and asked, quite sarcastically, "Did you want to go by?" I guess she felt the bell was not an acceptable way of begging her permission to pass her. She wanted me to say the exact magic phrase (perhaps "on your left?") before she could grant access to half of the trail.
So I said, "No! I just ring the bell to see what kind of Pavlovian reaction I would get out of you and your dog."
Okay, so I didn't actually say that, but thought of it about ten minutes later. I never think of good retorts until about ten minutes after the fact and far away from the intended target. I'm a delayed-release smart mouth.
So here's my point: Is there really any good way to pass people on the trail? It seems like no matter what you do, it's wrong about 50% of the time.
Now it's your turn. Let us know what you do when you pass people on the trail. Does it work?

"On your left"