Friday, March 02, 2012

Bicycling safety ... two more links ... it's the drivers, stupid.

From the East Coast:

We Need 'Broken Windows' for Traffic Crimes (The Atlantic Cities blog)

There's outrage in New York City over how many drivers get away with killing people every year. Here's one idea to help save lives.

And from the Guardian in the UK:

Cycling: on your bikes ... Bicycle safety will come through changes in attitude and in the law, but it also needs investment

The social prize now is to turn this greater awareness and engagement into something really practical, lasting and safe, by leaning hard on planners and road and vehicle designers to integrate big improvements in bicycle safety.
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3 comments:

  1. dan chandler12:22 PM

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  2. dan chandler12:23 PM

    The Dutch example is simply amazing. It's also instructive in light of the large number of bike fatalities in Southern Indiana in the last couple months. But one need not leave the region to find cities making their roads safer for cyclists.

    Louisville, Lexington, Bloomington, Carmel, Goshen, Indianapolis, and South Bend all have sought and received “Bike Friendly Community” status by the League of American Cyclists. Two years ago, the Indiana list included only two entrants; today it has five. The main difference between these cities and New Albany is not money. It is priorities.

    Eligibility for “Bike Friendly Community” status is judged on a points system. Most items that earn points require government leadership. For example, neighborhood volunteers cannot install their own bike lane. However, there is at least one area where volunteers can play a role: education.

    The League of American Cyclists has a Louisville chapter. They have members nationally certified to give bike education classes. If memory serves correct, they have a three different course options, but a standard model would be 10 hours of training (over several days) for about a dozen cyclists. The total cost for the instructor was something like $180-200 per 10 hour course.

    Mike Kopp and I discussed DNA making a grant proposal to Horseshoe Foundation to help fund a couple of years of regular classes. The request also would have included funding for awards (helmets, bike shop gift cards, etc.) to entice regular attendance. There may have been the option of classes for NAPD regarding enforcement awareness. I believe (not cannot recall specifically) the YMCA was open to providing space for classes. Mike briefly discussed the idea with Jerry Finn who seemed open to the idea.

    Unfortunately, we just missed the prior grant cycle. Before the next grant cycle began, job changes on my part prevent pursuing the idea further. All the pieces seem to be there. I hope someone reading here can put them all together.

    www.bikeleague.org

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  3. dan chandler12:33 PM

    A couple more notes.

    The City of Louisville funds these courses in Jefferson Co., paid for 100% with public funds. Also, any New Albany program should include a variety of advertising modes to reach a broad audience. The goal is to build a safe and active bike culture on this side of the river. That takes times.

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