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In 2002 the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated a historical marker to the career of this famous American bicycle racer. The plaque is located at 1103 State Street in the City of Erie and reads: "A champion racer during the bicycle craze that swept the United States in the 1890s. After racing locally for several years, he competed against bicyclists from other states and nations in major contests between 1896 and 1906; foremost among these were the six-day team races at the old Madison Square Garden in New York. Maya lived here as a boy above his family's business, which he later managed on his return to Erie in 1907." Otto Maya was an American cyclist from Erie, Pennsylvania who during his life time witnessed the development of the bicycle as both a business and recreational means of transportation. He as well experienced the immense popularity of bicycle racing in the 1890s where spectators by the thousands would flock to the wooden cycling track to witness the speed, thrills and spills of cycle racing. Otto was born in 1876 and started racing professionally when he was eighteen years old in 1894. Between 1899 and 1902 Otto Maya raced in 6 six-day races, always capturing a podium placing. He won three six-day races: in Boston at the Revere Beach Cycle Track in 1901 partnered with James B. Bowler and as well in Boston at the Park Street Garden in 1902 with Floyd McFarland. He also was victorious in Philadelphia in 1902 partnered with Howard Freeman. Otto placed second in the first team six-day bicycle race in 1899 at Madison Square Garden New York, partnered with the Canadian cycling star Archie McEachern. In December 1901 at the Madison Square Garden six-day race in New York Otto was partnered with fellow Pennsylvanian Lester Wilson and they worked well together coming in second place. The last six-day race that we have information of Otto participating in was the 4th New York Madison Square Garden six-day race, partnered again with Floyd Mc

New York may have dropped in a recent ranking of cycling cities. But it does have some world class infrastructure, including a "complete street" on 9th Avenue, with a protected bike lane. Built in 2007, it was controversial at the time (like everything else bike-related in the city). But a study by the Department of Transport finds that it's paid dividends economically. Local stores between 23rd and 31st streets have seen a 49% increase in sales, compared to an average of 3% for Manhattan as a whole. The DOT doesn't give an explanation. But other research has shown similar things. While bikers tend to spend less per visit than drivers, they spend more over a month, according to one Portland study. Bike advocates note that you can park more bikes in a limited space than you can family-sized vehicles.

You knew bicycling was good for your health and good for the planet, but did you know it was good for your business as well? It seems every day there's more research confirming that people who bike to work are happier, more productive, and take fewer sick days.

Since the recession, the meatpacking district, between Ninth Avenue and the Hudson River, and the flatiron district near Broadway have seen the biggest upticks in rents and greatest decreases in availability rates, based on the firm's analysis of data by CoStar Group Inc. Those areas have also experienced upgrades to streets, including new bike lanes and expanded pedestrian spaces.

Included in their laws are electronic wireless usage. 12-1-35 VULNERABLE ROAD USERS. (a) In this section, a Vulnerable Road User means: (1) a pedestrian, including a runner, physically disabled person, child, skater, highway construction and maintenance worker, tow truck operator, utility worker, other worker with legitimate business in or near the road or right-of-way, or stranded motorist or passenger; (2) a person on horseback; (3) a person operating equipment other than a motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, a bicycle, handcycle, horse-driven conveyance, or unprotected farm equipment; or (4) a person operating a motorcycle, moped, motor-driven cycle, or motor-assisted scooter. (b) An operator of a motor vehicle passing a vulnerable road user operating on a highway or street shall: (1) vacate the lane in which the vulnerable road user is located if the highway has two or more marked lanes running in the same direction; or (2) pass the vulnerable road user at a safe distance. (c) For the purpose of Subsection (b)(2), when road conditions allow, safe distance is at least: (1) three feet if the operator's vehicle is a passenger car or light truck; or (2) six feet if the operator's vehicle is a truck, other than a light truck, or a commercial motor vehicle as defined by Texas Transportation Code Section 522.003. (d) An operator of a motor vehicle that is making a left turn at an intersection, including an intersection with an alley or private road or driveway, shall yield the right-of-way to a vulnerable road user who is approaching from the opposite direction and is in the intersection, or is in such proximity to the intersection as to be an immediate hazard. (e) An operator of a motor vehicle may not overtake a vulnerable road user traveling in the same direction and subsequently mak

Leerone Nesmith said he sometimes finds sharing the road to be a bit of a squeeze. Nesmith, 66, of Erie, rides his bicycle every day, weather permitting, and said he is occasionally overtaken by motor vehicles that come too close to him when they pass. "It can be a little nerve-racking. You have to keep watching traffic real close," he said. Changes to Pennsylvania's Vehicle Code that took effect a year ago require motorists to stay at least 4 feet from bicyclists when passing them on the road. Nesmith said he's familiar with the new law but doesn't believe everyone is aware of the changes. "Some come pretty close to you," said Nesmith, who has never been in an accident while riding his bike. The education continues as the Erie region heads into a new bike-riding season. Sgt. Jeff Annunziata, a traffic investigator with the Erie Bureau of Police, said he first heard of the law change from a citizen and learned more about it later during police updates. Annunziata said he's not sure the newly designated passing "buffer" will help much in cutting down accidents involving bicycles and other vehicles. The biggest problems Annunziata says he sees are motorists not paying attention to bicyclists, and bicyclists not paying attention to other traffic and not knowing the rules of the road. "The avid bike riders absolutely know the rules, but others don't," he said. "Probably 90 percent of the accidents involving bikes in the city are probably caused by bike riders not paying attention." The bulk of the attention given to the vehicle code changes adopted under Act 3 of 2012, signed by Gov. Tom Corbett in February 2012, centered on the distance vehicles must stay from bicyclists when passing. It's the greatest distance established by any of the 25 states that have specific distance requirements in their traffic laws. Two states have distance requirements of at least 2 feet, while 22 require a distance of at least 3 feet, according to data compiled by the League of Am

2013 Medical Campus in line for transportation grants, Business First, 4/9/13 Recycle-A-Bicycle Program In Action, Buffalo Rising, 4/8/2013 Call For Works: People Powered Movement @ Main (St)udios, Buffalo Rising, 4/7/13 Play Streets offers a tool to combat childhood obesity, Buffalo News, 3/24/13 GObike Buffalo seeking Play Streets instructors and volunteers,

Madison Avenue is a small part of a much broader network of planned designated bicycle lanes in Memphis, TN. Yet plans to implement designated bicycle lanes have been met with opposition, largely through the prevalence of widespread misinformation. This site seeks to clear up any ambiguities that may exist about the benefits of bicycle lanes as they specifically relate to Madison Avenue. Last summer, Mayor AC Wharton committed to the construction of 55 miles of bicycle lanes in the City of Memphis over the next two years. You can see his release here: Giving Memphis the Bike-Friendly City You Deserve After a public meeting and a period of public input, the City of Memphis Bikeway/Pedestrian Coordinator recently submitted a formal recommendation to Mayor AC Wharton that bike lanes be striped on Madison. See his full recommendation here: Bikeway/Pedestrian Coordinator's Formal Recommendation to the Mayor

Imagine getting a $3,000 to $12,000 tax rebate this year. Now imagine it coming again and again. Every year it grows by around a thousand dollars. Imagine how this would change your daily life. Sounds like a teabagger's wet dream, but it's actually a conservative estimate of how much you'd save by ditching your car, or even just one of your cars - and getting on a bicycle instead. Car-centric conditions don't always make it easy to choose the bicycle. Communities designed exclusively for motor vehicles impose a major financial penalty on those who are compelled to take on the expense of driving. But if you're one of those who lives in a bike-friendlier place, you'll be doing your local business community a good turn and padding Uncle Sam's pockets as well as your own if you trade four wheels for two.

"Cycling should be made feasible, convenient, and safe for everyone; for women, as well as men, for all age groups, and for a wide range of physical abilities. The authors of this book take the view that cycling should not be limited to cyclists who are highly trained, fit, and daring enough to do battle with motor vehicles on busy roads. As demonstrated in many chapters, getting children, seniors, and women on bikes requires provision of safer and more comfortable cycling conditions than currently exist in most American, Australian, and British cities." (page xii)

But when Atomic Object put a single bike rack outside its Grand Rapids office, "all of a sudden, there were more bikes than could be secured, so we added another," said Mary O'Neill, business manager of the Grand Rapids-based software development company, which also has an office in Detroit. "Then we realized there were people who wanted to bike in all seasons of the year, so we looked at a place to store bikes inside," O'Neill said. Despite humble Census numbers, more employers in Grand Rapids may be pushed by their workers to follow Atomic Object's lead as the city government works to become more bicycle-friendly and encourage more people to pedal to work. Grand Rapids officials - believing that if they build it, people will pedal - are putting together a 100-mile urban bike network. City officials would like to see 2 percent of the workforce riding bikes to work and dream of being a bicycling mecca like Ann Arbor. In that city, nearly 5 percent of the workforce - or 2,782 of the 56,646 working adults, according to the 2011 Census report - get to work on bikes, the highest percentage of bicycle commuters in Michigan.

Abstract: Pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails, can all be used for transportation, recreation, and fitness. These types of infrastructure have been shown to create many benefits for their users as well as the rest of the community. Some of these benefits are economic, such as increased revenues and jobs for local businesses, and some are non-economic benefits such as reduced congestion, better air quality, safer travel routes, and improved health outcomes. While other studies have examined the economic and non-economic impacts of the use of walking and cycling infrastructure, few have analyzed the employment that results from the design and construction of these projects. In this study we estimate the employment impacts of building and refurbishing transportation infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. We analyze various transportation projects and use state-specific data to estimate the number of jobs created within each state where the project is located.