Bike Erie

2012 Tour Across Pennsylvania Erie County YMCA Bike Tour for Strong Kids- Week long tour of Pennsylvania September 23rd-29th , 2012. For additional details on this YMCA tour contact Craig Latimer at the YMCA or YMCA Tour Contact 2012 MS Bike - Cook Forest River Ride The ride is held Saturday, September 22nd. The Cook Forest River Ride as a one-day bike ride that takes cyclists on a gently rolling route along the Clarion River. It's a fun, fitness filled day for cyclists of all levels. This year, there are two route options: 35 miles for beginners and a more challenging 60 mile option for the avid cyclists. For more information, etc visit our website MS Cook Forest River Ride 2012 Pedal the Lakes Greenville, PA, Saturday, September 29th, 2012. This tour benefits the Mercer County Trail Association. Tour lengths of 10, 30, 65, 100 and 125 miles will be available. There also are free meals, primitive camping, and live music are also available with a paddle of the Shenango River on Sunday, September 30th if you wish to stay over. Details are available at the Trails web site Mercer County Trails. Application is available here '12 Pedal the Lakes Application Gran Fondo of the Alleghenies - October 13, 2012 includes 30, 60 and 100 mile routes through the Allegheny National Forest in Warren and Sheffield areas of PA. Details and application at Warren Adventures Web Site. Registration is available on BikeReg.

Describing the four general categories of transportation cyclists in Portland and their differing needs best precedes a discussion of bikeway treatments. For lack of better terminology, Portlanders can be placed into one of the four following groups based on their relationship to bicycle transportation[2]: "The Strong and the Fearless," "The Enthused and the Confident," "The Interested but Concerned." The fourth group are non-riders, called the "No Way No How" group. Survey after survey and poll after poll has found again and again that the number one reason people do not ride bicycles is because they are afraid to be in the roadway on a bicycle. They are generally not afraid of other cyclists, or pedestrians, or of injuring themselves in a bicycle-only crash. When they say they are "afraid" it is a fear of people driving automobiles. This has been documented and reported in transportation literature from studies, surveys and conversations across the US, Canada, and Europe.

Westerville Bike Hub - 4 Season Amenity It'll be central Ohio's first such rest stop along the Ohio to Erie Trail, a 325-mile, mostly off-road route between Cleveland and Cincinnati. The hub can help make Westerville a destination, said Christa Dickey, city spokeswoman. "People can stop in Westerville as a midway point on one of the longer excursions and have access to the Uptown area, free Wi-Fi and an opportunity to safely park your bike and belongings."

See pages 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, and 26 Countywide: TE Line Item: Countywide transportation enhancements funding for eligible project categories (e.g., ped / bike, scenic / historic preservation, archaeological planning) administered jointly by the County and PennDOT TE Line-Item - was assumed to include 100% of the applicable TE revenues, minus any "already programmed" TE projects on the 2011-2014 TIP. All TE projects must relate to surface transportation within one or more of the 12 eligible activities listed in specific program guidance and requirements for Erie County. PennDOT's guidance on Developing Regional Long Range Plans indicates that successful plans should "Emphasize Planning, not Programming". To that end, policy-level guidance is included within the 2040 LRTP to provide consistent and meaningful direction for the MPO and stakeholders towards achieving the plan's overall goals and objectives. The guidance focuses on several areas including: * General Planning Practices * Land Use Planning * Economic Vitality * Multimodal Transportation Safety * Multimodal Transportation Security * Roadway System * Pedestrian / Bicycle / Trail Network * Public Transportation * Rail Service * Air Travel * Waterborne Transportation * System Sustainability and Livability * System Efficiency and Preservation The plan encompasses all projects selected as part of the Erie LRTP's Decision Lens evaluation and screening process, all projects currently included on the 2011-2014 TIP, and additional interstate maintenance, transit, and airport projects that are funded or programmed through separate sources. Fiscal constraint and a reasonable set of expectations as to projects that can be implemented throughout the life of the plan were maintained through comparison to the established time periods and revenue assumptions listed below: * Period "0" = 2011-2012, or the remainder of the ongoing 2011-2012 TIP projects. * Period

Help your child develop independent bike-riding skills on a two-wheeler. Ready, Set, Ride! is an innovative program that helps youngsters learn to ride a two-wheeler bicycle. It is held on four consecutive weekends during the summer in Erie and Warren. The program was developed for children with special needs, but is open to any child who is able to pedal and steer a bike but has not yet been successful in learning to ride without training wheels. It is ideal for youngsters with: Autism Down syndrome Mild cerebral palsy Sensory issues Behavioral issues Children should be at least seven years old and have a bike and helmet. A limited number are also available for use. The cost of the program is $90, but may be covered through an FSS allocation. Scholarships are also available. Ready, Set, Ride! sessions will be held: Erie: Saturdays, July 16, 23, 30, and August 6; 9-10 a.m. and 10:15-11:15 a.m. ; BNI West parking lot. Warren: Sundays, August 7, 14, 21, and 28. 9 - 10 a.m. and 10:15 - 11:15 a.m.; Warren YMCA, 212 Lexington Avenue, Warren, PA 16365 For more information about Ready, Set, Ride!, call (814) 874-5671.

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

Middle school will not allow students to bike to school.

This is a story about a forgotten working class pioneer cyclist in England that was made into a opera.  This guy's story was pretty amazing about how he would bicycle to a race and back home.  He won a silver medal in the 1920 Olympics.  The city is Scunthorpe and has a similar story too with factory jobs leaving the area.  I wonder about the story of our hometown hero, Otto Maya.

Security escorts on bikes.

Reporting on the value of investing in Bike/Pedestrian Infrastructure.

Assuming a one-to-one tradeoff between vehicle trips and non-motorized trips, the DOT report estimated that the program conserved 1.67 million gallons of gasoline and averted more than 30.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions between 2007 and 2010. The report also noted that the increase in non-motorized travel and the decrease in automobile trips resulted in notable reductions in other air pollutants that contribute to health problems. It estimates that boosting the amount of pedestrian and bicycle activity in these communities reduced the economic cost of mortality by about $6.9 billion in 2007. Doctors and the broader public health community have long been advocating increasing opportunities for biking and walking as a cost-effective strategy to reduce illness and wasteful spending on reactive health care. The U.S. DOT report, "Report to the U.S. Congress on the Outcomes of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program", is available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/ntpp/2012_report/final_report_april_2012.pdf.

Bicycle advocate Guide to making campaigns work for bicycling and walking.

We are not going to let 20 years of progress in biking and walking come to a halt! It's true that the new federal transportation bill - MAP-21 - has slashed guaranteed funding for biking and walking.

When it comes to walking, many businesses understand pretty intuitively the value of fostering good foot traffic - the ones that are surviving, anyway. With bicycling, however, a lot of business owners and political decision-makers just don't get it at all. When Elly Blue wrote "Why an additional road tax for bicyclists would be unfair," which was later followed by a series of posts on Grist under the banner of bikenomics, I started to view bicycling under a completely different lens. This view and emphasis on economics has influenced my own writing and advocacy ever since. Elly Blue (left) & April Economides (right) At Pro Walk-Pro Bike April Economides, principle of Green Octopus Consulting, who headed up the program to create bicycling friendly business districts in Long Beach, is another voice in the bike movement who has been emphasizing economics. She was recently hired by Bike Nation to manage their bike share program proposed in Long Beach. Blue and Economides got together for the first time for a presentation at Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike titled "Bikenomics & the Business Case for Bike-Friendly Business Districts". Their presentations complimented each other very well, with Blue setting up some of the conceptual framework for why looking at the economics of bicycling is important, while Economides outlined the nuts and bolts of the outreach and programs done so far in Long Beach. April encouraged people early on in her talk "to engage the business community; we can't just preach to the choir". Some of the most well known aspects of the Long Beach bicycle-friendly business districts are the discounts participating businesses offer for those arriving on bike, and the themed bike racks selected by and installed for businesses. Each business district also received its own cargo bike to be used by businesses for whatever use they may find for them. Given the difficulty of finding places to either buy or rent such utilitarian bicycles throughout most

Great read for understanding what goes into starting a nonprofit.

Barriers to Municipal Planning for Pedestrians and Bicyclists in North Carolina Authors: Kelly R. Evenson, Semra A. Aytur, Sara B. Satinsky, Daniel A. Rodríguez Background: The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends implementing community- and street-scale urban design, as well as land use policies and practices, to promote walking and bicycling. To better understand barriers to municipal walking and bicycling projects and policies, we surveyed municipal staff in North Carolina.  Methods: We surveyed all 121 municipalities with at least 5,000 persons, and 62% responded. We also surveyed 216 of 420 municipalities with less than 5,000 persons, and 50% responded. The municipal staff member most knowledgeable about walking and bicycling planning was asked to complete the survey. Responses were weighted to account for the sampling design, to reflect prevalence estimates for all North Carolina municipalities. Results: Common barriers to walking and bicycling projects and policies were selected from a 14-item list. For walking, barriers included lack of funding (93% of responding municipalities), other infrastructure priorities (79%), automobile infrastructure priorities (66%), and staffing challenges (65%). For bicycling, barriers included lack of funding (94% of responding municipalities), other infrastructure priorities (79%), automobile infrastructure priorities (73%), issues were not high priorities for the municipality (68%), staffing challenges (68%), and insufficient support from residents (63%). Barriers generally were more prevalent among rural municipalities than among urban municipalities (9 of 14 barriers for walking and 5 of 14 for bicycling; P < .10). limitations The study relied on 1 respondent to report for a municipality. Additionally, job titles of respondents varied with municipality  size.  Conclusions: Health professionals and multidisciplinary partners can assist in overcoming the common local- and state-level barriers

National bike challenge can be individual or team effort.  There are prizes for the top riders.

A few stats immediately leap out at you: For one, 70% of America's car trips are shorter than 2 miles, which translates to about an easy 10-minute bike ride. One can lose 13 pounds in a year, just from riding to work?!  If you're trying to fight cars as an American politician, you'll be out of work fast. Especially since, as of this moment, only a tiny .6% of all errands and trips in this country are made via bikes. But the last panel does actually suggest that change isn't totally impossible. Portland, which is covered with relatively new bike lanes, has 6% of its population commuting by bike; ridership across the country is growing.

Biking & Walking in MAP-21 Congress passed a new federal transportatin law, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), in June 2012. The law significantly cuts available funding for biking and walking projects, but also presents an opportunity for Americans to encourage state and local governments to fully utilize available funds to make biking and walking safer and more convenient.