Youtube: Bicycling in DC
4 years agoA little corner of the world to my love of all things bicycle.
Sec. 211 of the Bailout/Rescue package includes this tax credit ($20/month) for employers who reimburse their bicycle commuting employees for reasonable expenses. Reasonable expenses include: “reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.”
Interesting that every sector of the bike industry is experiencing the same increased demand…for servicing old beaters, to producing the latest tech. I’ll be happier when we see more middling-market production meeting demand. I’m convinced the technological side of the solution to this shared problem is:
A hybrid bike with comfortable seat and upright position, enough decent gears and shifters, an integrated cargo rack, an acceptable weight, and a competitive price. That’ll get more folks out of their cars, for at least a fraction of the work week.
“[T]hese charming folks have created a linked network for hikers (3,914 miles/6,300 km), touring cyclists (5,281 miles/8,500 km), mountain bikers (2,050 miles/3,300 km), inline skaters (683.5 miles/1,100 km) and canoeists (115 miles/250 km), all marked across the independent 26 cantons of Switzerland. The system of trails will use over 100,000 standardized signposts with different markings for national, regional and local routes, for all the various forms of human-powered mobility. Some 18,000 public transport routes connect with the network.” - National Geographic
SFBC News: First bicycle traffic signal in San Francisco!
Celebrate SF’s First Bicycle Traffic Signal at Fell/Masonic
Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and City leaders along with bicyclists, pedestrians and local media to celebrate the installation of San Francisco’s first ever bicycle traffic signal at the notoriously dangerous intersection of Fell/Masonic on the Panhandle Path. The celebration will begin at 11:30a.m. on Tuesday, September 23rd
The SFBC has spent years advocating for safety improvements at this intersection, and we are relieved that this safety fix is finally in place. This special traffic light separates the crossing light into two phases. Pedestrians and bicyclists will receive a green walk and green bicycle signal when it is their turn to cross, and then a separate green arrow will indicate when vehicles can turn left. These phases ensure that bicycles and pedestrians will not cross paths with left-turning cars.
Bicycle safety improvements like this one have been frozen since June 2006, when a court injunction required that an Environmental Impact Report of the City’s Bike Plan be completed. In May, the Superior Court lifted this injunction due to the high number of casualties at this intersection. We commend the MTA and the City Attorney’s Office for advocating to the Court on this public safety issue, and we urge them to do the same for other high-collision areas, as well as requesting that the Judge lift the ban on adding new bike racks, sharrows, and signage for cyclists.
4 years ago
