As public meetings are held throughout the state this month (including TODAY’S workshop in Lewes!) to get feedback on proposals to connect cities and towns in Delaware with “bicycle highways”, DFM News’ Patrick Mairs hit the trails to get first hand reaction to the effort to make the First State more bike-friendly.

RELATED:

• 3 Counties. 3 Workshops. 1 Plan.

• See the World-Class Statewide Network of Pathways and Trails Governor Markell Proposes to Build

• Delaware House and Senate Pass “Walkable, Bikeable Delaware”

• Delaware General Assembly Votes Millions For Bicycling

• Governor Markell proposes $13M to “make Delaware one of the most walkable and bikeable states in America.”

By Katy Bowman — Mark Deshon, 56, of Newark, often takes leisurely bike rides along local trails on the weekends for fun. But his bike through the city every Monday through Friday is strictly business.

Every weekday, as long as the weather permits, Deshon – an assistant policy scientist who has worked at the University of Delaware for 32 years – straps a helmet on his head and a backpack on his shoulders, and hops on his Trek 1200 to pedal 2.5 miles south on Route 273 to his office in downtown Newark.

“I do it every day that it’s not pouring rain like it was this morning,” he said on Tuesday. (He caught a ride on the campus shuttle in the pouring rain that morning.) “I’ve basically biked to work every day for 30 years. I’ve never purchased a UD parking permit all these years.”

When he gets to work, he feels awake and ready to take on the day – and his wallet is better off without the gas payments, he said.

Deshon is a member of the Newark Bicycle Committee, which meets at 4 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month at WILMAPCO office on Library Avenue. He said the group is open to anyone who has an interest in “furthering biking in Newark,” and could stand to benefit from more input from Newark residents.  [Continue reading ...]

Mark Deshon addresses the crowd at last year’s soggy Bike to Work Day in Newark. The weather this year looks promising.

Senators and Representatives are meeting now to create a final transportation bill, and we need your help to protect the funds that the Senate designated for local biking and walking programs.

National advocates are working to preserve the Cardin-Cochran agreement. This agreement was part of the Senate bill passed two months ago with bipartisan support. It allows local governments and school systems to access much-needed funds to make bicycling and walking safer and more accessible, in response to local needs. The agreement does not increase the overall size of the transportation bill, it simply maintains a funding stream that local governments have used for over 20 years to provide their citizens with a variety of safe transportation options.

Please thank our members of Congress for their support of bike/ped funding in the Transportation Bill. You can easily do so on-line HERE with this interactive letter. Since Delaware’s top 3 – Rep. Carney, Sen. Carper, and Coons – stand solidly behind us, the letter should be modified as less of an ask and more as a THANKS.

Funding for bicycling and walking has very popular support – a recent Princeton survey found that 83 percent of Americans support federal funds for sidewalks and bike lanes.

Please act now. Though they support us, they still need to hear from us, their constituents. Fill in your zip code, modify the letter into more of a thank you as recommended above, add your contact info and simply hit “Send Message”.

Anthony Aglio, DelaDOT’s Bicycling Coordinator, taking questions during last year’s National Bike Summit.

From CapeGazette.com

Lewes — Six high school students riding bikes home from school en masse is a throwback to a time long forgotten. It shouldn’t be headline news that students bike home from school, but in this car-crazy world, it’s unusual to see teenagers on bicycles.

To drive – that is to bike – home a point, bike advocates, school and elected officials gathered May 4 at Cape Henlopen High School to celebrate National Bicycle to School Day, which officially took place May 9. It was a time to reach a captive audience of high school students to talk about the importance of lifetime fitness and healthy eating habits.

John Ray, Delaware Department of Education physical and health education specialist and a former Cape High principal, said 40 percent of students in Delaware are overweight or obese. “This is way too high, and it’s something you can do something about,” he told the students gathered in the Cape gymnasium. “The goal of physical education is fit for life, and it’s important that you all take that challenge.”

“We are incredibly fortunate to live in a community that has adopted trails and adopted fitness,” said Cape Superintendent Kevin Carson. He said students do better in class and better in life if they choose a daily fitness regime combined with healthy eating habits. “Life will be a lot better for you if you take care of yourself everyday and every decade,” he said.  [Continue reading ...]

—
Photo above features Anthony Aglio, DelDOT’s Bicycle Coordinator on left, and Dan LaCombe, a Planner with DelDOT, leading the pack. By Ron MacArthur

Who is telling the truth?

Is it this one, claiming that 7% of bicycle-related accidents are hit from behind, or this one, saying cars run into bicyclists from behind only 3.8% of the time, or this one telling us getting hit from behind is extremely unlikely?

Or, is the League of American Bicyclists latest fact finding initiative “Every Bicyclist Counts” going to prove them all wrong, with current statistics showing that 1 in 4 crashes involve drivers hitting bicyclists from behind?

Since there is little about this on-line or in LAB’s website as of yet (nothing searchable, anyway) below is page 3 of a letter that came in the mail today, appealing for funds:

We already know how woefully inadequate the police and media are at reporting these tragedies. Do they accurately reconstruct the accident or crime scene before defaulting to bicyclist at fault? Most often, a hate-filled verdict is already delivered against the bicyclist in the comments section of a newspaper, even if the evidence clearly shows otherwise.

In reviewing the materials and website, we applaud the League for taking on this enormous challenge, to bring these depressing statistics up to date.

Reminder:  May 16th, 2012 is the Ride of Silence. The mission of the world wide Ride of Silence is to honor bicyclists killed by motorists, promote sharing the road, and provide awareness of bicycling safety. Click HERE for event details in Delaware (2 locations).

David Hembrow is the leading English-language blogger on cycling in the Netherlands.

Britain: More training but less cycling
April 11, 2012

….I have no doubt at all that those who train child cyclists in the UK do so with the best possible motives. However, effort shouldn’t be confused with success. Sadly, the effort of the people doing the training is being squandered on something which looks good in press releases (“More money for school cycle training” !) but doesn’t actually make any real difference. While British children are being trained in large numbers, this does not lead to them cycling. Conditions on the streets of the UK simply remain too unpleasant and too dangerous for more than a very small proportion of parents to allow their children to cycle.

Read entire article HERE>>>

“Cycling Proficiency” has failed British cyclists
November 7, 2011

…It is often not appreciated just how popular cycling once was in the UK. In 1949, more distance was covered each year by bike [472 km/per person/per year] than by car [406 km/per person/per year]. This is a remarkable level of cycle usage, and something that no nation, including the Netherlands, can claim today….

[60 years later, car usage in Britain had increased by a factor of 14X to 6,500 km/per person/per year, while bicycle usage simultaneously fell by a factor of 7X to ~ 80km/per person/per year]

…Cycle training, in all its forms, has not only failed to do anything at all to increase cycling rates in the UK, but it has also failed to do enough to stem a very rapid decline….

…I am, of course, not saying that cycle-training caused a decline in cycling. That’s not the case at all. Rather, as cars became more affordable they displaced cycling from Britain’s roads. Due to a lack of good alternatives, driving became the least bad option for most people….

…In my view, cycle training, especially of children, is valuable. However, it is only a small part of what is required. It can’t result in a higher cycling rate unless conditions are changed such that cycling becomes a desirable activity. Governments which want to increase cycling cannot rely merely on training. They have to invest in cycling infrastructure. The evidence shows that on its own, attempting to train cyclists to cope with ever degrading road conditions simply does not increase cycling rates…

Read entire article HERE>>>

Featured in The Atlantic Cities – Bicycling is such an integral part of life in the Netherlands, you might think that Dutch people are born knowing how to cycle.

They aren’t, of course. What’s kind of wonderful is the way that they learn.

It’s not just a matter of going to the park with a parent, getting a push, and falling down a bunch of times until you can pedal on your own. Dutch children are expected to learn and follow the rules of the road, because starting in secondary school – at age 12 – they are expected to be able to ride their bikes on their own to school, sometimes as far as nine or 10 miles.

Because this independent travel for children is valued in Dutch society, education about traffic safety is something that every Dutch child receives. There’s even a bicycle road test that Dutch children are required to take at age 12 in order to prove that they are responsible cycling citizens.

This emphasis on early education in the rules of the road doesn’t simply result in well-mannered and safe bike riders who use the excellent cycling infrastructure on Dutch streets responsibly. It also means that everyone in the society understands what it is to be a cyclist. All the people driving cars have had experience on bikes. They can look at cyclists and think, “That could be me.”

How different from the way people on bicycles, or pedestrians for that matter, are perceived in the United States, with its mostly substandard infrastructure and wildly differing laws about biking (you must use the sidewalk, you cannot use the sidewalk, etc.). Here, drivers often see bike riders as nuisances or outright adversaries, whether they are obeying the law or not. Anyone who’s ever ridden a bicycle has experienced the rage. If you haven’t, take a lok at a few comments on a recent CNN article about bicycling injuries  [Continue reading ...]

Meanwhile, back in the U.S., not only are juveniles expected to drive, the values of automobile dominance are instilled from infancy in the toys and entertainment parents choose. In Delaware, children are even penalized for not taking Driver Education before a certain age.

See the future of cycling in New Castle County on Monday:

Public Workshop
First State Trails & Pathways Initiative
Monday, May 14, from 4 to 7 p.m.
WILMAPCO
850 Library Avenue, Suite 100, Newark

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and WILMAPCO are holding a Public Workshop regarding the First State Trails & Pathways Initiative, which will highlight these New Castle County projects:

•  New Castle Industrial Track Trail

•  Newark to Wilmington Pathway                                                        

•  Pomeroy Trail                                                                 

•  C & D Canal Trail

•  C& D Branch Canal Trail                                                                  

•  Southern NCCo Pathways                          

•  Talley Road Pathway                                                     

•  City of Wilmington – Brandywine to Christina Trail

•  Auburn Heights Preserve

•  White Clay Creek State Park – Tri-Valley Trail

•  White Clay Creek State Park – Hopkins Road connector at the Pomeroy Trail

•  Brandywine Park – Northern Delaware Greenway Trail

•  Lums Pond State Park trail improvements

•  Delaware City – gateway to the C&D Canal Trail 

There will not be formal presentations, but display boards and other information will be provided. The public is encouraged to come to the workshops and discuss the projects with planning personnel on-hand or to submit written comments and ideas.

Interested persons are invited to express their views in writing.  Comments will be received during the workshop or can be mailed to DelDOT Public Relations, P.O. Box 778, Dover, DE 19903. When applicable, we offer the opportunity to fill out a questionnaire online which will automatically get emailed to Public Relations.  For further information contact Public Relations at 1-800-652-5600 (in DE) or 302-760-2080, write to the above address, or visit the Delaware Trails and Pathways web site.

RELATED:

• 3 Counties. 3 Workshops. 1 Plan.

• See the World-Class Statewide Network of Pathways and Trails Governor Markell Proposes to Build

• Delaware House and Senate Pass “Walkable, Bikeable Delaware”

• Delaware General Assembly Votes Millions For Bicycling

• Governor Markell proposes $13M to “make Delaware one of the most walkable and bikeable states in America.”

See the future of cycling in Sussex County on Thursday:

Public Workshop
First State Trails & Pathways Initiative
Thursday, May 17, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Lewes City Hall
114 East 3rd Street, Lewes

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) are holding a Public Workshop regarding the First State Trails & Pathways Initiative, which will highlight these Sussex County projects:

• Georgetown to Lewes Rail to Trail

• Junction & Breakwater Trail – Showfield Extension          

• Fred Hudson Road Pathway

• Delaware Seashore State Park Fresh Pond Area – trail connector between Route 1 and Fred Hudson Road

• Delaware Seashore State Park Thompson Island Preserve – Thompson Island Trail

• Cape Henlopen State Park – Gordons Pond Trail

• Assawoman Canal Trail

• Trap Pond State Park – Loblolly Trail connector along Wootten Road

There will not be formal presentations, but display boards and other information will be provided. The public is encouraged to come to the workshops and discuss the projects with planning personnel on-hand or to submit written comments and ideas.

Interested persons are invited to express their views in writing.  Comments will be received during the workshop or can be mailed to DelDOT Public Relations, P.O. Box 778, Dover, DE 19903. When applicable, we offer the opportunity to fill out a questionnaire online which will automatically get emailed to Public Relations.  For further information contact Public Relations at 1-800-652-5600 (in DE) or 302-760-2080, write to the above address, or visit the Delaware Trails and Pathways web site.

RELATED:

• 3 Counties. 3 Workshops. 1 Plan.

• See the World-Class Statewide Network of Pathways and Trails Governor Markell Proposes to Build

• Delaware House and Senate Pass “Walkable, Bikeable Delaware”

• Delaware General Assembly Votes Millions For Bicycling

• Governor Markell proposes $13M to “make Delaware one of the most walkable and bikeable states in America.”

By David Dooley, DART Transit — As part of May’s focus on Bike Month and Bicycling, the Wilmington Bicycle Advisory Committee is looking for volunteers to conduct DART’s 3rd Annual Bicycle Count in the City of Wilmington.

There are 11 selected locations (refer to above Map). Therefore, we need a minimum of 11 volunteers, but would welcome a “buddy-buddy” system if you have someone in mind.

WHEN:  Thursday May 17^th – Next Week!

TIME: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

WHERE:  11 intersections within the City of Wilmington (reference map above).

Please contact David Dooley if you can volunteer, and state your preferred location:  david.dooley@state.de.us