From WHNT
Verizon Wireless launched a new "Don't Text & Drive" ad campaign.
The last week, or so has been tough for so many people after several car accidents. Some were caused by speeding, some by alcohol, and some just by not paying attention to the road. Verizon, a company that serves close to 90 million customers, is now dialing your number to talk safety.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- A group of local cyclists is determined to make automobile-obsessed Huntsville safer for people on two wheels.
The year-old Bicycle Advisory and Safety Committee met Tuesday at City Hall to hear concerns and gather ideas from the public. And there was plenty of concern in the wake the city's third bicycle traffic death in 13 months.
Around 2:15 a.m. Saturday, 49-year-old cyclist Henry James Luhana was found dead near Oakwood Avenue.
Police first described it as a hit-and-run, but Capt. Rodney Baker said doubt remains until an autopsy is done. No witnesses have come forward, he said.
Much of Tuesday's discussion focused on rude drivers who don't like sharing the road with bicycles.
Savannah Clark, 15, said she and her friends have been tailgated and honked at while pedaling around Five Points.
"We're following the laws, but a lot of people in cars are yelling and cussing at us," she said. "So many times I've heard, 'You're supposed to be on the sidewalk.' "
City Administrator Rex Reynolds, a former city police chief, said Alabama should consider making it illegal for a driver to come within three feet of a bicyclist. Several other states already have a "three-foot rule," he said.
Mayor Tommy Battle created the task force on the heels of Sarah Chapman's death. The UAH student was killed while riding her bike on Technology Drive in September 2008. The driver of the sport utility vehicle that hit Chapman was never charged.
Baker said bicycle-car wrecks are fairly rare. There have been 16 reported so far this year out of about 7,000 total accidents citywide, he said.
Reynolds credited Battle with making bicycle safety a priority since taking office last November.
In recent months, the city has earmarked $5,000 for "Share the Road" signs, printed 10,000 bike route maps and had every police officer take a refresher course on bicycle laws.
In another fatality, Henry James Luhana, 49, was riding his bicycle near Washington Street and East Arbor Drive at about 2:14 a.m. Saturday when he was struck by an unknown vehicle, Webster said.
Luhana is the third bicycle rider killed on city streets in the last 13 months.
Horace Fletcher, 59, was killed in November when the bicycle he was riding collided with a van on Pulaski Pike.
In September 2008, Sarah Chapman, 20, was killed when the bicycle she was riding collided with a sport utility vehicle on Technology Drive.
"We have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieve greater prosperity and opportunity for all," says one Goldman Sachs adviser. But tell that to the people of Samson, Ala.
Editor's Note: The shocking transfer of public wealth to Wall Street's pockets is illustrated vividly in Mark Ames' article below, which covers some very disturbing recent events in Alabama, where billionaires and banks are squeezing the locals so hard that they're literally going bankrupt just for flushing their toilets, where violence and the threat of violence are reaching a boiling point and where even the Posse Comitatus Act is under threat.
One of this year's more disturbing stories that were ignored was the illegal Army occupation of Samson, Alab., in March following a shooting spree that raged across two towns by a disgruntled worker, leaving 11 people dead.
As I wrote at the time, Michael McLendon, 27, went on a killing rampage following years of relentless corporate exploitation and harassment against him, his mother (whom he mercy-killed), and the entire rural Alabama region, which suffered like so many parts of rural America at the hands of billionaire goons like chicken oligarch Bo Pilgrim of Pilgrim's Pride notoriety. read more here
Open Forum Coming up on Wednesday October 28th
This is just a reminder that Huntsville's BASC (Bicycle Advisory and
Safety Committee) is hosting a public forum.
This is your opportunity to brainstorm and think of cycling-related issues
we can discuss. List problems you have encountered as a cyclist in
Huntsville; think of ideas that may be solutions to these problems. We
want your constructive input on how BASC can work to better meet cyclists’
needs.
We are here to represent you - the cycling community of Huntsville. It is
our job to listen to your concerns and work to make Huntsville a more
bicycle-friendly city. In order for us to effectively do this, we need
your valuable feedback.
You can also post comments/ideas on the BASC blog at hsvbike.com.
I hope to see you all there!
—————————————————————————————————–
What: Public Forum Meeting
Who: Hosted by BASC and open to all citizens concerned with bicycling
issues in the Huntsville area.
When: October 28th, 5:00 PM
Where: City Council Chamber
League Announces Bike Friendly Areas
What the hell? We can go to the Moon ,but we can not achieve Bicycle Friendly status? WTF can we not do better?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN)—The League of American Bicyclists has unveiled 15 new Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) and three renewing BFCs.
Notably, 10 out of the 15 new award winners are from the Midwest to the East coast, disproving the myth that building great cities for cycling only works in the West. Three new states, Arkansas, Louisiana, and South Dakota have their first BFCs with this designation cycle.
"This round of applications had more communities in the east and Midwest than ever before that are investing wisely in bicycling," said League president Andy Clarke. "All areas of the U.S. are realizing the importance of bicycling."
Additionally, the American Community Survey (ACS) recently released their 2008 report, which includes community bicycle mode share percentages from 2000 to 2008. League BFCs had higher levels of bicycle commuting than cities not participating in the program. The average BFC bicycle commuter share is 1.5 percent, 2.5 times the national average.
read more here
and here is the list in case you are too lazy to read more
2009 Fall Bicycle Friendly Community Winners:
Breckenridge, CO - New Silver
Anchorage, AK - New Bronze
Baton Rouge, LA - New Bronze
Calistoga, CA - New Bronze
Grand Rapids, MI - New Bronze
Greensboro, NC - New Bronze
Greenville, SC - New Bronze
Indianapolis & Marion County, IN - New Bronze
Iowa City, IA - New Bronze
North Little Rock, AR - New Bronze
Riverside, CA - New Bronze
Sioux Falls, SD - New Bronze
Sonoma, CA - New Bronze
St. Louis, MO - New Bronze
Tallahassee, FL - New Bronze
Boca Raton, FL - Renewal Bronze
Chandler, AZ - Renewal Bronze
Eugene, OR - Renewal Gold
Huntsville Premier and one night only Thursday Oct 22rd 7pm Hollywood 18 (Next to Joe Davis Stadium)
Public Transportation, Schools, I think you get the point. I wonder if Ms. Moon is against relocating these people to South Huntsville? Seems like the bigger crime here is with the corporations that are poisoning people. I guess blaming it on the poor is sexier. Check out the comments on al.com the fucktards are at it again.
HUNTSVILLE, AL. -- State agents found potentially hazardous fuel byproducts near public housing downtown, launching a cleanup that could take a year and cost up to $5 million.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management this month found the contaminants in the soil around seven buildings at Searcy Homes, which sits downtown near the old railroad depot.
The property, once home to the Huntsville Manufactured Gas Plant, now belongs to the Huntsville Housing Authority. On Monday, during a board meeting, the authority made public the findings and announced a three-way agreement to clean up the area.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will supervise the cleanup. Alagasco, which long ago merged with the company that had operated the plant, will hire the cleanup crew and foot most of the bill. The authority will handle public relations and relocate families during the cleanup.
Susan Delenne, spokeswoman for Alagasco in Birmingham, said the investigation could continue for some time, but that removal of the contaminants is expected to be completed by the end of 2010. more here
She is and Engineering Genius!!!!!!!!
October 19, 2009. In a room full of Vancouver’s planning and transportation elite, Gordon Price (director of SFU’s City Program) introduced an event from SFU’s public lecture series, evoking New York City’s gritty and dangerous history, comparing it to a “fallen empire.” He feels that the success in recent years give it reason to be called “a resilient city” – acting as proof that cities can rebound – and aptly referencing the Gaining Ground conference this week. Our guest this evening, Janette Sadik-Khan is the commissioner for New York City’s Department of Transportation (DOT). An engineer by training, she is largely responsible for this transformation, rigorously analyzing ways to make streets more people oriented in one of the world’s largest most congested city. “It’s a war out there,” she said a few times. read more and learn something new
How do we get bikers to obey traffic laws?
By Christopher Beam
Posted Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, at 12:44 PM ET
Heading home from work yesterday, I ran five red lights and three stop signs, went the wrong way down a one-way street, and took a left across two lanes of oncoming traffic. My excuse: I was on a bike.
I'm far from the only menace on two wheels. A colleague was recently slapped with a moving violation after breezing through a stop sign. My roommate was pulled over 30 feet from our house for the same infraction. And driving around Washington, D.C., recently, I saw a cop scribbling out a ticket to a bewildered biker. read more here
In the United States traffic fatalities kill just over 40,000 per year, costing the nation $230.6 billion, or 2.3 percent of the gross domestic product, since 2000.
People in more compact metropolitan areas suffer from significantly fewer chronic medical conditions than their counterparts in more sprawling regions. For example people who live in neighborhoods with a mix of shops and businesses within easy walking distance have a 35 percent lower risk of obesity.
Each year air pollution triggers over a million asthma attacks, more than 47,000 cases of chronic bronchitis in adults and 540,000 cases of acute bronchitis in children and kills 70,000 people.
Vulnerable populations, such as seniors and minorities, who cannot or choose not to drive have a higher risk of being killed as a pedestrian. African-Americans make up approximately 12 percent of that population, but they account for 20 percent of pedestrian deaths. Native Americans are 1.5 times more likely to die from traffic crashes than anyone else.
read more here
A person was killed in a hit and run on Max Luther Drive overnight, police said.
Police said the victim was crossing Max Luther Drive just after midnight this morning and was apparently struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound on Max Luther. The victim's name is being withheld until family is notified.
Police said the person who hit the victim left the scene and police don't currently have a suspect.
First off he was ok just a bruised shoulder.
From Ken Kobayashi :
I was going eastbound on Old Madison Pike, just west of Diamond Dr, around 6:20 pm. I was on the right side of the outer lane, and with my taillights on. I was hit from the rear. By the time I noticed the headlights rapidly approaching in the rearview mirror, it was too late to do anything.
The driver said she didn't see me until the last second, when she tried to swerve but didn't make it. She didn't say *why* she didn't see me, I can't think of any good reason as the road had good visibility and my vehicle has large reflectors in the rear in addition to the taillight.
The police officer did say the car driver was at fault, but also made comments about how he'd seen me on the road many times and it's hard to see me because I'm so low. He also knew that I'd been hit before, and made sure I gave him the same vehicle information that I gave "to the other officer", which made me rather uncomfortable.
Strangers in their backyard????? I like that MS. Moon uses the word "extreme" so much. Seems fitting that some in south huntsville might be extremists. I think some of Ms. Moon' aggression might be tempered if she got out and exercised.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- South Huntsville residents could be getting another pretty place to break a sweat.
Last week, the City Council hired the Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood engineering firm to design a 2.5-mile extension of the popular Aldridge Creek Greenway.
The walking/jogging/cycling path currently runs from Mountain Gap Road south to the Tennessee River -- about 3.5 miles. The new piece would follow Aldridge Creek from Mountain Gap north to Valley Hill Golf & Country Club.
All that's missing is money to build it.
Assistant City Planning Director Marie Bostick said Huntsville has not had any luck attracting a transportation grant to help cover the estimated $500,000-per-mile construction cost.
But city officials decided to go ahead and pay $108,000 to have the greenway designed so the project would be ready to go once money becomes available, she said.
City Councilwoman Sandra Moon said several Todd Mill Road residents whose homes back up to Aldridge Creek are "extremely unhappy" about the new greenway.
"They see it as strangers in their backyard," she said Thursday.
However, Moon said she thinks most people in her south Huntsville district support the proposed exercise path.
There are already 15 miles of paved greenway scattered across the Rocket City. Several more segments are under construction, including major extensions of the Indian Creek, Flint River and Little Cove Road greenways.
Officials hope to eventually connect the pieces to create an exercise loop around the city.
Huntsville's 2010 capital budget includes $250,000 for greenway construction, Bostick said.
Populations
Tyler Texas 108,772
Huntsville AL. 176,645
How were they able to get someone to the moon from here?????
The Tyler City Council approved extending existing bicycle routes and creating exclusive bicycle lanes along city streets to address traffic congestion and enhance opportunities for alternative, multi-modal transportation.
The council approved improvements will extend the existing bicycle route on Amherst Street, create new routes on Sunnybrook Drive, Copeland Road and Grand Street from the intersection of 29th street to the intersection of Mims Street and create exclusive lanes for cyclists on Amherst Street and Sunnybrook Drive. The project will be completed internally at an expected cost of $1,500 for 26 expected signs and striping.
"Traffic was the number one concern identified by our citizens during the Tyler 21 comprehensive planning process," said Mayor Barbara Bass in a statement. "We have taken several decisive actions since the plan's adoption two years ago to mitigate traffic congestion."
Mayor Bass said the new lanes and routes are part of the city's effort to develop alternatives to single vehicle trips.
The new bicycle routes are designated roadways where cyclists share the road with vehicular traffic and will be identified by striping.
Signage, warning vehicles of the likely presence of cyclists, has been placed along the routes for safety.
The additional routes were recommended by the city's Traffic Safety Board.
The expansion is based on the city's master street plan to incorporate multi-modal transportation, including cyclist and pedestrian routes, within future thoroughfare projects. The street plan will also identify current streets where additional routes are viable. Connectivity is the long-term goal of creating multi-modal routes, said Communication Director Susan Guthrie. Ms. Guthrie said the plan calls for connecting major employment and recreation areas with multi-modal transportation opportunities for the public.
Traffic Safety Board Chairman Butch Willingham said there has been an increase in bicycle traffic within the city and that providing lanes for cyclists will promote bicycle use and enhance safety.
"Our goal is to put an infrastructure in place that will encourage cycling and provide a measure of protection," he said in a statement. "This is a long range goal that will take years to accomplish; however these new routes are a big step."
Jon Stewart slams Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions on Daily Show over rape amendment vote.
Comedy Central's Jon Stewart fired a broadside at Mobile Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions Wednesday on "The Daily Show" over Sessions' vote against a Defense spending bill amendment that would have barred the federal government from doing business with companies that ask employees to forgo their right to sue.
The amendment, which was put forward by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., stems from a 2005 incident where Haliburton/KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped at a Baghdad work site and then left in a railroad container car for more than a day. Jones had signed a contract waiving her right to sue in court but instead take any claims to an independent arbiter.
The Huffington Post Web site reported on the on-air pounding from Stewart over the vote.
Sessions, and Tuscaloosa Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, were among 30 Republicans who voted on Oct. 6 against the amendment. Sessions said during a floor speech that the government should not be in place to decide "such disputes."
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Rape-Nuts | ||||
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Think of it as “Survivor: Gas Pump Island.”
This week, four on-the-go Portland area families “fed up with fueling up” are facing off in the 2009 Drive Less Family Challenge and you can tune in on FaceBook.
“Drive Less. Save More.,” a punctuation-challenged group promoting reduced car trips in Oregon and Southwest Washington, sets the challenge up like this: “Jam-packed work and family schedules won't make the challenge easy, but our competitors are ready for the task!”
Whoever reduces the most miles this week wins the grand prize: a Samsung Mondi and 6 months of CLEAR Mobile Internet. They will also get a $300 stay at the Inn at Spanish Head on the Oregon coast, which we assume will require the winners to drive even more.
Ironic. read more here
The Alabama Bicycle Coalition Announces a Special Event:
Please help AlaBike cast a Long Shadow!
Sunday October
18
Ride, Dinner and a Movie at The Flying Monkey Arts
Lowe Mill, Huntsville, AL
2211 Seminole Dr 35801
Ride with World Champion Mike Olheiser !
Registration includes: Bike ride, Event T-shirt, Dinner at the Lowe Mill,
Olde Towne Beer,
AlaBike 2010 membership, and
A Movie - North Alabama Exclusive Premier of
Veer, the Movie
A feature-length film on Bike Culture
Registration at 2:00 pm
Rides roll out at 2:30 and 3 pm
Dinner and social from 5 to 6:30 pm
AlaBike Annual Meeting at 6:00 pm
Movie at 6:30 pm
Long Shadows Rally Registration Fee $40
Expanded fee schedule:
AlaBike member in good standing : $30
New or renewing (2010) student member: $35
New or renewing (2010) family membership (more than 1 person): $70
OR Pre-register at: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1800368
From the Mayor all the way down to this cop. If we dont have the city on board nothing will happen. BASC please start representing us!!!!!
Riding north on Whitesburg at 4.10pm on Saturday a car barely made it past me from behind. I think it must have cut in front of a pickup to get by me because the individuals in the pickup yelled at me as they passed by, then the pickup got in front of me in the right lane and slowed down and started braking in front of me. Another vehicle got inbetween the pickup and myself and the pickup and other vehicle turned right onto Lily Flagg.
I continued north on Whitesburg and just before reaching the light at Sherwood the same pickup came speeding up from behind me and swerved towards me then continued north on Whitesburg. I noted the time (4.20pm) and pulled over to the sidewalk and called the accident report number at HSV police department (722-7100) to give them the description of the vehicle (blue pickup with tinted windows, appeared to have 3 persons in vehicle) and tag number (Alabama 52A8255). When I asked to get a case number to file report I was given 427-7114 where I was told they could file the report. I continued to bike to my destination at the Lowe Mill and called the police report number given to me. When I called this number I was told to call the 722-7100 number and see if they would send someone out to my location to take the report. I called the number back and the individual that answered the phone seemed puzzled why I was told to call that number back, and when I asked if I was getting the runaround being told to call the different numbers, he said 'no, you're not getting the runaround', and put me on hold then told me to call 427-2009 and they would take the report there. When I called this number and said I wanted to file a report I was told that 'due to no contact involved, they could not file a police report.' I asked for the name of the officer who told me he was Officer Tucker and hung up.
Saw this sign this morning as I approached the
intersection of Hastings and Drake an area with
a lot of bicycle traffic and place of complaint for
many cyclist.
We all remember the serial bank robber from the Atlanta area who evaded police on a bicycle now another clever bank robber is cleaning up and cashing-N in Houston.
Authorities say the thief put an undisclosed amount of cash into a paper bag bearing a Starbuck’s logo. He then escaped on a bicycle. The bicycle was recovered by investigators near the scene
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Aubrey Langford, 11, was busy tearing strips of yellow, green and purple duct tape and putting them on her bicycle handlebars and seat while Leela Pahl was wrapping the spokes with tin foil.
The two had teamed up Sunday on the first Community Bike Day, which drew some 80 participants and 17 volunteers to the Seminole Boys and Girls Club on Clinton Avenue.
"It's fun," said Aubrey, a sixth grader at Westlawn. She also decorated her helmet to match her bike.
It was difficult to tell who was having more fun - the kids or volunteers such as Pahl, who pedals to work each day at Alabama A&M University.
"This is a great neighborhood for riding bikes and the kids are really excited," said Pahl, who also rides each Sunday with other area cyclists for pleasure and exercise. "What better thing to do than to help kids with their bikes? It's a perfect fit for the bikers."
Boys and Girls Club Director Starrett Archie was ecstatic over the turnout, especially with threatening skies. But the rain held off long enough for the kids to get old broken bikes repaired and newer ones souped up.
"The No. 1 reason we wanted to do this was because childhood obesity is so rampant and we need to get kids more active," he said.
Archie, 34, rides his bike to work to set a good example for the children. He said the children have been "enthusiastic" and many invited friends who do not usually attend the Boys and Girls Club events.
But even more important than bringing friends, said Archie, is bringing their parents and getting them more involved in their activities.
Olivia Jefferson, was beaming while watching her 9-year-old son, Jaren Jefferson, with the bicycle he had been given.
"He had a bike, but the tube was busted," said Jefferson. "It's a real good thing, them coming out to help the children. I'm very thankful they would take up their time to do this."
For one volunteer, it was not just about helping the kids with their bikes, but teaching them how to live a greener lifestyle.
"A lot of us ride through here and see the kids on bikes and we want to support them," said Jim Garvin, a native New Yorker who moved to Huntsville three years ago. "Kids should be able to ride their bikes to school. It's a quality of life issue."
Bikes of all shapes and sizes, including a bicycle-built-for-two, a double-decker and one which uses solar power, were scattered in the parking lot, along with bent wheels, old inner tubes, loose chains and all types of tools to make repairs.
DeMarco Thompson, a seventh grader at Chapman Middle School, proudly showed off the like-new Nitro 26 green bike he had just received.
He said he was "grateful" for his new bike, but would be thankful for what everyone is doing to help out his community even if he hadn't gotten the new wheels.
Archie and the volunteers hope to make Community Bike Day a regular event and to expand it to other Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the city.
Wednesday is International Walk and Bike to School Day. By organizing my sons' Pinecrest school to participate, I am shaking up a lot of parents' drive-up and drop-off routines.
At least a dozen families of the 230 students at Temple Beth Am Day School are planning to hoof or pedal to school that morning. Many will break up their drive by parking in a nearby park and walking the rest of the way as a group.
We'll be joining about a dozen Miami-Dade schools, almost 200 schools statewide and more than 6,000 schools across the country. Almost four million people participate in more than 40 countries.
Seeing groups of kids walking to school is something I grew up with. It's strange to me that the streets are generally empty of pedestrians in much of South Florida.
But Miami is in line with national trends. In 1969, 42 percent of students walked or biked to school. The most recent National Household Travel survey showed that less than a quarter of students between ages 5 and 15 walk or bike to school. That makes sense when only about a quarter of students live less then a mile from their school.
My motivation for organizing bike-and-walk day at my sons' school? To build community by increasing interactions between parents and students that driving prevents.
It is a chance to get more exercise, teach safe walking and biking skills to children, raise awareness about whether the neighborhood has a safe route to walk and bike and where improvements might be needed. It shows our concern for the environment, reduces traffic congestion and pollution and brings children, parents and community leaders together.
The University of Miami trauma prevention program WalkSafe provides a free, ready-made three-session safety curriculum available to all public elementary school students. Yet less than half of the schools participate.
WalkSafe officials say it's not enough to teach students safety skills and encourage them to take to the streets. It's equally important to assess accident sites and engineering.
While the number of child pedestrians hit by cars continues to decrease in Miami-Dade, a recent incident where a student was hit by a car while crossing the street after exiting a school bus may give parents pause. But those fears and fears of strangers need to be put into perspective.
Walk and Bike to School Day observances can take many forms -- from a walk around the neighborhood to a kick-off event advocating for slower speed zones or more crosswalks or bike lanes around your child's school.
Many communities around the country and the world have taken the experience a step further and extended it through the whole month of October or one day a week throughout the year. Some schools have instituted walking or biking instead of school buses, and parents take turns supervising neighborhood children on their walk to school.
I hope that students and parents regard it as an energizing event, reminding everyone of the simple joy of walking to school and the need for safe places to walk and bike.
Does anyone know a Mom or Dad who rides with their kids to school in Huntsville Quality of Life sorry Fear? No names please.
New York mother is fighting back against her school district after administrators and officials told her she and her son didn't have the right to bike to school together — and that his safety, even beyond school walls, was out of her hands.
Janette Kaddo Marino said their 3-mile rides to and from school in Saratoga Springs have been met with stiff opposition from officials and even a state trooper who claimed it was unsafe — and illegal — for her 12-year-old son Adam to travel on his own pair of wheels.read more here
Americans want to reduce global warming, but in this tough economy they don't want to spend more to do it.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, strong new fuel efficiency standards for cars could save drivers $32 billion in 2020, even after we pay the cost of vehicle technology improvements.
But we must insist these new vehicle standards are as strong as possible and loophole-free.
Thanks for all you do!
Bob Fertik
Dear EPA & DOT,
Thank you for your efforts to implement a national clean car standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2016.
The final clean car rule must guard against any potential loopholes or other efforts to weaken these standards.
Past loopholes let gas guzzlers (like the Hummer) evade all fuel economy regulations. These loopholes helped create the current environmental and economic predicament the auto industry finds itself in.
A strong, loophole-free national standard would give consumers more clean vehicle choices, save drivers money at the pump, reduce global warming pollutions from cars, and let the struggling auto industry emerge as the model for a clean energy economy.
Please sign this very important petition!
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