Plans for Berkeley's now-dead BRT/complete streets plan. Image: Berkeleyside.

The BRT proposal went far beyond improved bus service. It was a textbook example of the ‘Complete Streets’ concept. The Plan would have incorporated Class II bike lanes, traffic calming, and ped safety improvements. The Plan addressed many problems in the blighted Telegraph Ave corridor, particularly the lack of landscaping. And, yes, it was genuinely popular with the electorate. Voters overwhelmingly favored BRT proposal by 80% in at least two citywide referendums (three if Measure “G” is counted).

But the high approval ratings was not enough as City Council killed the project anyway...

In a packed Ken Edwards Center community room, exceeding the bike parking available at the building,  Parks and Recs commissioners Richard McKinnen and Phil Brock outlined plans for a Santa Monica Ciclovia proposal and the possibility of bringing a bike share system to Santa Monica, like a number of other cities are doing. They also solicited input from the audience on a host of various issues on what needs to be better in Santa Monica for cyclists, from paint on the streets to racks for bike parking.

The great thing about McKinnen and Brock stepping in to champion cycling in Santa Monica, is that while they do not have the power and authority of the council members, they can with voting support of fellow parks commissioners place items on the council agenda to be considered. Expect to see a lot of council consideration on cycling issues moving forward.

In fact, jumping in to get things on the agenda immediately, councilman McKeown has tacked the Ciclovia proposal onto the end of the agenda for tonight's council meeting...

The nine cities served by a single bike-sharing system in Germany's Ruhr Valley. Image: Bike-Sharing Blog.

Metroradruhr operates using the telephone rental system. As with neXt bike, Metroradruhr has the convenience of reserving bikes for large groups in advance. Registration is required to use the system, but there are no subscriptions. The price is €1 per hour ($1.30 US) for any bike or according to which bike is chosen, starting from €5 per 24 hours ($6.50 US).

Linking an area together with a single bike-sharing system has incredible convenience for the users and strengthens a region's public transit options.

As we all know, Bike-sharing in Germany is really Rad-verleihsystem!

But instead of using that moment to protect the cycling community he so recently joined, he let a careless driver off the hook. Sending a clear message that drivers should pay attention. But if they don’t, no big deal.

It was just an accident.

As it turns out, Saturday’s outing was the Mayor’s first bike ride in years, and lasted all of 30 minutes before he hit the pavement. And in answer to the question some people have been asking, yes, he was wearing a helmet. In fact, he landed on it first before breaking his elbow. Maybe that’s why he’s still a little confused on the subject.

His Honor may have written — and Tweeted — that bikes belong on L.A. streets and he’ll be back on a bike as soon as he’s able. But according to the Daily Breeze, Villaraigosa insists that the cab driver shouldn’t face charges.

“He was very concerned when he realized it was me,” the mayor said. “He was careless, but that’s not illegal. He certainly didn’t do this on purpose.”

That’s where the Mayor is wrong — and where he’s done a huge disservice to everyone else on the roads, especially his new friends in the cycling community.

Because what the driver did was illegal. He pulled away from the curb without making sure the bike lane he was parked next to was clear. And as a result, caused a cyclist to be injured.

It’s called failure to yield. And it is against the law.

Rep. Mike Castle with the post's author, Frank Wornack.

It appears Rep. Castle and his staff understand and appreciate the importance of an active lifestyle, a healthy environment, and free choice when it comes to transportation options. So why does he refuse to co-sponsor the Active Communities Transportation Act (ACT)? In asking face to face, the only answer I could get from Mike was "I would really like to - I want to".

If only we could convince Mike and those advising him that there is nothing inherently conservative about favoring highways...

Rumble Strip on Illinois' Route 45. Image: League of American Bicyclists.

You can read the whole report here (PDF). The League, the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking, and Adventure Cycling, held a conference call for advocates, see the notes from the call here (PDF). We also surveyed our club members to see how rumble strips are affecting them and what actions they’ve taken so far, here’s  a summary of the results (PDF).

Route 45, Southern Illinois (Photo provided by Ginny Sullivan of the Adventure Cycling Association)

BICYCLING AND RUMBLE STRIPS

Problems for Cyclists

What are rumble strips?: Rumble strips are raised or grooved patterns in a road’s shoulder designed to alert drivers with noise and vibrations that they are drifting off the roadway. They can be an effective safety measure to prevent run‐off‐the‐road (ROR) crashes, especially on limited‐access highways and rural two‐lane highways with long straight sections. (Rumble strips placed on the centerline can help prevent head‐on crashes.)...

Backers of the Delaware waterfront trolley and the Rt. 422 corridor projects say they are proceeding with planning work despite the state-wide cut in transportation spending under Act 44.

The loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual subsidies has forced SEPTA to put the brakes on major capital projects, like City Hall station renovations, the Wawa regional rail extension and the implementation of a new smart card fare collection system.

Yet at the same time, the Delaware River Port Authority is forging ahead with an environmental assessment study for a proposed Delaware River light rail line. 

The study, which should cost about $6 million, will involve preliminary engineering work on the line and begin looking at its community impact.

It’s also, as DRPA CEO John Matheussen points out, a necessary step in applying for federal New Starts funding. 

If it wins a slot in the program, the federal government could pick up half of the estimated $500 million cost of building the line, he said.

That may be more likely thanks to a decision earlier this year that would allow the Federal Transit Administration to reduce its emphasis on cost-effectiveness in evaluating New Starts applications and to give equal weight to livability issues.

Pedestrian shelters in Singapore. Image: Human Transit.

Paul told me to meet him at Ang Mo Kio station on Singapore's rail rapid transit network, the MRT.

Most of the rail rapid transit is elevated outside the CBD, so this is a typical station environment, constrained in its urban potential by the overhead structure.  Note the solid mass of bicycles chained to the fence in the distance...

The possibility of an additional stop on Manhattan's 7 train remains open.

A few months ago, the planned 7 line station at 41st St. and 10th Ave. had been read its last rites. The city — picking up the tab for the entire $2.1 billion extension — did not want to pay the additional $500 million this station would cost, and although it would be a vital part to the future of the West Side, the MTA was no in position to fund it either.

Today, though, Mayor Michael Bloomber, under pressure from the Real Estate Board of New York, announced a simple engineering solution that will keep the possibility of a station alive, the project on time and costs relatively under control.

As The Wall Street Journal’s Michael Howard Saul reports, Bloomberg said he believes that plans for a station sometime in the future can be built into the project. He is now requesting federal funds to confirm the initial engineering reports, and when money is flowing again, either the MTA or the city can begin to right this wrong. “We need engineers to confirm that it’s viable, but we’re confident we’ve found a way to keep the prospect of a future Tenth Avenue station alive without delaying the current extension,” Bloomberg said.

The city is now applying for $3 million in federal TIGER II grants that will confirm that a redesigned station could be built after the extension is completed and if sufficient funds become available. As Saul writes:

Under the new design proposal, the new station would be built with two entrances and two separate platforms – one for eastbound and one for westbound trains...

A rendering of a co-work space proposed in Portland, Maine. Image: Archetype Architects

But it also has serious shortcomings. A dense thicket of trees and 70s-vintage park benches make the Square feel dark and neglected. Even though there are lots of historic buildings in the area, the Square's pedestrian space, along the eastern edge of the square, is defined by squat, uninteresting buildings.

Things were a lot better three years ago, when Percy's Cycles provided a public gathering spot for people who could drop in and learn a few things about bike repair and Binga's Wingas next door was a boisterous neighborhood pub. But Percy moved out (he's just partnered up to start a new shop on Parris Street) and Binga's burned down. For the past couple of years, then, the Square's been characterized by a string of marginal businesses and a burned-out eyesore.

Now, independent developer Peter Bass is putting together a creative new project that would replace the fire-damaged Binga's Wingas building with something that could go a long way towards re-invigorating the Square with new life.