#bicycle paths

[iowacitypast]

Bicycling on a path, The University of Iowa, 1942

Creator: unknown

https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%3Awpe_54

[rjzimmerman]

Opinion | We’re From the Government and We’re Here to Build a Bike Path

Municipal officials are using eminent domain to take private property for recreational uses.

Whining republicans again.........why? What harm to convert abandoned railroad rights of way to pedestrian or bicycle paths? I used to be a rabid bicycle rider, until my discomfort with crazy, reckless and speeding drivers caused me to reconsider, and cut back, biking. I remember once when I was riding on a public road to get to the Illinois Prairie Path. I was doing all the right things, riding on the right side, staying as close to the curb as possible, signaling when I needed to. Some old fart man, with his old fart wife or girlfriend, pulled up really close to me, dangerously, as his car was moving and the woman was rolling down the window, and yelling at me me to get my “fucking toy” off the road. I thoroughly enjoyed kicking his rear fender as he drove by, and then scooting down a skinny alleyway so he couldn’t get me.

Excerpt from this Wall Street Journal story:

A handful of farmers in Ohio’s Mahoning County are getting an unpleasant lesson in government power at the hands of a local park district. Mill Creek MetroParks, a public agency governed by five unelected commissioners, wants to take over an abandoned railroad line running through about a dozen local farms for a recreational bike path. Last year, when landowners balked at the idea of strangers wandering across their properties, the park district decided to invoke eminent domain and gain right of way.

“I asked the park representatives if there was any way we could negotiate on this, and they told me, ‘The time for talking is over. We’re taking this property,’ ” says Ohio state Rep. Don Manning, who tried to intervene on the farmers’ behalf. Rep. Manning, a Republican, has sponsored legislation that would limit the use of eminent domain in Ohio.

The practice of government taking land for recreational uses—typically bike lanes, hiking paths and fashionable “rail trails” and “greenways”—is spreading across the country, marking a sharp and troubling expansion of eminent domain. The Takings Clause of the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment grants government the authority to seize property to be used for the public good, as long as government pays “just compensation” to the owner. Over the years, the Supreme Court has consistently expanded what is considered a “public good” to justify government seizures. In 2005, for instance, the high court upheld the taking of Susette Kelo’s waterfront home by the city of New London, Conn., so that a local development corporation could build high-end condos and a hotel. The redevelopment was intended to boost property values and increase municipal tax revenues.

[jkanelis]

Will the city ever finish its bike-trail network?

Amarillo parks officials some years ago drafted a plan to create a citywide network of bicycle paths.

The network’s aim was to connect every corner of the city, enabling residents to get from any point in Amarillo aboard a bicycle. The city Parks and Recreation Department set aside some bike lanes. I’ve seen a few of them near my neighborhood. The trouble is, though, is that they don’t seem to…

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[eopederson2]

The Bpoeing Company Bicycle Path, Seattle, 2009.

[themindcircle]

Germany Opens The First Strip Of A 100-Kilometer “Bicycle Superhighway”

Germany Opens The First Strip Of A 100-Kilometer “Bicycle Superhighway”

Although Germany is highly popular for its automobile manufacturing industry, it has open highways that can be used by anyone: be it cars, bicycles or trucks. However, Germany recently opened the first 5 kilometers of the proposed 100 kilometer superhighway meant exclusively for bicycles. They are planning to extend this road across 100 kilometers that connect popular cities in the West such as…

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[bike-with-weronika]

A Solar-Powered Glow-in-the-dark Bike Path by Studio Roosegaarde Inspired by Van Gogh

This stunning illuminated bike path in Nuenen, Netherlands was just unveiled tonight by Studio Roosegaarde, an innovative social design lab that has risen to prominence for their explorations at the intersection of people, art, public space, and technology; most notably 

incredible <3

[beaconstreets]

Abstract

This paper reviews trends in cycling levels, safety, and policies in Canada and the USA over the past two decades. We analyze aggregate data for the two countries as well as city specific case study data for nine large cities (Chicago, Minneapolis, Montréal, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington). Cycling levels have increased in both the USA and Canada, while cyclist fatalities have fallen. There is much spatial variation and socioeconomic inequality in cycling rates. The bike share of work commuters is more than twice as high in Canada as in the USA, and is higher in the western parts of both countries. Cycling is concentrated in central cities, especially near universities and in gentrified neighborhoods near the city center. Almost all the growth in cycling in the USA has been among men between 25–64 years old, while cycling rates have remained steady among women and fallen sharply for children. Cycling rates have risen much faster in the nine case study cities than in their countries as a whole, at least doubling in all the cities since 1990. They have implemented a wide range of infrastructure and programs to promote cycling and increase cycling safety: expanded and improved bike lanes and paths, traffic calming, parking, bike-transit integration, bike sharing, training programs, and promotional events. We describe the specific accomplishments of the nine case study cities, focusing on each city’s innovations and lessons for other cities trying to increase cycling. Portland’s comprehensive package of cycling policies has succeeded in raising cycling levels 6-fold and provides an example that other North American cities can follow.

I worry that women aren't adopting biking as a viable alternative, and even worse, that kids are apparently decreasing their bike riding. Portland has demonstrated, though, what the right policies can accomplish.

[shallotte-self-storage]

Visit Original Link

Every day thousands of Danes ride their bicycles to work, school and just about everywhere.  City planners in Copenhagen want even more people to commute by bicyle so they are building a network of 26 new bicycle routes, dubbed the “bicycle superhighway,” to link surrounding communities with the city. 

This is an idea that could enhance the "quality of life" in any community.  I hope that our city planners are taking note.  This story was featured on NPR.