Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Keegan Stephan, NYC, Park Slope, pedestrian, Prospect Park West, speed limits
A nice bit of civil disobedience here:
Calling it “a gift to the city,” a group of activists changed the speed limit in Park Slope this weekend by hanging rogue 20 mph speed limit signs along Prospect Park West.
Safe streets activists with the group Right of Way installed the signs on Saturday night around 10pm. Organizer Keegan Stephan says the group was motivated by recent pedestrian deaths — and statistics showing a lower speed limit save lives.
“A pedestrian hit by a car going 20 mph has a 95% chance of survival,” he said, who added that a WNYC map showed the city could lower the speed limit to 20 miles per hour across two-thirds of city under current state law. “We don’t understand why they’re not, (so) we took it upon ourselves.”
He said the signs are also a way of showing support for a bill currently under consideration by the New York City Council. When introduced last month, Intro 535 aimed to lower the city’s speed limit to 20 miles per hour. But last Friday, Council Member Jimmy Vacca, who chairs the Transportation Committee, told WNYC “the bill is being tweaked a little bit.” He said “we’re aiming for 25 miles per hour on narrow, one-way streets.”
(Stephan’s reaction to that news: “That’s disappointing.”)
via Activists Take Brooklyn Speed Limit Into Own Hands, Install 20mph Signs in Park Slope – WNYC.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Boston, Furth, Nicole Freedman, sharrows
In Boston…
Sort of like an idea I laid out in Cyclist’s Manifesto.
A new set of street markings on Allston’s Brighton Avenue aren’t simply an errant set of dashes installed by city staff with extra paint — they’re part of a national experiment to test innovative bike facilities.
I first noticed the markings last week while driving through Allston Village. Running down the right-hand lanes on both sides of Brighton Avenue are bike-priority icons, known as “sharrows” in cyclist parlance, hugged by two sets of dashed lines along either side that make the lane look more like an airport runway.
My first thought: Sharrows on steroids!
And Boston bike czar Nicole Freedman said that’s exactly what they are.
via Boston Bikes debuts ‘sharrows on steroids’ – Local news – Boston.com.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bike lanes, biking, Boris, cycling, cycling fatalities, cycling superhighways, London, lorries, superhighways, urban cycling
London’s ‘cycling superhighways’ turned out to be nothing but paint in most cases. Some paint on the street might be nice for bikes, but don’t call it a superhighway.
Statistics show that the behavior of London\’s cyclists is rarely to blame for serious accidents. Many say the real problem is the high number of construction vehicles and hauling trucks on London\’s roads.
via London's cycling 'superhighways' prove to be super dangerous | Public Radio International.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Andrew Restuccia, energy, fracking, oil imports, peak oil, Politico, transportation, US oil imports, US oil production
Attention news reporters, editors, producers and quacking heads: The US burns about 18.5 million barrels per day, and produces 7.7.
18.5 – 7.7 is 10.8.
These numbers are from the freakin EIA itself: http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/supply/weekly/pdf/table1.pdf
No wonder the Koreans are kicking our tails in math. We get reports like this, all over the internet and on NPR:
In October, for the first time since February 1995, the U.S. produced more crude oil than it imported, the Energy Information Administration said this week.
EIA, the Energy Department’s nonpartisan statistical arm, said U.S. crude oil production averaged 7.7 million barrels per day in October while 7.6 million barrels per day were imported.
via U.S. oil output tops imports for first time since 1995 – Andrew Restuccia – POLITICO.com.
Even if that were true, all it would mean is that we still have to import half the oil we burn. But we’re not there yet, and may never be (again).
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, bike lanes, biking, Complete Streets, cycling infrastructure, NACTO, transportation, urban cycling
Urban Street Design Guide | NACTO.
Industrialized Cyclist Notepad 