MyWHaT

It’s time to take a break. Sort of.

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MyWHaT officially launched on January 4th, 2010. I wasn’t sure what to call the work at the time…An experiment? An exercise? A mission?  Just a BLOG? I’m still not certain.

Now it’s time for some internal evaluation. What worked? What didn’t? What can be stripped away and what needs to be added? What can be considered achievements?

These are just some of the questions to be asked during this 2-week period of R & D ->rest and development in honor of summer. Either way, I’ll be pulling back slightly from publishing and focusing more on learning. I have a pile of books, reports and articles waiting to be read. I also want to spend time drawing more Friday scribbles not to mention cleaning up some of the behind the scenes of the website-yikes.

Call it a working vacation

This doesn’t mean that MyWHaT is going offline or that there won’t be any new posts. The plan for the next two weeks is to keep it simple with a recycling of older posts (any requests?), quickly created & digested posts (imagery), and one or two possible guest contributor posts. Rumor has it Chester is set to return, Chester?

During this time, I’ll be seeking advice from my ad hoc advisory board, current and potential underwriters, key readers and anyone else with something to say. After the end of this 2 week period, I trust I’ll have a little clarity on the direction of the project work and the roll that this BLOG serves.

In the meantime, most of you won’t notice anything different except that the posts will be shorter and a tad less habitual. What readers can do for me is this?

1. Comment here, or send a message to me directly, with feedback on the first 6 months of MyWHaT. What content is the most compelling? What could you have less/more of? Any and all feedback is appreciated.
2. Do you have some images of yourself and your bike? MyWHaT is looking for your submissions to feature here during this time. send me a message. (I suppose walking shoes, long boards and goat carts work too).
3. Continue to visit and share the site with other readers. The one thing I’ve noticed since starting is that there is no shortage of people looking for ways to get out of the car and change the face of the community.

Talk to you soon.

Monday’s Quote

Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means.”

~ Dr. Koichi Kawana, Architect, designed many botanical gardens

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Simplifying helps us to slow. And to see clearly.

Simplifying can also help us accomplish more. Less is more; take back your time.

Today is the International Day of Slowness. Breathe

CORRECTION: BATA does now go to the airport, but not via the Traverse Express. Instead, they added a stop to the South Airport route. The BATA website should have the route maps.

There’s a lot here…

Weekly Chatter

The good news

• Ever wonder how to catch a BATA Bus to the airport? Well, before now you couldn’t…The Traverse Express changes all that and it starts Monday with an inaugural 8AM kickoff at the transit center. Next thing to ask for at Cherry Capitol is long-term bike storage-would you use it? And who rides BATA anyway (video)?

• Some real dough is put towards Grand Vision ideals. Congrats to BARC for being granted $$$ for a community compost business, rumor has it that it’ll be picked-up via bike.

Everything else

Black Hawk, CO isn't budging on the No Bikes law.

• How’s this for a commute to work experience? A bear?

• Black Hawk, CO continues to garner attention for it’s NO BIKES downtown law. Now there’s a call for Dismount Black Hawk–not a boycott, a take over. In related two-wheel struggles, The Bicycle Times explains why bike riders are often little more than ‘speed bumps’ when it comes to law enforcement.

• Complete streets can look very different depending on the context. What it doesn’t look like is these images from Washington D.C. As Michigan works on complete street bills, road crews have a long way to go as construction zones don’t measure up. It’s not too late to contact state house representatives on the current bills.

• The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation (PDF) are detailed in a new paper. MyWHaT will hit on that for a future post. One portion of the study deals with general health and another studies the impact on children–they are more healthy when living in walkable communities.

• Another approach to influence health: Lose the shopping carts, lose some pounds.

• The messaging war on energy and global change weirding boils down to simplifying, nationalizing and bashing big oil if environmental groups want to change anything. That message is clear when the president can’t even mention climate change in an energy speech. What he could have said?

• Reality check. This graphic attempts to show what we believe would help climate change and whether we do or don’t do it.

• Our own local news celebrates cheap gas as they overlook the many reasons why gas is dirt cheap. Part of it is called ‘externality‘ and gulf images are only some of the result. Nigeria is case in point #1.

• Follow the pump price at FuelGaugeReport, and follow the cost of the oil dependence at the national debt calculator. Still, gas tax increases are political suicide despite the actually cost savings for individuals.

• The solution to all that? “Yes, We Can Drive Less“.

To wrap, and to get away from all the politics, treat yourself to this video of public space and public art. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma‘s installation at the University of Milan called “CCCWall”. Now this is a courtyard!

Have a weekend.

Friday Scribble

“Now how do I get to work?”

A true scribble inspired by real events.

Mode share on the rise

Have you noticed more people using active transportation to commute to work lately? If Northern Michigan is like the rest of the country, you’re not seeing things.

Since 2001, the number of trips taken by biking and walking has increased by 25%. This is short of the goal set by The National Biking and Walking Study that sought to double “the percentage of total trips made by bicycling and walking from 7.9% to 15.8% of all travel trips.” But it’s a start.

It should be noted, this study measures the dominate transportation mode used on a trip. One reason that walkability is so crucial is that even if someone drives, they will end up walking part of their trip. We are all pedestrians.

Beyond minimum standards

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is using the report to strengthen policy assertion that asks transportation agencies to go beyond minimum standards in  providing safe and convenient infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“This report demonstrates what we’ve been saying here at the Department. Americans want and need safe alternatives to driving. And by making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we’ll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities,” he said of the report.

The full report explains the objectives and methodology, and also describes the efforts underway that to increase the numbers of people choosing to walk or ride. Complete Streets,  Safe Routes to School, and the Livable & Sustainable Communities initiatives all get mentioned.

Good news; not great. Perhaps, the last 15 years can be considered the uphill climb of the journey.

Slow progress was made and now is time for a downhill cruise.

Bike Portrait #1

(Click through for larger images)

The Significant Red Head, here making a rare online appearance, finally has her Flying Pigeon road worthy. It has been mostly assembled for over a year, but there were issues. Now it’s smooth sailing and she’ll have to fight to keep me off of it.

What the heck is a Flying Pigeon? Only the most widely rode brand in the history of the world.

How to say it Chinese: 飞鸽 fēigē. Literally, flying pigeon.

What is he talking about “less prestigious“???

Do you have some images of yourself and your bike? MyWHaT is looking for your submissions to feature here, send me a message.

Below is my message sent to my state representative in support of House Bill 6151/6152, currently in the house transportation committee. 

You can learn more about the bills and the process at Michigan Complete Streets and a recent post by policy specialist Brian Beauchamp at the Michigan Land Use Institute.

Passing a complete streets policy will be a significant step to ensure that the public right-of-ways are designed with all users and uses in mind. We all walk. Many of us bike. More would do so if we built communities with complete streets.

Dear Rep. Wayne A. Schmidt,

Thank you for sponsoring house bills 6151 and 6152. I understand that it is set to be voted on in committee as soon as this week. Please be bold in your continued support and pass strong and effective complete streets legislation.

Over a year ago, dozens of your neighbors in Traverse City asked MDOT and the Traverse City commission for a ‘rethink’ of Division St. We rallied because as planned, a proposed construction project didn’t include better accessibility for pedestrians and bike commuters, nor did it have a context sensitive approach. It was more of the same.

In January this year, the city commission received over 200 emails in support of bike lanes and enhanced traffic calming on a 2-block long project of 8^th Street. A small section of road, but nonetheless symptomatic of poor transportation planning. Ultimately, we failed to implement any meaningful enhancements on 8th St. despite unprecedented public support, considerable energy between agencies and even involvement by you and senator Jason Allen. People in Traverse City have been asking for over 30 years for more non-motorized choices and inclusive infrastructure, and it is still a struggle.

Communities across Michigan are asking for an approach that not only moves cars and trucks, but that moves people while increasing access for all with the ultimate goal of building safe, comfortable and equitable neighborhoods. As transportation dollars are dwindling, it is crucial that projects are properly planned and widely accepted from their inception. A complete streets policy will be a critical tool to motivate reluctant transportation agencies. It may also serve these same agencies by garnering public support for increasing local road mileages.

Complete streets legislation is the best tool currently on the table to achieve a coherent statewide policy that will help create a balance of priorities and funding. It will help to avoid the incomplete road projects, like those above. When projects are delayed because they don’t meet community expectations it costs additional time, energy and money to complete. The state, as the major source of funds of local projects, needs to lead.

A complete streets bill is an excellent start. I agree with the Michigan Complete Streets Coalition’s assessment, building streets that better serve active users and public transportation will boost the economy, improve safety and promote public health.

States and cities of tomorrow will be measured on how well they provide transportation choices and how they help places thrive as communities. The sooner we move state and local government agencies in this direction, the sooner we will reap the benefits.

I appreciate your hard work and bold action on current complete streets legislation. Please, let me know how I can help you get it done.

Sincerely,

Gary L Howe, Traverse City, MI

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Call Rep. Schmidt’s office at (517) 373-1766 or email at WayneSchmidt@house.mi.gov with your own comments on complete streets. You can also email the entire transportation committee via the committee’s website.

Tuesday Video

With South Africa on the world’s stage, the timing for this bicycle portrait project couldn’t be better.

This is about people who ride because that is what they do, it’s their mode of transportation, and as this video depicts, they show unmeasurable amounts of pride doing it.

Learn more about the project at: Bicycle Portraits.

The City Coop Loop

There’s already talk of the second one next year…thanks to all who came out…Bok-bok!

And, of course, what’s a bike tour without a short reclamation of 8th Street.

More images coming soon at www.tccooploop.com and

a few more are at the MyWHaT Flicker site.

How many of you want chickens now?

Monday’s Quote

Referring to walking and bicycling as “alternative transportation” is akin to labeling a woman as an “alternative man”.

–A Dan Burden Twitter post.

 

What’s alternative about self-powered mobility?

The true alternative creature is how we, as a culture, have so quickly come to view motorized travel as more ‘normal’ than walking.

We are all pedestrians. Accept Embrace it.