MyWHaT

The lunar New Year drive for MyWHaT underwriters is still underway and we’re chipping away at a goal for 10 full underwriters signed on by mid-March.

Interested in becoming an underwriter? Or, do you know a business or organization that might be? Send us a message. As well, smaller contributions are greatly appreciated and easy via the MyWHaT PayPal account.

Again, a big thank you to the 2010 partners: Higher Grounds-Beans by Bike, McClain Cycle & Fitness, Erway Graphic Design, Krios Consulting, TART Trails, and the Michigan Land Use Institute all were inaugural year contributors.

Ding-Ding!

Weekly Chatter

To start, a collection of chatter addressing sprawl:

Opening line to love -> “Suck it, Thoreau”; The Sprawl-ing feedback loop -> Induced Sprawl = induced motorized traffic =Induced Sprawl = …; The Tea Party hates freedom -> Tea-party officials stuck in the “‘burbs”, move to limit freedom;  It’s just basic math -> Reduce miles driven & sprawl by limiting car storage opportunities ; The Hammer connects the dots ->“Sprawl demands oil. Demand gives oil companies strength. Strength influences Govt…; And, related -> Where Eminem & Chrysler don’t have a clue: real job creation.

In other news…

• A success story regarding snow removal for people (in NJ)

• My car gadget is cooler than yours.

• More Playtime! For the Good of Everyone.

• Despite the facts, some people always know better.

• Road safety & behavior? Evolution baby, not simply technology

• And, a local Michigan writer finally learns: the phone & car don’t mix

Twitterville

• RT (@sarnita) Stud tires, nice saddle, fenders of course and a sweet saddlebag. I’m a remade commuter! #winterbiker
• RT (@theurbancountry) Supporting bicycles is an economic decision – a societal investment benefiting all people (via @amsterdamized)
• RT (@El_Rach) $7500 tax credit for buying a car but not a penny for buying a bike? Something to cover new tubes, at least, would be nice.
• RT (@pauldreher) Walking the Turtle: The Concept of Speed in Our Modern City…

To Wrap

The double advantage of bulb-outs, neck-downs and other traffic calming measures in the winter time. This StreetFilms video shows how little of the street we actually need in order to drive our motorized transport pods.

Have a weekend!

Graphic Friday

(click for larger view (PDF))

Contrary to some of the fears I’ve seen expressed (PlanforTC comments), as the numbers of people on bicycles increases, the trend is that crash rates decline, not increase. The latest data crunching to support this is out of Minneapolis.

This happens, in part, through the increased visibility of cyclists and people on foot when active living becomes more common. Which, in turn, also increases the numbers as nothing is better for changing behaviors than…more people changing their behavior.

Despite our rugged individualism, we remain human and humans are innately social animals who strive to be perceived normal. Driving a 2-ton motorized transportation pod to buy a gallon of milk is only normal because people do it, not because it makes sense.

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