MyWHaT

Simply the chatter this week. My brain is toast.

Weekly Chatter

• Building a sense of place, in Harbor Springs. (Harbor Light)

• When it comes to saving trees, residents of Nanjing organize and win. (WSJ)

• Here’s your unfunded mandate! If streets aren’t complete, there’s the option to sue. (Wash. Post)

• Totally free public transit? This guy will pay for it. (Surrey Beacon)

• Why do we beat ourselves up so much? N.American bicycle infrastructure pessimism. (Urban Country)

• Gas prices married to American perceptions of the economy, by unprecedented percentages. (Pew)

• Save gas: drive better, your neighbors will like you better. (Edmunds)

By far, the largest fuel-saver was a switch to calm driving. Compared to a fast, lane-changing, sharp-braking style, calm driving improved fuel economy by 35 percent.“

If you walk, you're saving more money every day.

Twitterville

• RT (@LionsWhiskers) My wish for today: to take a walk and not find any ice I have to pick my way across. I want to look up!

To Wrap

The Virginia Transportation Research Council has found that using zig-zag pavement markings used as advanced warnings to cross-walks and multi-use trail crossings do increase awareness and slow speeds of motorists. Slow speeds save lives. The council is recommending that the Virginia DOT use the research to make a recommendation to the Federal Highway Administration to include this in the MUTCD. Cheap design solutions are everywhere…

Have a Weekend!

Graphic Friday

Statistics are from 2001, but the numbers have held up pretty closely over the last 10 years. The above graph was published in the 2008 Bikes Belong edition of Bicycling: Moving America Forward (PDF).

My daily trips frequently total no more than 6-10 miles, if not less, and represents these numbers almost perfectly. It is why I choose to live in a small town. It is easily walkable or bikable and almost inexcusable not to move under my own power. Still, I occasionally do; I’m ok with that. I don’t beat myself up over it and try to be aware of my choices and their impacts.

• How far are your daily trips? How could you decrease or shorten them?

• What is in the way of you walking or pedaling for more of your destinations? Would better infrastructure help? A better transit system?

• Do you just need a new bike?

• Did you take the transportation pledge? How’s it going?

Click for larger view

From the results, it looks like in 2011, we can expect many of you to bike more, walk more (even if it includes parking in between destinations) and in general driving-less. The numbers are in your favor–giddy-up!