MyWHaT

photo by Bill Palladino

Lot’s of press this week connecting complete streets and America’s aging population (AARP). The 2011 version of the national report Dangerous by Design (T4America) was released and NPR covered the need for safer streets for an aging population(NPR).

Transportation for America found that nationally, people older than 65 are 96% more likely to be killed while walking and it’s no better in Michigan (MyWHaT).

You can listen to the NPR’s segment here or read the transcript at: As Senior Population Grows, A Push To Make Streets Safer (NPR)

Weekly Chatter

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• You can’t scare the people that you want to ride bicycles (BlissTree) The occasionally helmet-less safety girl fesses up (Suburban Bike Mama) and as a earlier comment proves, it’s a choice, and we all have reasons, but helmets are not always necessary (Urban Country archive)

“Smart common sense riding? Hell yeah- but what they wear on their heads means less to me.” 

~ Suburban Bike Mama

• How far is too far to walk to a park? (City Park Blogs) and would you participate in a Leave Your Kid Alone in a Park Day? (WSJ)

• Chicago prepares for a changing climate (NYTimes)

• “We are moving to a multimodal society.” (USA Today) and walkability leads to many other modes, like better transit (Reconnecting America)

• Peer-to-peer car sharing/rental gets national coverage (WSJ) Humorous knee-jerk reactions in comments.

• Save the Gas this Memorial Weekend, even if you must drive (Infrastructurist)

Retweets

• RT (T4America) Comment: “Pay attention & watch where you are walking always works” Sure, like these places? http://flic.kr/p/7dyafM  http://flic.kr/p/7dyahv
• RT (BenjaminAddy) You cannot nurture the concept of social justice to a group without simultaneously developing a sense of community.
• RT (leahgolby) It’s been almost 4 years since I went #carfree. The more time passes, the more resolved I am to use cars when needed, but not own one.
• RT (lutzfernandez) ”I would not, could not in a car.” – Dr. Seuss

To Wrap

This StreetFilms video made the email rounds this week around northern Michigan. Minneapolis is fast becoming the premier commuter cycling city in the U.S. and last I checked, their motorized traffic and winters are much worse than Traverse City.  The lesson? It’s not the weather that stops active transportation, it’s the infrastructure…or, the lack thereof.  Build it and they will come.