Bike Michiana

resources, news, observations and ideas about bicycling in the Michiana area

Archive for August 20th, 2008

Can Bike Lanes cause pollution?

Posted by Paul Taylor on August 20, 2008

In today’s Wall Street Journal:

Famously progressive, San Francisco is known for being one of the most pro-bike cities in the U.S., offering more than 200 miles of lanes and requiring that big garages offer bike parking.

New York is wooing cyclists with chartreuse bike lanes. Chicago is spending nearly $1 million for double-decker bicycle parking. South Bend is developing at least 10 miles of bike routes per year, and installing bike parking racks. Goshen, a leader in bike/ped side paths is planning striped bike lanes. Mishawaka and Elkhart are moving forward with improved bicycle infrastructure.

Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco can do nothing: not even install new bike racks. All because of a local gadfly, arguing that urban bicycle boosting could actually be bad for the environment. The gadfly sued the city, and now all bike-plan activity is on hold until an environmental review is completed.

You may want to read the full article here.

Even if you don’t read the full article, don’t miss the video on the San Francisco “Critical Mass” rides.

Posted in Advocacy, News | 3 Comments »

Rum Village Criterium

Posted by Adam Bee on August 20, 2008

South Bend’s biggest race is this Sunday, August 24th.  The Indiana State Criterium Championships are held annually on the loop of Rum Village Park in south South Bend.  Since the state championship is on the line, the best talents from across the state will be showing up.

The course is by far the fastest I’ve ever seen–it’s basically an outdoor velodrome.  It’s only .9 miles long, so racers will be flying by roughly every two minutes.  The finish is on a slight incline, with great sightlines and nice shade for spectators.  Most of the races also have primes, sprints announced in the middle of the race for cash and prizes.

Personally, I did this race last year and it was a blast.  This year I’ll be racing in the beginner Category 4/5s at 11:30am.  If you can only watch one race this year, check out the elite Category 1/2/3s racing at 3:00 for $1000 cash–those guys are FAST!!

Posted in Events, Racing | 8 Comments »

 
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