Bike Michiana

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Michiana Earth & Arbor Festival 2012: LIVE GREEN

Posted by Paul Taylor on March 21, 2012

“Live Green” will serve as the focus for the 25th anniversary of the annual Michiana bioregion celebration for the Earth and Arbor Festival set for exactly one month, Saturday, April 21st, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at South Bend’s Howard Park along the St. Joseph River.

The celebration will be held outside in the park and inside the shelter. Local artists, ecology clubs, green businesses, green pets, a small animal petting zoo, garden clubs, local high school ecology clubs, and Girl Scouts, who wish to share their knowledge of everything green will be on hand to offer examples, hands-on activities, trees, plants, and a wide variety of exhibits in an effort to give local residents a good idea of how they can be successful in their quest to live green.  The Green Pet of the Year will be announced at 9:00 am. Read the rest of this entry »

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Signs of spring in South Bend

Posted by Paul Taylor on March 12, 2012

New Wayfinding signs have been recently installed, joining the Bicycle Friendly Community signs which were erected earlier this spring.

A South Bend Bicycle Wayfinding Committee looked at several sign formats used in United States and European cities before selecting the final design. Chris Dressel, South Bend Bicycle Coordinator stated that the installed signs represent just the first phase of the project, and cover two bike routes: 1) University of Notre Dame to Downtown South Bend (via Colfax Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue), and 2) Riverside Trail from Darden Road to Angela Blvd. A total of twenty-four signs have been installed in Phase I, which consists of 16 decision signs and 8 confirmation signs. Mike Divita, a South Bend Planner who worked closely with the Wayfinding Committee compares the sign system to other U.S. cities and believes it is second to none.

Dressel thanked the Bike Michiana Coalition, Bike the Bend, and Grass Roots Media for providing support for the first phase and making planning for the next phase possible. The Bike Michiana Coalition and Bike the Bend, each contributed $2,500 to subsidize the signs.

Judy Lee, BMC President’s reaction was immediate. She said it is “like a dream. The hard work of so many is becoming reality.” Betsy Kwiatkowski  exclaimed in an e-mail “I’ve already seen one sign and it looked awesome!” Glenda Lamont, of Bike the Bend agrees that it is “very good news indeed”, and already is looking forward to Phase II.

Posted in Advocacy, Infrastructure, News, Routes | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Bicycles on Amtrak Trains

Posted by Paul Taylor on February 10, 2012

Bikes on an Amtrak Train

As a bicyclist, you know how difficult it can be to transport your bicycle.  The League of Michigan Bicyclists is currently circulating a petition to allow bicycles on Amtrak trains without taking them apart.

The petition says “Seamless multi-modal connections are essential to a sustainable 21st century transportation system. It should be easy for travelers to make connections from one mode of transportation to another”.

Michiana cyclists are encouraged to learn more about the issue and sign the petition. You don’t need to be a Michigan resident to sign.  Click here to take the next step.

Posted in Advocacy, Facilities, Infrastructure, News | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

IN-MI Trail News

Posted by Paul Taylor on February 7, 2012

Four things are in the works to move this project closer to completion. The bicycle/pedestrian trail will eventually stretch between Niles, Mich. and Mishawaka, Ind.: and maybe beyond.

Most noteworthy, is the new lease agreement between Niles Township and American Electric Power Co. (AEP) that is in the works. AEP owns a high power line that goes from near the current Niles trail, down to the State Line; they will lease part of the property to Niles Township. Harry Thibault, chairman of the Niles Township Parks Board envisions running the trail down part of that property. Read the rest of this entry »

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You guys drove here? You guys are crazy.

Posted by Paul Taylor on January 30, 2012

Being an advocate for bikes as a transportation alternative, I’ve got to share this story with you from the Miami Herald. It’s a report on one of professional basketball’s  best athletes, LeBron James: a native of Ohio who is currently playing for the Miami Heat. Here’s the report. Read the rest of this entry »

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New bicycle friendly map published

Posted by Paul Taylor on January 13, 2012

The Southwest Michigan Plan Commission has just published a map that can help cyclists find the best places to ride.  The map shows the low volume roads that cyclists prefer in green. It also highlights roads with a wide shoulder or bike lane. There’s even a listing of state and area parks with a listing of biking and other facilities and you can download it all from www.michigan.gov/mdot-biking.   At that site, you can also download maps and listings from other parts of Michigan and get loads of information on biking in the thumb state.

Because of their size, the maps are pretty cumbersome to look at on line, so you may want to get a hard copy. By this time next month, the maps should also be in the hands of Michigan bike shops, or you can order them from MDOT for $5.00 each, from the web site mentioned above.

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SB 0101 – Three Feet Please advocates toolkit

Posted by Paul Taylor on January 6, 2012

I’ve been asked by a number of people how they can help get this bill passed. I’ve put together an advocates toolkit that will make citizen involvement easier. Click TOOLKIT to get started. If you have a problem with the links not working as expected, you can download the toolkit by clicking the “Download original” button at the top of the screen. That will make the toolkit more friendly.

Posted in Advocacy, News | 3 Comments »

Senate Bill 101 – Three feet please

Posted by Paul Taylor on January 3, 2012

Senator Broden has sponsored a 3 foot passing bill in the Indiana General Assembly. It is slated to be assigned to the Committee on Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters.

Here’s the legal synopsis of the bill: “Provides that it is a Class C infraction for a person driving a vehicle overtaking a bicycle to not allow at least three feet of clearance between the vehicle and the bicycle and not return to the original lane until the vehicle is safely clear of the bicycle.”

If you want details, or want to follow the political wrangles of the bill, you can do so at http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2012&session=1&request=getBill&doctype=SB&docno=0101.

This is the third year that Senator Broden has sponsored a bicycle safety bill. Two years ago there was an ombudsmen bill with many minor provisions. It nearly passed but died in the reconciliation process between the two chambers of the legislature. Last years bill never got to the assembly floor, probably because it included a mandatory helmet provision and received little or no support from the bicycling community.

This year’s effort is a single issue bill: 3 feet please. Tim Maher said “Hopefully this is our year.” Tim has been among the strong supporters of  Sen. Broden’s bike safety efforts.

As a follower of biking issues, I am reminded of the state of Maine. They introduced bicycle safety bills for seven (count ‘em 7) consecutive years before a bill was passed. Maine is now one of the most bicycle friendly states in the U.S.

Posted in Advocacy, News | Tagged: | 8 Comments »

Granger Paths meets opposition

Posted by Paul Taylor on December 7, 2011

Another biking and walking issue is brewing. The NIMBYs (Not in My Back Yard) and BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) are flexing their muscle in Granger, Indiana: even considering legal action.

Since 2005, plans have been underway to build multiuse paths in Granger. In recent years, most residents were happy to see their area get new schools and new libraries, but they realized that kids couldn’t get to these places unless Mom or Dad drove them. What a downer! So the push for a walking and biking infrastructure was on. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Advocacy | 2 Comments »

Can I ride my bike on the sidewalk?

Posted by Paul Taylor on November 22, 2011

Yes and no. State laws make no distinction, but many cities and towns add restrictions, usually to protect pedestrians. I compared the laws of four area communities: Chicago, Elkhart, Mishawaka, and South Bend.

South Bend has the most straight forward ordinance: “No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within any business district.” Interestingly, it fails to define a ‘business district’. At least I couldn’t find a definition.

Chicago has the same ‘business district’ restriction as South Bend, but adds some complexity. Adults (and children 12 years and older) can’t ride on any sidewalk anywhere.  There are a few exceptions, and they will be so indicated with bicycle route signage.

Elkhart is pretty straight forward. Bikes are permitted on sidewalks except in a clearly defined area of downtown. See the above map. Interestingly, Elkhart just redefined the area: until last month, the restricted area was about three times the size of the current district. Read the rest of this entry »

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