Barb Chamberlain's blog

Just learned on the Bicycle Advisory Board list of a site set up to map reports of people parking in bike lanes: http://spokane.mybikelane.com/

I found a similar site yesterday for New York City that's full of photos and license plate numbers. Some of the comments on that site are pretty raw, and in my view just contribute to the perception of an adversarial relationship.

Maybe we can start drawing gentle attention to the importance of clear bike lanes, while keeping a little "Spokane nice" in the posts on this site.

--barb

Several national transportation reform groups worked together on a national survey about attitudes toward transportation funding.

Check out how we currently spend our federal transportation dollars, and how people say they want them spent:

Roads: Respondents want them to receive 37% of the funds--they get 78%.
Transit: Respondents want them to receive 41%--they get 20%
Walking and bicycling: Respondents want them to get 22%--they get 1.5%

http://www.railtrails.org/whatwedo/trailadvocacy/Advocacy_corner_Aug_08_...

Right on top of the downtown plan, another one is under review and taking comments through Friday, Aug. 8: The downtown/University District transportation plan.

See http://www.spokaneengineering.org/Downtown%20Study/Downtown%20Study.htm for links to the draft, and provide your perspective as a cyclist by sending email to DKSTransportationStudy@spokanecity.org.

--barb

There's a great bike info site for women called www.teamestrogen.com, with very informative forum discussions.

In a discussion there that is of high relevance for those of you in search of the "perfect" bike saddle, I found a link to a saddle info resource for both men and women: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html.

This Thursday, Aug. 7, is the final open house on the downtown master plan update, and also the deadline for public comments on the draft plan.

See http://www.downtownspokane.net/downtownspokane/sub.aspx?id=2516 for links to the plan chapters.

The plan does acknowledge bikes and cycling, but with more emphasis on a pedestrian-friendly downtown than on bike-specific circulation issues. It talks about an increase in transit use due to rising fuel prices, but doesn't acknowledge the parallel impact on bike commuting and the need to plan for that. Etcetera, etcetera.

See http://www.petitiononline.com/bikether/petition.html for a petition asking Google to add a "bike there" option, similar to the Drive There and Take Public Transit options.

See http://GoogleMapsBikeThere.org for more on the request. Google adds features in response to user demand, so numbers really count.

When people say "transportation" or "traffic" do they automatically think only of cars and other motorized vehicles? Well, good news: a study of traffic and transportation in downtown includes this line on the first page of the executive summary: "Goals for decreasing the vehicle miles traveled (VMT), reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing the reliance on the single occupancy vehicle and maintaining a flexible, sustainable transportation system are important for the future."

Apple Charlotte Cooking Company is doing a donated fundraiser dinner for Pedals2People next Sunday night, June 22.

It's limited to 30 guests and they are at at 22 now -- so if you are interested, take a look and RSVP in the next day or two.

The full explanation for the event is at http://www.pedals2people.org/AppleCharP2PJune.pdf.

But in a nutshell: it's a New Orleans-Style dinner with off-the-grill andouille sausage and chicken jambalaya; muffaletta; red beans and rice; corny jalapeno sweet cornbread; and bourbon chocolate cake. Beer, wine, and ice tea is also included.

Go to http://www.bikecommuters.com/gas-saving-calculator/ to see just how much greener your world is when you commute via bike--the green in your wallet, that is.

I get pretty decent gas mileage on my 7-year-old Honda Accord. With gas at $4.04/gallon, and a short trip to work, I save around $175/year by commuting every day via bike (although I do shift to bus when it's incredibly snowy, and that cost isn't included in this).

I received a note from a friend of mine about the frequent encounters he has on the Centennial Trail with truly rude cyclists. He has an idea for a "Slow down, shout out" campaign to address trail etiquette among those cyclists who need a reminder. I'm sharing the idea here in hopes you'll all lead by example, and show people cycling courtesy to counterbalance these others.