Rain Vol XV_No 1

Walk Austin, PO Box 1568, Austin, Texas 78767 Walk Boston, 156 Milk St., Boston, Massachusetts 02109, (617) 451-1570 Walk New York, Randy Wade, 299 West 12th St #lF, NY, NY 10014, (212) 645-8056 Other larger groups inclu{le: Coalition to Make America Walkable (Prevention Mag), Rodale Press, 33 E. Minor St, Emmaus, PA 18098 Pedestrian Federation of America, 1506 21st NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036 Walking Magazine, 9-11 Harcourt St, Boston, MA 02116. To find out what makes a great bicycling and walking city, make sure you get a free copy of the National Bicycling and Walking Study, Case Study No. 18 entitled Analyses of Successful Provincial, State and Local Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs in Canada and the United States (Publication No. FHWA~PD-93-010). (The address is on page 19). Pedestrians in New York City, San Francisco and Portland, ·Oregon are .benefiting from ordinances that require the bases of buildings to be designed with intricacy and care. Perhaps these should be extended to include enhancing the rest of the building, but it is better than completely ugly streetscapes. Traditional 1930s designs for lamp posts, bus stops, benches and manhole covers are being revived by artists in Seattle. In Portland, salvaged cobblestone is used to tame cars' speeds, encouraging pedestrians and lightrail to share the public space. (See photo, page 28). National Bicycle and Pedestrian Clearinghouse The National Clearinghouse represents a cooperative effort of the Federal Highway Administration, the Bicycle Federation of America and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The Clearinghouse provides info on biking and walking programs and issues from several sources: government documents, experts in human-powered transportation, and referrals to other organizations. To find out more about what is available, contact The National Bicycle and Pedestrian Clearinghouse at 1506 21st Street NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20036. Phone (202) 463-8405, Tollfree (800) 760-NBPC, fax (202) 463-6625. Cfiook ~view Bike Cult: The Ultimate Guide to Human-Powered Vehicles. By David B. Perry. Price $23.95. Paperback. 608 pages. ISBN 1-56858-027-4. Publishers Group West. Contact John Oakes at (212) 206-8965. Bike Cult is a book that goes far beyond your expectations. Every conceivable sustainable transport resource is packed into one hefty book. Speed past the history of bikes into the magical world of possibilities for human-powered transport. The 700+ illustrations allow you to explore the most bicycle and pedestrian friendly communities around the world. The author, David Perry, is one of New York City's Transportation Alternatives writers. Bike Cult will turn on your passion for promoting this sensible transport choice and give you th_e tools for creating positive changes. For example, you can find out where to look to order cargo cycles for carrying heavy loads: - small wheel gravity front carrier bikes (Royal Enfield) - long wheelbase front loader bikes such as: -Long John by Smith & Company- SCO -Long Emma by Pashley -Long Haul by Human-Powered Vehicles Also you can find out that western-made pedicabs often have fiberglass bodies and stereo systems, such as the Paradise Pedicab of Hawaii ·and the Trans Canada Pedicab of Vancouver. Pedicabs are free in downtown Giessen, Germany - paid for by advertising. You'lllearn handy statistics (presented more thoroughly than this): Percent of daily trips by cycling in selected cities, 1989 City %' of daily trips % land for streets Tianjin, China 77% 4.8% Groningen, Holland 50% Not Available Erlangen, Germany 26% Not Available Tokyo, Japan 25% · Not Available Manhattan, U.S 8% 40-60% Saudi Arabia & UAE Bicycling Prohibited?? You'll also find a bevy of good ideas that have been put into practice around the globe. Bicycle Express buses, called Fahrradexpress, are offered in Germany and connect to several recreational bike routes in Wiesbaden, Bonn, Bremen and Wuppertal. The special buses have some of their rear seats removed to accomodate passengers' bikes on hooks. In Holland, more than 10% of highway construction funds were devoted to cycling projects, while the U.S. spends less than 1% of all transport funds for cycling and non-motorized vehicles. Some Dutch towns have ofos, or areas in front of cars at traffic stops where bicyclists can get a head start. There are so many innovative ways that bicycling has been promoted and supported around the globe, you really need to read this well-written book to get the full inspiration! RAIN Summer 1996 Volume XV, Number 1 Page 27

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz