UK Awareness Campaign

Do the Test

This UK Awareness Campaign was developed by Transportation for London to reduce the number of cyclists that are hurt on London's roads. Visibility of cyclists is very important for us in improving the number of bicycle related injuries. London is not the only city implementing this campaign idea: New York City has their own clever campaign called "Look" which begs drivers to share the roads and pay attention when driving (some of their visuals are a must see). While Thurston County does not have any major cities like NYC or London, we are growing, as well as the numbers of cyclists out there, and it is still very necessary to look out for cyclists when driving. On a bike or in a car, please be safe and share the roads. ~KT

RAP VIDEO teaches how to put your bike on the bus...

TARC Represents with new Rap Video!




Louisville, KY's transit authority (TARC) knows how to represent! Intercity Transit has the same bike racks they use, so please use this as a helpful reference to load your bike! If you have never loaded your bike on the bus and wish to, it is a very easy process. Like the video shows, squeeze the handle of the rack itself to bring it down to its horizontal position. Then load your bike in the wheel wells and lift the wheel hook over your tire. Simple!
Just let the driver know you will be taking your bike down when you exit the bus. If your bike is the only one on the rack, please squeeze the handle again and turn the rack to its upright position. Only conventional, single seat, two-wheeled bikes allowed on racks, details here: http://www.intercitytransit.com/page.cfm?ID=bikesOnBuses

We will have a bus bike rack demo at our Wrencher's Ball on Friday, April 25 at the Olympia Transit Center from 7am - 5pm. Register for the contest, get a free bicycle safety check and learn how to load your bike on the bus! Details of this event coming soon.

Hartford, Conn joins in bike-ped revolution

Not Just For Cars Anymore
From The Hartford Courant 3.16.08

If America is going to conserve energy and become more physically fit, a good place to start would be with the streets. Since at least World War II, streets have been regarded primarily as conduits for cars and trucks. But if streets and their sidewalks and intersections were handled in a more far-sighted way, they would serve a bigger slice of the population — pedestrians, bicyclists and mass transit riders , as well as motorists. Throughout the United States, a "Complete Streets" movement is emerging, causing more and more governments to broaden their outlook. According to a report last fall in the AARP Bulletin, 52 municipalities, six counties, 10 regional governments and 14 states have adopted Complete Streets policies. These policies require transportation departments to design — or redesign — streets and roads so that they accommodate people using all modes of travel.

The West Coast is a hotbed for such efforts. The first state to pass a law mandating that facilities for bicycles and pedestrians be included in all road projects was Oregon, in 1971, says Michael Ronkin, who for 16 years managed Oregon's bike and pedestrian programs. Oregon initially focused more on improving conditions for bicyclists than on serving pedestrians.

"Until the last 10 years, bike advocates were always more vocal than pedestrian advocates," Ronkin points out.

But that's been changing, in Oregon and elsewhere. The National Complete Streets Coalition, which was formally launched in May 2006 in Washington, D.C., represents a coming together of cyclists, pedestrians and transit users. The goal is to influence how communities are laid out and managed so that they're accessible for everyone. (read more)

Nice to see the east coast joining in the revolution to reduce drive alone trips and make bikes a normal from of transportation. Being from the Hartford area myself, I know that it can be a beautiful place to ride, and I also know that traffic congestion is becoming an issue, just like a lot of urban growth areas around the country. It is nice to see the west coast, particularly Portland, can set an example for the rest of the country. ~KT

Inter-National Bike to Work Day?

Pedal pushers consider power of the hour
From The Sydney Morning Herald 3.12.08

STAND BY for Earth Ride. The success of Earth Hour's international expansion has motivated those working in other areas, including the folks at Bicycle NSW. After all, the environmental benefits of bike riding are well known, so why not push for worldwide pedal power?

The chief executive officer of Bicycle NSW, Alex Unwin, saw a golden opportunity. "We have already been in touch with cities around the world, including London and New York, about ways we could work together to encourage bike riding," he said. "In addition, we share a view with Earth Hour about the importance of community engagement."

Whether any venture will be called "Earth Ride" is still up in the air, although Unwin said it was being used at the Bicycle NSW office "and it might be helpful in communicating our ideas globally, as Earth Hour has done".

Unwin is a great supporter of community events as a means of changing people's behaviour. Results from the national ride-to-work day back up his view: research in Victoria showed that 34 per cent of "first timers", those who cycled to work for the first time on the 2006 ride-to-work day, were still doing it five months later. (read more)

How inspiring. I don't know how many people really think deeply about National Bike to Work Day and how communities across the nation are joining together for a great cause, but this is an opportunity for a revolutionary event. Imagine the feeling while riding to work, knowing your neighboring countries are doing the same... ~KT

UW well into a bike commute contest of their own

UW students and faculty spend a month leaving their cars behind
From THE DAILY of the university of washington 3.10.08

Riding in the rain has never been so rewarding to bicycle commuters in Seattle.
Cyclists will get the chance to participate in the fifth annual Ride in the Rain, a four-week event in which students, staff and faculty members are encouraged to commute on their bicycles for trophies.

“Commuter Services holds Ride in the Rain to do something fun for our dedicated cyclists and to introduce new riders to the joys of bicycling,” said Celeste Gilman, the transportation systems manager for the UW Motor Pool. The event has 1,093 participants registered, 250 more than last year. More than 1,000 of those participants are in one of 124 registered teams.

Registered teams and individuals keep track of the number of one-way trips and miles ridden, as well as what sort of weather they experienced on their commutes.

At the end of the event, each participant who logged at least 20 one-way trips will be invited to a celebration luncheon and award ceremony April 17 in Red Square.
(read more)

It is great to see other communites and colleges creating their own challenges to get more cyclists on the roads and less cars. And what participation! They had 1093 people register for their 5th annual contest! I would love to see us have that kind of participation this year, and from looking at last year's stats, it looks like we can do it. The BCC's main mission is to try to get people to try bike commuting and stick with it, but participation really matters in its own way. The more participation we have with the BCC, the more awareness bike commuting gets in our community, and the more accomodations will be made for us cyclists! So if you are a die hard bike commuter that bears it throught the winter months or if you have never tried riding to work or to run an errand, try it this May with the BCC and join in the community to promote the bike as transportation! See you out there... ~KT

Indonesians ditching their cars

Thousands of Jakartans biking to work
From The Jakarta Post 3.2.08

When Dany Fernando decided to start cycling to work a year ago, he was hoping to lose some weight and help reduce pollution in the city.

"There has not been any significant change with my weight," he laughed, "but I am a lot healthier."

Dany, 27, lives in Meruya, West Jakarta, and works in Mampang, South Jakarta. He covers approximately 15 kilometers to work three times a week.

He had been interested in biking to work and looked for information on the Internet. He found a biking commuters' group, Bike To Work (B2W)-Indonesia. He joined and started biking to work.
B2W-Indonesia is a group dedicated to the pedal-driven vehicle to commute; an answer to traffic congestion and air pollution in a city that consumes at least 6 million kiloliters of fuelannually.
Started in 2004 by cyclists in the capital, the group's membership has rapidly grown in recent years.

Ozy Sjarindra, chief executive of B2W-Indonesia, said the community started with less than 100 members. "We now have more than 4,600 members listed on our website. If unlisted members or unaffiliated bike-to-workers are counted, I believe there are more than 10,000 bike-to-workers in Jakarta," said Ozy, a middle-aged man who rides to work two or three timesa week.
Biking commuters ride up to 35 kilometers each day to their work place from areas such as Bekasi and Tangerang in the city's outskirts.

These cyclists wear sports clothes and carry their work outfits in backpacks. Most take a bath or shower at work, although others simply wipe off and change clothes.

Many of the B2W commuting cyclists form groups based on their residential area or work area and ride together on certain days of the week.

A group called Rombongan Bekasi, for example, rides together on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while Rombongan Selatan, in the south, get together on Wednesdays and Fridays.

There are more than seven large groups in B2W, who all agree that on Fridays they'll ride together forming a long line of bicycles, like snakes slithering through the city.

It is always interesting to see what other cultures are doing about rising gas prices and climate change. These Indonesians might be able to teach us a thing or two about ditching our cars. What a great idea to form a club like theirs to support and encourage each other. They also add a bit of fun to their commutes with their once a week group ride...must be a sight to see a long line of cyclists on their way to work in the morning! ~KT

Call to Artists!

2nd Annual Zeit-Bike - Call to Artists
From Exit 133

The City of Tacoma has announced the second annual Zeit-Bike competition at the Tacoma Art Museum. This year’s theme is Surrealist Impulse where artists will employ the aesthetic approaches of Surrealism to render ordinary bicycles into art objects. The finished pieces of art will be on display at the Tacoma Art Museum from May 13 – 16.

Participating artists will also be invited to speak to the public about their work at the Tacoma Art Museum during May’s Artwalk, (the 15th). There will be a public judging of the bikes that night. The top prize will be a $250 Visa gift card, with a $100 second and $50 third prize.
(read more on how to enter)

How very cool! You have two months to design and build your Surrealist Impulse bicycle. Let us know if any of you Thurston County commuters enter the contest, I will post a write up about your art. ~KT ktarullo@intercitytransit.com

By Land, Sea, or Sky?

Commuting in the liquid lane

From The Seattle Times 1.22.08

Nat Hong and Bob Barrett commute on Puget Sound by bike — water bike, that is — to their jobs in Bremerton and Steilacoom.

"This is pretty hard to beat in terms of a pleasant commute," said Hong, who lives on Bainbridge Island and teaches at Olympic College in Bremerton.

The drive would be 80 miles round trip. But with his water bike, the trip to work is just 12 miles — including one mile on the water. Hong said he used to be irked because he could look across the water and see the place he worked.

"It needled and gnawed at me. The long drive didn't make sense." He began water biking in September.

Hong, 54, rides a regular bicycle a half-mile to the water, hops on his water bike for the 12- to 15-minute ride, and has another bicycle waiting for him at Illahee State Park in Bremerton. He rides up a steep hill to his job.

For nearly seven years, Barrett has been riding his bike two miles across Puget Sound from his home on tiny Ketron Island to a marina in Steilacoom. There, he catches a bus to his job as a safety-and-training instructor with Pierce Transit. (read more)

What an inspiration! And a truly beautiful commute. ~KT