Category: News (Page 18 of 22)

KC Rotary Clubs Ride to End Polio

April 2, 2012 /

Polio Eradication – “You can do it” from Rotary International on Vimeo.

After 25 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now

to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.

Reaching the ultimate goal of a polio-free world presents ongoing challenges, not the least of which is a US$535 million funding gap through 2012. Of course, Rotary alone can’t fill this gap, but continued Rotarian advocacy for government support can help enormously.

As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high.

In an effort to raise funds for Polio Plus and the non-profit foundations of The Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit, the Blue Springs Rotary Club and the Raytown Rotary Club, the three clubs have combined to create Rotary Ride: Pedaling Against Polio. We look forward to your involvement and support in helping raise money and raise awareness.

For more information check out the KC Rotary Ride site at http://kcrotaryride.com/

Lawrence Approves Policy in Effort to Make Streets More Pedestrian-friendly

March 28, 2012 /

Repost from Chad Lawhorn's article in the LJW.

More sidewalks, more bike paths, more ways for people to get across town without cars should be a top-of-mind issue for future city planners, Lawrence city commissioners agreed Tuesday. Commissioners at their weekly meeting unanimously approved a Complete Streets policy that aims to make future city streets more pedestrian-friendly.

The policy calls for future street plans to include several features such as sidewalks, shared-use paths, bicycle lanes, paved shoulders, street trees, additional landscaping, accessible curbs, pedestrian refuge islands and other features.

But the policy is not concrete. The document gives future city officials the ability to exempt projects from the complete streets policy if “feasibility and funding” concerns arise.

Commissioners, though, said they thought the new policy would be particularly helpful when the city begins to rehabilitate older streets.

“I think the reason we haven’t added more of these elements when we retrofit streets is because we didn’t really have a plan or a mantra that spells out what the benefits can be,” said City Commissioner Mike Dever.

Lawrence commission to consider policy promoting street safety and physical activity 3/27

March 23, 2012 /

Below is a repost from the Lawrence Complete Streets site:

The Complete Streets Policy is scheduled for consideration by the Lawrence Commission on Tuesday, March 27, as the third item under the regular agenda section.

The policy seeks to create an equitable, balanced, and effective transportation system that encourages walking, bicycling, and transit use, to improve health and reduce environmental impacts, while simultaneously promoting safety for all users of streets.

Through its Lawrence Complete Streets public education campaign, LiveWell Lawrence has been highlighting the value of streets designed for young and old, motorists, bicyclists, walkers, wheelchair users, transit riders and businesses. LiveWell Lawrence is a community initiative focused on making it easy for Lawrence residents to eat healthy foods and be more physically active.

Members of the Lawrence Complete Streets Committee have worked with Lawrence planning and public works staff to review and revise the policy first presented to the Lawrence commission on Oct. 25, 2011. Changes incorporated into the final version of the policy include the following:

The definition of street Users was expanded to include mobility device users, neighborhood electric vehicle users and utility tricyclists
The applicability of the policy to Street Maintenance was clarified
The applicability of the policy to both public and private transportation infrastructure was illuminated
A section on data collection, progress reporting and public input was added

Support for the adoption of a Complete Streets policy is found in a number of City of Lawrence documents, including the Climate Protection Plan, the Peak Oil Plan and the environmental chapter of Horizon 2020, the City’s comprehensive land use plan. Additionally, the Policy Board of the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization passed a resolution in support of Complete Streets.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department has facilitated the Lawrence Complete Streets Committee on behalf of LiveWell Lawrence. Members of the Lawrence Complete Streets Committee represent a broad cross-section of the community, and the committee includes participants who serve in an advisory role. The diverse composition of committee was a deliberate effort to be inclusive of the divergent views among Lawrence residents, the pro-business community and environmentalists. The committee includes representation, for example, from the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, the Lawrence Home Builders Association and Parsons Brinkerhoff as well as Independence, Inc., the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, the Lawrence Central Rotary Club, the Sustainability Action Network, the Lawrence Sustainability Advisory Board and the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Bikes Can Save Us! [infographic]

February 15, 2012 /

Below is a great story from TreeHugger.com about “It’s no secret that getting out from behind the wheel of your car and riding a bike can benefit both you and the planet. For example, people who perform aerobic exercise a few times a week are at decreased risk of diabetes, heart disease and also tend to lose weight. Exercise can also reduce anxiety and depression. It’s also good for your pocketbook as fuel prices are still pretty high and show no sign of significantly declining anytime soon. Like this infographic states, Americans alone spend 20% of their income on transportation.” More info an links here.

Investing in Cycling Helps Economic Wheels Turn

January 31, 2012 /

The article below is a reprint from the 01/12 issue of American City & County Magazine.

New York City aims to double bicycle commuting over 2007 levels by 2012 and triple it by 2017. The city is working to establish 1,800 bike-lane miles (on streets, in parks and along paths) by 2030.

Cities are turning to cycling-related initiatives as a way to reduce trafic congestion and improve quality of life for residents. They also are finding another benefit of investing in bike infrastructure: a stronger local economy.

A 2011 report from the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts found cycling infrastructure creates the most jobs for each $1 million spent compared to pedestrian only and road-only projects. For the 58 projects in 11 states examined, each $1 million invested resulted in 11.4 jobs within the state.

This past fiscal year, Portland, Ore., spent $7 million — 5 percent of the city’s total transportation budget — on bicycle programs, the most the city has ever spent in one year. The money partially was used to create bicycle boulevards, low volume roadways that serve as primary routes for cyclists. To date, Portland has installed 47 miles of bike boulevards; it built 15 miles this year and plans to add another 15 miles in 2012.

Roger Geller, bicycle coordinator for Portland, believes that bicycle infrastructure is the most effective expenditure of transportation dollars. Portland’s investment generated $90 million in bike-related economic activity in 2008, including consulting, retail and manufacturing.

Boston, which looks to Portland for inspiration, began its bicycle initiative in 2007 when Mayor Thomas Menino included cycling as part of his vision for a vibrant and healthy Boston, says Nicole Freedman, director of bike programs for the city. Bike-related jobs in the city — including manufacturing, retail, tourism and contracting — increased 60 percent between 2007 and 2010.

The increase is a direct result of city initiatives, which range from a bike-share program to annual events that encourage bicycle commuting.

Started in July 2011, Boston’s bike share program placed 600 bikes at 60 stations across the city for public use. In its first six months, the bike share program has enrolled 36,000 members and recorded more than 140,000 trips, and has generated more than $321,000 in annual and daily subscription fees as of Oct. 31. Boston also hosts Hub on Wheels every September, an organized bike ride that offers a new perspective on the streets of Boston.

“Cycling is very important to the health and sustainability of a city,” Freedman says. “You especially have to look at the economic health.”

Article by Allison Reilly who is a St. Louis-based freelance writer.