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Lawrence/Douglass Co Metro Planning Org Needs Your Input!

May 3, 2013 /

Do you walk, bike, drive, or use the T in Lawrence or Douglass County? A public open house will be held on Wednesday, June 5 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Union Pacific Depot (402 N. 2nd Street) in Lawrence. Members of the project team will be at the meeting to discuss the three elements of the multimodal planning studies. An online, interactive-mapping tool (additional information provided below) will be available at the open house to allow attendees an opportunity to identify deficiencies, gaps, and other mobility issues. Click Here to download the Open House Flyer.

If you have any questions regarding the public open house please contact:

Todd Girdler, Senior Transportation Planner, Lawrence-Douglas County MPO, at (785) 832-3155 or email [email protected]
Jessica Mortinger, Transportation Planner, Lawrence-Douglas County MPO, at (785) 832-3165 or email [email protected]

Can’t Attend? Use the Online Interactive Maps to Provide Your Comments.

The project team is currently collecting and analyzing data for the three multimodal planning studies and we need your help. Please take a few minutes to use the online, interactive-maps to identify deficiencies, gaps, and other mobility issues within the region. An online map has been developed for each of the three multimodal planning elements which you can access by clicking on the following links. Once you have accessed the first map, you will be able to access the other maps within the program, or you can return to this page to access the other maps.

Countywide Bikeway System Plan: http://tinyurl.com/DouglasCoBike
Fixed-Route Transit & Pedestrian Accessibility Study: http://tinyurl.com/TransitPedAccess
Commuter Park & Ride Study: http://tinyurl.com/DouglasCoPark-Ride

We encourage you to provide as much information as possible. Feel free to complete one, two, or all three of the maps. You can also return at any time to add comments or review comments that other people have provided. The online, interactive-mapping tool will also be available at the public open house.

“Divvy Bikes” offer Chicagoans a new way to commute

May 1, 2013 /

Below is a repost of the 4/29/13 Derek Prall’s American City and County post.. it’s pretty interesting.

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In an effort to curb the congestion on public transportation and roadways, Chicago’s new bicycle sharing program expects to offer over 4,000 bikes to public transit riders looking for a fast, inexpensive way to travel the last legs of their daily commutes.

The program, known as “Divvy,” will be managed year-round by Portland, Ore.- based Alta Bicycle Share, according to the Chicago Tribune. The $22 million dollar project is “expected to pay for itself” over time, Sean Wiedel, an assistant commissioner at the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) who oversees the program, told the paper.

Federal grants provided the initial funding for the project to cut traffic congestion and improve air quality, the Tribune reports. While Divvy is emphasized as being a complement to public transportation, the bikes will be available for anyone wishing to swap four wheels for two.

Bike sharing memberships will go on sale mid-May. Yearly memberships will cost $75 and daily passes will run $7. Both fees allow for unlimited trips of up to 30 minutes each, with hourly rental fees applying after the initial half-hour, the Tribune says. Riders will pick up a bike from one of 400 planned solar powered docking stations, and return it to a station near their destination.

According to the Divvy Bike website, riders will be responsible for the bicycle from the time they remove it from a dock until they have successfully secured it at the end of their trip. The cost to repair or replace a Divvy bike could be up to $1,200.

For safety, the bikes are outfitted with always-on lights, bells and GPS devices. While Chicago (for logistical reasons) is unable to provide riders with protective gear, cyclists will be encouraged to wear their own, Pete Scales, as spokesman for the CDOT told the Tribune.

“We used to only think cars and mass transit,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told the Tribune. “Today, Milwaukee Avenue is one of the most-biked streets in America.”

For more information on the program visit www.divvybikes.com

Divvy Bikes Home Screen

Lawrence Central Rotary’s Steve Lane to Discuss the 2013 Lawrence Community Bike Ride

April 30, 2013 /

At this week’s Lawrence Central Rotary Wednesday 5/1 meeting Steve Lane will tell us about this year’s Community Bike Ride scheduled for July 20th. This is the club’s signature community project. If you’re interested in hearing more or volunteering to help stop by the Eldridge All American Room!

Scary Larry Bike Polo Club Featured in LJW Go! Section

April 22, 2013 /

Here’s a repost of a story of Lawrence’s own Scary Larry Bike Polo Club in the 4/22/13 Lawrence Journal World Go! section.

For more info on Scary Larry – check out their website at http://www.scarylarrykbp.org/

Go-Getter: Bike polo

By Rebekka Schlichting

April 22, 2013

Josh Hoffhines, a member of the Scary Larry Kansas Bike Polo club that meets three times a week in Edgewood Park, said that all you need to get started playing Bike Polo is a bike, and the only skill you need is the ability to ride. It is free to play, and the members are helpful to newcomers.

While catching up on spring cleaning, don’t forget to dust off the old bike. Also, it might be a good idea to take it out for a spin. After all, swimsuit season is nigh.

But riding a bike aimlessly around town can get old fast. I would suggest riding to Edgewood Park, 1245 E. 15th St., and joining the Scary Larry members in a competitive game of bike polo.

Getting started

Josh Hoffhines, a member of Scary Larry Kansas Bike Polo, said that all you need to get started is a bike, and the only skill you need is the ability to ride. Toe-covered shoes, pads and a helmet are also important.

The bike polo club is easy to approach during their meetings, which are every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday for about three hours starting at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join in on a few games. Lessons and gear, such as mallets and balls, can be provided to beginners.

Bike polo is a workout, and it’s not too difficult to get into. The game is a lot like traditional polo, but bikes are substituted for horses and the field is a basketball court. The club typically plays numerous three-on-three games, which last about eight minutes each.

Cost

You will need a bike, and damage to the bike during a game is possible. You will also want a helmet and pads. If you fall in love with the sport, you can join Scary Larry for $10 a month.

The club periodically takes trips to play in tournaments around the area. Members also have cookouts during some of the meetings, and they are starting to plan other social activities. Being a member also gets you a discount at Fixcraft, which sells bike polo accessories including mallets and wheel covers.

Where to go

Scary Larry meets at Edgewood Park, 1245 E. 15th St. at 7 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, rain or shine. It is free to play, and the friendly members are helpful to newcomers.

30 Reasons to Take Up Cycling

April 16, 2013 /

Below is a repost of a great story by Matthew Barbour, Cycling Plus on BikeRadar.com

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Whether it’s to boost your fitness, health or bank balance, or as an environmental choice, taking up cycling could be one of the best decisions you ever make. Not convinced? Here are 30 major benefits of taking to two wheels.

1. You’ll get there faster

Commute by bike in the UK’s major cities and you’ll get there in half the time of cars, research by Citroen shows. In fact, if you drive for an hour in Cardiff’s rush hour, you’ll spend over 30 minutes going absolutely nowhere and average just 7mph, compared to averaging around 12-15mph while cycling.

2. Sleep more deeply

An early morning ride might knacker you out in the short term, but it’ll help you catch some quality shut-eye when you get back to your pillow. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers asked sedentary insomnia sufferers to cycle for 20-30 minutes every other day. The result? The time required for the insomniacs to fall asleep was reduced by half, and sleep time increased by almost an hour.

“Exercising outside exposes you to daylight,” explains Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre. “This helps get your circadian rhythm back in sync, and also rids your body of cortisol, the stress hormone that can prevent deep, regenerative sleep.”

3. Look younger

Scientists at Stanford University have found that cycling regularly can protect your skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation and reduce the signs of aging. Harley Street dermatologist Dr Christopher Rowland Payne explains: “Increased circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells more effectively, while ﬂushing harmful toxins out. Exercise also creates an ideal environment within the body to optimize collagen production, helping reduce the appearance of wrinkles and speed up the healing process.” Don’t forget to slap on the factor 30 before you head out, though.

4. Boost your bowels

According to experts from Bristol University, the beneﬁts of cycling extend deep into your core. “Physical activity helps decrease the time it takes food to move through the large intestine, limiting the amount of water absorbed back into your body and leaving you with softer stools, which are easier to pass,” explains Harley Street gastroenterologist Dr Ana Raimundo.

In addition, aerobic exercise accelerates your breathing and heart rate, which helps to stimulate the contraction of intestinal muscles. “As well as preventing you from feeling bloated, this helps protect you against bowel cancer,” Dr Raimundo says.

5. Increase your brain power

Need your grey matter to sparkle? Then get pedaling. Researchers from Illinois University found that a ﬁve percent improvement in cardio-respiratory ﬁtness from cycling led to an improvement of up to 15 percent in mental tests. That’s because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus – the region responsible for memory, which deteriorates from the age of 30.

“It boosts blood ﬂow and oxygen to the brain, which ﬁres and regenerates receptors, explaining how exercise helps ward off Alzheimer’s,” says the study’s author, Professor Arthur Kramer.

Ride Lawrence