An occasional update on items from the Velo-city.
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PROGRESS IN THE PARK
Addressing one of the most egregious examples of bad bike-path design is one of the high-priority recommendations in the recently approved Stanley Park Cycling Plan:
Construct a separate pedestrian sidewalk between Second Beach and English Bay (10a). This new pedestrian path, above the Seawall, will add clarity to wayfinding and reduce conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists in this heavily used area of the park.
But it was subject to additional funding. The Park Board has an application in for an infrastructure grant that will address the unfortunate situation I posted about here. If granted, the project will be a focus for 2013-14.
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The Board is also building the first boardwalk in Stanley Park at Cathedral Trail, with a second one from Park Drive to Tunnel Trail to make the connection from the Seawall to Beaver Lake Trail.
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THE BIKE HELMET PARADOX
From Atlantic Cities:
In Pinka Chatterji and Sara Markowitz‘s report for the NBER last week, they note that no nation-wide study in the U.S. has evaluated the effects of bike helmet laws on injuries. … Their complete report is worth reading if you care to go in depth on the statistics.
In short, they found that in the U.S., kids and teenagers ride less in places with helmet laws, and suggest that less riding could be what actually accounts for reductions in bike-related injuries. They also get into how people are more aggressive on roller skates and skateboards when they’re wearing helmets, which results in more overall injuries. They suggest that the same could be true for bicycles.
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THE RISE OF THE PEDELEC
The number of e-cyclists in the Netherlands has reached one million in 2012. Ten percent of all cycling kilometres (which total 1.3 billion km per year) are being ridden on pedelecs – (bicycles on which the cyclist’s pressure on the pedals is amplified electrically per pushing movement up to speeds of 25 km/h).
More here.
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