Bike Delaware Annual Meeting wrap-up

Bike Delaware's first "Annual Meeting" took place on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at WILMAPCO in Newark. The meeting had record attendance - 14 people - including several first-time attendees. The officers were introduced, including President Drew Knox (on vacation and unable to attend), Vice President Caroline Honse (tied up with work and unable to attend), Secretary Maria Wilburn, Treasurer Carol Ireland and Public Relations Frank Warnock. The big news of the evening came from Sally Humphrey: Bike Delaware is officially incorporated!! Many thanks to Sally of Delaware Greenways for engaging a lawyer to assist Bike Delaware on a pro bono basis in completing the incorporation papers.

A special topic on the agenda was a 2009 summary given by Frank Warnock. In mid-2009, Bike Delaware had identified three goals:

1) Promote a safe bike crossing of the C&D Canal, on the St. Georges Bridge.

2) Seek passage of a 3-foot passing law.

3) Followup on the Complete Streets Executive Order.

Significant progress was made on all three goals. Anthony Aglio, Bicycle Coordinator for DelDOT, announced significant progress with the St. Georges Bridge, and what could be a major victory for bicyclists in Delaware. Bike Delaware provided feedback on the DelDOT policies resulting from the Complete Streets Executive Order. We will continue to monitor the implementation of those policies. The 3-foot passing law passed the Senate unanimously. Our hope is that it will pass the House early in 2010. See Frank's charts HERE (pdf) for additional information on the progress made by Bike Delaware in 2009.

John Boyle gave a presentation outlining the progress made by the Bike Coalition of Greater Philadelphia in that city. Definitely an inspiration for Bike Delaware!

The pizza-sub-chips-soda supper was supplemented by a cake to celebrate the fact that Bike Delaware is now incorporated.

Will Mike Castle ACT? An open letter from a Bike DE member

Rep. Mike Castle, who is running for the Senate this year, has declared that his top legislative priorities include (1) energy independence, (2) fighting diabetes and (3) reducing congestion. Who would argue with these priorities? As Delaware voters, though, we need to ask Rep. Castle the following questions:

(1) Does building more and wider roads reduce our dependence on Middle East oil?

(2) Does building more and wider roads help to reduce the incidence of diseases like diabetes linked to obesity and sedentary lifestyles?

(3) Does building more and wider roads reduce road congestion in Delaware?

The answers to (1) and (2) are clearly "no" and "no". What about (3)? Well, we've been building more and more roads for 50 years now. The result? Commute distances have skyrocketed; the percentages of kids who walk or bike to school has fallen below 10%; and everybody drives everywhere to do everything. And our roads are still congested.

In 2010, the federal government will pass a major transportation bill, something it does every 5 years or so. Although almost all of this money will end up being used to build more and more and wider and wider and faster and faster roads in Delaware, we also have an opportunity to do something a little bit different with this upcoming bill. Instead of spending all of these federal funds on roads, why not spend a small percentage of these dollars in Delaware on infrastructure for non-motorized transportation like biking that would increase the percentage of people who use a bike to get to work, school and shopping? Here are some reasons why this is a good idea:

(1) Biking to work doesn't require any oil from the Middle East.

(2) Biking to school reduces obesity in kids.

(3) Biking to shopping reduces the number of cars on roads and frees up the roads for faster travel, increasing the productivity of Delaware's economy.

Rep. Castle should be supporting the idea of spending a small percentage of federal surface transportation funds on non-motorized infrastructure. He has an opportunity to do so by being a lead co-sponsor of the Active Community Transportation Act (ACT), which does just that. ACT is the most cost-effective way to simultaneously address three of Rep. Castle's own declared legislative priorities. How could he possibly pass up that chance? He can't. We sent him to Congress to not just talk about energy independence, diabetes and road congestion, but also to ACT.

~ James Wilson

2009 MUTCD: Secretary Wicks responds

On January 1, Bike Delaware wrote to Carolann Wicks, DelDOT Secretary, requesting our state adopt in full all bicycling-related updates and additions found in the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Among others, Sharrows are a new addition, and will be indispensable where BFCs (Bicycle Friendly Communities) are concerned. As a gesture of good will, Secretary Wicks will have her department stay in regular touch with Bike Delaware and the Delaware Bicycle Council on developments as they occur. Read her letter of response in pdf HERE. Email Anthony Aglio, DelDOT Bicycle Coordinator with your own support: Anthony.Aglio@state.de.us

Bike Delaware Year in Review Presentation

2009 was a year full of challenges, and success. Much work remains; 2010 promises even more action. View the presentation in Power Point HERE, or pdf HERE. If you like what you see, and support our mission, please consider even a small donation to Bike Delaware HERE.

Visit our Participation page for more information.

WILMAPCO seeks comments on 2011-2014 TIP

WILMAPCO and DelDOT seek our input about transportation projects proposed for the next four years. The Draft FY 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) contains federally funded transportation projects for New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland. A public meeting will be held on February 22 to discuss the upcoming transportation projects under consideration. The Open House will invite your comments on projects proposed for the FY 2011-14 TIP. The TIP contains the agreed upon list of specific priority projects. The TIP lists all projects for which federal funds are anticipated, along with non-federally funded projects that are regionally significant. Projects include multimodal, highway, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and freight facilities and work to preservation existing infrastructure, as well as improvements and expansions.

Meeting invitation HERE (pdf). See the entire TIP on WILMAPCO's web site HERE. If you can't make it, comment via email HERE.

Active Communities Transportation Act - where's Mike Castle?

Partnering nationally with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation, we still hope to secure funding in the 2010 federal transportation bill to expedite the completion of planned improvements. But Earl Blumenauer, the bill's sponsor, can't do it alone. Our own Mike Castle (R-House), who's support would ensure its success, has thus far remained absent on any decision. The 2010 Campaign aims to fund dozens of communities across the country with $50 million each to promote trails, walking and biking for improved mobility. The campaign builds on the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) in the 2005 federal transportation bill SAFETEA-LU. Learn more about the Active Community Transportation Act of 2009 HERE. View our own, we believe winnable Active Transportation in Northern Delaware Case Statement (pdf). More information on the program from RTTC HERE.

Neighboring Elkton, Maryland Bike Plan: UPDATE

WILMAPCO is working with the Town of Elkton to develop a bicycle plan to expand the existing transportation system, support economic activity and growth, and improve quality of life for Town residents and visitors. The Elkton Bicycle Plan will introduce a proposed coordinated bicycle network, which will connect residents with surrounding neighborhoods, the downtown central business district, and other key destinations, along with improvements for bike facilities such as bike racks and signage. This Plan is being developed with the participation of an advisory committee comprised of Town, County and State officials, and citizen advocates. One key task in the planning process is identifying the network, in which cyclist's input will be most valuable. Thus, those who bike in Elkton are encouraged to fill out a Field Worksheet and/or map the route (available online) that they take in and around Town. This input will help to identify improvements that can be made along bike routes, and will be used to better prioritize corridors for improvements. To give input, join the Advisory Committee or email Dave Gula: dgula@wilmapco.org for more information. This is your chance to help create some of the very first Bicycle Friendly Communities in the North East US, and it can only happen with cyclist participation.

Waves of the Future - 2010 DRPS Annual Conference and Trail Summit

The mission of DRPS is to unite all persons interested in and responsible for professionally planned leisure time activities including: recreation, parks, natural, historical, cultural, therapeutic, facilities, and conservation programs into one organization. The 2010 Trail Summit will provide attendees opportunities to broaden their knowledge. Presentation topics will revolve around park maintenance, park management, and public recreation. There will also be a variety of educational sessions and a keynote speaker focusing on matters and issues that affect delivery of trail networks. Agenda HERE.

Waves of the Future
30th Annual DRPS Conference
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Registration:
$70.00- DRPS Members
$95.00- Non-DRPS Members

Location:
Atlantic Sands Hotel
302-227-2511
101 North Boardwalk
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
Map and Directions

The Trails Summit provides an opportunity for land planners, trail administrators and managers, trail advocacy groups, trail builders and other trail enthusiasts to network and advocate for trails in their community as well as learn what we have collectively achieved in the past decade, and to learn about new opportunities, issues, trends and techniques.

More information, including on-line registration HERE.

Internet to arrive on dashboards starting in 2010

NY Times, January 7, 2010 - To the dismay of safety advocates already worried about driver distraction, automakers and high-tech companies have found a new place to put sophisticated Internet-connected computers: the front seat. Technology giants like Intel and Google are turning their attention from the desktop to the dashboard, hoping to bring the power of the PC to the car. They see vast opportunity for profit in working with automakers to create the next generation of irresistible devices.

“This is irresponsible at best and pernicious at worst,” Nicholas A. Ashford, a professor of technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of the new efforts to marry cars and computers. “Unfortunately and sadly, it is a continuation of the pursuit of profit over safety — for both drivers and pedestrians.”

One system on the way this fall from Audi lets drivers pull up information as they drive. Heading to Madison Square Garden for a basketball game? Pop down the touch pad, finger-scribble the word “Knicks” and get a Wikipedia entry on the arena, photos and reviews of nearby restaurants, and animations of the ways to get there.
Read on . . .

Tell Mike Castle: Bring $50M to Delaware for bicycling and walking infrastructure!

We have a tiny window of time - about 72 hours - to convince Mike Castle (R-DE) to co-sponsor with Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) a national bill called the "Active Community Transportation Act of 2009". This bill could bring $50 million (50 million!) for walking and biking infrastructure to New Castle County and additionally $50 million to each of dozens of other communities in the U.S.

Here's the catch: Blumenauer is going to introduce the bill next week. He needs Castle to sign on before then, which means we have to persuade Castle RIGHT NOW that this is something Delaware desperately needs. There's no time for a mailed letter, but a letter can be faxed to his DC office at 202-225-2291. Feel free to use this sample letter (word.doc) - simply add your name and signature at the bottom. If time is an issue, PLEASE send an email (probably less of an impact than a fax) from HERE.

Learn more about the Active Community Transportation Act of 2009 HERE. View our own, we believe winnable Active Transportation in Northern Delaware Case Statement. More information on the program from RTTC HERE.