News
Responsibility and Integrity
On May the 21st the Courier-Journal published an article by Jeff Watkins, News Editor, addressing climate change from a perspective of personal, individual responsibility. Jeff ended his article with: “If pointing the finger of blame will help, I’ll take the heat.” In the next two weeks the C-J published related pieces by Glenn Reynolds and Mike Kleier suggesting that those who express concern about climate change should “walk the talk”. These are conversations long overdue. All three are found...Bike share before traffic calming, cart before horse
Louisville is about to launch a great bike share program. As we turn loose novice cyclists on our urban streets we need to remember that Louisville established in 2016 new records in traffic deaths and pedestrian deaths. The danger of urban streets is the velocity of motor vehicles. This is not news. “A pedestrian has a 95 per cent survival rate when hit by a motor vehicle driving at less than 20 mph. At less than 30 mph their survival rate is 55 per cent. At 40 mph, survival rates are only 5 per cent.” (Ashton and Mackay 1979) 5% survival at speed between 30 and 40 mph 55% survival at speed between 20 and 30 mph 95% survival at speed under 20 mph Urban traffic must be calmed. Louisville’s best traffic calming tool is a bicycle in the travel lane – the travel lane, not the bike lane. Before loosing the bike share program (and possibly losing some of our citizens and visitors) Louisville should scrub out the urban bike lanes, putting bicycles in the urban travel lanes. That act, coupled with converting one way streets to two way, converting urban traffic signals to flashing red or yellow but never green, concentrating TARC service “inside the Watterson” (beyond the Watterson is hopelessly car dependent), and establishing dedicated bus lanes will create a safe urban transportation system. These are low cost, budget-smart, urban and people-friendly measures....
Debris from wreck headed to your water supply
This debris is from a wreck which occurred two weeks ago on Broadway. It is headed to your water supply. No, make that Evansville’s water supply. It will first go thru the metal grates and into the sewer system. MSD will have to filter and pump it out, then ‘dispose’ of it. Know that ‘dispose’ probably means dump it in a land fill. Why does driver foolishness become a burden the public bears? Why isn’t the owner of the vehicle or the insurance company held responsible. Our relationship with cars is...
Record Heat – Year Three
Hottest years: 1998, 2005, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016. Walk, bike, bus. Explore the ethics of transportation choices. Earth has been under assault for 100 years. And as the assault accelerates, government refuses to pursue peace, justice and a stable Earth. Demanding change from our governments, our industries and our institutions will not be taken seriously, if we, individually and as families, do not have the integrity, to change ourselves. As Gandhi put it “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” We must change as individuals, as family units, as communities. We must cease our personal participation in the assault on Earth. In our change is the power to force change upon our governments and institutions. They respond to power, particularly the power of the dollar. And we spend on average 40% of household income on housing, transportation and utilities. Our power to force change, our power to assault or to heal is found in that 40%. As one who quit flying in 1993, and quit car ownership in 1999. I urge you to contemplate the power of your dollar spent on housing, transportation and utilities. Bicycles are agents of change, like TARC buses, like shoes, a tool of resistance – resistance against tar sands, pipelines, refineries, emissions, offshore drilling, fracking, oil spills, Wall St,military interventions, surface parking lots, urban heat islands, etc.. An instrument of peace and healing. An agent of change. “Be the change.” ...
WFPL – Cyclist Challenges Urban Transportation Policies
Fight Over Traffic Charges Challenges Cyclists’ Place On Louisville Streets – By Jacob Ryan – Local Cyclist Fights Traffic Charges To Send Message – Photo: J. Tyler Franklin – February 8, 2017 – Evening rush hour often brings bumper-to-bumper traffic just beyond the front door of Jackie Green’s downtown bike shop. It’s a scene that bothers Green, a staunch supporter of smaller streets, slower speeds and fewer cars. “We have lost control of the safety of our streets,” Green said during a recent interview at his shop. Regaining that safety is, in part, what’s driving him to continue fighting a pair of traffic citations he received while riding a bicycle along Third Street more than a year ago. Green ran a red light. He’s charged with disregarding a traffic signal and obstructing a highway. The latter carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail. He dismisses both charges, saying he ran the light for his safety. But local prosecutors aren’t buying it. A spokesman for the County Attorney’s office says more than 100,000 cases come through District Court annually, and they work them all. “This man wants his day in court, and we’re there to make sure he gets it,” said Josh Abner, a spokesman for County Attorney Mike O’Connell. For Green and his attorney, Ryan Fenwick, who’s also an avid bicycle commuter, it’s about sending a message to city officials. “Our objective is to challenge Louisville’s urban traffic policies and to reclaim the commons,” Green said. “That’s why we are in the fight.” More Than Bicycle Lanes Green is a longtime cyclist and activist in Louisville. He owns Bike Couriers Bike...
Louisville must change transportation policies!!!!
This from Brook and Burnett…. “The officer had sirens and lights on while traveling south on Brook at about 40ish and ran a red light. The west bound car on Burnett did not see him in time.” … Had the LMPD vehicle hit a pedestrian headed to Burger Boy, or had a foolish cyclist been stopped in the intersection, waiting on a light to change,…. 🙁 … How much did this cost the city? … Had that been a yellow caution light rather than a red/yellow/green light, the driver would have approached that intersection differently. … Thanks for the photo, Daniel. And below, from the Highlands….”Speed on Speed…… she was going so fast in a 25mph zone she struck and totaled a parked vehicle, flipped, and turned back toward the way she came….” Thanks, Debra. Louisville must change transportation policies!!...
Louisville Traffic – Out of Control
Sunday – two pedestrians killed, seven sent to hospital. Monday – three year old killed on Broadway. Tuesday – nine year old on Broadway thrown 50 feet and sent to hospital with brain damage. Wednesday – the attached foolishness on Broadway. When will we calm...
Louisville’s Comprehensive Plan
Metro Louisville is designing a comprehensive plan to replace our previous plan – Cornerstone 2020. Metro hired a consultant whose survey of residents in the county and the surrounding counties yielded interesting information. The findings have tremendous implications for Louisville. Findings: – Highest priority when deciding where to live – Quality of the Environment and Access to Sidewalks – Least satisfying aspect of transportation – Ease of bicycling along major streets, Ease of walking along major streets, quality of public transit – Percentage of residents who agree with the statement “I would like to live in a place where I did not need a private vehicle.” (see the third statement on the posted image) Central Louisville residents – 55% East Louisville residents – 47% West Louisville residents – 51% Residents of surrounding counties – 31% When 31% of the residents of the surrounding counties want to be able to live without a personal vehicle, Louisville should respond. Over ten years ago another consulting firm hired by Louisville reported that we must make it possible for citizens to live easily without a personal vehicle. And cities around the world are limiting car access downtown. If Louisville is to be competitive in attracting residents and businesses we should act immediately by simultaneously: – concentrating TARC service in the area where it will be most possible to live easily without a car, downtown and surrounding old neighborhoods. ‘Beyond the Watterson’ is hopelessly car dependent, that is a battle we are not going to win soon. As ridership increases centrally, extend the service in concentric rings. – repairing sidewalks working from downtown outward – converting downtown...
Rally to Move Forward – Louisville – January 2017
Largest (3,000 – 5,000) public rally in Louisville’s history. The following is the address delivered by Jackie Green – community centered transportation and land use advocate. Good morning. You should see yourselves from this perspective. You are many. You are beautiful. The peace and justice that we seek cannot be created on an Earth that cannot support all of life with dignity and equality. Earth has been under assault for 100 years. And as the assault accelerates government refuses to pursue peace, justice and a stable Earth. So here we are, demanding change in the way we treat Earth and each other, demanding change from our governments, our industries, our institutions. If our demand is to be taken seriously, if our demand is to have any integrity, we must ourselves change. As Gandhi put it “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” We must change as individuals, as family units, as communities. We must cease our personal participation in the assault on Earth. In our change is the power to force change upon our governments and institutions. They respond to power, particularly the power of the dollar. And we spend on average 40% of household income on housing, transportation and utilities. Our power to force change, our power to assault or to heal is found in that 40%. As one who quit flying in 1993, and quit car ownership in 1999. I urge you, as you travel home today, to contemplate the power of your dollar spent on housing, transportation and utilities. Here is a bicycle, no ordinary bicycle, but an agent of change, like TARC buses, like shoes, a tool of resistance – resistance against tar sands, pipelines, refineries, emissions, offshore drilling, fracking, oil spills, Wall St, and military intervention. An instrument of peace and healing. An agent of change. “Be the change.” Thank...
WAVE TV – Green continues to challenge bike citations
Green continues to challenge bike citations Friday, July 29th 2016, 8:27 pm EDT By Josh Cook Jackie Green (Source: WAVE 3 News) LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – He once ran for mayor an now he’s challenging citations in a high-profile case, involving his bicycle. Jackie Green was charged with obstructing a highway and disregarding a traffic light on his bike in November. In his third preliminary hearing Friday his attorney motioned to bring an expert witness to the trial. Green has been offered a plea deal, by pleading guilty to the traffic light charge and paying court fees, to avoid up to 90 days in jail. Green says he’ll fight this until his entire case is dismissed in order to bring justice for all bicycle commuters. “This is bigger than me,” he said. “This is about the safety of cyclists. It’s about cyclists being able to operate on their bicycles in a safe manner, taking measures that increase their safety without fear of wrongful prosecution by the state.” A police officer claims to have warned Green to use the bike lane and subsequently caught him riding through a red light. The case returns to court Sept. 22. Copyright 2016 WAVE 3 News. All...
Reasons you should ride a bicycle
Petroleum Free Transportation
combats global climate change
improves local air quality
leaves no oil on our streets and in our drinking water
keeps local dollars local
frees our military from protecting foreign oil
promotes global peace
Bikes Are
healthy exercise
smart personal economy
great traffic calming influences
family-friendly
not electric (coal or fracked gas fueled) vehicles
fun!
