Thank you to coalition partners and the administration for supporting, and special gratitude to City Council for unanimously approving a Complete Streets policy for the City of Trenton! We are elated by this great development, yet cognizant of the hard work yet to be done. We look forward to working with the city to make Trenton streets safer for all users.
Complete Streets for Trenton
Trenton Cycling Revolution was proud to sign on to this community letter of support, urging the Mayor and City Council to enact a Complete Streets policy here in our city.
More than 30% of our city’s households do not own a car at all. Trenton has an active bicycling and pedestrian culture, with many residents biking or walking to work, to school or simply for leisure. Unfortunately, the road conditions in Trenton are not always ideal for walking and bicycling: crosswalks are poorly marked, the bike lane system is fragmented, and maintenance is spotty, but the city is well-positioned to capitalize on its traditional grid network.
Particularly as a group of residents dedicated to creating a safe and healthy environment for bicyclists in Trenton, we urge swift action!
Bicycle and pedestrian improvements can improve the economy of Trenton by making the city safer and more accommodating for residents, as well as tourists. These improvements will help make it easier for Trenton’s kids to get active. Nearly 1 in 2 Trenton children is overweight or obese!
Please help enact a Complete Streets now! Make our streets safer for everyone and let’s get more residents using bicycles for transportation.
Federal Funding for Bike and Pedestrian Projects
With dedicated federal funding under attack this fall, Trenton Cycling Revolution sent a letter to Senator Lautenberg regarding the importance of transportation enhancements.
Here is one piece of the letter:
“Bicycle and pedestrian improvements can improve the economy of Trenton by making the city safer and more accommodating for tourists, as well as residents. Building bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure creates 46 percent more jobs than building road only projects, per million dollars spent. But these improvements will also help make it easier for Trenton’s kids to get active. Nearly 1 in 2 Trenton children is overweight or obese! These transportation enhancement programs are not inconsequential. The importance of their preservation cannot be understated.”
Greening Trenton
Trenton Cycling Revolution was happy to submit a letter of support to accompany the city’s application for Greening America’s Capitals technical assistance program.
“As avid users of the bicycle network in our area, we know there is a pressing need for signage and infrastructure improvements. Upgrades to the bike network, and pedestrian crossings are urgently needed. Clearly marking the roads with better signage for all users, particularly visitors, could help riders better recognize and take advantage of places of interest in close proximity to the train station. Trenton Cycling Revolution supports any programs that will improve the street system in Trenton.”
Bike friendly cities are less obese
by A.K. Streeter, Portland, Oregon on 08.23.10 GRIST
Photo credit Kiwi Flickr.
Cars make you fat. That’s more or less the message noted researcher John Pucher has tirelessly delivered, making the case for cycling and walking – “active transportation” – as a way for cities to deal with creeping obesity rates and climbing health costs. Now, in a new analysis of U.S., European, and Australian cities, Pucher and his colleagues press the point home even a little further by showing that cities with the highest percentage of trips by foot and by bike have the lowest levels of obese (and even diabetic) adults.
“Among the 14 countries in our international comparison, those with higher levels of walking and cycling tended to have lower levels of adult obesity, whether self reported or clinically measured.” – John Pucher, PhD, Ralph Buehler, PhD, David R. Bassett, PhD, and Andrew L. Dannenberg, MD, MPH
The same relationship held true in the U.S.
In our comparison of all 50 US states and 47 of the largest 50 US cities, we found that higher rates of walking and cycling to work were associated with a higher percentage of adults who achieved recommended levels of physical activity, a lower percentage of adults with obesity, and a lower percentage of adults with diabetes.
Pucher and his colleagues note that the results of their study are not enough to prove active transportation can cause improved health, but should be viewed along with the other evidence piling up that show the health benefits of active travel.
This may all seem somewhat self evident, and yet, the bicycle is not viewed by the majority of Americans as a transportation tool. This is due to decades of considering the cycling as a pastime or a sport, and not as the handy (and healthier) city transportation device it can truly be.
Pucher et al do say that encouraging both walking and cycling will require a bigger build out of the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure than has thus far occurred in the U.S., as well as further restrictions on car use and other traffic calming measures.
While that is already happening in some cities, most notably New York, there are still giant hurdles, including the fact that transportation planners depend on federal money which is still skewed towards car-based infrastructure projects, and inexpensive but vital bike and ped projects are unable to be financed from federal pots.
Let’s work to make Trenton more bike friendly and decrease obesity at the same time!
Trenton IS a Center of Place!
Trenton Cycling Revolution supports the City of Trenton’s application to the Department of Transportation to be designated as a Center of Place. We recently submitted a Letter of Support.
This would be a great development for bikers in our capital city!
Clean Transportation Bill – Contact Your Senators!
For far too long, America has been in a transportation rut, pouring money into systems that increase our emissions and oil dependency. What’s more, in too many of our communities we have failed to invest in efficient transportation options like public transportation, passenger rail, and increased safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
This is our chance to change that.
By putting significant resources behind a plan to build clean transportation options, we’ll not only help meet our greenhouse gas reduction goals and reduce our dependence on oil, we’ll also create thousands of new jobs, save consumers money, and make our communities better places to live, work, and play.
This climate change bill is an opportunity to make serious progress. But with transportation accounting for nearly a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of our oil usage, clean transportation options must be part of the final legislation if we expect it to do the job.
Tell your Senators that a comprehensive climate bill must include adequate funding for clean transportation options. Click here to tell them we want big, bold changes this year!
US Bikeways Project
Adventure Cycling Association is working with a number of states on planning, routing and overall implementation of the National Corridor Plan into on-the-ground routes. Here’s a few that they are working with right now: Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, California, Oregon, and Washington. Other states are just getting started: North Dakota, Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Utah. And still more are reported to be ready to go: Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. All these states are in different stages of development and have varied techniques for implementation based upon resources, volunteers, and governmental structure. For more information, click here.
Trenton Cycling Revolution thinks this is a great idea; we just wish New Jersey were listed. Let’s make this happen in the Garden State!
TCR Endorses Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act
At our March meeting, our members voted unanimously for Trenton Cycling Revolution to endorse the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act. This one-page SHIPA Information Sheet provides a great overview of the legislation. TCR hopes Congress will pass this important bill to protect our roadways, as well as the cyclists and pedestrians who share them!
Scudder Falls Bridge Expansion Needs a Bike Lane
Our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia have done a great job galvanizing support for a bike and pedestrian lane on the proposed Scudder Falls Bridge expansion. Trenton Cycling Revolution submitted public comments to support the inclusion of such a lane and we hope to see it built soon!