Make Street Biking Safer - Assignment Example

?Outline I. Thesis: More bicycle lanes must be created in order to make street biking safer and reduce the incidents of street biking accidents. II. Arguments a. Opposing the bicycle lanes b. Supporting the bicycle lanes III. The lack of bicycle lanes has made it dangerous for cyclists to use their bikes on main and access roads. a. Types of biking accidents caused by lack of bicycle lanes b. Available information regarding the number of bike accidents IV. Adding more bicycle lanes will greatly reduce the risk of biking accidents in the city. a. positive effects of additional bike lanes b. Data in support of more bicycle lanes V. The Safety Aspect of Bicycling a. How street bike lanes make city biking safer for all concerned b. The “Safety Numbers” effect VI. Conclusion More Bicycle Lanes Will Make Street Biking Safer and Reduce Street Biking Accidents Bicycles have been a standard mode of transportation for people far longer than the cars have been in existence. These bone shakers were the preferred method of the early Americans when it came to getting around their neighborhood on errands and trips to visit friends. It has always been considered one of the most cost - effective, if not the most cost effective ways of transportation because of the method by which the mode of transport works, it does not require the use of gasoline. Health experts have argued and defended the positive effects of bicycling on the health of people. Environmentalists have pointed out the advantages of bicycling in terms of nature preservation and reduction of gas emissions into the atmosphere. Yet with all of these expert opinions abounding, it seems that the local governments have chosen to turn a deaf ear to the fact that our city would greatly benefit from the expansion of the current number of bicycle lanes in the city to a number that would actually have a positive impact on the traffic situation in the city, and address the growing concern for the safety of the increasing number of cyclists in our city streets. We have grown up in a “car culture” society. This means that we looks towards our automotive vehicles as our primary and only mode of transport. our culture saw bike riders as a danger to the “open door” situation of cars that were parked along the curb of sidewalks where bicycles were relegated to in the absence of actual bicycle lanes. There was a real fear that the cyclists would damage the car doors by slamming into them and causing a serious roadside accident. But, according to the Boston Cyclists Union (“Bike Lanes, The Reasoning Behind Them and a Bit of Boston History”) ; A typical argument from this anti-bike-lane crew is that bike lanes put riders closer to or inside the door zone. The city of Cambridge’s 2005 Hampshire Street Study has been called the “nail in the coffin” of that argument. Instead of moving into the door zone after a new bike lane was installed, people moved further away from it... The average distance away from the cars increased by only 2.4 inches. But the distribution of distances narrowed, so far fewer riders rode really close to the doors and about 8 percent of riders moved completely out of the door zone. Typical biking accidents include off-road riding, trick riding or racing. Due to the fact that there are only limited bike lanes available in the city, cyclists have to battle for street space with the cars. Due to the nature of the vehicle, not much protection is offered to the cyclist in the event of an accident. Gathered information about biking accidents from 2008-2009 show that in the city of Toronto, There were 2, 335 injured cyclists admitted to their emergency rooms (Badger, Emily “Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half”). The results of the study in Canada which were published in the American Journal of Public Health further explained that these injuries were sustained on 14 different types of streets lanes. These street paths included (Schmitt, Angie “Study: Protected Bike Lanes Reduce Injury Risk Up to 90 Percent”) paved and unpaved multi-use paths, bike specific facilities, downhill inclines, road construction, streetcar tracks, and major streets. The results of the Canadian experiment that was conducted over a period of 18 months has helped to bolster the argument of those in favor of increasing the bike lane presence in American cities. In Washington DC, Mayor Gray unveiled his sustainability plans for the city up to the year 2032. Part of these plans included encouraging people to use alternative modes of transportation. His idea is to increase alternative travel, either by biking or walking, by 75% in order to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and increase the access of people to healthier food, water, and more in the process (Alpert, David “Gray Aims High With Sustainability Plan; Can Agencies Deliver?”). The mayor already plans to increase the bike lanes within his jurisdiction in order to promote energy efficiency, and the effective use of available land area by reducing parking minimums. Information that was gathered about the promotion of alternative transportation modes, looking specifically at bike lanes shows us that biking is already used by 4% of the population. In order to more effectively promote biking as a healthier mode of transport, the Washington DOT will need to add “... 200 more Capital Bikeshare stations (so far, DC has committed to 87, and 100 miles of "connected" bicycle lanes, compared to about 50 (and not all connected) today, "prioritizing" ones east of the Anacostia. ” (Alpert, David “Gray Aims High With Sustainability Plan; Can Agencies Deliver?”). The city hopes that with the upcoming addition of bike lanes, the traffic congestion will be somewhat eased around certain key parts of the city and the human print on the Washington environment will also be lessened to some extent. Increasing the number of bicycle lanes in a city is all about creating a safe and alternative transportation style to and from or within the municipality of a city. Taking your car out for a quick trip to the grocery store or the local supermarket for a bag of groceries is definitely not a fuel efficient way to use your car. Using a bicycle however, does not have an impact on your wallet at the gas pump. Rather, it becomes a healthy option to getting around and increasing the safety factor of city biking within a given area, a city government will have the ability to effect safe and high quality bike routes for their constituents (Dowling, Jason “La Strobe Street Bike Lanes to Make City Cycling Safer”). In the past, as well as in the immediate present, and the future, bicycle transportation will be seen as one of the most effective alternative travel methods. In places like La Strobe in Melbourne, Australia, cycling has been made safer much to the delight of the local communities. The Lord Mayor of La Strobe Robert Doyle told reporters during an interview that making cycling safer was an important thing for the city to do. He pointed out that at the moment “... something like 11 or 12 per cent of trips into the city are now made by bicycle and that is growing and the variety of people using those cycle paths are growing because they are safe and that is the most important thing” (Dowling, Jason “La Strobe Street Bike Lanes to Make City Cycling Safer”). Infrastructure matters. That is the most important thing to remember when one advocates for bicycling safety in the city streets. Look at it this way, when one travels by bike on a street road without bicycle lanes, there is a 50% probability that the cyclist will get involved in an accident. However, once that person is placed in the same situation on a bike lane or protected bike lanes that does not have any parked cars along with sidewalks, the chances of injuring oneself drops by a rate of 50 % on a bike lane street while there is a 90% chance of avoiding a cycling accident on a protected bike lane thanks to the actual barriers that separate a cyclist from the traffic (Badger, Emily “Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half”). Let us also remember that, just as with any other given situation, the more people involved in a collective activity that has a percentage of danger attached to it, the safer it becomes for the participants. That is because of the “safety in numbers” mentality of people. in New York City, streets like Broadway and 9th Street have seen a downward trend in their bike injuries. The Boston Cyclists Union credits this downward trend to the greater number of cyclists on the road at any given moment (“Bike Lanes, The Reasoning Behind Them and a Bit of Boston History”). International collated data and the increasing awareness of people pertaining to the benefits of cycling rather than taking their car on short trips has shown that there is truly a need for increased bike lanes in the city. Not because it is the hip thing to do in terms of helping to save the environment, but rather, because people are now waking up to the benefits that can be gleaned from biking activities. By increasing the bike lanes and paths in the major thoroughfares, we will see an upsurge in the number of alternative travel advocates who will choose the bike over the public transport system or subway when running quick errands. A responsible and forward thinking city government will take the aforementioned data and use it to consider the possibility of increasing the number of bike lanes, or protected bike paths in their jurisdiction. By doing so, they will not only help save the environment and protect the street cyclists, but they will also provide people with a venue with which to change their “car culture” mindset into a more manageable and cost-effective “cycling culture”. Therefore, I propose that we increase the bicycle lanes in our city in an effort to promote safer street biking and reduce the risk of bicycle accidents in city streets. Annotated Bibliography Alpert, David. “Gray Aims High With Sustainability Plan; Can Agencies Deliver?”. greatergreaterwashington.org. Greater Greater Washington. 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. In this article, Alpert discusses the increasing awareness of the local government leaders in Washington in terms of their commitment to a more environmentally friendly environment. This includes the plans of the city for alternative travel projects and the need to increase the bike lanes in the city. He makes mention of specific government sponsored projects and their projected outcomes for the government by the year 2032. Badger, Emily. “Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half”. Charts. The Atlantic Cities. 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Ms. Badger reveals the latest results of bicycle lane experiments in Toronto, Canada that were published in the American Journal of Public Health. Using that information, she makes a convincing argument in support of increased bicycle lanes in the United States. She based her arguments upon the results of reduced street biking accidents in Toronto within an 18 month period from 2008 - 2009. Dowling, Jason. “La Strobe Street Bike Lanes to Make City Cycling Safer”. Article. The Age Victoria. 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Feb. 2013. Although the article is based upon the results of additional bike lanes in Melbourne, Australia, the writer effectively argues the positive outcome that can be had from the opening of more bike lanes. Pointing out the increased safety factor for city cyclists as seen in other parts of the city, with a spill-over effect in the adjoining communities and municipalities. Works Cited Alpert, David. “Gray Aims High With Sustainability Plan; Can Agencies Deliver?”. greatergreaterwashington.org. Greater Greater Washington. 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Badger, Emily. “Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half”. Charts. The Atlantic Cities. 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. “Bike Lanes, The Reasoning Behind Them and a Bit of Boston History”. bostoncyclistsunion.org. Boston Cyclists Union. n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Dowling, Jason. “La Strobe Street Bike Lanes to Make City Cycling Safer”. Article. The Age Victoria. 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Feb. 2013. Schmitt, Angie. “Study: Protected Bike Lanes Reduce Injury Risk Up to 90 Percent”. dc.streetblogs.org. dc.streetblogs.org. 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Read More