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AN EXCITING WEEK FOR CORNFIELDS
Today marks the second-to-last day of RAGBRAI, the Iowa Register's annual gigantic ride across Iowa. The ride began in 1973 as a friendly challenge between two Des Moines Register reporters; it turned into a cross-state ride with over 100 people. These days, the event draws tens of thousands of riders. Small towns jockey to be on the route so as to benefit from the hoards of hungry people and their dollars. Towns create massive corn mazes and erect ferris wheels. Smash Mouth plays.
The Iowa Bicycle Coalition organizes a RAGBRAI team each year. This week, their blog was chock full of updates about what's happening on the ride. Here's a sampling:
- One local fellow built a photography drone and observed riders from above.
- Riders hunt for fossils in Rockford.
- Some folks took time off the bike to play the vintage Game of Iowa.
- RAGBRAI-ers ride bicycles of all shapes and sizes.
- There are slip-and-slides.
- One fellow brings his dog along in his Velomobile.
INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS
Austin advocates rally support for a continuous shared use path along 182 North, a highway that divides neighborhoods.
Connecticut advocates will ride from Burlington, VT to Long Island Sound, along the proposed route of the Western New England Greenway.
Washington, DC takes tiny steps towards completing the northernmost parts of the Met Branch Trail.
Camden County, PA seeks input on a new bike and multi-use trail plan.
In Boston, advocates push for a protected bike lane along Commonwealth Avenue.
Could Minneapolis' 26th Street have a two-way protected bike lane in its future?
How about Chicago's Clybourne Avenue?
Bike Cleveland hopes to see bike lanes along Broadway Bridge.
The first Kansas River levee trail is now open in Kansas City, MO.
THE BIG PICTURE
What's the best thing to say to people who complain about bicycles?
Barb from Washington Bikes muses on bicycling as moving meditation.
Here's how Sanibel Island, FL won their system of bike paths.
PeopleForBikes, Bike Pittsburgh, and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia are partnering on a survey about advocacy in Pennsylvania.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia takes a look at how biking improves business.
ADVOCACY AVENUE
The California Bicycle Coalition plans to start a PAC.
Georgia Bikes is now accepting proposals for the 2014 Georgia Bike Summit! The Summit will be on October 24 - 26.
Virginia advocates encourage people to provide feedback on the state's next multimodal transportation plan.
Bike Walk Lee worked with Lee Public Voice to develop a candidate survey in advance of an August primary, and the answers are in.
Regional advocates may be interested in the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition's local advocacy teams and associated email lists.
The Alliance asked the SF Bicycle Coalition to share all their secrets, and they said yes.
Some public trucks in Washington, DC are testing side underrun guards, which limit the likelihood that a person would be pulled underneath a vehicle in the event of a crash.
LEGISLATION LANE
Good news from the U.S. Congress: looks like the Senate bill to extend transportation funding in the short term won't include a proposed amendment to eliminate biking and walking funding.
California legislators are still considering the Protected Bikeways Act, which calls for Caltrans to develop standards for protected lanes in its design manual.
PROGRAMMING
Kudos to BTA Oregon for signing up 400 new members during their membership drive last week.
Open Streets PGH drew 3,000 people to downtown Pittsburgh streets.
Philadelphia advocates give us a peek inside a Cadence Cycling Foundation practice session.
Q & A with Christopher Abreu, who just learned how to ride a bike in a San Francisco Bicycle Coalition class.
GET A JOB
Washington Bikes is hiring an administrative coordinator.
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance is hiring 4 education team members.
The state and local biking and walking advocacy movement is growing. Check out the Alliance for Biking & Walking job board for listings all over North America.
TRAILER
Whoever runs the satirical @BicycleLobby twitter account took responsibility for the white flag that mysteriously replaced American flags atop the Brooklyn Bridge ... and the Associated Press took them seriously.
