Thursday, October 11, 2018

The IPCC report, Princeton climate action, and you

This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a report which has been described as the final call to climate action: in a world that has warmed by 1C now, we are already living extreme weather, wildfires and sunny-day flooding on the coasts, all presenting a danger to people, animals and plants, and already costing us deep in the pocket.

A NYTimes article has a great interactive on how limiting global warming to 1.5C is far preferable over allowing it to rise to 2C. Staying below 1.5C requires cutting our total emissions by about half by 2030, and arriving at net-zero by 2050.

If the task sounds daunting, that's because it is. But we can't sit back and do nothing. Doing nothing doesn't get the mortgage paid. Doing nothing doesn't get us tenure. Doing nothing doesn't raise children we can be proud of.

As you may know, Princeton, which has said that We'reStillIn the Paris climate agreement, is already in the process of formulating a climate action plan. This is spearheaded by Sustainable Princeton, who is hosting a panel discussion on how to get our town's energy to be carbon-free, on Wednesday, October 17, 7-8.30pm; details here.


(Photo by Thegreenj)

And you, dear bicycle rider, are already acting to reduce the carbon footprint of our transportation. Our bikes are the easiest, healthiest, cheapest way to make a real difference. Some of us are showing the way, living car-free in Princeton. Members of the University community are participating in the Revise Your Ride program. Kudos!

Here is an inspiring piece on the patient, sustained work needed for the long-term daunting task of weaning us off fossil fuels. In the context of bicycle riding: we need to keep showing up for the town and committee meetings that have bearing on the building of safe bike infrastructure; they may be boring, but our voice really counts. And of course, keep biking and walking. We're preventing planet-heating emissions, one footstep and one pedal push as a time.


Friday, September 21, 2018

follow-up re: "Climb on a Bike and Wheel Into the Future"

The artwork of Henry Arnold, landscape architect, bike path proponent, can
be viewed on the walls of Small World Coffee this month and next.


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Princeton PBAC <pjpbac@gmail.com>
To: "pjpbac-public@googlegroups.com" <pjpbac-public@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 7:43:26 AM EDT
Subject: [pjpbac-public forum listserv] 42 years ago - "Climb on a Bike and Wheel Into the Future"

From this version and the original. Credit to Sam B for unearthing this gem.

T O W N     T O P I C S     "Outdoor Living" special supplement - Spring, 1973.
     
 
 


MR. BIKE: Henry Arnold poses symbolically before a map of Princeton's
proposed bike-paths. Mr. Arnold, a landscape architect, has become the town's
foremost proponent of the two-wheeler.


Climb on a Bike and Wheel Into the Future

Bike! By riding a bicycle, you take a dramatic individual stand against damaging the
environment, and besides. . . .

Henry Arnold, the dynamic young landscape architect who has become Mr. Bike in
Princeton, doesn't even own a car. (But he admits he cheats a little: his wife owns one.)

When you cycle, he points out, you release your own frustrations, reap the benefits of
physical exercise and enjoy the pleasant feeling of doing something healthy and healthful
to help the environment.

"The most fun is riding in the rain," smiles Mr. Arnold, "and in hot weather, dressed
lightly, you air-condition yourself as you ride. Also, it's so much quicker for short
distances than a car, especially in Princeton, and you are closer to nature."

"In fact," be continues with a sly smile in his eye. "I have listed 16 ways in which
automobiles can damage the environment. Although I'm not against cars: only
against their USE.

The 16?

— Cars reduce the land to islands, cutting them off with roads. This means fewer
plants and animals.

— Cars bring about changes in the ground water because there is erosion during the
     construction of highways,

— Cars mean highways, and highways generate the need for more highways.

— Cars mean noise pollution.

And so on.

Simultaneous Solution

"Cars and the development patterns are linked," he says seriously, "and this is the
frustration because all problems must really be solved together."

Basically, he thinks, we are faced with a social problem requiring  us to change the
ways we live (bikes, not cars). This means, of course, that change won't come quickly.

Mr Arnold is best known, aside from his advocacy of the bicycle, for saying that all
cars should be removed from Nassau Street.  He also has said, loudly and In public,
that the temporary closing of Palmer Square simply isn't radical enough: if you're
going to do it,  DO IT, with a grand and imaginative plan. Spend a million, he said once,
and the benefit would be reaped ten times over.

Abandoning the city and "escaping" into suburbia is very negative, Mr. Arnold
believes, by destroying the quality of the landscape, reducing the number of
species of plants and animals. We are, in his words, "stealing from the future"
and causing effects that may not truly be felt until the next generation.

Nine Years In Vermont

An ex-paratrooper Mr. Arnold holds his degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He
has studied under lan McHarg, well known In Princeton for his unorthodox environmental
pronouncements, and spent nine years working in Vermont with landscape architect Dan Kiley.

Work on city parks in Singapore, Nigeria and Chicago: on a master plan for the campus
of the University of Vermont and on proposals for permanent housing In the ski area
of Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, are projects which have given Henry Arnold a
broad outlook on the world.

He got involved in bicycles in Princeton, he says, because he's had experience "in getting
things done — you must be a practical visionary, and if you haven't had experience, you
don't know how to bypass the obstacles...."

Practical visionary?

"The bicycle," and the sly smile comes into his eye again, "the bicycle is more a step into the
future than a moon vehicle!".





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Thursday, September 13, 2018

Mayor's Bike Ride 2018

Sunday, September 23, starts at 11am:



Mayor Liz Lempert and members of the Princeton Bicycle Advisory Committee will lead a family friendly exploration of portions of Princeton's Bike Network in this annual event. Starting in Community Park South, the moderately paced ride will traverse a mix of paved surfaces and trails that are closed to motor vehicles. We'll take a break in historic Mountain Lakes House before returning to Community Park. The ride is open to experienced cyclists of all ages. Helmets are required.

The Mayor's Ride is co-sponsored by the Princeton Public Library and the Princeton Bicycle Advisory Committee.

Friday, June 1, 2018

Beta Bike Lane survey open till June 8

Thank you to everyone who has made it possible for Princeton's road users to sample a Complete Street on Hamilton Avenue and Wiggins Street: First of all to Tim Quinn for his leadership; to all the volunteers who came out to install the Beta Bike Lane, on an increasingly hot day; the Engineering department for the technical lead; the Recreation department for lending equipment; the Police department for keeping everyone safe while the work was proceeding; and last but by no means least, many thanks to the Department of Public Works who got to clean up and return Hamilton and Wiggins to their original configuration. This was a town-wide team effort.

And now, we need to hear from you (and your friends). Please take the survey at bit.ly/BetaBikeLaneSurvey (Spanish version at bit.ly/EncuestaBetaBikeLane). It is open until June 8, 2018.

And please come to the Council meeting on June 25 to voice your support for permanent bike lanes on that corridor.

Because while we have learned to live with it, the usual road configuration on Hamilton and Wiggins is far from ideal for almost all users, as illustrated in the photos below.




Car drivers have a choice to either (a) crawl behind the bike rider or (b) illegally cross the double yellow line in order to pass the bike rider at the proper distance. Many bike riders don't feel safe sharing the road with cars, so some (c) take to the sidewalk, but are then (d) a danger to pedestrians, especially those with small children.


All these frustrations are alleviated by the creation of two bike lanes. For the duration of the Beta Bike Lane, everyone has their own place: pedestrians on the sidewalk, bike riders on the bike lanes, and cars in the car lanes. It's a Complete Street! 



Photo by Tim Quinn


Yes, 36 parking places had to be removed to make way for the temporary bike lanes. But we need to keep in mind that the downtown area, the subject of the recent parking study, has more than 7,000 parking spaces for cars. Of the public spaces, more than 40% were available during the study period. The town is working on making it easier for drivers to find those open spaces, but the reality is that there is no shortage of parking in Princeton.


Wednesday, May 30, 2018

interview with The Donald (re: #BetaBikeLane)

In an interview, the guru of progressive parking policy reflects on his decades 
of research and writing, which transformed how cities look at the curb. 

What's the most emotional topic in transportation? According to Donald Shoup, it's parking. 

"Thinking about parking seems to take place in the reptilian cortex, the most primitive part of the
brain responsible for making snap judgments about flight-or-flight issues, such as how to avoid
being eaten," Shoup writes in the introduction to his new book, Parking and the City (Planner's
Press, Routledge, 2018). "The reptilian cortex is said to govern instinctive behavior involved in 
aggression, territoriality, and ritual display—all important issues in parking."









Thursday, May 24, 2018

Five Ways to Support the #BetaBikeLane

Dear Princeton bicycle riders,

We hope you've had a chance to ride the Beta Bike Lane on Hamilton Avenue and Wiggins Street. It will be there until Wednesday, May 30.

There has been some pushback from a few residents. If you like the bike lane pilot and would like to see permanent bike lanes on this corridor, it is important, indeed crucial, that you show your support.

Here are five ways you can let your voice be heard. We hope you will use as many of them as feels comfortable to you.


1. Social media: use #BetaBikeLane for your tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts. Share posts from the Beta Bike Lane FB page.

2. Complete the survey at bit.ly/BetaBikeLaneSurvey
(bit.ly/EncuestaBetaBikeLane for Spanish version)

3.  Poll your neighbors: If you're part of a neighborhood Email list, Facebook group or Nextdoor community, create a simple poll question: "Do you like the Beta Bike Lane °Yes °No". Share the link with us or use the hashtag, and we'll record the result.

4. Write a Letter To The Editor: In a few pithy paragraphs, tell the town why you love the bike lane pilot. Ask your children to write one!
The following links contain instructions on how to write to the Town Topics, Planet Princeton, the Princeton Packet, and the Trenton Times. It's okay to send your letter to all of them.

5. Come to the Council meeting on June 25 and tell Mayor & Council and your neighbors why you love the bike lanes. If you're shy, you can submit a comment in writing, or get a friend to read it for you. Even if you don't say anything, your presence will make a difference. Bring your kids! (tell them our town hall has great WiFi).

Thank you from the Princeton bike committee.


Hamilton-Wiggins is a corridor with high car-on-bike crash rate (and the rate would likely be higher but for the presence of our excellent crossing guards on school days). The blue line indicates the Beta Bike Lane.


Monday, May 21, 2018

Beta Bike Lane is now OPEN

For a week starting today, the Wiggins / Hamilton corridor will have bike lanes.

Many thanks to the volunteers who came out to install the temporary bike lane; to Deanna Stockton and Jeffrey Laux from the Engineering Department for guiding us volunteers, and to the Princeton Police Department for keeping us safe during the work. 

Special thanks to Council member Tim Quinn, who spearheaded the effort. 

The installation of the Beta Bike Lane had to be postponed to Sunday because of persistent rains earlier in the weekend. Our forward-looking Mayor, Liz Lempert, was part of the day's "road crew". In this early-morning photo she was mostly looking forward to the time that the road surface would dry. But dry it did, and we set to work.

Photo by Tim Quinn

There was a lot of enthusiasm and joy; people formed teams to lay the tape striping, change the road signage, and paint the bike symbols. The day got warmer. Someone came out with a case of water bottles. (Whoever that was: thank you! it was so welcome).

Photo by Tim Quinn

By 4pm, the work was done. 
The bike lanes will only be here for one week: So let's ride! Bring your friends. (Do wear your helmet). 

Give the town your feedback through the Survey on the Beta Bike Lane at http://bit.ly/BetaBikeLaneSurvey. The Spanish version is at http://bit.ly/EncuestaBetaBikeLane.







Thursday, May 10, 2018

Bike Corral! and bike month events

A bike corral popped up on Witherspoon Street this week! Find it across from the library; what used to be parking space for a single car is now parking space for ten bikes, a prime demonstration of the efficient use of parking space.


Photo courtesy of Councilman Tim Quinn

But National Bike Month is far from over, and there are lots of area events celebrating it.

The Whole Earth Center celebrates bike riding year round, but in May they practice Random Acts of Community: Each week in May on a randomly chosen day at a randomly chosen corner and time, they give the first 6 bicyclists who ride by a reward package from local businesses worth over $55. Just another reason to ride your bike to town.

May 14-18 is Bike To Work Week, and GMTMA (the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association) is holding a Log Your Miles challenge for individuals and for teams of coworkers (prizes!) and a photo contest. Details at the GMTMA site.

For members of the Princeton University community: On Bike to Work Day on Friday May 18, at 7-10am, Princeton University Transportation & Parking and GMTMA will hold a Breakfast for Bikers event at Firestone Plaza.

The Princeton Wheels Rodeo, on Saturday May 19, 10am - 1pm, is sponsored by Princeton's Police Department and the Human Services Commission. It's an opportunity for children to learn the rules of the road and how to be a safe cyclist. A new bicycle is among the prizes of the raffle.

Princeton's Beta Bike Lane pilot will be open May 19-29. Bring your helmet and your friends, and come check it out. Want to help build it? Volunteer two hours of your time on the installation!

Enjoy the beautiful month – May the wind be at your back.









Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Beta Bike Lane Volunteers Needed

By now, you've heard that Princeton will be celebrating National Bike Month with the Beta Bike Lane, a demonstration project that will create two temporary bike lanes on Wiggins/Hamilton between Sylvia Beach Way (the road behind Princeton Public Library) and Walnut Lane.


While this project is endorsed by Mayor Liz Lempert and Princeton Council and is being coordinated with the help of the Princeton Engineering Department  and the Princeton Police Department, implementation of the Beta Bike Lane is a volunteer effort. We need your help installing the temporary materials that will transform Wiggins/Hamilton into a bike-, pedestrian- and motorist-friendly thoroughfare.

Please sign up for a two-hour slot on Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19. You can sign up at bit.ly/BetaBikeLaneSignup, where you will find additional information on the implementation plan. Weather contingency plans will be announced closer to the implementation dates.

Beta Bike Lane represents a major step toward making Princeton a more bike-friendly community. For BBL to be a success, we need your help. So join us, meet other bike advocates and earn bragging rights as an early adapter. 





Se necesitan Voluntarios para ayudar en la  "Beta Bike Lane"

Princeton celebra este mes de mayo,  el Mes Nacional de la Bicicleta con la innovación de la "Beta Bike Lane", como proyecto en el que deseamos poder demostrar la creación de  dos carriles temporales para bicicletas de la calle Wiggins / Hamilton entre el camino trasero  de la biblioteca (Sylvia Beach Way) y Walnut Lane.

Si bien este proyecto cuenta con el respaldo de la Alcaldesa Liz Lempert y el Consejo de Princeton y se coordina con la ayuda del Departamento de Ingeniería de Princeton y el Departamento de Policía de Princeton, la creación de la Beta Bike Lane es un esfuerzo voluntario. Necesitamos de su ayuda para instalar los materiales temporales que transformarán a Wiggins / Hamilton en una vía peatonal accesible para ciclistas, peatones y automovilistas.

Inscríbase para un turno de dos horas el viernes 18 de mayo y el sábado 19 de mayo. Puede inscribirse en bit.ly/BetaBikeLaneSignup, donde encontrará información adicional sobre el plan de implementación. Los planes de contingencia climática se anunciarán más cerca de las fechas de implementación.


La Beta Bike Lane representa un gran paso para hacer de Princeton una comunidad más accesible para bicicletas. Para que BBL sea un éxito, necesitamos su ayuda. Así que únase a nosotros, conozca a otros defensores de las bicicletas y disfruta de sus derechos como ciclista.



Friday, April 27, 2018

Beta Bike Lane Princeton

As a first step to implementing our Bicycle Mobility PlanPrinceton is getting ready to install a bike lane pilot on Wiggins St and Hamilton Ave,

The Beta Bike Lane is planned for May 19 to 29, 2018, weather permitting. 
Mark your calendar and tell your friends!

We need volunteers to help install the temporary bike lane markings. If you're interested in helping out for two hours, please save the dates: Friday May 18, 3-7 pm and Saturday May 19, 7-11 am. Details on how to sign up coming soon.




The pilot is located on a major connector where the car-on-bicycle crash rate is high, and would likely have been higher but for the presence of crossing guards on school days. This corridor connects Princeton's middle and high schools to the public library and central downtown area.

On this street, which currently has shared-lane markings ("sharrows"), the Beta Bike Lane will provide an opportunity for bicycle riders to sample a more comfortable biking experience on a busy thoroughfare. It also offers a chance for car drivers, pedestrians and bike riders to experience the benefits of a configuration that minimizes direct competition for space, both on the roadway and on the sidewalk.

Find updates on the Beta Bike Lane at bit.ly/BetaBikeLane, from PBAC's Email updates or through our Twitter feed 

Or visit us at Communiversity this Sunday, either at the GMTMA table on Nassau Street or when you park your bike at the Bike Valet at HiTOPS.


The Beta Bike Lane is a collaboration with these community partners:


Sunday, April 22, 2018

Communiversity 2018 has bicycle parking

Communiversity ArtsFest 2018 is on Sunday, April 29. Brought to you by the Arts Council of Princeton!

Why not come to Communiversity on your bike? It adds to the fun, and cuts down on congestion and pollution.


[Photo credit: Arts Council of Princeton​]


And thanks to the generosity of HiTOPS, for the first time there will be officially designated bicycle parking at Communiversity!

PBAC (the Princeton Bicycle Advisory Committee) will offer free "valet bicycle parking" on the HiTOPS lawn at the corner of Tulane and Wiggins, 1-7pm. This works much like the coat check at a museum. 

Thanks to Knapp's Cyclery for providing temporary bike racks! Our setup will include a few child-sized racks; and there will be a chain to lock your bike to.



For information about Communiversity ArtsFest, including a schedule of performances, art activities, vendor locations and a map, please visit artscouncilofprinceton.org/communiversity


   




Monday, April 16, 2018

Chasing George / Ciclovia 2018, May 6


Enjoy the afternoon outdoors May 6th at the 5th annual Princeton Ciclovia!  Nature, history, and activity abound as Quaker Road becomes an extension to the local trail network for an afternoon of cycling, walking, skating, running, playing hopscotch, and hoola hooping.  





The road will be closed to motorized vehicles between Mercer Street and Nassau Park Blvd from 1-4 pm for this free, family friendly event.  Two food trucks will be joining us this year, Tico's Eatery & Juice Bar, and Ma & Pa's Tex-Mex BBQ, to replenish your energy!  

Tours will be given of the Updike Farmhouse, now home of the Historical Society of Princeton.  George Washington and his "troops" will be arriving at the D&R Canal tow path crossing at Quaker Road around 1:15, where cyclists may join in for the final leg of Chasing George, ending at the Washington route marker near the Updike Farmstead for a historical talk.

For a longer ride and more history, start in Trenton for Chasing George, a ten mile ride along the D&R Canal State Park tow path, joining up with Ciclovia on Quaker Road.  This ride is in the spirit of the route General Washington took on January 3, 1777 to fight in what became the Battle of Princeton.  Starting at noon at the Douglass House in Mill Hill Park in Trenton, a George Washington re-enactor will lead participants along the trail to Princeton.  Historical talks will anchor the start and end of the ride.

Ciclovia is an open event, no registration required.  Parking is available at Friends Meeting, on Quaker Road at Mercer Street, or access Ciclovia from the Institute Woods, the D&R tow path, the LHT (via the tow path from the Brearley House) or the nearby shopping centers.  Updates at http://pjpbac.blogspot.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/princetonpbac/

To participate in Chasing George, registration is required, and more information is available at www.princetonhistory.org.  Cost is $5 per person, or $10 per family.


Thursday, April 12, 2018

Greater Mercer Trails Plan

A plan is in the works for a network of trails in and around Mercer County. The plan is sponsored by GMTMA, the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association.

From their website:
"The Greater Mercer Train Network Plan will help create an integrated network of multi-use trails and paths. The network will serve a variety of transportation needs and connect users of all ages and abilities to the many opportunities, services, and destinations in the region."



And they are looking for your input!

Please share your thoughts on where and what kind of trails and facilities are most needed or most helpful. You can do that in three ways:

– Through an interactive map 
– By taking a survey
– At a public forum on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 5-8pm, at the Arts Council of Princeton.


Tuesday, March 13, 2018

NJ Bike & Walk Summit, March 24

The 2018 New Jersey Bike and Walk Summit is on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the campus of Mercer County Community College.





This meeting is organized by the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition; find out more about them at http://njbwc.org.

There is still time to pre-register (until March 21).

Thursday, February 15, 2018

The "invisible" bicycle rider

Quick: Picture, in your mind, The Bicycle Rider.

What did you see?

No, we're not going to ask you to describe him (or is it her?). But you may want to compare your picture to the one that the writer Dan Koeppel described when he spent some time with people who ride their bikes not for recreation or for health, but because they have no choice.



Koeppel calls them the "invisible riders", and reports some surprising things:

"The Invisible Riders, for instance, log far more hours than most "serious" cyclists. They do so on equipment most of us wouldn't touch and under the most adverse conditions: at the height of rush hour on the busiest thoroughfares."

Here is a 2-3 minute article that highlights a few more surprises, and links to the longer original article in Bicycling magazine.

Yes, Koeppel wrote about riders in Los Angeles, and Princeton is not Los Angeles. Nevertheless, we do count neighbors who ride their bikes not as a lifestyle choice but because it's their only option. Then there are the people who come from other towns to their Princeton jobs, on their bikes. Because it's their only option. 

And this is why safe bicycle infrastructure is so cool: As Enrique Penalosa, the mayor of Bogota, said, "A bikeway is a symbol that shows that a citizen on a $30 bicycle is equally important as a citizen in a $30,000 car."
 

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Winter biking

Over in Arlington, VA, BikeArlington is calling for a "Winter Bike To Work Day", planned for Friday, February 9. The temperature expected to be at most 36F that day, just about the coldest day of the week, a suitable time to trial winter riding.



And why restrict biking to the summer months?
Here are a few myths around that.

It's cold.
True enough. But think about it: you can't beat excessive summer heat by taking off more and more clothes (most of us wouldn't go naked on the public roads). But in winter you can put on more and more layers until you're almost comfortable. The exercise will go the rest of the way to warming you up.

It's dark.
Please use your bike lights in the dark, winter or summer. It's safe. It's the law. There are rather glorious and long-lasting LED bike lights. Some have a handy USB port for charging. Most have a blink mode that makes it hard to miss. Here is a great picture highlighting (pardon the pun) all the ways you and your bike can be better visible at night, posted by the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance.

There's snow.
Right. Even if there is proper cycling infrastructure, without the proper maintenance simply biking to work can still be classified as an extreme sport. But why build the right infrastructure if you can only use it half the year? Cities that are serious about biking as a mode of sustainable transportation, make sure to enable residents to bike year round.

In Linköping, Sweden, the city ploughs the bike lanes at one centimeter snow coverage. That's half an inch. Because bikes only have two wheels, and they're, you know, skinny. Yes, this means they plough the bike lanes before the car lanes. 

These practices keep ridership up, even in places like Oulu, Finland, which gets 100 snow days a year. According to this CityLab article,

"During winter, cycling levels are relatively steady even as temperatures range from 0 degrees Celsius to 20-below (that's 32 to -4 Fahrenheit). It's only past this arguably insane point that a cold-induced decline of 15 percent sets in."

The argument for proper maintenance is equally cogent for sidewalks and pedestrians. At the very least, let us ask the snow clearing crews to make sure sidewalks are unobstructed as they are ploughing the car lanes.


[Photo courtesy Katy Faas]