Open Streets (are) for People

Let’s Open the Streets for People!

According to urban planning heartthrob Gil Peñalosa, Open Streets means “people traffic replaces car traffic, and the streets become ‘paved parks’ where people of all ages, abilities, and social, economic, or ethnic backgrounds can come out and improve their mental, physical, and emotional health.”

“Open Streets” as a concept has been around since the mid-60s when Seattle created the carfree celebration “Seattle Bicycle Sundays.” While a smattering of similar events popped up around North America that decade, they didn’t last long.

Bogotá, Columbia introduced their own version, Ciclovía, in 1974 and has been a primary source of inspiration for today’s Open Streets initiatives. Bogotá’s Ciclovía ambitiously closes 70 miles of the city to cars and opens them to one million participants every Sunday.

First Carfree Day in DC

I was so smitten with this idea that I gathered together some like-minded individuals to organize the first Carfree Day in Washington, DC in 2007. It started out as an all volunteer effort and we threw our hearts, souls, and soles into the idea. We developed a collaborative (and pretty good-looking!) proposal, making the case for Open Streets in the nation’s capital and canvassed hundreds of residents and businesses for their support. Councilmember Tommy Wells introduced a bill declaring September 22 Carfree DC Day and the following year DC’s Carfree Day spread to embrace Maryland and Virginia and is now known as Car-Free Metro DC.

Portland, San Francisco, and New York launched their own interpretations of the Ciclovía in 2008 and there seems to be no sign of these incredible innovations losing steam. According to the Open Streets Project, there are currently over 100 initiatives around the world and cities are scrambling to offer similar amenities to their residents and tourists.

Commuting by cartwheel before the crowds arrive at San Francisco’s Sunday Streets

Opening the Streets to People in San Francisco

I had the excellent opportunity to work with San Francisco’s Open Streets program, “Sunday Streets” and saw the elation on faces of all ages and backgrounds as people joined their friends, neighbors, and soon-to-be friends on the street.

At 10:59am, it’s business as usual, but when the clock strikes 11, the street belongs to people! Leaping into the streets, people walk, run, saunter, frolic, skate, do yoga, dance, take classes, prance, cartwheel, or bike.

Active exploration of the city is encouraged and embraced. The saddest part of the day is 4pm, when the program ends until the next month and people are once again relegated to the sidewalks.

Open Streets are Spectacular Opportunities for Businesses

Though Open Streets events are wildly fun, free adventures for everyone, they are not just spectacular for individuals, they’re also a great boon to local businesses.

It’s quite common for business owners to fret initially that cars won’t be driving by, but it doesn’t take long for most to recognize — and reap — the benefits of people passing by on foot or bike. 

When people are enjoying themselves in the streets, rather than driving over and past them, there is a much greater likelihood of them patronizing a business that they may not have noticed before.

Sunday Streets is now so popular among businesses that the program cannot keep up with the demand!

 This charming video shows a slice of Sunday Streets in the Mission.

When I lived in the dreamy city of Pittsburgh several years ago, I drew up a plan to make the Strip District more accessible and pleasurable for people crammed onto sidewalks already packed with vendors. The idea hasn’t quite been realized, but there is now Open Streets Pittsburgh which started in 2014 and I am thrilled to be able to attend this weekend for the first time. Perhaps it is a first step to removing cars from the Strip District!

There’s No Stopping Open Streets

At last, it seems that there is no stopping the Open Streets movement.

Where can we go from here? Where should we go from here? 

Have you had the chance to experience your city from the middle of the street?

What would you like to see in your city or town?

Share your thoughts in the comments below! If you’d like to find out more, I highly recommend checking out the excellent work of Streetfilms to see some of these plans in action around the world.

Love to and From San Francisco

105 years after the legendary earthquake that shook San Francisco to the ground, I lived through my first San Francisco earthquake. I didn’t even feel it, but I was there when it happened.

You probably don’t know, but I left Pittsburgh last month by train for my stuff and with a plane for my body.

I moved to out here first to work for a program I’m giddily excited about — Open Streets in San Francisco.

To celebrate my new city, I will share some of my favorite scenes so far:

My first sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge:

My bicycle on a greenway:

Bikes are everywhere. These are bikes that people use to ride to work, friend’s houses, grocery stores, coffee shops. I love it.

And I enjoy this amazing tree outside my window that provides incredible shade and a home for many wonderful birds.

This temporary street furniture suited me just fine! I got to a friend’s house way before they did recently and found this lovely table and chair set up so I just made myself comfortable and got to work. When I was done, some lucky person in need of a new table and chair moved it to their place.

I’ll probably furnish my new place in much of the same way.

I’m fond of this one-man band set-up of a charming fellow I met on Market St.

I’m still the newest lady in San Francisco so every single thing is new and amazing to me. Send me all of your recommendations so I may take them seriously!

What are your favorite places?

to eat? to drink? buy books? read books? to frolic? to ride your bike? to hide from the world?

A Review of Capital Bikeshare

I was recently in Washington, DC over the holidays and was very excited to try out the new Capital Bikeshare program.

Washington, DC was the first city in the United States to launch a bike-sharing program with the now defunct “SmartBike” in 2008 and now it has the most comprehensive bike-sharing network in the country with “Capital Bikeshare“. (You can see one of my old co-workers on the site as the picture of a wonderful, fresh, healthy resident.)

Using Capital Bikeshare is Incredibly Easy.

You can sign up online for a day, a month, or a year. Since I live in Pittsburgh, I decided the best option for me, right now is to join for a day at a time, just $5 a day.

Step 1: Insert your credit or debit card.

Tip: They recommend using a credit card because they put a $100 hold on your card. I didn’t know this at the time, but the hold can take up to 10 days to release back into your account. So that’s something to consider if your budget is tight and you don’t have a credit card available.

Step 2: The machine will display or print out a five digit code for you. This is the number that you enter into the docking station for the bicycle you are going to rent.

Tip: When removing the bike from the station, lift up the bicycle a few inches in the back and it will roll out easily. If you just try to pull it straight back, it will not come out.

Here I am, entering the five digit code to rent my first Bikeshare bike in Chinatown.

Step 3. Ride the bike to your destination, lock it into a docking station and go about your business. Try to make every ride less than 30 minutes because then it is free.

How It Works

I’ve heard from people that the pricing is “complicated” or “difficult”. But it’s really not. The number one thing to remember is to keep your trips under 30 minutes, and then you won’t have to pay anything for individual trips.

Memberships fees & Basics

24 hour membership = $5 (+$100 hold)

30 day membership =$25

One year membership = $75

If you live in Washington, DC, the $75 membership fee clearly makes sense.

The first half hour of every ride is free.

There are 1100 bikes and nearly 100 active stations (they are installing the final stations right now.) Click here to see a map of all the stations.

Why Bike-sharing is So Transformative

1. Bike-sharing helps add to a diversity of transportation options

2. Bike-sharing is affordable

How Bike-sharing Could Be Better

1. Bike-sharing memberships should be given to those receiving unemployment. By providing a $25 increased monthly benefit, the DOES could help reduce the burden of transportation costs for those who are most in need of saving money

2. Bike-sharing memberships could be offered as part of medicaid benefits in an attempt to get more people active

3. Bike-sharing could offer trikes for older adults or those who have difficulty with mobility or balance. See Portland’s program for getting older residents to ride bikes again. And see how happy and independent it makes the senior citizens to ride bikes and be able to move freely

Recommendations for Capital Bikeshare

Print maps of the stations — don’t put the burden of information on the individual

New Year, New Plans, New Un-inventions, New Everything

Part I: The Greeting and Re-introduction!

Hi!

It’s me, Lolly, your friendly neighborhood bicycle advocate!

Photo taken by the lovely Elly Blue

 

I’ve been away for quite a long time. I hope you’re well. I am doing quite well myself. Something about November and December makes it absolutely impossible for me to interest myself in writing on my blog. I avoided it in 2009 and mostly in 2010 as well.

I’m back now and there are a number of wonderful things I would like to share with you in the coming weeks and months.

Part II: Direction and Plans: Un-invent and Write Away!

Photo of wasted human effort and mind-wrecking sounds by Flickr user hectorir

There are also some things that are less wonderful I might touch on as well.

Such as the electric leaf-blower.

I hate hate hate these abominations (too strong? NO!) and if I could, I would un-invent the leaf-blower. There are some other things I would like to un-invent in order to enhance the human experience and I will occasionally focus with much vigor (and maybe even some vim) on these topics as they occur to me, when I am by a computer.

What else?

Tiny picture of the issue in which I wrote about Washington, DC back in my youth

This year, I’ll be starting a short column in the spectacular magazine Momentum which is a magazine by and for people who use bikes for almost anything but sport! If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out. It’s one of only two magazines that I wait by the mailbox to receive and then read cover to cover.

I’ll be writing with very very active and eloquent Elly Blue, photographer of above photo, author of the popular “How We Roll” column on Grist, general bicycle activist and entrepreneur, and my “advocacy pen pal.” I’m excited to see what comes of it!

Part III: Questions and Resolutions

How are you doing? Did you have a good new year? Any exciting plans or projects coming up?

I’ve made some rather strange and grueling resolutions which I’ve already told about 1.3 million people about but I’m loathe to say on the internet… lest it make it too hard to give up! But I’m considering it for the social pressure possible in the internet tubes and because I feel so great that I think I can’t keep it a secret.

Stay tuned, next week for the potential resolution-reveal, or at the very least, my review of Capital Bikeshare from Washington, DC. Here’s a sneak peak of me getting ready to ride from Chinatown to Adams Morgan.

Photo taken by Kurt Steiner, an outstanding transportation planner in Boston

 

 

 

 

The Case for Separated Bike Lanes: Streetfilms is Coming to Pittsburgh

I want to share a couple of their videos with you so you can see how quickly positive changes can be made when there is political will and the will of people.

Streetfilms made a video three years ago called the “Case for Separated Bike Lanes” which depicts the dangerous and chaotic nature of New York’s city streets and showcasing the successful implementation of beautiful, safe, green, and accessible bike infrastructure. Sounds boring, right?

Take a look at this video, compare the view of New York streets to that of other cities seen in the video: Paris, Boulder, CO, Copenhagen, and others. These cities have made creating safe space for bicycles a priority just as we are accustomed to having safe places to walk: sidewalks.

No one would imagine motor vehicles and walkers sharing the same space. Similarly it makes no sense for bicyclists to (be forced to) share the same space with either walkers or motorized vehicles.

Notice how cars and trucks were constantly taking over the space allotted for bicycles? How a little paint on the road made no difference and provided no safe space to travel by bicycle — but how a curb, a concrete barrier, a buffered zone, a row of trees made a world of difference!

NOW, look at the amazing change just three short years later. New York is a biking mecca. Kids can ride safely, parents can ride with their kids, people can commute to work without risking their lives.

Pedestrians, then bikes, then parked vehicles, then motorized vehicles motorizing.

Photo by Neal Patel of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

All we need is a little determination to make bicycling, the incredibly cheap and healthy mode of transportation accessible to all.

We can do it here in Pittsburgh and we can do it everywhere.

We should do it here in Pittsburgh, and we should do it everywhere.

Because we need safe and accessible transportation choices for all.

 

The Case for Separated Bike Lanes

Streetfilms is Coming to Pittsburgh

I want to share a couple of their videos with you so you can see how quickly positive changes can be made when there is political will and the will of people.

Streetfilms made a video three years ago called the “Case for Separated Bike Lanes” which depicts the dangerous and chaotic nature of New York’s city streets and showcasing the successful implementation of beautiful, safe, green, and accessible bike infrastructure. Sounds boring, right?

Take a look at the Streetfilms video on the right, compare the view of New York streets to that of other cities seen in the video: Paris, Boulder, CO, Copenhagen, and others. These cities have made creating safe space for bicycles a priority just as we are accustomed to having safe places to walk: sidewalks.

People on Bicycles Need Dedicated Space

No one would imagine motor vehicles and walkers sharing the same space. Similarly it makes no sense for bicyclists to (be forced to) share the same space with either walkers or motorized vehicles.

Notice how cars and trucks were constantly taking over the space allotted for bicycles? How a little paint on the road made no difference and provided no safe space to travel by bicycle — but how a curb, a concrete barrier, a buffered zone, a row of trees made a world of difference!

Photo by Neal Patel of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

NOW, look at the amazing change just three short years later. New York is a biking mecca. Kids can ride safely, parents can ride with their kids, people can commute to work without risking their lives.

Pedestrians, then bikes, then parked vehicles, then motorized vehicles motorizing.

All we need is a little determination to make bicycling, the incredibly cheap and healthy mode of transportation accessible to all.

We can do it here in Pittsburgh and we can do it everywhere.

We should do it here in Pittsburgh, and we should do it everywhere.

Because we need safe and accessible transportation choices for all.

New Bike Lanes in Pittsburgh This Week

How about it, Mayor Ravenstahl? Wouldn’t it be lovely to provide safe transportation options for all road users?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have safer bicycle facilities as we rapidly lose public transportation?

Please, sir, could we have some bike lanes?

This is a good time to emulate Washington, DC’s innovations. Photo by James D. Schwartz

According to officials in the city government, Pittsburghers are set to have TWELVE new miles of bike lanes laid on city streets by the end of painting season which is rapidly approaching!

“There are about five miles that are ready to go, with another seven miles that are in design and are expected to be installed by the end of the painting season, according to Stephen Patchan, the City’s Bike/Ped Coordinator.”

“In the current recession, money is tight for both people and cities.  Making it easy and safe for people to transport themselves using the least amount of taxpayer support should be prioritized.  The amount of money it takes to provide infrastructure for bicycles is dirt-cheap compared to providing infrastructure for cars.”

For more information on “How a Bike Lane is Born” in Pittsburgh, check out this excellent post from Bike Pittsburgh.

Bicyclists already pay for roads

If you think bicyclists using the roads are coasting along using the roads that drivers single-handedly pay for … you’re wrong. Check out this through breakdown on the cost comparison between those who only drive, those who drive and bike, and those who only bike.

And next time, thank a bike rider for subsidizing car parking, for paying for the roads, for being “one less car” contributing to the morning or evening rush, for not ruining the air quality we all share, and for reducing their own demands on our fragile health care system.

According to the recently published article by Elly Blue: The average driver travels 10,000 miles in town each year and contributes $324 in taxes and direct fees. The cost to the public, including direct costs and externalities, is a whopping $3,360.

On the opposite pole, someone who exclusively bikes may go 3,000 miles in a year, contribute $300 annually in taxes, and costs the public only $36, making for a profit of $264. To balance the road budget, we need 12 people commuting by bicycle for each person who commutes by car.”

The Bridesmaid Dress Ride – A Leisurely Stroll, on Bicycles, in Dresses

This post originally appeared on the Bike Pittsburgh blog. You should come to this ride if you are anywhere near Pittsburgh. Even if you’re not, there is plenty of time to get here. It’s not until October 15. Invite a friend and join us for bicycle fun! Shameless plug: If you like bicycles, cities, fun, and safe transportation choices for all, you should become a member of Bike Pittsburgh.

Closets, basements, storage facilities and thrift stores are filled with unwanted and unloved single-use bridesmaid dresses (and sometimes bicycles), too.

Credit for the photo in the flier goes to the ladies of the excellent blog Let’s Go Ride a Bike. Check it out when you’re done here.

On October 15, well dressed ladies and gentleman of Pittsburgh are going to change that for the Bridesmaid Dress Ride

Join us on the street!

This ride is all about fun and creativity. It will not be any faster than the newest / slowest rider is able to maintain at an enjoyable and un-intimidating pace. If you’re used to going fast all the time, this will be a nice time to ride your bike in a different manner (and in a bridesmaid dress!)

Meet at 6pm at the Bike Pittsburgh office (3410 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA) for dress preparation, camaraderie, laughter, and a brief demonstration on the various techniques for riding a bicycle in a dress.

This bicycle ride is part of the Car Free Fridays celebration of Lawrenceville so stick around after the ride to explore the arty happenings with your new friends.

The Seven Lofty Goals of the Bridesmaid Dress Ride

1. Have fun
2. Meet new people
3. Wear that dress one more time
4. Reduce the financial waste of the dress. (If you spent $200 on a dress to wear it only once than it cost $200 per use and that is just too much for one day. If you wear it to the Bridesmaid Dress Ride then it’s just $100 per use!)
5. Demonstrate that it is possible to ride fancy clothes on a bike
6. Look fabulous / ridiculous
7. Encourage people to become more comfortable riding in the city

New or new-ish to riding in the city? New or new-ish to group rides? Just follow the following handy tips and we’ll have a great time together!

Seven Recommended Rules of the Ride

1. Stay in the right lane
2. Leave nothing and no one behind
3. Stop at red lights
4. Ride straight and predictably
5. Roll past conflict
6. Communicate with other riders
7. Have fun

This is not a ladies-exclusive ride. Gentleman will be warmly welcomed, particularly those that embrace the spirit of the ride and wear a dress (other formal wear is acceptable)! Bring a friend or two.

Facts to Remember:

When: October 15, 6-8pm

Where: Meet at the Bike Pittsburgh office, 3410 Penn Ave (corner of Butler and Penn)

What: Wear a bridesmaid dress on your bicycle

Rain: The Bridesmaid Dress Ride is Mist or Shine. Who wants to get fancy and ride in the rain?

Rain date: October 22, 6pm; Rain date’s rain date: October 23, 2pm

The Bridesmaid Dress Ride

A Leisurely Stroll, on Bicycles, in Dresses

This post originally appeared on the Bike Pittsburgh blog.

Credit for the photo in the flier goes to the ladies of the excellent blog Let’s Go Ride a Bike. Check it out when you’re done here.

You should come to this ride if you are anywhere near Pittsburgh. Even if you’re not, there is plenty of time to get here. It’s not until October 15. Invite a friend and join us for bicycle fun! Shameless plug: If you like bicycles, cities, fun, and safe transportation choices for all, you should become a member of Bike Pittsburgh.

Closets, basements, storage facilities and thrift stores are filled with unwanted and unloved single-use bridesmaid dresses (and sometimes bicycles), too.

On October 15, well dressed ladies and gentleman of Pittsburgh are going to change that for the Bridesmaid Dress Ride

Join us on the street!

This ride is all about fun and creativity. It will not be any faster than the newest / slowest rider is able to maintain at an enjoyable and un-intimidating pace. If you’re used to going fast all the time, this will be a nice time to ride your bike in a different manner (and in a bridesmaid dress!)

Meet at 6pm at the Bike Pittsburgh office (3410 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA) for dress preparation, camaraderie, laughter, and a brief demonstration on the various techniques for riding a bicycle in a dress.

This bicycle ride is part of the Car Free Fridays celebration of Lawrenceville so stick around after the ride to explore the arty happenings with your new friends.

The Seven Lofty Goals of the Bridesmaid Dress Ride

1. Have fun
2. Meet new people
3. Wear that dress one more time
4. Reduce the financial waste of the dress. (If you spent $200 on a dress to wear it only once than it cost $200 per use and that is just too much for one day. If you wear it to the Bridesmaid Dress Ride then it’s just $100 per use!)
5. Demonstrate that it is possible to ride fancy clothes on a bike
6. Look fabulous / ridiculous
7. Encourage people to become more comfortable riding in the city

New or new-ish to riding in the city? New or new-ish to group rides? Just follow the following handy tips and we’ll have a great time together!

Seven Recommended Rules of the Ride

1. Stay in the right lane
2. Leave nothing and no one behind
3. Stop at red lights
4. Ride straight and predictably
5. Roll past conflict
6. Communicate with other riders
7. Have fun

This is not a ladies-exclusive ride. Gentleman will be warmly welcomed, particularly those that embrace the spirit of the ride and wear a dress (other formal wear is acceptable)! Bring a friend or two.

Facts to Remember:

When: October 15, 6-8pm

Where: Meet at the Bike Pittsburgh office, 3410 Penn Ave (corner of Butler and Penn)

What: Wear a bridesmaid dress on your bicycle

Rain: The Bridesmaid Dress Ride is Mist or Shine. Who wants to get fancy and ride in the rain?

Rain date: October 22, 6pm; Rain date’s rain date: October 23, 2pm

My Beautiful New Bicycle’s Internet Debut

Now my bicycle is just over a month old and ready for her internet debut! Photos by the inimitable Elly Blue.

What Kind of Bike is That!

People ask me all the time, usually with an exclamation instead of a question mark. It’s the “Live 2” by Globe which is a new brand made by Specialized and tailored to people who ride for transportation.

This bike is not for racing, but it is perfect for life. That’s what I need anyway. I need to go to work, to the grocery store, to outreach events for my job, and I need to carry a bunch of stuff with me because I don’t drive Ever and this is my way to get around.

Hauling Supplies to Bikestravaganza! (This photo was later featured, bizarrely) on the website of the Mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto in 2017 when announcing his bike plan for the neighborhood of Oakland where a childhood friend of mine was killed while riding her bike there home from work in 2015…

See the giant silver circle in the middle of the back wheel? That’s my fancy 8-speed internal hub. That means that all of gears and everything I need to keep moving is contained INSIDE! Maybe, like me at first, you’d think, who cares about that?

I am telling you that it might be one of the greatest inventions since the bicycle

This means that you don’t have any messy greasy gears on the outside and your gears won’t get mucked up in the rain or snow. So if you depend on your bicycle to get you places even when the weather is undesirable, this is the ticket. (Not the only ticket, but the only one for me!)

The other incredibly wonderful part is that you can shift anytime. You don’t have to be moving! If you’re stopped at a stop light in a hard gear, you can switch back to a much easier gear for starting again when the light turns green.

I’m not kidding, friends, this has revolutionized my bicycle riding experience.

The fenders and the rack are integrated into the bicycle frame and so it’s possible to ride in the rain without getting muddy and while easily carrying tons of stuff.

This is my favorite of the five bikes I’ve owned since I made the bicycle my main form of transportation in 2006.

PS: Before bicycles I used public transportation and my feet because I lived in DC and Chicago and made my home in places with stellar public transit so I would never have to own a car. It was a great time and having the resources of public transit is essential to any city that wants to thrive and not be choked by motor vehicle traffic, air, and noise pollution.

But now I’m happy to make my own schedule and get there as fast or slow as I like.

Usually it’s pretty slow because I’m a meandering kind of gal and I like to take my time. Doesn’t mean that my time is less important than motor vehicle users, I just make my plans accordingly. And since I like my transportation, I don’t mind spending time riding slowly through the city getting where I need or want to go.

I love you bicycle!