From tarr@igc.apc.orgFri Nov 11 18:47:35 1994 Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994 14:10:33 -0800 From: Paula Davidson Subject: 29-Oct-94 Bicycle notes: Sustainability Conf October 29, 1994 Digital Instruments, Inc Robert Bernstein 520 East Montecito Street 448 Mills Way #B Santa Barbara, CA 93103 Goleta, CA 93117 (805) 899-3380 (805) 685-1283 (805) 899-3392 FAX Email: rdb@rain.org The Sustainability Project held a conference this weekend in Santa Barbara on sustainable transportation. The organizer was: Detty Peikert The Sustainability Project 566-0289 FAX DETTY@AOL.COM Here is a summary of the conclusions of Group #2 from the Conference held today. Group #2 was: Low Technology Transportation -- Biking and Walking. I) Vision A) Bikeways and Walkways 1) Must go where needed rather than just where there happens to be room 2) Routes must connect; isolated pieces are unusable 3) Must serve residential, business and shopping areas; I.e. safe routes must go everywhere 4) Routes must be safe enough for children and parents with children 5) Must have safe freeway crossings 6) Bicycles and pedestrians must each have own separate places 7) Bicycle highway along railway valuable for linking communities B) Traffic Calming -- General pedestrian and bicycling friendliness C) Transit and bicycle integration 1) Bicycle storage lockers at major transit stops 2) Bicycle racks on buses and/or option to take bikes on buses D) Children must be encouraged to bicycle and walk to school 1) Lifetime patterns are set in childhood 2) Three area schools prohibit bicycling to school; this must end 3) Need safe routes and secure parking II) Must Change Attitudes -- For business, government and citizens; Group concensus that this is the really important and difficult part A) Need a major marketing effort -- like a political campaign 1) Hundreds of millions spent advertising cars and trucks; must compete 2) Need to sell benefits personally and for society of walking & biking 3) Need government-funded advertising B) Bicycles are viewed as a special interest 1) Bicycles are viewed as insects in the way of "real" transportation 2) Must be viewed as "those bicycles mean so many less cars in the way" a) Less pollution, congestion and resource use for everyone C) Current attitude is "you are what you drive" 1) Bicyclists are viewed as less valuable human beings than motorists 2) Public officials often use "motorist" and "citizen" interchangeably III) Proposals A) Must end the $300 billion/year subsidy nationally for motor vehicles 1) Since every one of us pays $1,000/year to subsidize driving, we would have to be stupid not to drive after we have paid for it 2) It makes alternatives seem far more expensive than they really are 3) Must change tax laws, etc to change this 4) Ending this subsidy frees up huge amount of money for alternatives B) Money is needed for: 1) Advertising a) Educating the public and business about benefits and need for funding; how such funding benefits them b) Safety education ads directed at motorists and at bicyclists i) E.g. Single-most common injury caused by motorists to bicyclists is not hitting them, but opening doors into them 2) Resources -- Actual construction of infrastructure a) Bikeways, sidewalks, general bicycling and pedestrian friendliness outlined in section (I) above C) Locally, must have a full time bicycle coordinator at SBCAG D) Discourage high school students from driving to school E) Enforcement of traffic laws for bicyclists once safe routes are available -- Robert Bernstein