AT-Network August 2012

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Recession-squeezed Greeks ditch cars for bikes

by Beth McKechnie

Recession-squeezed Greeks ditch cars for bikes Published on Wednesday August 08, 2012 * Karolina Tagaris | *Reuters ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's dire economic plight has forced thousands of businesses to close, thrown one in five out of work and eroded the living standards of millions. But for bicycle-maker Giorgos Vogiatzis, it's not all bad news. The crisis has put cash-strapped Greeks on their bikes - once snubbed as a sign of poverty or just plain risky - and Greek manufacturers are shifting into fast gear. The high cost of road tax, fuel and repairs is forcing Greeks to ditch their cars in huge numbers. According to the government's statistics office, the number of cars on Greek roads declined by more than 40 percent in each of the last two years. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 bikes were sold in 2011, up about a quarter from the previous year. Shops selling bicycles, and equipment ranging from helmets to knee pads, are spreading fast across the capital, popping up even between souvenir shops on the cobbled pedestrian streets of the touristy Plaka district. "They're sprouting up like mushrooms," said Vogiatzis, who designs and builds tailor-made bicycles in his workshop on the Aegean island of Rhodes. A former cyclist on Greece's national team, Vogiatzis opened his business in the mid-80s, combining his love for drawing and mathematics, but only recently watched sales boom from a modest 40 bikes a year to over 350. "There's no more money for luxuries and that helps," said Vogiatzis, who works away furiously with two other staff to meet demand for all sorts of bikes - some lavishly hand-painted in glitter, others flaunting the Greek flag. "People who were never interested in cycling are buying bikes," he added. Vogiatzis now exports to seven countries including Germany and the United States, and opened shops across Greece, including in Athens where competition is fierce. A far cry from the shuttered shopfronts in the capital that have become a painful reminder of the country's worst downturn since World War Two, bike shop owners estimate that at least one store opened every month in 2011. Vogiatzis laughed: "Every neighbourhood has its bike shop just as it's got its kebab shop." POTHOLES, TRAFFIC JAMS In austerity Greece, the once lowly bike is winning new fans every day, from middle-aged commuters who relied on their cars to those who poked fun at former prime minister George Papanadreou's penchant for cycling as not being macho enough. The new national fashion has even prompted the Athens mayor to start working on a public bike hire scheme similar to those in other European capitals - a first for a city where the few cycling lanes are often dotted with pine trees or parked cars. The lack of infrastructure and Athens's mountainous landscape have not deterred Greece's new cyclists who have begun pedalling through traffic jams, up and down steep hills and over potholed roads. "This is not Berlin. Here it's risky but you need to start thinking what you'll cut back on - taxis, the metro," said Elena Koniaraki, 39, a music saleswoman who joked about sticking a learner's sign on her back for the first few bumpy rides. A pay cut two years ago forced Koniaraki to give up her car under a "cash for clunkers" scheme as she could no longer afford to pay the road tax or fill up her tank. She also moved from her house in a leafy northern Athens suburb to the centre. And to get through a cash squeeze in March, she picked up a second-hand bike for the first time since childhood. "At first my friends would laugh at me and say: Oh, poverty!" said Koniaraki, who now cycles to work from the foothills of the ancient Acropolis, past shop-gazing tourists in Plaka and through the bustling Syntagma square. "We've never had a bike culture in Greece. Sometimes I'll leave my local street market on my bike, loaded with bags of tomatoes, and people will stop and wave at me," she said. THE ONLY WAY IS UP With fuel prices catapulted by tax rises to about 1.72 euros per litre in July - one of the highest rates in Europe - a bike culture may just develop. "A lot of people are starting to see it as an alternative," said Tolis Tsimoyannis, a cycling aficionado who imports fold-up bikes from Taiwan. Tsimoyannis, who opened his business in 2006, said he saw a steady increase in demand in the previous two years, many of his customers students and people in their 40s who were struggling to make ends meet. Lately, his business has started to level out - not because of a drop in demand but because the opening of so many bike shops means they each get a smaller piece of the pie. But even as prospects of Greece's recession-mired economy remain glum and many fear the pain from the crisis will only intensify in the days ahead, bike enthusiasts are optimistic that the appeal of the bicycle will only grow. "The only way is up," Tsimoyannis said. www.thestar.com/business/article/1238625--recession-squeezed-greeks-ditch-c…

11 years, 8 months

ITE Pedestrian and Bicycle Council Newsletter: Request for Articles

by Beth McKechnie

Any ideas for articles to submit? Deadline is September 5th. Thanks to Bob Kurylko for sharing. cheers, Beth ** ** *From:* Institute of Transportation Engineers [mailto:info@ite.ccsend.com] *On Behalf Of *Institute of Transportation Engineers *Sent:* Wednesday, August 08, 2012 6:00 AM *To:* Kurylko, Robert *Subject:* ITE Pedestrian and Bicycle Council Newsletter: Request for Articles**** ** ** [image: A Community of Transportation Professionals]**** * * *Fall 2012 Newsletter: Request for Articles* August 2012**** The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Pedestrian and Bicycle Council (PBC) is currently soliciting contributions for the Fall 2012 edition of the PBC e-newsletter. We are looking for current news, journal articles, or other items of interest to share with the membership. Please feel free to forward this solicitation to your colleagues. We welcome submissions from non-ITE members. Please refrain from marketing companies, products, or services.**** ** ** The PBC e-newsletter is a quarterly publication for ITE members designed to keep transportation engineers involved in, and informed about, bicycle and pedestrian transportation best practices. Criteria for submissions are flexible, but should be related to bicycle and pedestrian planning/engineering, policy, or advocacy. Previous editions of the newsletter have included academic research, updates on recent changes to MUTCD design standards, solicitations for public comment on MUTCD standards, "how to" guides for community groups and transit agencies, project case studies, data collection and education efforts, and news items related to pedestrian and bicycle projects. All of these topics (and others) are suitable for submission.**** ** ** Submissions should not exceed 1,000 words in length. If submitting original academic research, please include an abstract of no more than 200 words and a link to the full article. If submitting graphics, please submit them separately from the Word documents (e.g., jpg, tiff, or gif files).**** The deadline for submissions for our Fall newsletter is *September 5th, 2012 *.**** ** ** Please send your questions and submissions to the editors via e-mail: ite.pbc.news(a)gmail.com.**** ** ** *Forward email<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=umc9fycab&m=1102470515092&ea=…> * <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001kkqO0FxDKZT4vX7yz6nMv4DYC…> **** <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=buynow&cc=news08>**** This email was sent to robert.kurylko(a)stantec.com by info(a)ite.org | **** Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001kkqO0FxDKZT4vX7yz6nMv4DYC…>™ | Privacy Policy <http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp>. **** Institute of Transportation Engineers | 1627 Eye Street | Suite 600 | Washington | DC | 20006**** ****

11 years, 8 months

WFP: Beloved bike brought back - Police recover property after seven years (Aug.2'12)

by Beth McKechnie

Beloved bike brought back Police recover property after seven years By: Gordon Sinclair Jr. <gordon.sinclair(a)freepress.mb.ca> Feeling lucky today? Probably not as lucky as Wayne Selby or, for that matter, the Winnipeg Police Service. Back in mid-June, I wrote a series of columns that centred on how police don't seem to treat bike theft as a priority. The columns, three in succession, landed like body blows to the police service's image. The last one included a question that rhetorically asked how much police really care about finding and returning your stolen bike. It was a question, and an issue, thousands of bike-theft victims could relate to and did. Among them was a semi-retired teacher named Wayne Selby, who was "intrigued" by the series. At first it was because, like all those others, he knew what it was like to have a bike stolen; in his case from a locked shed in the backyard of the Norwood Flats home where he lived at the time. A rider on Wayne's home-insurance policy allowed him to recover $600 of the original $1,000 cost and, perhaps fearing the seemingly inevitable next theft, he used some of the money to buy a less-expensive model. But, just as if he were a little boy and that was his first bike, Wayne never got over the loss, or the feeling of riding it. Even though he was 54 when it was stolen and now he is 61. Even after all those years. As I was saying, the columns on bike theft brought that feeling shared by so many victims of bike-theft crime. But, it was the timing of what police would soon bring back to Wayne that prompted a less common feeling. And outcome. Within a matter of days after he had finished reading that last column on how little police seem to care about recovering stolen bikes, Wayne received a phone call. The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Det.-Sgt. David Clayton, the head of the police pawn shop detail. Later, Wayne recalled how Clayton started the conversation. "He said, 'Did you have a bike stolen on June 5, 2005?' I said, 'I sure did.' " Then the detective asked if he wanted it back. "I said, 'Absolutely.' " What Wayne doesn't remember is exactly when Clayton added the bonus that made a great story into an amazing one. The bike had been brought into the Atlas Pawn Shop on June 5. Seven years to the day after Wayne had reported it stolen. "I was thrilled," a still thrilled Wayne Selby recalled week. So was Clayton, and constables Glenn McConnell and Glen Zelenewich, who comprise the rest of the police pawn shop detail. I suspect it's a story Atlas Pawn Shop owner Jason Schinkarik is proud to tell, too, because of his own part in the remarkable recovery. Pawn shop owners are required by a city bylaw to take a photo of all items received and provide police with a full description, including the serial number. Clayton explained how it works. "These reports are electronically sent to our unit every day, loaded into our computer system, and then checked against the CPIC system and the WPS computer system. Serial number hits are then investigated by the pawn unit." It was because Wayne had recorded his bike's serial number he got it back. Although it wasn't quite as simple as that. The insurance company that had paid him $600 when it was stolen was the legal owner of the bike, and they wanted Wayne to pay $150 for it in its depreciated state. It was Clayton who told him that sounded like too much. Try $100. So he did. And with the extra effort of police property evidence technician Tim Mikolash -- who expedited the filling out of forms -- the insurance company accepted the $100 and Wayne was able to take his bike home, all in one day. "I was very impressed with our police service, Sgt. Clayton, the property evidence department and with our system of justice," Wayne said. He was also impressed with the shape the bike was in, given all the years they spent apart, because as soon as he got it home, he took his long lost companion for a ride. Like a little boy with his first bike. Which brings me to why I'm so pleased Wayne contacted me. It's a wonderful feeling when that bike wheel of fortune lands on your space. Especially an extra lucky seven years to the day, later. But it's also a wonderful feeling to be able to give police the credit they deserve, when they deserve it. And they deserve it way more often than any of us will ever know. gordon.sinclair(a)freepress.mb.ca Being wheel careful with your new bike Things people should do when buying a bike to protect it from being stolen and help with its recovery if it is: -Record the make, model and serial number. -License your bike through the City of Winnipeg. -Take a picture of the bike and a second picture of the serial number. -Buy a good "U" lock. -Don't leave your bike unattended, even for a minute. -If the bike does get stolen, report it to the police immediately. -- source: Winnipeg Police Service http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/beloved-bike-brought-back-164727946.…

11 years, 8 months

Webinar - Wednesday, August 15, 2012, 2-3pm, Ecocentre - Transforming Streets into Inviting Public Spaces

by Jessie Klassen

Green Action Centre and Bike to the Future invite you to join us for a local viewing of the upcoming APBP webinar at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) followed by group discussion.* *Detailed description provided below.* **Transforming Streets into Inviting Public Spaces* *Wednesday, August 15th | 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CST* RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! Thanks, Jessie 925-3772 * * * * * Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) presents: *Transforming Streets into Inviting Public Spaces* *Wednesday, August 15 | 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CST* Innovative thinking can transform auto-centric streets into inviting public spaces. This webinar explores projects and programs in three communities that reclaim areas in the public right of way for people-friendly uses. Attend this webinar to learn how to turn transportation challenges into projects that build community and contribute to pedestrian and bicyclist safety, public health, and economic development. Speakers will discuss the barriers to implementing these projects, issues of planning, design, maintenance and cost, and lessons learned. Please note: this is a 75-minute webinar. Featured projects include: • The Uptown Roundabout in Normal, Illinois; • San Francisco's Pavement to Parks Program; • Portland's Intersection Repair Projects. Presenters: Mercy Davidson, Town Planner, City of Normal, Illinois; Greg Raisman, Traffic Safety Program Specialist, Active Transportation Division, Portland Bureau of Transportation; and Ilaria Salvadori, Project Manager, San Francisco Planning Department. ** ** *Jessie Klassen* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca>| Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3772 Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

11 years, 8 months

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AT-Network August 2012