“This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tweeted in reference to a new federal bike and pedestrian policy, which promises to, “Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.”

Hat tip VBF's article US Sec’y of Transportation at the Bike Summit.

Biking Directions added to Google Maps

From the Official Google Blog a few days ago:

Let's say you want to bike to work, or maybe you want to drive less and spend more time outdoors. Biking directions can help you find a convenient and efficient route that makes use of dedicated bike trails or lanes[.]

Hat tip Mashable.

Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722, introduced March 2nd

From Alliance for Biking and Walking:

Representative Earl Blumenauer introduced the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722, on 3/2/10. This groundbreaking bill creates a competitive grant program with $2 Billion to help communities build bicycling and walking networks. For the first time, communities would be able to compete for multi-year funding to build active transportation systems, just as they do for transit and road infrastructure.

At OpenCongress.org:

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out an active transportation investment program to encourage a mode shift to active transportation within selected communities by providing safe and convenient options to bicycle and walk for routine travel, and for other purposes.

At Congressman Blumenauer's site - Blumenauer ACTS to Make Active Transportation Safer, Easier, and More Accessible.

Hat tip to Virginia Bicycling Federation for info on H.R.4722.

Take the Pledge to drive safe - April 28th & everyday is Distracted Driving Awareness Day

From Drive Smart Virginia, info about how your behavior increases your chances of an accident & more:

Behavior	Increased Risk
Texting (illegal in Virginia)	23 times
Reaching for a moving object	9 times
Driving drowsy	4 times
Looking at an external object	3.7 times
Reading	3.4 times
Using a cell phone	4 times*
Applying makeup	3 times
Eating	1.6 times
Reaching for a non-moving object	1.4 times
Talking on hand-held phone	1.3 times

And:

Top 10 Tips to Minimize Your Distracted Driving

1. CHANGE YOUR WAYS and recognize the activities that distract you; such as eating, conversing on the phone, or changing a CD.
2. MAKE A PLAN. Get directions, study your route, check weather and road conditions. Make sure children are properly buckled up and occupied.
3. MANAGE YOUR TIME so that you do not have to multi-task or drive aggressively on the road.
4. DON’T LET YOUR DRIVE TIME BECOME YOUR DOWN TIME....

Please head to Drive Smart Virgina now and Take the Don't Drive Distracted Pledge.
"Companies" can become a partner too.

Digital Billboards, Diversions Drivers Can’t Escape is most emailed article in NYTimes Tech today

Obviously a hot topic for safety advocates.

From the NYTimes article:

Last Thursday, Michigan lawmakers held hearings on legislation, the first of its kind, that would impose a two-year moratorium on the construction of new billboards. Minnesota’s legislature is scheduled to hold hearings this month on a similar moratorium...

The Federal Highway Administration has been conducting a study, which it says will be completed this summer, that uses eye-trackers inside cars to see whether drivers who have volunteered for the study look at the digital billboards, and for how long. The agency also has organized a tour this spring to take researchers to various cities around the world to study how other nations are regulating digital billboards.

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