News

Here is a Swedish video about how to motivate, cajole and humerously encourage people to use active transportation, biking and walking, rather than hopping into the car for short trips. They’ve used some non conventional techniques for social marketing. Scott

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-09-29-how-one-swedish-city-gets-people-to-trade-silly-car-trips-for-bi/

Here is a Swedish video about how to motivate, cajole and humerously encourage people to use active transportation, biking and walking, rather than hopping into the car for short trips. They’ve used some non conventional techniques for social marketing. Scott

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-09-29-how-one-swedish-city-gets-people-to-trade-silly-car-trips-for-bi/

Things are getting interesting and exciting!

The Rochester Bicycling Master Plan had it’s third meeting on Thursday, Oct. 21nd with the Master Planning Advisory Committee and the Rochester Cycling Alliance members, Bill Collins and Scott MacRae participated. Sprinkle, the national consulting group gave a summary of the Draft Recommendations and Prioritization on Street Changes with weighting based on a customary fomulae along with the public & committee’s suggestions.

The target “Level of Service” for this project is to get roads up to a “C” level although we’d all love to get most of the roads up to a C or better. We’re currently at a D+ rating. There were some who argued that we should be shooting higher (for an A or B) but the Sprinkle group was confident once we get the process going then we can up our target level later.

The prioritization identified 4 major categories:

1. Existing Bicycle Facility 4% of roads (6 miles) which have 4 foot bike lanes and meet criteria. This also includes roads that are programmed for next year as well.
2. Target Bicycle Level of Service Met 29% (41 miles). These streets are typically low volume with infrequent parking which don’t require striping
3. Roadway Restrip Candidates 46% (65 miles) These are streets where roadway restiping is the first option to meet the C level of service. Streets with minimally utilized on street parking are good candidates for high ranking in this category.
4. Detailed Corri9dor Study Needed (DCSN) 21% 30 miles. These streets don’t lend themselves easily to the above criteria and restriping. These streets need more detailed extendsive and detailed operational -level investigations of the constraining factors and opportunities along these roads.

The exciting thing is that we will have about $400,000 worth of restriping and infrastructure improvements that the city will be acting on over the next few years. We will be seeing some bike symbols on bike lanes more and more over the next 2-3 years. It is very inexpensive to do this when a road is reconditioned. The $400,000 will be spent on roads that have already had repaving but need restriping depending on the priority score that was derived and the opportunity to do this in a cost efficient maner.

The mood of the meeting was definately upbeat and the engineers and designers from the city, state and county were very enthusiastic about what will be happening.

Sprinkle has identified Boulder, Colorado, Montreal, Canada, Minneapolis- St Paul, Minnesota and Madison, Wisconsin as our “Peer Cities” that have already made significant advances and can help us establish best practices for Rochester. More on this later. The Rochester Bicycling Master Plan Website is noted below

PS. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz of Madison, Wisconsin is coming to the Rochester Community Design Center Lecture Series “Reshaping Rochester” on April 26th, 2011, 7-9pm. He is a terrific bike advocate and gave a great talk at the National Bike Summitt in Wash. D.C. this spring on how Madison has became a bike friendly city despite being in a cold snowy enviroment. I spent some valuable time talking with him on the economics of biking and how it transforms communities. He went with his transporation team to Holland for a site visit on how they designed their infrastructure to encourage bicycling and active transportation. This is something we should consider when we meet our new mayor. Holland has programs which sponsors mayors and city leaders from around the world to visit to study their transportation system. Scott

http://www.cityofrochester.gov/bikeplan/

Jason Berry is an RIT Alumni and film professional who has just completed a feature film on the Tour De France. The film depicts the history of the Tour De France and follows the tour team High Road and sprinter, Mark Cavendish as they journey through France. The filming and soundtrack is terrific!

Due to an outpouring of requests and with the help of the RIT
Alumni
Association we are having another screening of “Chasing
Legends” in
the Rochester area. Wednesday, October 6th at 8pm, Webb
Auditorium
on
the RIT campus. Please help us spread the word and I hope to
see you
at the show! Scott
Here is the description:
Chasing Legends screening in Webb Auditorium
The Office of Alumni Relations is hosting a special screening of alumnus filmmaker Jason Berry’s gripping and award-winning documentary on the toughest and most celebrated sporting event in the world — the Tour de France — on Wednesday, October 6 at 8:00 pm in Webb Auditorium. Experience the heartfelt narrative story told by the athletes and announcers who bring this epic race to life each July. Go inside the peloton with Mark Cavendish, Lance Armstrong, and George Hincapie while cameras mounted on bikes, cars, helicopters and helmets take you on a ride that doesn’t let up.

$10 per person/$7 students.

To purchase tickets, please click here.

This event is expected to sell out. Tickets are first come, first serve so register today!

Questions? Contact Jon Rodibaugh in the Office of Alumni Relations at jprrar@rit.edu

Jason Berry is an RIT Alumni and film professional who has just completed a feature film on the Tour De France. The film depicts the history of the Tour De France and follows the tour team High Road and sprinter, Mark Cavendish as they journey through France. The filming and soundtrack is terrific!

Due to an outpouring of requests and with the help of the RIT
Alumni
Association we are having another screening of “Chasing
Legends” in
the Rochester area. Wednesday, October 6th at 8pm, Webb
Auditorium
on
the RIT campus. Please help us spread the word and I hope to
see you
at the show! Scott
Here is the description:
Chasing Legends screening in Webb Auditorium
The Office of Alumni Relations is hosting a special screening of alumnus filmmaker Jason Berry’s gripping and award-winning documentary on the toughest and most celebrated sporting event in the world — the Tour de France — on Wednesday, October 6 at 8:00 pm in Webb Auditorium. Experience the heartfelt narrative story told by the athletes and announcers who bring this epic race to life each July. Go inside the peloton with Mark Cavendish, Lance Armstrong, and George Hincapie while cameras mounted on bikes, cars, helicopters and helmets take you on a ride that doesn’t let up.

$10 per person/$7 students.

To purchase tickets, please click here.

This event is expected to sell out. Tickets are first come, first serve so register today!

Questions? Contact Jon Rodibaugh in the Office of Alumni Relations at jprrar@rit.edu

The last 2 weeks have been very productive for Rochester Cycling Advocacy. Two weeks ago RCA members Jon Schull, Scott MacRae and Tom Robinson (EDR) met with Brighton Town Surpervisor Sandra Frankel to discuss ways to make Brighton more bike friendly. She agreed to initiate creating a Brighton Bike Advisory group and with the help of RIT’s Center For Student Innovation perhaps create a Brighton Bicycle Master Plan which would integrate Rochester’s Plan as well. GROC also had a major victory getting their County Parks programs approved. Congratulations GROC.

Last Wed. the Rochester Bicycle Master Plan Group met which included RCA members Bill Collins, Jon Schull (substituting for Andrew Dollard, Richard DeSarra (also representing RBC) and Scott MacRae all participated in the discussion and critique of the Existing Conditions Map which was very detailed for each major street. Rochester rated a D+ on “Level of Service – LOS” which is above average but leads lots of room for improvement. This input as well as the input from 4 city community quadrant meetings which also allowed riders to compare their real life experience of riding the streets to the survey ratings to further refine the ratings. The participants were also able to rank which destinations and streets are higher priority and this information will also go into the master plan to help create priorities for the plan. You can review the plan at;
http://www.cityofrochester.gov/bikeplan/

Go to the existing level of service map and review it. If you agree or disagree, let them know. There will be a more detailed description street by street listed soon.
You can also give your comments to Erik Frisch City of Rochester at: Frische@CityofRochester.gov

Jon Schull, Richard DeSarra and Scott MacRae met with Judy Cama Community Relations Coordinator and Marcie Barcotta of Wegmans about getting Wegmans support to make Rochester more bike friendly. We discussed getting support for Jon’s Active Transportation Network Map adnthe suggested Richard help them create some maps for their Passport to Family Wellness Program which currently encourages people to walk for Wegmans credits and gifts. The new program would encourage biking in the community. We also discussed how to make the New East Ave. Wegmans the poster child for a bike friendly store and neighborhood with indoor bike parking, lockers and showers for employees and incentive programs such as bike days with gifts for cyclists. They were very interested in supporting us.

Richard and Scott then met with John Richardson Director of the 360/365 film festival about incorporating 2 recent full lenght films involving bicycling at the 360/365 film festival in 2011. They are now also considering having a contest for the best 3 minute film on bicycling in 2011 as well.

Bill Collins is continueing to lead the dialogue with RGRTA’s on the new transit center and is coordinating a meeting with RGRTA to discuss ways to make the center and the system more bike friendly.

Scott

Dear Cyclists,
Here is a repeat listing of the Rochester Bicycle Master Plan Rochester Quadrant Citizens Meetings if you have not seen the listing already. We are welcoming all citizens and cyclist to attend. The meetings will be facilitated by Bruce Landis and his team of bicycle design consultants from Sprinkle Inc., who are nationally recognized for their expertise on urban bicycle master plans.

The information gathered here will be combined with the other information already gathered through an extensive street by street analysis of the bicycle friendliness of existing conditions. A prioritization of streets with recommendations on next steps will be completed by early 2011. There are also numerous other recommendations that will be made as noted above in the BMP (Bicycle Master Plan) in the above enclosure.
Scott MacRae
Rochester Cycling Alliance

If you cannot make the meeting you can send your comments directly to Erik Frisch, Transportation Specialists at the address below or at:

Frische@CityofRochester.gov
Erik Frisch | Transportation Specialist
City of Rochester | DES | Architecture & Engineering Bureau
City Hall | 30 Church Street | Room 300B
Rochester | New York | 14614-1279

NORTHWEST QUADRANT

DATE: August 25, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00PM

LOCATION: Aquinas Institute, Cafeteria
ADDRESS: 1127 Dewey Avenue, Rochester

SOUTHWEST QUADRANT

DATE: August 25, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

LOCATION: Phyllis Wheatley Community Library

ADDRESS: 33 Dr. Samuel McCree Way, Rochester

NORTHEAST QUADRANT
DATE: August 26, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

LOCATION: North Street Community Center

ADDRESS: 700 North Street, Rochester

SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
DATE: August 26, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

LOCATION: Artisan Church

ADDRESS: 1235 South Clinton Avenue, Rochester

Dear Cyclists,
Here is a repeat listing of the Rochester Bicycle Master Plan Rochester Quadrant Citizens Meetings if you have not seen the listing already. We are welcoming all citizens and cyclist to attend. The meetings will be facilitated by Bruce Landis and his team of bicycle design consultants from Sprinkle Inc., who are nationally recognized for their expertise on urban bicycle master plans.

The information gathered here will be combined with the other information already gathered through an extensive street by street analysis of the bicycle friendliness of existing conditions. A prioritization of streets with recommendations on next steps will be completed by early 2011. There are also numerous other recommendations that will be made as noted above in the BMP (Bicycle Master Plan) in the above enclosure.
Scott MacRae
Rochester Cycling Alliance

If you cannot make the meeting you can send your comments directly to Erik Frisch, Transportation Specialists at the address below or at:

Frische@CityofRochester.gov
Erik Frisch | Transportation Specialist
City of Rochester | DES | Architecture & Engineering Bureau
City Hall | 30 Church Street | Room 300B
Rochester | New York | 14614-1279

NORTHWEST QUADRANT

DATE: August 25, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00PM

LOCATION: Aquinas Institute, Cafeteria
ADDRESS: 1127 Dewey Avenue, Rochester

SOUTHWEST QUADRANT

DATE: August 25, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

LOCATION: Phyllis Wheatley Community Library

ADDRESS: 33 Dr. Samuel McCree Way, Rochester

NORTHEAST QUADRANT
DATE: August 26, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

LOCATION: North Street Community Center

ADDRESS: 700 North Street, Rochester

SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
DATE: August 26, 2010 TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

LOCATION: Artisan Church

ADDRESS: 1235 South Clinton Avenue, Rochester

Protect vital bicycle funding programs- demand proportionality in rescissions! Take Action!

The Jobs Bill passed by Congress last week contains a $2.2 billion rescission of transportation funds from state Departments of Transportation. In many states, the DOT will likely target bike funding programs for the money to send back to the federal government – unless local advocates speak up and make sure that doesn’t happen. States must report which program funds are affected by August 25th- so action is needed this week!

Unlike previous rescissions there is no proportionality requirement calling for equal distribution of funding program cuts. Instead, the law gives the States maximum flexibility to choose the unobligated balances of funds to be rescinded.

The amount each state has to rescind is up to $200 million for the largest states. Many programs that fund bicycle projects are threatened by these rescissions including. These programs are often unfairly targets for cuts or rescissions, and in some cases have been completely gutted.

Take action now! Please contact your Governor and ask that rescissions be done equitably across programs, and that those that traditionally fund bicycling projects not be unfairly targeted.

Go to League of American Bicycles and send your message thought their website:

http://www.bikeleague.org/

Scott

Protect vital bicycle funding programs- demand proportionality in rescissions! Take Action!

The Jobs Bill passed by Congress last week contains a $2.2 billion rescission of transportation funds from state Departments of Transportation. In many states, the DOT will likely target bike funding programs for the money to send back to the federal government – unless local advocates speak up and make sure that doesn’t happen. States must report which program funds are affected by August 25th- so action is needed this week!

Unlike previous rescissions there is no proportionality requirement calling for equal distribution of funding program cuts. Instead, the law gives the States maximum flexibility to choose the unobligated balances of funds to be rescinded.

The amount each state has to rescind is up to $200 million for the largest states. Many programs that fund bicycle projects are threatened by these rescissions including. These programs are often unfairly targets for cuts or rescissions, and in some cases have been completely gutted.

Take action now! Please contact your Governor and ask that rescissions be done equitably across programs, and that those that traditionally fund bicycling projects not be unfairly targeted.

Go to League of American Bicycles and send your message thought their website:

http://www.bikeleague.org/

Scott

Mostly, I just wanted to hightlight the GRATS idea with the article below that I have posted in various venues–and to mention that I hope the next meeting of the RCA includes some time devoted to communications–getting the word out about RCA’s mission alternative transporation as a real option in our area.

So, here’s the article:

Rochester bike commuting, the tipping point

Remember when you were a kid and used to watch water drops form? You’d stare at a point where a water drop was building, then after a while a tipping point would be reached and the drop would, well…, drop. Magic didn’t cause it; it was physics and surface tension and (not to bore you) things were building up.

Something like that is occurring in Rochester, NY on alternative transportation. Things are building up. 1. The public’s desire to do something about Climate Change. 2. Rochester, NY’s location at the confluence of several major off-road trails. 3. Many influential organizations willing to work together to solve the transportation conundrum facing us. 4. A five-mile direct trail from Rochester Institute of Technology, Genesee Valley Park, the University of Rochester, and downtown Rochester. All of this is coming together in a new concept by Professor Jon Schull, interim Director, Center for Student Innovation at Rochester institute of Technology. The concept is called GRATS: Greater Rochester Active Transportation System.

Here’s the skinny on the GRATS project: “Rochester has an enviable network of bikeable and walkable trails and boulevards that connect neighborhoods, campuses, and natural attractions. Connect the dots and a few gaps, and give Rochesterians, visitors and businesses new options for local travel, regional recreation, and economic development. With intermodal links to bus stations, train stations, waterways and airports, GRATS gives us a sustainable transportation system. Over half of our trips are under 5 miles. Why not bike? Why not walk? HELP MAKE GRATS A REALITY.” GRATS.

What’s compelling about GRATS is the map. Instead of the usual busy road/bike map, you see a lean, instantly comprehensible grid that conveniently intersects our community north, south, east, and west. You spot your house, your job, or your local grocer and you see how close you are to GRATS. You and GRATS will get you to those important short distances without polluting the planet or costing you an arm or a leg.

Of course, there will be much resistance to the kind of changes needed to seriously change direction on transportation and mitigate its effect on our environment. Some resistance will come from those of us disinclined to change our driving habits. It’s convenient to simply hop or jump into our car and buzz down the road. But the personal fossil fuel vehicle is expensive. The sticker price is only a fraction of the cost of a car. You have to ask yourself: How much did your vehicles cost? The second car? How much does it cost to run it? How much of your taxes go for the upkeep of the infrastructure for your vehicle? How much for insurance? How much do you pay to park? Repairs? Inspection? Insurance? Accidents and deaths? How many jobs do you work to pay for your vehicle? Subsidies to the oil industry? What if gasoline prices start to reflect their true cost—some say $10 per gallon?

More resistance will come from the car and fossil fuel industries. They’ll feel threatened by a public willing to forgo the car for the bike, though that’s a great big hypocrisy: When you’re an employee and your job is being replaced by outsourcing or by new technology, they tell you to get over it. Get retrained and deal with it. But if you are an industry that pollutes and compromises our environment, they don’t succumb to reason and deal with it, they hire lawyers to fight it. They spend a zillion bucks on advertizing and influence peddling to convince you and your representatives that life without a car is unthinkable.

So, what’s the tipping point? What will it take for us to adopt an alternative transportation system like GRATS? What about bicycling in winter? What about getting sweaty and going to work? What about bike storage? The answer is: The tipping point is you. Get involved. Go to Rochester Cycling Alliance and chime in.

Mostly, I just wanted to hightlight the GRATS idea with the article below that I have posted in various venues–and to mention that I hope the next meeting of the RCA includes some time devoted to communications–getting the word out about RCA’s mission alternative transporation as a real option in our area.

So, here’s the article:

Rochester bike commuting, the tipping point

Remember when you were a kid and used to watch water drops form? You’d stare at a point where a water drop was building, then after a while a tipping point would be reached and the drop would, well…, drop. Magic didn’t cause it; it was physics and surface tension and (not to bore you) things were building up.

Something like that is occurring in Rochester, NY on alternative transportation. Things are building up. 1. The public’s desire to do something about Climate Change. 2. Rochester, NY’s location at the confluence of several major off-road trails. 3. Many influential organizations willing to work together to solve the transportation conundrum facing us. 4. A five-mile direct trail from Rochester Institute of Technology, Genesee Valley Park, the University of Rochester, and downtown Rochester. All of this is coming together in a new concept by Professor Jon Schull, interim Director, Center for Student Innovation at Rochester institute of Technology. The concept is called GRATS: Greater Rochester Active Transportation System.

Here’s the skinny on the GRATS project: “Rochester has an enviable network of bikeable and walkable trails and boulevards that connect neighborhoods, campuses, and natural attractions. Connect the dots and a few gaps, and give Rochesterians, visitors and businesses new options for local travel, regional recreation, and economic development. With intermodal links to bus stations, train stations, waterways and airports, GRATS gives us a sustainable transportation system. Over half of our trips are under 5 miles. Why not bike? Why not walk? HELP MAKE GRATS A REALITY.” GRATS.

What’s compelling about GRATS is the map. Instead of the usual busy road/bike map, you see a lean, instantly comprehensible grid that conveniently intersects our community north, south, east, and west. You spot your house, your job, or your local grocer and you see how close you are to GRATS. You and GRATS will get you to those important short distances without polluting the planet or costing you an arm or a leg.

Of course, there will be much resistance to the kind of changes needed to seriously change direction on transportation and mitigate its effect on our environment. Some resistance will come from those of us disinclined to change our driving habits. It’s convenient to simply hop or jump into our car and buzz down the road. But the personal fossil fuel vehicle is expensive. The sticker price is only a fraction of the cost of a car. You have to ask yourself: How much did your vehicles cost? The second car? How much does it cost to run it? How much of your taxes go for the upkeep of the infrastructure for your vehicle? How much for insurance? How much do you pay to park? Repairs? Inspection? Insurance? Accidents and deaths? How many jobs do you work to pay for your vehicle? Subsidies to the oil industry? What if gasoline prices start to reflect their true cost—some say $10 per gallon?

More resistance will come from the car and fossil fuel industries. They’ll feel threatened by a public willing to forgo the car for the bike, though that’s a great big hypocrisy: When you’re an employee and your job is being replaced by outsourcing or by new technology, they tell you to get over it. Get retrained and deal with it. But if you are an industry that pollutes and compromises our environment, they don’t succumb to reason and deal with it, they hire lawyers to fight it. They spend a zillion bucks on advertizing and influence peddling to convince you and your representatives that life without a car is unthinkable.

So, what’s the tipping point? What will it take for us to adopt an alternative transportation system like GRATS? What about bicycling in winter? What about getting sweaty and going to work? What about bike storage? The answer is: The tipping point is you. Get involved. Go to Rochester Cycling Alliance and chime in.

Dear Group,

Here is a nice link to a PBS treatise on dangerous pedestrian road crossings which has plenty of relevance to our travials trying to get safe bike lane design in challenging places like Monroe Ave around Pittsford Plaza. During the presentation they mention that the current trend is unsustainable and very bad for the evolving demographics, ie more older people who won’t be able to drive and are stuck in their suburban houses locked in by 6&7 lane roads.

I had a discussion a few weeks ago with Rich Perrin, head of Genesee Transportation Council who made the same point. Our current road design strategy of continually adding lanes and moving further away from the city is unsustainable. The federal govenment is only able to fund 40% of the roads and bridges that need repair. That is why we are so appealing to tranportation planners. We represent a solution that is not expensive and essentially puts everyone on a “road diet”.

Scott

http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/07/26/pbs-dangerous-crossing/

Below please find info about a free documentary screening at the George Eastman House’s Dryden Theater on Monday, June 28. This film and the panel discussion that follows will address issues pivotal to the future of our region. This is a film about the past and future of transportation. Info requests to RRCDC phone 271 0520.

We hope you can attend the screening and panel discussion on June 28. Please forward and post to your Facebooks, Twitters, etc. etc. etc.!

Evan Lowenstein
Empire State Future (www.empirestatefuture.org)

Below please find info about a free documentary screening at the George Eastman House’s Dryden Theater on Monday, June 28. This film and the panel discussion that follows will address issues pivotal to the future of our region. This is a film about the past and future of transportation. Info requests to RRCDC phone 271 0520.

We hope you can attend the screening and panel discussion on June 28. Please forward and post to your Facebooks, Twitters, etc. etc. etc.!

Evan Lowenstein
Empire State Future (www.empirestatefuture.org)

SPECIAL REPORT June 3, 2010, 3:09PM EST
Fighting Carbon Emissions: Cities Take the Lead
From Los Angeles to Amsterdam, city hall is becoming the best hope for climate action
By Mark Scott and Jeremy van Loon
Los Angeles: city of freeways, smog, and…bike lanes? That’s where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to take his town. In one of the less likely
transformations in the global effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions, Los Angeles plans to spend $230 million on 1,700 miles of bicycle paths. Most of the
program will be completed by 2015 and includes changing rooms, showers, and bike storage areas operated by the city and private partners. It comes on
top of subsidies for installing solar panels and incentives for planting trees and switching to electric vehicles. “We have to make a change,” says Michelle
Mowery, senior coordinator for the bike program. “We can’t fit any more cars in.”
From the freeways of Los Angeles to the canals of Amsterdam, cities are taking the lead in the fight to reduce carbon output.

As world leaders squabble
over how to cut greenhouse gases, city hall is becoming the best hope for climate action. Given their smaller jurisdictions, local officials can green-light
eco-projects faster than nationwide schemes can be implemented. “We’re not going to wait for national politicians, we’re acting right now,” says Toronto
Mayor David Miller, who plans to invest more than $1 billion in public transport and eco-friendly air-conditioning systems for buildings by 2017.
The efforts could have a profound impact: Cities are home to more than half the world’s population and pump out more than two-thirds of global carbon
dioxide. That share will surely grow as people flock to megacities in the developing world. “It’s obvious where the fight for a sustainable civilization will be
decided, and that’s in large cities,” says Peter Loescher, chief executive officer of Siemens (SI), which aims to profit from selling its streetcars, wind
turbines, and other technologies to municipalities worldwide.
Just as no two cities are alike, there are vast differences in local strategies. In Toyko 68 percent of trips are already made by bike, subway, or on foot.
Houston residents, by contrast, make 95 percent of their journeys by car. So while the Texas city is giving officials electric vehicles to reduce emissions,
the Japanese capital in April announced a citywide CO2 cap-and-trade program—the kind the U.S. Senate has been unable to pass so far. Copenhagen
will spend $1.6 billion by 2012 on bike paths, green energy projects, and retrofitting city buildings. Melbourne plans to bar cars from downtown and offer
incentives to developers who invest in efficiency. “It’s a green gold rush,” says Robert Doyle, Melbourne’s Lord Mayor.
In Amsterdam, city elders are in the midst of a five-year, $1 billion program to improve creaking infrastructure. Amsterdam’s 2,400 houseboats have been
fitted to use electricity instead of diesel, and cargo barges are now being converted as well. Some 300 homes are testing display panels that show energy usage in real time, a program that may be expanded citywide. If residents can be persuaded to use the technology to cut power use at peak times, their
electricity bills could fall by up to 40 percent, says Ger Baron, who oversees the project. “Our biggest challenge is changing people’s habits,” he says.
New York, meanwhile, has laid out a program called “PlaNYC.” The scheme includes tax breaks for solar panels, legal changes that spur property owners
to make buildings more energy-efficient, and power plants that use food waste and wood chips. Though a proposal to charge a congestion fee for drivers
entering much of Manhattan couldn’t pass the state legislature, the Big Apple hopes to quadruple its 450 miles of bicycle paths by 2030. New York’s plan
has even sparked envy on the West Coast. “Los Angeles isn’t New York,” says L.A. cycling chief Mowery. “But we’re getting there.”
The bottom line: As national governments fail to cut carbon, cities are starting to take the initiative with programs aimed at reining in emissions.
With Stuart Biggs. Scott is a correspondent in Bloomberg Businessweek’s London bureau. Van Loon is a reporter for Bloomberg News.

The times,they are a changing: Posted by Scott MacRae

SPECIAL REPORT June 3, 2010, 3:09PM EST
Fighting Carbon Emissions: Cities Take the Lead
From Los Angeles to Amsterdam, city hall is becoming the best hope for climate action
By Mark Scott and Jeremy van Loon
Los Angeles: city of freeways, smog, and…bike lanes? That’s where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to take his town. In one of the less likely
transformations in the global effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions, Los Angeles plans to spend $230 million on 1,700 miles of bicycle paths. Most of the
program will be completed by 2015 and includes changing rooms, showers, and bike storage areas operated by the city and private partners. It comes on
top of subsidies for installing solar panels and incentives for planting trees and switching to electric vehicles. “We have to make a change,” says Michelle
Mowery, senior coordinator for the bike program. “We can’t fit any more cars in.”
From the freeways of Los Angeles to the canals of Amsterdam, cities are taking the lead in the fight to reduce carbon output.

As world leaders squabble
over how to cut greenhouse gases, city hall is becoming the best hope for climate action. Given their smaller jurisdictions, local officials can green-light
eco-projects faster than nationwide schemes can be implemented. “We’re not going to wait for national politicians, we’re acting right now,” says Toronto
Mayor David Miller, who plans to invest more than $1 billion in public transport and eco-friendly air-conditioning systems for buildings by 2017.
The efforts could have a profound impact: Cities are home to more than half the world’s population and pump out more than two-thirds of global carbon
dioxide. That share will surely grow as people flock to megacities in the developing world. “It’s obvious where the fight for a sustainable civilization will be
decided, and that’s in large cities,” says Peter Loescher, chief executive officer of Siemens (SI), which aims to profit from selling its streetcars, wind
turbines, and other technologies to municipalities worldwide.
Just as no two cities are alike, there are vast differences in local strategies. In Toyko 68 percent of trips are already made by bike, subway, or on foot.
Houston residents, by contrast, make 95 percent of their journeys by car. So while the Texas city is giving officials electric vehicles to reduce emissions,
the Japanese capital in April announced a citywide CO2 cap-and-trade program—the kind the U.S. Senate has been unable to pass so far. Copenhagen
will spend $1.6 billion by 2012 on bike paths, green energy projects, and retrofitting city buildings. Melbourne plans to bar cars from downtown and offer
incentives to developers who invest in efficiency. “It’s a green gold rush,” says Robert Doyle, Melbourne’s Lord Mayor.
In Amsterdam, city elders are in the midst of a five-year, $1 billion program to improve creaking infrastructure. Amsterdam’s 2,400 houseboats have been
fitted to use electricity instead of diesel, and cargo barges are now being converted as well. Some 300 homes are testing display panels that show energy usage in real time, a program that may be expanded citywide. If residents can be persuaded to use the technology to cut power use at peak times, their
electricity bills could fall by up to 40 percent, says Ger Baron, who oversees the project. “Our biggest challenge is changing people’s habits,” he says.
New York, meanwhile, has laid out a program called “PlaNYC.” The scheme includes tax breaks for solar panels, legal changes that spur property owners
to make buildings more energy-efficient, and power plants that use food waste and wood chips. Though a proposal to charge a congestion fee for drivers
entering much of Manhattan couldn’t pass the state legislature, the Big Apple hopes to quadruple its 450 miles of bicycle paths by 2030. New York’s plan
has even sparked envy on the West Coast. “Los Angeles isn’t New York,” says L.A. cycling chief Mowery. “But we’re getting there.”
The bottom line: As national governments fail to cut carbon, cities are starting to take the initiative with programs aimed at reining in emissions.
With Stuart Biggs. Scott is a correspondent in Bloomberg Businessweek’s London bureau. Van Loon is a reporter for Bloomberg News.

The times,they are a changing: Posted by Scott MacRae