Consumer choices carry environmental weight

The message of two videos viewed this week for my women’s health class is that consumer decisions carry weight. The resulting impacts are entirely up to us.

Ashland, Oregon: Bronze to gold Bicycle Friendly Community

League of American Bicyclists

Ashland, Oregon was awarded Gold status on Monday as a renewing Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC). Certainly, one of the highlights of our living here is our greater ability to travel by bike.

The Bicycle Friendly America program, administered by the League of American Bicyclists, collects data in:

• Engineering: Physical infrastructure and hardware to support cycling
• Education: Programs that ensure the safety, comfort and convenience of cyclists and fellow road users
• Encouragement: Incentives, promotions and opportunities that inspire and enable people to ride
• Enforcement: Equitable laws and programs that ensure motorists and cyclists are held accountable
• Evaluation: Processes that demonstrate a commitment to measuring results and planning for the future

During the 2013 Spring BFC awards on Monday, Ashland’s status as a BFC was upgraded from Bronze to Gold. According to the League of American Bicyclists, there are 259 BFCs in 47 states.

Social sharing credit goes to goRogueValley.org

Sidelined during Go by Bike Week

A foot injury has sidelined me during goRogueValley.org’s Go by Bike Week. In mid-March I fell and injured my foot. Recovery seemed gradual but last weekend I think I re-injured it when dismounting from my bike. So while every week that I travel by bicycle is “Go by Bike Week,” it simply won’t be this week.

Ashland, Oregon: Licensed to drive

Go by Bike Week began, for me, with my Oregon driver’s license. At the Oregon DMV this morning, I passed the knowledge test and was issued a temporary ID.

Next step: vehicle registration and plates.

I’m partial to a “Share the Road” nonprofit group license plate from the Oregon DMV. Because even though I thought it necessary to be licensed to drive in Oregon, I hope to rely for most transportation on walking, bike riding and public transit.

Plate proceeds benefit the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Cycle Oregon.

Sharrow needlework grid via Microrevolt.org

Sharrow from Cynthia Parkhill

In honor of Go by Bike Week, via the knitPro web app from Microrevolt.org, here is the Sharrow, the shared-roadway bicycle marking, in a grid suitable for needlepoint, knitting or crochet. Credit for the original image goes to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Go by Bike Week: May 13 to 19

Ready for a trip by bicycle

Go by Bike Week is being observed from May 13 to 19. The goRogueValley coalition invites people in Jackson and Josephine counties to pledge to take trips by bicycle.

One of the highlights of living in Ashland, Oregon is our greater ability to travel by bike.

The Ashland Central Trail begins just a few blocks from our home and we can ride it downtown, coming out within a few blocks of the Ashland Food Co-op.

Ashland actively markets itself as a “bicycle friendly community” and the evidence is everywhere: major streets have bicycle lanes and additional streets feature shared-lane marking.

For longer trips, we can easily ride on Rogue Valley Transit Route 10, which travels between Ashland and Medford. During peak times, the bus runs approximately every 20 minutes. It is very easy for us to travel without using a car.

A variety of activities and promotions are planned next week to encourage going by bike. Cyclists are encouraged to log their trips for a chance to win prizes.

Ticket to ride (Rogue Valley Transportation District)

My husband and I purchased punch passes to ride Rogue Valley Transportation District buses. The new pass fits as nicely as my Lake Transit rider pass did in a handmade ID holder on laniard.

Our first ride was with a knowledgeable driver aboard RVTD Route 10, who explained finer points of riding area buses and gave us reflector key chain attachments that we can use to signal our drivers.