Dangerous by Design 2014 Report on Pedestrian Fatalities

The National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America have released a report detailing pedestrian traffic deaths from the last 10 years. The report discusses circumstances where pedestrian accidents most frequently occur, and advocates for street design that serves all modes of transportation safely. It also includes some pretty shocking statistics -- like that in 2012, pedestrians made up almost 15% of all traffic deaths in the nation, amounting to the highest percentage in five years -- showing that we still have a long way to go in making our streets safe for walkers.

Read the summary and download the report at http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/research/dangerous-by-design/dbd2014/national-overview/.

S.A.V.E. wins 1st Place for Commuter Challenge!

S.A.V.E. brought home the 1st Place award for organizations of 2-4 members during the May Commuter Challenge celebration party last week! Thanks to everyone who participated in the Challenge -- In total there were 522 active commuters who traveled 19,625.66 miles, offset 19,035.48 pounds of carbon, and burned 951,774.03 calories! Want to keep active commuting? Visit http://www.bikewalkhelena.org/safety-tips/ for tips to keep safe!

The Case for Separated Bike Lanes

A new study found that protected bike lanes -- bike lanes that are physically separated from traffic -- have a large impact on how comfortable people feel biking on streets. While the results are not surprising, this study is one of the first to examine protected bike lanes nationally, as the infrastructure hasn't traditionally been used in the U.S.

   Key Findings:

• In its first year alone, a protected bike lane increases bike traffic on a street by an average of 72%
• 96% of people riding in protected bike lanes felt safer on the street because of the lanes
• 76% of people living near protected bike lanes support the facilities in additional locations, whether they use them or not
• In 168 hours of video analyzed for safety, studying more than 16,000 people on bikes and nearly 20,000 turning and merging vehicles mostly at intersections, no collisions or near collisions were observed.
• Drivers thought traffic became more predictable after protected lanes were installed. Most drivers said congestion and drive time didn’t change.

     Source: http://new.pitchengine.com/pitches/176a0c66-b65f-4b6f-9d70-4adf1a5bae39

Find more details and a full copy of the study here.

Trail Rider starts TOMORROW!!

Helena, Montana

May 30th, 2014

The Helena Business Improvement District (BID), The Helena Tourism Alliance/Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID), Bike Helena and the Helena Area Transit System (HATS) have teamed up to for an exciting 2014 hiking and biking season with the NEW, expanded Trail Rider schedule. The Trail Rider will kick-off the season offering hikers and bikers a shuttle service that now runs FIVE days a week!  Areas that will be serviced are:  Mount Helena Ridge Trail, Davis Gulch/Old Shooting Range Trailhead, Eddye McClure Trail and MacDonald Pass. 

Beginning Wednesday, June 4th the Trail Rider will run five days a week for June, July and August and on Saturday and Sunday during September.  The weeknight Trail Rider routes make it convenient for people who want to ride or hike and then partake in one of the many popular weeknight events in Downtown Helena.  In total, the Trail Rider will operate 85 days and 17 weekends, including Labor Day weekend, and features a trailer to accommodate up to 30 bikes.  Thanks to the 30 plus local businesses that sponsor the Trail Rider, the cost to ride is FREE!

Please visit http://www.bikehelena.com/index.php/trail-rider/  or http://downtownhelena.com/events/  for a detailed schedule of Trail Rider Service.

For additional information, please contact:

Pat Doyle, Community Outreach Director         

Helena Tourism Alliance/TBID/Bike Helena      

pdoyle@helenamt.com                                    

Tracy Reich, Executive Director
Helena Business Improvement District
treich@helenabid.com