Here comes the Bike Boulevard.
You may have noticed construction on some of Columbia’s central city streets lately. It’s likely you’re seeing the work being completed on the new MKT-Parkade Bike Boulevard. What is a bike boulevard you ask? Good question! According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, “bicycle boulevards are streets with low motorized traffic volumes and […]
Read MoreDesigning Cities
In urban development circles, it’s common to talk about public art as a way to create a strong identity for an area. For hundreds of years, cites have placed works of art in their public squares and that tradition continues today. What we tend to overlook is the power of graphic design in our cities—using […]
Read MoreCity Shots
A video posted by Makers Quarter (@makersquarter) on Feb 14, 2015 at 1:21pm PST
Read MoreWhat do cyclists want?
A few years ago sharrows began appearing on our city streets as a friendly tip to everyone in cars that these lanes should also accommodate bikes. It caused all manner of fuss, mainly from drivers who seemed to think that giving something to cyclists (if “giving” is the proper word for someone using the public […]
Read MoreBikes v. Cars
I recently posted a link on Facebook to a great article on Vox explaining why bikes should be able to treat stop signs as yield signs. Also known as the Idaho Stop, this is a common-sense approach that keeps everyone safe while still allowing a cyclist to maintain some forward momentum—which is especially important if […]
Read MoreGetting Around in the Windy City
We recently spent a week in Chicago and it was a model of mass transit. We took Amtrak into Chicago and as we disembarked, immediately purchased a CTA pass. We could hop on either a train or a bus with the pass and both had smart phone apps that let us know everything from routes […]
Read MorePortland = Bikes
I recently took a trip to Portland and was eager to see a city that so purposely revolved around bikes. Stopping for coffee, we saw plenty of guys on track bikes–sans brakes–but few regular riders. Never understood the value of riding through a busy downtown without brakes. Seems like more style than sense. As tourists, […]
Read MoreHooray! A New Bike Boulevard!
I’m a big fan of bike boulevards and I recently mourned the fact that moving into a new house meant that I spent less time traveling this way. In my old apartment, being on the bike boulevard six or eight times a week was not unusual. As I said at the time, location is: “…the crux […]
Read MoreKeep Away From Our Fancy Houses
When the state began a rails-to-trails program to transform the KATY railroad line into a bike trail, the City of Columbia had the foresight to transform their own spur line as well. Now, the MKT Trail connects directly into the KATY Trail, bringing cyclists from all over Missouri right into Columbia. The MKT isn’t just […]
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