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Summer Treks is committed to helping youth find their own voice through experience, discipline, leadership, and fun! We are dedicated to seeking excellence in all that we do. This summer, join our trek from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Following the Pacific Coast through gorgeous parks, interesting roadways, and lush landscapes, the 16-day bike trek is one of the most diverse, beautiful and dramatic cycle tours in America. You’ll be resting at the beaches, camping under the stars, and engaging in ecological outreach activities that just might change our environment.
Perhaps the most obvious financial benefit from using two wheels instead of four is the amount of money saved on gasoline. As all of us are well aware, the price of gasoline has fluctuated by steadily rising over the past several years causing the price of using a vehicle to become much more expensive. However, the additional costs of using a vehicle, such as parking and maintenance make the advantages of a bike commute even more significant. Depending on your commute and your vehicle’s mpg, the financial obligations of owning and using a car become substantial. The rebuttal to biking instead of driving is often “time is money”. However, you may be surprised at the minimal difference in time, depending on the size of your city. I currently live in Lexington, Kentucky—a large town with a population of about 500,000—and at the high traffic times of the day, I found biking the five miles to school to be equally time efficient. Furthermore, the physical benefits of biking should not be underestimated. Several people I know that have started a biking commute have noticed significant weight loss and an increase in energy—not to mention a lack of frustration over wasting time in traffic. Some of my friends have even replaced costly gym memberships with biking thus increasing their savings while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This article isn’t meant to condemn the use of gasoline-powered vehicles, but rather to provide a thoughtful analysis of costs that it requires. I still own and use my 2000 Jeep Cherokee—not exactly the model for hybrid cars for energy efficiency—because of its convenience and, in some cases, necessity. However, personally it helps me to be aware and keep track of my financial expenses and practical ways on how to reduce the money I spend. I found that even biking five or ten miles a day resulted in noticeable financial savings and physical improvements. [Tim S. Gehring]
At long last, Google Maps has routes specifically for bikes. With the click of a mouse, the new feature allows you to plot the best (and flattest!) ride from Point A to Point B. Several cities, including New York, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, have bike-specific mapping sites. But Google is rolling it out in 150 cities nationwide and announcing it Wednesday at the 10th Annual Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. “This has been a top-requested feature from Google Maps users for the last couple years,” says Shannon Guymon, product manager for Google Maps. “There are over 50,000 signatures on a petition.” The news thrilled bike advocates, who have for years been pushing — and petitioning — the search giant to include bike routes on Google Maps. No longer do they have to rely upon paper maps or open-source DIY map hacking or crazy-cool helmet-mounted heads up iPhones. “This new tool will open people’s eyes to the possibility and practicality of hopping on a bike and riding,” says Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “We know people want to ride more, we know it’s good for people and communities when they do ride more — this makes it possible. It is a game-changer, especially for those short trips that are the most polluting.” Cyclists will have to map their victory lap from their desks, because Google’s cool mapping tool is available only on a computer for now. “Making the bike-route tool available on Google Maps for mobile devices is a high priority,” Guymon says. But it’s a priority without a launch date. To create the mapping tool, Google developed an algorithm that uses several inputs — including designated bike lanes or trails, topography and traffic signals — to determine the best route for riding. The map sends you around, not over, hills. But if you really want to tackle that Category 1 climb, you can click and drag the suggested route anywhere you like, just like you can with pedestrian or driving routes. Users can suggest changes or make corrections to routes using the ever-present “report a problem” feature on Google Maps. Google kicked its bike-mapping effort into high gear in October when it started using improved datasets that provided more specific information about trails, street details and more granularity on college campuses. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy provided Google with information on 12,000 miles of bike trails nationwide, and the League of American Bicyclists helped gather data on bike lanes and so forth. “We’ve got a five-person team in Seattle that has spent the majority of its time working on this project since October,” says Guymon. To test the tool, bike-commuting Google employees vetted suggested routes against their own experience, pointing out discrepancies on routes or time allowances. Google Maps for bikes has a unique look and feel. Bike trails are prime cycling turf — “They’re like the highways for cyclists,” Guymon says — so they’re indicated in dark green. Streets with dedicated bike lanes are light green. And streets that don’t have a bike lane but are still a decent route because of their topography, light traffic or other factors are indicated by dotted green lines. Don’t go looking for turn-by-turn GPS-based navigation though. That feature remains strictly auto-centric. Freelance reporter Mary Catherine O’Connor lives in San Francisco, with her dog, husband and three bikes. Photo: Bikeportland.org/Flickr Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/google-maps-for-bikes/#ixzz0hkcpoBy8
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