PedalGR » PedalGR publicity

Become a Fan of PedalGR on Facebook

Joshua Duggan — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:08:39 +0000

Now you can become a fan of PedalGR on Facebook! Just visit the new PedalGR Facebook page, or click on “Become a Fan” in the Facebook Widget in the right hand toolbar.

Previously, PedalGR had a group on Facebook, but this new page format will make it easier for me to share news and information about PedalGR with everyone. So, even if you are a member of the Facebook group, please also Become a Fan on the new page.

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PedalGR on RGTV!

Joshua Duggan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:10:48 +0000

A big thanks to Andy Dragt of RGTV for their feature published today on rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Click here to see the video featurette.

If you’re visiting PedalGR because of the video. Welcome! I invite you to come and ride with us. I try to make the ride accessible for riders of all levels and ages.

Here’s a short look at our upcoming rides:
July 22 – Tour of SW GR/Wyoming – Last year, this ride visited Tacos El Moroleon. Unfortunately, that place is no longer in business and I am currently investigating another place to get a good taco on the SW side (suggestions are welcome). We will also be visiting some Wyoming parks, touring the Motion Initiative Bicycle Co-op, and riding by the Covanta waste incineration facility. Route will be posted soon.

August 5 – Millennium Park and Versluis Orchards – We’ll tour the new trail at Millennium Park then continue on for a tour of Versluis Orchards led by Nate Versluis. Last year we got to eat peaches right from the tree and it was AWESOME! We’ll also ride the tunnel under I-196. You don’t want to miss one of the most scenic 15 mile rides you could possibly take from downtown Grand Rapids!

August 19 – Grand Rapids Home for Veterans – We’ll crash a bingo party after a GRHV Steak Fry and get a tour of some of the historical sites at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and the veteran’s cemetery. Originally established for injured Civil War veterans (214 of them are buried in the cemetery), this is a haunted site according to the Encylopedia of Haunted Places. We’ll also tour Riverside Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Also, join us on Facebook to get updates about upcoming rides!

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To Helmet or Not To Helmet

Joshua Duggan — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:41:18 +0000

I was interviewed yesterday by Grand Rapids Press reporter Jim Harger about whether or not Grand Rapids should pass a mandatory bicycle helmet law requiring ALL bicyclists to wear helmets. I said I would not support this ordinance. (Edit: Here is the article. It turns out that Mr. Harger did not choose to quote me.)

Unknown to many, helmets can be a hot, controversial topic in the bicycling community.

Ken Kifer, a cycling advocate who was tragically killed by a drunk driver in 2003, lays out some of the main arguments for helmet use:

1) Bicycling accidents are frequent and unavoidable, and head injuries and death are likely to result from these accidents.

2) Many cyclists have attested that a helmet saved their lives and even have battered or broken helmets to prove it.

3) Scientific evaluations have been made of helmets which ensure that they will protect the head against almost all injures.

4) Researchers have determined that up to 88% of head injuries or deaths could be avoided by wearing a helmet. A drop in the number of cyclists killed each year is further proof that bicycle helmets work.

5) Any protection is better than none, there is no handicap involved in wearing a helmet, and no advantage comes from not wearing one. Statistics show that when bike riders are given a free choice of whether to wear helmets or not that most of them don’t.

He continues on with the reasons he does not believe those arguments are valid. See his article here.

There are many other sites opposing mandatory helmet laws as well, including the
League of Bicycling Voters, an Austin, TX group that formed to oppose a proposed mandatory helmet law in that city.

The bicycle helmet debate has extremely passionate and convincing advocates on both sides. There are two main websites that will be referenced by each side.
The pro-helmet side: Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
The helmet skeptics: Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation

Each is packed with data and scientific studies that supposedly back up their point of view.

Who is right? As with many complex issues there is not a clear-cut answer.

A bicycle helmet is a tool for bicycle safety and can clearly help prevent some types of injuries in low-speed crashes. This is why I wear one nearly every time I ride a bicycle, and I encourage others to do so as well. However, it may be of little help in many bicycle/motor vehicle accidents that happen at higher speeds, which are the ones that typically result in serious injury and death.

Crash prevention is the best way to avoid these situations. We need widespread education of both drivers and cyclists on the causes of car/bike collisions and how to avoid them. We need “Complete Streets” that safely accommodate all road users. We will have to work together with local governments, educational institutions, and the bicycling community to implement these changes and others.

Doing these things will be a lot harder than passing a mandatory helmet ordinance, but it will be more effective in encouraging people to get out and ride, continuing to build a bicycle culture in Grand Rapids, and making our city a Bicycle Friendly Community.

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PedalGR on Weekend Adventure

Joshua Duggan — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:47:38 +0000

For a link to the article, click here. I hope they change my name soon, or perhaps I will just keep my alter-ego, Mike Duggan.

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Smart Cycling on WZZM13

Joshua Duggan — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:11:55 +0000

On Wednesday morning I spent some time with Meredith TerHaar, a producer and features reporter at WZZM13. Ms. TerHaar is a great example of the 60% of people who are “Interested, but Concerned” in bicycling. They want to ride more, but they are intimidated by getting out and sharing the road with cars. She had some experience riding on country roads while training for a triathlon, but not much riding in a more urban setting.

We filmed for about 45 minutes to make one of her “Weekend Adventure” features. We spent time going over a lot of the need-to-know topics covered in the Smart Cycling – Street Skills 101 courses I’m teaching throughout the summer, including reasons to ride, helmet fit, ABC Quick Check, scanning, rock dodge, hand signals, the door zone and other topics. I will be interested to see how all that gets edited down to a three minute feature clip. Even after this short session, Ms. TerHaar seemed noticably more confident in her riding.

These kinds of skills are the same ones that I emphasize on my PedalGR rides. The group rides allow people an opportunity to learn how to interact with traffic in a less intimidating way by riding at a relaxed pace with a group of cyclists of many different skill levels.

I’ll post a link when it’s up, but if you want to watch it live, it should air during the 7am hour tomorrow morning. A big thanks to Meredith TerHaar for taking the time to help me get this important information out to the public.

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PedalGR gets a facelift!

Joshua Duggan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:00:37 +0000

That’s right. PedalGR is new and improved, just in time for the 2009 rides to begin on Wednesday 4/29.

Here are some of the improvements:

It’s prettier!
Easy access to PedalGR Routes. Just click the link the very top left corner
Additional categories posted next to the Routes
New column on the left hand side
New Flickr integration tool that will make posting and viewing the ride photos much easier
Live countdown to the next PedalGR ride

But, the coolest part of the new facelift just might be the rotating banner photos!

Here are the ones I have added so far, all from last year’s PedalGR rides:

If you view enough pages, you just might see them all. (so get clickin’! )

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think and how I can make the site even better!

P.S. Just in case you’re into that stuff, the new WordPress theme I’m using is called Atahualpa and it’s pretty awesome!

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PedalGR on WGVU’s The Morning Show

Joshua Duggan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:55:00 +0000

My interview with Shelley Irwin on WGVU’s The Morning Show aired on Monday, 4/6/2009. (If you missed it, listen to the archive here.) We talked about a wide variety of topics, mostly related to bicycling here in Grand Rapids.

I’m compiling this list of links, in case you want to get more information on things we talked about.

National Bike Summit – Here are links to summaries I’ve run into:

Detroit Greenways Coordinator Todd Scott covered things quite well – Kick-off dinner; Day 2 – Breakout sessions; Day 3 – Lobby day and our legislative “asks”; National Bike Summit Wrapup

Bike Portland also had 12 posts from the Summit.

The National Bike Summit was a fantastic experience and I will definitely be going back in future years.

Grand Rapids Bike Summit - Taking place on Friday, April 24th from 8am-4pm at GVSU-Downtown, this summit is going to be a fantastic opportunity to gather political support for increasing bicycling opportunities for transportation and recreation. All people who live in the Grand Rapids Metro area are encouraged to attend this FREE event! The summit has been organized by the Bike Grand Rapids Coalition and will kick off our effort to have Grand Rapids designated a “Bicycle Friendly Community” by the League of American Bicyclists.

You can see the agenda and register online at: http://www.grbikesummit.eventbrite.com/

Smart Cycling – Street Skills 101: This cycling education course, produced by the League of American Bicyclists, is aimed at beginner to intermediate riders. For a schedule and more information visit: http://www.pedalgr.com/smartcycling/

(click flyer for larger version of flyer)

PedalGR rides – I will be continuing this popular bi-weekly bicycle ride in 2009 (click for schedule). The ride starts and ends at Founders Brewing Company, and covers 14-17 miles in around 2 hours with a pace of 10mph. To read more, click the “About PedalGR” link in the right side-panel. You may also sign up to have each new route delivered right to your email inbox by clicking here. After you sign up you will receive an email from Feedburner to confirm your subscription. You must click the “confirm” link or you will not receive the emails.

Mayor’s Bike Ride – This ride, on Wednesday, May 6th, will include a short Kid’s Ride at 6pm, followed by a 4.8 mile ride with Mayor George Heartwell to Calder Plaza. Riders will gather in the south field of John Ball Park and afterwards there will be some activities and exhibitors. I do not have a link yet and some of the details are still being worked out.

If you have any questions about something I didn’t cover here that you heard me discuss on the radio, or you want to help out or be involved with any of the groups working on cycling here in Grand Rapids, please email me at fotoman311 ( at ) yahoo.com. I will do my best to connect you with the proper person.

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