Show #656 August 14, 2024

Guests: Jill Warren; Scott Kasper

Back in April, 65 members of the European Cyclists Federation, representing 40 countries, signed the EU Declaration of Cycling.

Founded in 1983, the European Cyclists’ Federation is a Brussels-based independent non-profit association dedicated to achieving more and better cycling for all in Europe.

The ECF’s mandate?  That by 2030 there will be more cycling, safer cycling, and stronger political support for cycling that includes higher investment with more and better infrastructure.

Today, my guest is Jill Warren.  Jill, who is CEO of the European Cyclist’s Federation, left the corporate world to pursue a career committed to expanding cycling for everyone everywhere.  She’s lived in Europe for 35 years and, although she does have a car, rarely drives it, depending instead upon one of the stable of bikes for transport.

Jill says, and I quote, “there is no conceivable way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal or climate-neutral cities without significantly more cycling.”

You can find out more about the ECF at ecf.com.  And, sign up for their newsletter there too.  I’m hoping we here in the U.S. can take a page out of her playbook in hopes of expanding our cycling infrastructure. 

In the second half of our episode today, we continue our summer exploration of great and favorite trails. 

One of my past guests, Scott Kasper, contacted me and wanted to share his experience of the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

Not as well known or traveled as the Grand Canyon, Scott thinks this trail is just as breathtaking and urges us to drop in, climb out, and disconnect from the grid for a few days, taking in the beauty of the rugged White Rim Trail.

Located between the Green and Colorado Rivers, the 100-mile MTB trail is both rugged and breathtaking.  As promised, Scott’s gallery shows the beauty of the White Rim Trail. 

My thanks to Scott for sharing his experience of the White Rim Trail in Moab.  As promised, we’ve posted a gallery of his photos on outspokencyclist.com.

We’ll be heading to Missouri to explore the 240 mile Katy Trail on our next Katy Trail, episode and will be having a chat with Professor Wes Marshall whose book, “Killed By A Traffic Engineer,” is acclaimed as the transportation book that will change the way you look at our streets.  Provocative title, huh?

Thanks for listening – I hope you enjoyed the show.

Hope you’re having a great day.  Stay safe.  Stay well.  And remember, there is always time for a ride.  Bye bye.`

Transcript_ August 14_2024

 

 

Show #653 – July 13, 2024

Guests: Tom Bilcze; Sela Musa

Finally, we will begin our series on cycling trails and paths.  I did hear from quite a few of you about your favorites and we will begin the series here in my home state, Ohio.

Tom Bilcze is the president of the Ohio to Erie Trail Foundation and he has ridden almost every inch of the 326 mile route from The Ohio River to Lake Erie.  Tom will offer us some of the highlights of the trail along with some great information about how to plan your trip including an interactive map.

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with Tom and, since then, I’ve been following his postings on FB as he rides up towards us here on the shores of Lake Erie.  My conversation with Tom details much of what he is seeing as he moseys along. 

Find out more about the Ohio to Erie Trail at ohiotoerietrai.org – and plan your trip with the interactive map

 

In the second part of the show, I welcome Sela Musa, a reporter for ZAG Daily, an online portal to The Business of Sustainabile Mobility.  Sela will walk us through the EU’s Declaration of Cycling which, while not a mandate, sets forth 8 principles and 36 commitments around sustainability through cycling that the EU and its member states have agreed to commit to.

On April 3rd, the EU Declaration on Cycling was signed by all the EU Transport Ministers in Brussells.  My guest, Sela Musa, wrote in her article for ZAG Daily that “It was a historic milestone for cycling.”

Sela is here to detail the Declaration and tell us about ZAG, the publication she works for that covers “The Business of Sustainable Mobility.”

You can check out ZAG Daily on line where you get a taste of tech, trends, people, and places as well as sign up for their newsletter. 

I hope you enjoyed the show and invite you to send me information on your favorite trails for future reporting.  You can email me at outspokencyclist@gmail.com

One last thing – my thanks to the League of American Bicyclists for including me in their webinar on July 9th about Podcasting for Bicycle Advocates.  It was a fun conversation, and you are welcome to take a listen.

Transcript_July 13