Show #525 – October 24, 2020

Guests: Peter Wilborn; Dr. Chris Cherry; Jacob Van Sickle

How is politics impacting cycling?  Is there undue influence to how we perceive our “cycling movement” from the outside- or even from the inside?

What do equity and inclusiveness REALLY look like? And, why is infrastructure – bicycle infrastructure – so important to the overall success of cycling?

Of even more urgency is to understand why it is important to embrace law enforcement as a relationship that will benefit us as cyclists instead of distancing ourselves from it.

Politics has certainly been up from for many if not most of us lately; but, I’m not certain I saw the juxtaposition of bicycle advocacy and politics until my conversation with Peter Wilborn, founder and partner at Bike Law. He always makes me broaden my thinking, and today is no different.

After a break, we’ll head to Knoxville, TN to speak with Professor Chris Cherry.

If you have ever come to a railroad crossing and missed the mark – meaning, you hit the crossing at an angle that caused you to crash – you will appreciate the work my second guest has done to mitigate the problem.

When his wife crashed at a railroad crossing on her way to work and the head of his department at the University asked Chris Cherry what he was going to do about all the crashes that seemed to be occurring at this crossing near the campus of UT, he and his team decided they’d better do something. The solution – his jug handle design – was simple, efficient, and inexpensive.

Dr. Chris Cherry. is a professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering whose primary research areas focus on transportation system impacts from emerging technologies (like e-bikes, e-scooters, & shared mobility) on safety, sustainability, health, and mobility, and he joins us today.

And then, we’ll do a quick check-in with Bike Cleveland‘s Executive Director, Jacob van Sickle. As has every other organization in the past 7 months, Bike Cleveland needed to make radical changes to its programs and events in the wake of COVID19.

Jacob fills us in on those changes as well as offers us some bright spots to focus on for 2021.

Bike Cleveland, our local advocacy organization, has been busy trying to navigate the new normal of COVID for local cyclists. Jack Van Sickle, the executive director, fills us in on some of the programs and projects in the works for the remainder of this year and on into 2021.