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Guests: Dr. Cara Hamann; Terry Lansdell
We’ve talked about biking and walking infrastructure a lot over the past few years, and it always amazes me that there is so much more to say. For instance…
Crosswalks – who do you think is legally protected in a crosswalk?
Well, you might be surprised to learn that all pedestrians are protected in crosswalks, yet very few States have protections for cyclists, wheelchairs, even babies in strollers.
And this is just one issue that my first guest, Dr. Cara Hamann and I talk about in our conversation today.
As we delve into Cara Hamann’s work, we find that she’s got a series of studies relating to safety and injury for vulnerable road users.
She’s an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa with targeted interests in Transportation safety, Injury epidemiology, Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, bicycles, etc.) and Global injury prevention.
You can follow the work she is doing at trips.lab.uiowa.edu. And remember, be 
careful in those crosswalks!
In the second half of the show, I’ll introduce you to Terry Lansdell.
I’m not sure exactly how to categorize him… he’s both ridden and crewed Race Across America, he’s done Race Across the West on a fixed gear bike, he’s been a triathlete, and now he’s the executive director of BikeWalk North Carolina as well as a member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission . See… I don’t have a category for that.
Terry Lansdell is just fascinating and uber articulate. From his advice on ultra cycling – such as riding 1000 in a week to see if you can pass muster for a race such as PBP or RAAM, to remembering your place on a trail, including yielding to pedestrians, Terry doesn’t miss a beat
And get a load of this… since 2013, it’s been illegal for North Carolina 
department of transportation to spend money on stand alone bicycle projects. Terry is hoping to change that tool.
I’m not sure how he keeps all the balls in the air at the same time, but damn… he sure seems to.
This is the shot I was hoping he’d send with his T-shirt background!
Before I sign off today, I’d like to mention something that happened this week that I found incredibly disturbing. I don’t want to get into a political or philosophical discussion, but this incident was truly upsetting to me.
Leah Goldstein is one of the most celebrated women athletes I’ve ever had the honor to speak with. She has set many records including at the age of 52 being the first woman to win RAAM.
She has also been in high demand to deliver her message to young girls and women that women can accomplish whatever they wish – she’s an inspiration.
Leah was to be the keynote speaker at the International Women’s Day Inspire Inclusion Conference. Then, she was suddenly disinvited because she is Jewish and had served in the Israel Defense Forces as a young woman.
At first, Leah wasn’t going to publicly address the dismissal, but, after social media and news groups picked up the story, she felt the need to make a statement.
Here is a bit of what she said and a link to the original story as well as her response:
“I speak to inspire and motivate. I speak about obstacles, and how to overcome them. I speak about bravery and growth and standing up for one another.
I don’t believe you hired me because I was a soldier and a cop. While these jobs are part of my story (and I’m very grateful to have had these experiences), they do not define me as a human being. As a Jewish woman, I would never be offended if a Palestinian woman were to speak about her obstacles and life journey. I thought that’s what women were supposed to do for each other – listen and support!”
Regardless of your feelings about the Israeli-Palestinian situation, in my opinion, this incident was both uncalled for and sorely misguided.
Stepping off my soapbox now, and I hope no one was offended by my comments.