A local partnership (including Green Options Buffalo) led by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus has been awarded a $360,000 Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to improve opportunities for physical activity and access to affordable healthy foods for children and families in the city of Buffalo by encouraging changes to public policy and the built environment.

Green Options Buffalo is but one element of the partnership that won this award, and the details are still being worked out. We are very excited to play our part as the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities effort moves forward.

For more information, visit the following websites:

http://www.healthykidshealthycommunities.org/communities/buffalo-ny

http://www.wkbw.com/healthy/81230497.html

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wbfo/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1598498/WBFO.News/Buffalo.awarded.grant.to.combat.childhood.obesity

Washington, D.C. - March 10, 2010 -The League of American Bicyclists is proud to be the forum for Google to announce what all bike riders have been waiting for
-

Grab Your Bike and Go with Google Maps.
Google is announcing at the Opening Plenary Session at the National Bike Summit
 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103167038569&s=21148&e=001pYbKTip6NGXjLW-9rUimGNoYI_DSUEwU5ZCUxLtwNQR8N3Amw1DXjf0AaaW8FVjN3KyRWfbPkioVIiCD1vpT_Qa81DiOejmknV2t43gzIUkA-nQDYQpgsEy-6tLPA1Dm1gELDNlqIiPkMeNeR7xozhK9KNmPj33o]that
they are adding biking directions in the U.S. to Google Maps."This new tool will open people's eyes to the possibility and
practicality of hopping on a bike and riding," said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists.
"We know people want to ride more, and 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," Users can now choose biking when deciding how to get to their destination, starting today, March 10, 2010. If you're one of the 57 million Americans who ride a bike, mapping your daily commute, and planning recreational or trail rides just became easier.

 According to Google this has been the most requested addition to Google Maps, and the League is delighted that they have chosen the National Bike Summit to unveil
 this new feature. Google's announcement further proves the importance of the Summit and the bicycle movement in helping our nation become a more Bicycle Friendly America
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103167038569&s=21148&e=001pYbKTip6NGXuIZpLWiG3X8Le3SCrWyC4rnhS-odeLkdwWa9uW-Xz07UvHUpcx78SOWEYSXno1Em3gW_BwOLBQ7BXnvUNhLZ1sdHMmu9Zl2Jcetq33XrSN3Ofx-TUyONzRlrqHwdOCkqfTW9IPAmygI52LbGLL58eIN3MI3QcICg=].
The Google biking directions will make it that much easier for bicyclists to get to work, school or play. This new feature includes: step-by-step bicycling directions; bike
trails outlined directly on the map; and a new "Bicycling" layer that indicates bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly roads.

The directions feature provides step-by-step, bike-specific routing suggestions - similar to the directions provided by our driving, walking, or public transit modes. Simply enter a start point and destination and select "Bicycling" from the drop-down menu. You will receive a route that is optimized for cycling, taking advantage of bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly streets and avoiding hilly terrain  whenever possible.
Visit http://maps.google.com/biking
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103167038569&s=21148&e=001pYbKTip6NGUMp5vvnnFtNxTAw4z-60rI9dIaf05UbwpRj4kEp1XbzdfTDt6l9M8-tSColdw3qwZi0vHu91sCPykpW4mv8t3icayNUUXxWbLhIibEknbfYNxUtbjLfzcE]
to try out this new feature. Biking directions for Google Maps is currently in Beta. Follow the League's news feed on the new Google feature on the
League's Blog [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103167038569&s=21148&e=001pYbKTip6NGVkazOBtGfc85pAf0NAjhCrbX2LlCHRPbKmvZkf0v06fE-olYAbRSQaOGPfHD3kKrvCk0fFXx1lGZSSfiknk6zVt9mp2ffOdRcin-v64cJhcIr4Ct5YqEgr],
Facebook [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103167038569&s=21148&e=001pYbKTip6NGWqzMQ8-k2SE-Cvg1H-P4SiKo9VF0G0SYjspoPjPw81_MJVfgABrBoDIJgRFVBT-xPsGdDKBIUWLZEW77InbNMv6xasAMMyb9RpJpvvn_TJdCZO0xmz1yVY]
and Twitter [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103167038569&s=21148&e=001pYbKTip6NGUVsn7O_cFAtzm9I-aVmj3PZ54Ik147hDCBplY6mcFd34CGrLI7NCQ0A1TrEQ2av2wimYkDJ3E1z3q0KiOqGiJ4T5hdQEWz-JCy7SzbRrVoK7OGLd8nC6gX].
If you have any further questions, contact Meghan Cahill at 202.822.1333 or meghan@bikeleague.org [mailto:meghan@bikeleague.org]

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/community/New-rides-bring-smiles-to-refugee-kids

City Council has proposed the creation of a “Complete Streets” coordinator - Your support and action is needed.

In June 2008, the Buffalo Common Council passed and Mayor Brown signed into law the “Complete Streets” ordinance. This nationally groundbreaking legislation amended the city charter assuring that all City streets are designed, constructed and operated to enable safe, attractive, and comfortable access for all users of all ages.  However, the absence of an implementation mechanism and adequate staff support has made it difficult for Buffalo to implement this progressive policy and aggressively compete with peer cities, such as Madison, Minneapolis, and Grand Rapids, in implementing pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

To address this, Green Options Buffalo has partnered with Council Members Smith and Kearns calling for the creation of a Complete Streets Coordinator shared by the office of strategic planning and department of public works. A resolution was submitted to the council on May 11th and sent to the legislation committee for a public hearing and debate which will occur Tuesday May 18th at 2pm in Council Chambers (Rm. 1417 city hall).

To ensure passage of this resolution to enhance the City of Buffalo’s ability to implement the Complete Streets policy it unanimously adopted, your support is needed.

Provided is a sample letter of support for your use. Please let the Council and Mayor be aware of the need in the City of Buffalo for the implementation of complete streets so that we all can realize the benefits to our health, environment, economy, and quality of life.

Thank you

Local fabricator, EB Iron Art, recently won the “Phase III” bid to install another 150 of our iconic bicycle racks in commercial districts across Buffalo this summer 2010. Fill out this online form (or download this printable form) now to request racks installed for free at your commercial location. Locations for these racks are chosen by demand, so (even if you have filled out this form before, and even if you already have one or more of these racks but need more) fill it out again now to get your location on the “Phase III” summer 2010 install list. “Phase IV” is slated to install yet another 150 bicycle racks during the spring of 2011, bringing the total # of our bicycle racks installed across Buffalo to 477 by 2011!

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is hosting a Designing for Pedestrian Safety workshop in Buffalo on August 17 & 18,

The workshop will be conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and is intended to educate local municipal officials, highway superintendents, highway engineers, planners, traffic safety, law enforcement and public health officials about the proper design of streets and highways to promote pedestrian safety and mobility. This is a two day workshop; the first day is strictly classroom, while the second day participants will conduct a field exercise at a nearby intersection or highway corridor. Please see the enclosed flier for more details.
The workshop is limited to 40 participants, and pre-registration is required. The training is free (lunch on your own), and is open to anyone interested in learning about how to improve pedestrian safety and mobility in their community.

Please circulate this announcement to all regional staff that may benefit from this training opportunity. TO PRE-REGISTER for the FREE WORKSHOP: Candidate interested in attending this training should forward their name by e-mail to Eric Ophardt at eophardt@dot.state.ny.us or call ( 518) 457 – 0922. The deadline for registration is COB on August 11, 2010.

DETAILS: FREE Designing for Pedestrian Safety Workshop BUFFALO
WHEN:
Tuesday, August 17 -- 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and
Wednesday, August 18 – 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Buffalo State College
Bulger Communication Center
Rm – South, Main Floor
Buffalo, New York