Indonesia has launched an ambitious plan to tap the vast power of its volcanoes and become a world leader in geothermal energy, while trimming greenhouse gas emissions.
The sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands stretching from the Indian to the Pacific Oceans contains hundreds of volcanoes, estimated to hold around 40 percent of the world's geothermal energy potential.
But so far only a tiny fraction of that potential has been unlocked, so the government is seeking help from private investors, the World Bank and partners like Japan and the United States to exploit the power hidden deep underground.
"The government's aim to add 4,000 megawatts of geothermal capacity from the existing 1,189 megawatts by 2014 is truly challenging," Indonesian Geothermal Association chief Surya Darma said.
One of the biggest obstacles is the cost. Indonesia currently relies on dirty coal-fired power plants using locally produced coal. A geothermal plant costs about twice as much, and can take many more years in research and development to get online.
But once established, geothermal plants like the one built in Kamojang, Java, in 1982 can convert the endless free supplies of volcanic heat into electricity with much lower overheads -- and less pollution -- than coal.
This is the pay-off the government is hoping to sell at the fourth World Geothermal Congress opening Sunday on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. The six-day event will attract some 2,000 people from more than 80 countries.
"An investment of 12 billion dollars is needed to add 4,000 MW capacity," energy analyst Herman Darnel Ibrahim said, putting into context the recent announcement of 400 million dollars in financing from lenders including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
"Field exploration can take from three to five years, suitability studies for funding takes a year, while building the plant itself takes three years," he added.
If there is any country in the world where geothermal makes sense it is Indonesia. Yet despite its natural advantages, it lags behind the United States and the Philippines in geothermal energy production.
Southeast Asia's largest economy and the world's third biggest greenhouse gas emitter exploits only seven geothermal fields out of more than 250 it could be developing.
The case for geothermal has become stronger with the rapid growth of Indonesia's economy and the corresponding strain on its creaking power infrastructure.
The archipelago of 234 million people is one of the fastest growing economies in the Group of 20 but currently only 65 percent of Indonesians have access to electricity.
The goal is to reach 90 percent of the population by the end of the decade, through a two-stage plan to "fast-track" the provision of an extra 10,000 MW by 2012, mostly through coal, and another 10,000 MW from clean sources like volcanoes by 2014.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's pledge to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent against 2005 levels by 2020 has also spurred the push to geothermal.
Many of the best geothermal sources lie in protected forests, so the government aims to allow the drilling of wells inside conservation areas while insisting that the power plants themselves be outside.
Geothermal fans welcomed the recent completion of negotiations between a consortium of US, Japanese and Indonesian companies and the state electricity company, Perusahaan Listrik Negara, over a 340 MW project on Sumatra island.
The Sarulla project will be Indonesia's second biggest geothermal plant, after the Wayang Windu facility in West Java.
"The Sarulla project is a perfect example of how Indonesia can realise its clean energy and energy security goals by partnering with international firms," US Ambassador Cameron Hume wrote in a local newspaper.
Several firms such as Tata and Chevron have submitted bids to build another geothermal plant in North Sumatra, with potential for 200 MW.
Monday, April 26, 2010
China urges Tibetan monks to leave quake zone
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) April 23, 2010
China said Friday that Tibetan monks who rushed to its earthquake disaster zone to aid rescue efforts had been urged to return home to avoid hindering relief operations in the often restive region.
"The duties of rescue workers in the quake zone are basically over, and the focus has moved to disease prevention and reconstruction, which need specialised people," the State Council, or Cabinet, said in a statement.
"While fully recognising the positive contributions of the monks that came from other areas, we suggested to them that they return to their monasteries to ensure the high effectiveness and order of quake relief work," it said.
The statement confirms the accounts of activists who had said earlier the government ordered Tibetan Buddhist monks who had travelled to remote quake-hit areas in the northwestern province of Qinghai to return home.
However, in a possible sign of crossed signals in government ranks on how to handle the sensitive issue, state-run Xinhua news agency later issued a report saying no such orders were given.
"We did not give or receive any orders of such kind. Actually, we are very grateful for the role Tibetan monks played in the relief effort," it quoted Wang Yuhu, governor of quake-hit Yushu prefecture, as saying.
Monks came from monasteries around the region to help with relief efforts after the 6.9-magnitude quake struck in the traditional Tibetan heartland, killing at least 2,187 people and leaving another 80 missing.
Tibetan Buddhist monks played a key early role in the response to the April 14 earthquake -- searching for survivors, distributing food and cremating hundreds of dead.
These efforts have been largely passed over in state media reports that have focused on the government response, which Tibet activists attributed to Beijing's unease over the strong influence of the area's lamas and monks.
But the State Council said it recognised the contributions made by monks.
"After the quake, monks in Yushu rapidly took part in rescue efforts along with other people, religious groups continuously donated money and aid, continued to organise religious activities such as prayers, and played a positive role," the statement said.
The region's lamas and monks remain a point of concern for Beijing following bloody anti-Chinese unrest across the region in 2008 that stemmed from initial peaceful protests by monks in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
Monks in the quake zone openly expressed to AFP journalists their loyalty to the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader blamed by China for instigating the 2008 unrest. He denies the charge.
"The government's attitude is that the lamas are an unstable element, this is especially so following the unrest," Woeser, a leading Tibetan blogger and activist, told AFP on Thursday.
She said monks had been told to leave as "they had already done too much and that if they stayed it could become troublesome."
Authorities had repeatedly advised well-meaning civilians not to flood into the area which lies at an altitude of 4,000 metres (13,200 feet), saying it could hinder relief efforts.
On Thursday, the activist group Free Tibet accused the government of "air-brushing" monks out of the official portrayal of the disaster for political reasons.
The Voice of Tibet (VOT) radio service also said Thursday that Chinese authorities were jamming condolence messages it was transmitting from exiled Tibetans over the deadly earthquake.
earlier related report
Tibetan monks' heroism absent in China quake portrayal
Beijing (AFP) April 22, 2010 - Tibetan monks played a key role in the response to China's earthquake, but their efforts were "airbrushed" by a government that views them as a political threat, activists said Thursday.
Buddhist monks in the quake zone and from neighbouring communities began rescuing survivors and distributing food donations to victims -- nearly all of them ethnic Tibetans -- shortly after the April 14 quake.
They even handled the grisly task of cremating hundreds of dead as the official response to the 6.9 magnitude quake in remote Qinghai province which has killed nearly 2,200 people was still lurching into life.
But their efforts have been passed over by a government still smarting from bloody anti-Chinese unrest in Tibetan regions in 2008 and fearful over the high profile and influence of the Buddhist elite, said Tibetan activist Woeser.
"The government's attitude is that the Lamas are an unstable element, this is especially so following the unrest in March 2008," Woeser, a Tibetan poet, blogger and leading rights activist, told AFP.
Since last Wednesday's quake, state media have lavished attention on a government disaster response that officials have admitted was slow-starting due to the region's remoteness, bad weather and altitude sickness hitting rescuers.
But while foreign journalists have been allowed unfettered access to the hardest-hit areas, official coverage of the contributions by monks who were unaffected by the 4,000-metre (13,000 feet) heights has been virtually nil.
The task of cremating hundreds of dead, a key step to reduce disease risks that monks and lamas performed in a Buddhist ceremony, was barely mentioned.
If shown at all on state television, monks were mostly seen applauding the efforts of the Communist government as state media lavished attention on visits to the region by President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
The region's allegiance to the exiled Dalai Lama -- the Tibetan spiritual leader who China insists is bent on independence for his homeland -- is likely the main reason state media has largely ignored the monk's heroism, Woeser said.
The Dalai Lama called Saturday for permission to visit earthquake victims in Qinghai, where he was born nearly 75 years ago, stirred hopes among Tibetans and added to Beijing's concerns, she added. China has not responded.
The Dalai Lama has not set foot in China since 1959, when he fled after a failed anti-Chinese uprising. He denies China's accusations against him.
The London-based group Free Tibet said the Chinese government's portrayal of the disaster exploited the tragedy for political aims.
"China's determination to colonise even Tibet's tragedy is depressingly all too unsurprising," it said in a statement that added the government was "air-brushing" the Tibetan response from the picture.
It called for the world community to ensure reconstruction meets the "humanitarian needs of the Tibetan people, rather than the political ends of the Chinese Communist Party."
A government official denied Thursday the monks' contributions were ignored.
"I believe many people have seen this from media reports and I believe it is a good thing as it demonstrates the national unity of different ethnic groups and shows that Tibetans and Han Chinese are of one family," Pang Chenmin, vice head of rescue operations at the Civil Affairs Ministry, told journalists.
However, Woeser said Tibetan contacts told her monks and nuns who came to help were ordered from the quake region, scene of some of the 2008 anti-China rioting.
"I was told on April 20 that religious personnel were told to leave. The authorities said that they had already done too much and that if they stayed it could become troublesome," Woeser said.
Pang said he had no knowledge of any such order. However, since the earthquake, authorities have repeatedly advised well-meaning civilians not to flood into the disaster area, saying it could hinder official efforts
Beijing (AFP) April 23, 2010
China said Friday that Tibetan monks who rushed to its earthquake disaster zone to aid rescue efforts had been urged to return home to avoid hindering relief operations in the often restive region.
"The duties of rescue workers in the quake zone are basically over, and the focus has moved to disease prevention and reconstruction, which need specialised people," the State Council, or Cabinet, said in a statement.
"While fully recognising the positive contributions of the monks that came from other areas, we suggested to them that they return to their monasteries to ensure the high effectiveness and order of quake relief work," it said.
The statement confirms the accounts of activists who had said earlier the government ordered Tibetan Buddhist monks who had travelled to remote quake-hit areas in the northwestern province of Qinghai to return home.
However, in a possible sign of crossed signals in government ranks on how to handle the sensitive issue, state-run Xinhua news agency later issued a report saying no such orders were given.
"We did not give or receive any orders of such kind. Actually, we are very grateful for the role Tibetan monks played in the relief effort," it quoted Wang Yuhu, governor of quake-hit Yushu prefecture, as saying.
Monks came from monasteries around the region to help with relief efforts after the 6.9-magnitude quake struck in the traditional Tibetan heartland, killing at least 2,187 people and leaving another 80 missing.
Tibetan Buddhist monks played a key early role in the response to the April 14 earthquake -- searching for survivors, distributing food and cremating hundreds of dead.
These efforts have been largely passed over in state media reports that have focused on the government response, which Tibet activists attributed to Beijing's unease over the strong influence of the area's lamas and monks.
But the State Council said it recognised the contributions made by monks.
"After the quake, monks in Yushu rapidly took part in rescue efforts along with other people, religious groups continuously donated money and aid, continued to organise religious activities such as prayers, and played a positive role," the statement said.
The region's lamas and monks remain a point of concern for Beijing following bloody anti-Chinese unrest across the region in 2008 that stemmed from initial peaceful protests by monks in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
Monks in the quake zone openly expressed to AFP journalists their loyalty to the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader blamed by China for instigating the 2008 unrest. He denies the charge.
"The government's attitude is that the lamas are an unstable element, this is especially so following the unrest," Woeser, a leading Tibetan blogger and activist, told AFP on Thursday.
She said monks had been told to leave as "they had already done too much and that if they stayed it could become troublesome."
Authorities had repeatedly advised well-meaning civilians not to flood into the area which lies at an altitude of 4,000 metres (13,200 feet), saying it could hinder relief efforts.
On Thursday, the activist group Free Tibet accused the government of "air-brushing" monks out of the official portrayal of the disaster for political reasons.
The Voice of Tibet (VOT) radio service also said Thursday that Chinese authorities were jamming condolence messages it was transmitting from exiled Tibetans over the deadly earthquake.
earlier related report
Tibetan monks' heroism absent in China quake portrayal
Beijing (AFP) April 22, 2010 - Tibetan monks played a key role in the response to China's earthquake, but their efforts were "airbrushed" by a government that views them as a political threat, activists said Thursday.
Buddhist monks in the quake zone and from neighbouring communities began rescuing survivors and distributing food donations to victims -- nearly all of them ethnic Tibetans -- shortly after the April 14 quake.
They even handled the grisly task of cremating hundreds of dead as the official response to the 6.9 magnitude quake in remote Qinghai province which has killed nearly 2,200 people was still lurching into life.
But their efforts have been passed over by a government still smarting from bloody anti-Chinese unrest in Tibetan regions in 2008 and fearful over the high profile and influence of the Buddhist elite, said Tibetan activist Woeser.
"The government's attitude is that the Lamas are an unstable element, this is especially so following the unrest in March 2008," Woeser, a Tibetan poet, blogger and leading rights activist, told AFP.
Since last Wednesday's quake, state media have lavished attention on a government disaster response that officials have admitted was slow-starting due to the region's remoteness, bad weather and altitude sickness hitting rescuers.
But while foreign journalists have been allowed unfettered access to the hardest-hit areas, official coverage of the contributions by monks who were unaffected by the 4,000-metre (13,000 feet) heights has been virtually nil.
The task of cremating hundreds of dead, a key step to reduce disease risks that monks and lamas performed in a Buddhist ceremony, was barely mentioned.
If shown at all on state television, monks were mostly seen applauding the efforts of the Communist government as state media lavished attention on visits to the region by President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
The region's allegiance to the exiled Dalai Lama -- the Tibetan spiritual leader who China insists is bent on independence for his homeland -- is likely the main reason state media has largely ignored the monk's heroism, Woeser said.
The Dalai Lama called Saturday for permission to visit earthquake victims in Qinghai, where he was born nearly 75 years ago, stirred hopes among Tibetans and added to Beijing's concerns, she added. China has not responded.
The Dalai Lama has not set foot in China since 1959, when he fled after a failed anti-Chinese uprising. He denies China's accusations against him.
The London-based group Free Tibet said the Chinese government's portrayal of the disaster exploited the tragedy for political aims.
"China's determination to colonise even Tibet's tragedy is depressingly all too unsurprising," it said in a statement that added the government was "air-brushing" the Tibetan response from the picture.
It called for the world community to ensure reconstruction meets the "humanitarian needs of the Tibetan people, rather than the political ends of the Chinese Communist Party."
A government official denied Thursday the monks' contributions were ignored.
"I believe many people have seen this from media reports and I believe it is a good thing as it demonstrates the national unity of different ethnic groups and shows that Tibetans and Han Chinese are of one family," Pang Chenmin, vice head of rescue operations at the Civil Affairs Ministry, told journalists.
However, Woeser said Tibetan contacts told her monks and nuns who came to help were ordered from the quake region, scene of some of the 2008 anti-China rioting.
"I was told on April 20 that religious personnel were told to leave. The authorities said that they had already done too much and that if they stayed it could become troublesome," Woeser said.
Pang said he had no knowledge of any such order. However, since the earthquake, authorities have repeatedly advised well-meaning civilians not to flood into the disaster area, saying it could hinder official efforts
With 300,000 Dead Haiti Lures Back Students With Free Meal
Port-Au-Prince (AFP) April 21, 2010
The meal doesn't look like much, rice, a few vegetables and a little bit of meat, but for the Haitian school children who receive it for free, it is reason enough to come to class.
By 10:30 am on a Wednesday, the smell of chicken stock wafts through the Rosalie Javoukey school, located in a neighborhood of Haiti's devastated capital Port-au-Prince.
In the shade of a three-story building scheduled for demolition, women bustle about, doling food onto metal and plastic plates on huge tables set up in between white Unicef tents.
The playground has been eliminated "because it is covered in tents," said Sister Marie-Bernardette, the school's headmistress, and now it serves as a staging area for the daily free school meal.
The children, aged five to 12, wait their turn to retrieve their meal. They return to their desks, say grace and then begin eating, "in silence," their headmistress reminds them.
Schools across Haiti's capital, devastated by a January 12 quake that killed at least 220,000 people, including some 1,350 teachers and 38,000 students, officially reopened on April 6.
But 100 days after the devastating 7.0-magnitude quake, the country continues to struggle and many children are still missing from classrooms in the capital.
Some have left for the countryside, others were killed in the quake, and some are being kept home by their parents.
"It's difficult to convince parents to send their children to school. They are scared that there will be another earthquake and the school will be destroyed," said Alejandro Chicheri, a spokesman for the World Food Programme.
Students at the school also attend classes in fear of what might happen.
"I don't feel at ease at school," said Valencia Demostene, 12. "I know that we will still have natural disasters, like earthquakes..." Her voice trails off.
At the moment, Rosalie Javoukey school has some 400 students, 200 fewer than before the earthquake.
To encourage attendance, the World Food Program has launched a major food distribution program in schools in Haiti, a country where some 500,000 children do not get an education, roughly one quarter of all the country's youth.
Some 550,000 students already receive a meal each day, but the figure is expected to rise to 800,000 in coming weeks.
"We're trying to get as many children as possible back to school, which will allow them to return to reality and to save their school year. And it also helps parents who are trying to find work so they can bring some money home," said Chicheri.
For the students in this underprivileged neighborhood, the meal is a blessing.
"There are some parents who don't have anything to give their children to eat. You can see it on the faces of the children, they are preoccupied because they are hungry," said Mother Louis, a teacher at the school.
The meals provide the children with some comfort in the short-term at least, but many remain deeply scarred by the experience of the January quake.
Mother Louis asks a class of students how many of them were trapped beneath the rubble of buildings that were strewn across Port-au-Prince by the quake.
About half raise their hands.
"I was under the rubble for two days. My father was the one who pulled me out," said Francesca Jeune, a nine-year-old who dreams of becoming a doctor.
She describes her experience with a giant grin on her face, but teachers say their students remain traumatized and they try to provide the children with therapy.
"We play, we move around. Anything to try to get the earthquake off their minds," Mother Louis says.
earlier related report
Up to 300,000 people killed in Haiti quake: UN
Port-Au-Prince (AFP) April 22, 2010 - Haiti's devastating January 12 earthquake killed between 250,000 and 300,000 people, the head of the United Nations mission in the country said Thursday.
Until now, the Haitian government death toll was more than 220,000.
April 21 "marked the 100th day since the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, leaving between 250,000 and 300,000 people dead," said Edmond Mulet, the head of the UN mission in Haiti.
Mulet also said that 300,000 people were wounded in the disaster, and more than one million people were left homeless.
The 7.0-magnitude quake left much of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince in ruins, destroying infrastructure and the seat of government and causing a humanitarian catastrophe in a country already considered the poorest in the Americas.
Mulet, speaking at a press conference, said that he wants the UN Security Council to send an extra 800 police officers to provide safety in the refugee camps.
"In the history of humanity one has never seen a natural disaster of this dimension," said Mulet, adding that the Haiti quake death toll was twice the toll of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II.
Mulet said that the next 12 to 18 months will be "critical," noting that peacekeepers in the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) will focus on five areas: helping support the government organize quick elections, coordinate "post-disaster" humanitarian aid, provide general security, support the Haitian government in carrying out its reconstruction plan, and "help Haiti rebuild its human capital."
Concerning security, Mulet said MINUSTAH forces will help the Haitian National Police have "a more visible presence" to help the tens of thousands of people living in 1,200 refugee camps.
Mulet, a native of Guatemala, took over the UN mission on March 31, replacing Tunisian Hedi Annabi, who was killed in the quake.
If the Security Council accepts Mulet's recommendations, the overall number of UN police in Haiti will rise to 4,391.
When the MINUSTAH peacekeeping soldiers are also counted -- though Mulet has not asked for an increase in this force -- the total UN force would reach 13,300 supported by more than 2,000 civilians.
Separately, Mulet said the Haitian government on Thursday ordered a three-week moratorium on the forced evacuation of refugees camping out on private land, schools or markets.
For nearly two weeks, the authorities and private property owners have urged people squatting on their property to leave.
More than 7,000 people who took refuge at the Port-au-Prince stadium were moved out 10 days ago, and last week some 10,000 Haitians living in a school were ordered out.
"There are students that want to return to their schools to continue their studies, and there are refugees living in the schools. So in order to avoid clashes, a moratorium was established," Mulet said.
UN officials have opened two refugee camps on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince in order to accept some 10,000 refugees currently in danger of being affected by flooding as the Caribbean rainy season is set to begin.
Mulet also said that Haiti "is going on the right path" towards reconstruction, and that he was showing "prudent optimism." He also urged people to "not underestimate the size of the task and the challenges that Haiti faces."
The meal doesn't look like much, rice, a few vegetables and a little bit of meat, but for the Haitian school children who receive it for free, it is reason enough to come to class.
By 10:30 am on a Wednesday, the smell of chicken stock wafts through the Rosalie Javoukey school, located in a neighborhood of Haiti's devastated capital Port-au-Prince.
In the shade of a three-story building scheduled for demolition, women bustle about, doling food onto metal and plastic plates on huge tables set up in between white Unicef tents.
The playground has been eliminated "because it is covered in tents," said Sister Marie-Bernardette, the school's headmistress, and now it serves as a staging area for the daily free school meal.
The children, aged five to 12, wait their turn to retrieve their meal. They return to their desks, say grace and then begin eating, "in silence," their headmistress reminds them.
Schools across Haiti's capital, devastated by a January 12 quake that killed at least 220,000 people, including some 1,350 teachers and 38,000 students, officially reopened on April 6.
But 100 days after the devastating 7.0-magnitude quake, the country continues to struggle and many children are still missing from classrooms in the capital.
Some have left for the countryside, others were killed in the quake, and some are being kept home by their parents.
"It's difficult to convince parents to send their children to school. They are scared that there will be another earthquake and the school will be destroyed," said Alejandro Chicheri, a spokesman for the World Food Programme.
Students at the school also attend classes in fear of what might happen.
"I don't feel at ease at school," said Valencia Demostene, 12. "I know that we will still have natural disasters, like earthquakes..." Her voice trails off.
At the moment, Rosalie Javoukey school has some 400 students, 200 fewer than before the earthquake.
To encourage attendance, the World Food Program has launched a major food distribution program in schools in Haiti, a country where some 500,000 children do not get an education, roughly one quarter of all the country's youth.
Some 550,000 students already receive a meal each day, but the figure is expected to rise to 800,000 in coming weeks.
"We're trying to get as many children as possible back to school, which will allow them to return to reality and to save their school year. And it also helps parents who are trying to find work so they can bring some money home," said Chicheri.
For the students in this underprivileged neighborhood, the meal is a blessing.
"There are some parents who don't have anything to give their children to eat. You can see it on the faces of the children, they are preoccupied because they are hungry," said Mother Louis, a teacher at the school.
The meals provide the children with some comfort in the short-term at least, but many remain deeply scarred by the experience of the January quake.
Mother Louis asks a class of students how many of them were trapped beneath the rubble of buildings that were strewn across Port-au-Prince by the quake.
About half raise their hands.
"I was under the rubble for two days. My father was the one who pulled me out," said Francesca Jeune, a nine-year-old who dreams of becoming a doctor.
She describes her experience with a giant grin on her face, but teachers say their students remain traumatized and they try to provide the children with therapy.
"We play, we move around. Anything to try to get the earthquake off their minds," Mother Louis says.
earlier related report
Up to 300,000 people killed in Haiti quake: UN
Port-Au-Prince (AFP) April 22, 2010 - Haiti's devastating January 12 earthquake killed between 250,000 and 300,000 people, the head of the United Nations mission in the country said Thursday.
Until now, the Haitian government death toll was more than 220,000.
April 21 "marked the 100th day since the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, leaving between 250,000 and 300,000 people dead," said Edmond Mulet, the head of the UN mission in Haiti.
Mulet also said that 300,000 people were wounded in the disaster, and more than one million people were left homeless.
The 7.0-magnitude quake left much of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince in ruins, destroying infrastructure and the seat of government and causing a humanitarian catastrophe in a country already considered the poorest in the Americas.
Mulet, speaking at a press conference, said that he wants the UN Security Council to send an extra 800 police officers to provide safety in the refugee camps.
"In the history of humanity one has never seen a natural disaster of this dimension," said Mulet, adding that the Haiti quake death toll was twice the toll of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II.
Mulet said that the next 12 to 18 months will be "critical," noting that peacekeepers in the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) will focus on five areas: helping support the government organize quick elections, coordinate "post-disaster" humanitarian aid, provide general security, support the Haitian government in carrying out its reconstruction plan, and "help Haiti rebuild its human capital."
Concerning security, Mulet said MINUSTAH forces will help the Haitian National Police have "a more visible presence" to help the tens of thousands of people living in 1,200 refugee camps.
Mulet, a native of Guatemala, took over the UN mission on March 31, replacing Tunisian Hedi Annabi, who was killed in the quake.
If the Security Council accepts Mulet's recommendations, the overall number of UN police in Haiti will rise to 4,391.
When the MINUSTAH peacekeeping soldiers are also counted -- though Mulet has not asked for an increase in this force -- the total UN force would reach 13,300 supported by more than 2,000 civilians.
Separately, Mulet said the Haitian government on Thursday ordered a three-week moratorium on the forced evacuation of refugees camping out on private land, schools or markets.
For nearly two weeks, the authorities and private property owners have urged people squatting on their property to leave.
More than 7,000 people who took refuge at the Port-au-Prince stadium were moved out 10 days ago, and last week some 10,000 Haitians living in a school were ordered out.
"There are students that want to return to their schools to continue their studies, and there are refugees living in the schools. So in order to avoid clashes, a moratorium was established," Mulet said.
UN officials have opened two refugee camps on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince in order to accept some 10,000 refugees currently in danger of being affected by flooding as the Caribbean rainy season is set to begin.
Mulet also said that Haiti "is going on the right path" towards reconstruction, and that he was showing "prudent optimism." He also urged people to "not underestimate the size of the task and the challenges that Haiti faces."
Russia Concerned By Impact Of Climate Change On Arctic Peoples
by Staff Writers
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Apr 26, 2010
Arctic peoples and their cultural inheritance are vulnerable to rising global temperatures, the Russian president's adviser on climate change said at the Fifth Arctic Leaders' Summit in Moscow on Wednesday.
"Climate change has a global character but the Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions," said Alexander Bedritsky, who also chairs the World Meteorological Organization.
"The Arctic habitat, people and their cultural inheritance are vulnerable to the changing climate," he said, adding that around 40 groups of indigenous peoples live in the Arctic.
The Moscow meeting focuses on the industrial development of the Arctic under new climatic conditions and the prospects for the indigenous peoples. Leaders of organizations that unite indigenous Arctic peoples from different countries took part in the event.
Bedritsky said there are hundreds of Russian enterprises working in the Arctic region.
"In the Russian Arctic area there is a strong industrial infrastructure that includes oil and gas complexes, electric power plants, airfields, railroads and mines."
He said the decisions taken by countries on the industrial development of the region "should undoubtedly take into consideration the needs and concerns of the indigenous peoples."
Russia meteorologists are currently developing a unique satellite system, Arctica, to monitor the weather and ecology of the Earth's poles
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Apr 26, 2010
Arctic peoples and their cultural inheritance are vulnerable to rising global temperatures, the Russian president's adviser on climate change said at the Fifth Arctic Leaders' Summit in Moscow on Wednesday.
"Climate change has a global character but the Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions," said Alexander Bedritsky, who also chairs the World Meteorological Organization.
"The Arctic habitat, people and their cultural inheritance are vulnerable to the changing climate," he said, adding that around 40 groups of indigenous peoples live in the Arctic.
The Moscow meeting focuses on the industrial development of the Arctic under new climatic conditions and the prospects for the indigenous peoples. Leaders of organizations that unite indigenous Arctic peoples from different countries took part in the event.
Bedritsky said there are hundreds of Russian enterprises working in the Arctic region.
"In the Russian Arctic area there is a strong industrial infrastructure that includes oil and gas complexes, electric power plants, airfields, railroads and mines."
He said the decisions taken by countries on the industrial development of the region "should undoubtedly take into consideration the needs and concerns of the indigenous peoples."
Russia meteorologists are currently developing a unique satellite system, Arctica, to monitor the weather and ecology of the Earth's poles
Study challenges IPCC's Bangladesh climate predictions
by Staff Writers
Dhaka (AFP) April 22, 2010
Scientists in Bangladesh posed a fresh challenge to the UN's top climate change panel Thursday, saying its doomsday forecasts for the country in the body's landmark 2007 report were overblown.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), already under fire for errors in the 2007 report, had said a one-metre (three-foot) rise in sea levels would flood 17 percent of Bangladesh and create 20 million refugees by 2050.
The warning helped create a widespread consensus that the low-lying country was on the "front line" of climate change, but a new study argues the IPCC ignored the role sediment plays in countering sea level rises.
IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri defended his organisation's Bangladesh predictions Thursday, warning that "on the basis of one study one cannot jump to conclusions".
"The IPCC looks at a range of publications before we take a balanced view on what's likely to happen," he told AFP by telephone.
But the IPCC's prediction did not take into account the one billion tonnes of sediment carried by Himalayan rivers into Bangladesh every year, the study funded by the Asian Development Bank said.
"Sediments have been shaping Bangladesh's coast for thousands of years," said Maminul Haque Sarker, director of the Dhaka-based Center for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), who led research for the study.
Previous "studies on the effects of climate change in Bangladesh, including those quoted by the IPCC, did not consider the role of sediment in the growth and adjustment process of the country's coast and rivers," he told AFP.
Even if sea levels rise a maximum one metre in line with the IPCC's 2007 predictions, the new study indicates most of Bangladesh's coastline will remain intact, said Sarker.
"Based on the findings of the study, it appears that most of Bangladesh's coastline, notably the Meghna estuary, which is one of the largest in the world, would rise at the same pace as the sea level growth," he said.
"The study shows that the inundation and flooding pattern of Bangladesh will change due to the sea level rise, but it will be less than what has been predicted," by the IPCC and others, he said.
"The biggest challenge will be to find how we can best manage these sediment deposits, and utilise them to help Bangladesh fight the effects of climate change."
CEGIS's past predictions of the number of people likely to be made homeless every year by the two main Himalayan rivers, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, have proved to be 70 percent accurate, according to their own assessments.
The IPCC is made up of several thousand scientists tasked with vetting scientific knowledge on climate change and its impacts.
But its reputation was damaged by a warning in its seminal 2007 report that global warming could melt Himalayan glaciers by 2035, an assessment that has been widely discredited and fuelled scepticism about climate change.
According to Pachauri, the glacier mistakes should not be allowed to detract from the fact that the IPCC's conclusions overall are "robust and they are reliable".
"One single error doesn't take anything away from the major findings of the report. The fact is that the glaciers are melting," he said.
"The science is evolving. In a number of parts of the world there isn't enough research, so we welcome this study."
Atiq Rahman, a Dhaka-based member of the panel, admitted to AFP that the panel's research on Bangladesh had "not taken into account the role the sediment plays in shaping Bangladesh's coast and estuaries."
"The next IPCC assessment will take it into account," he said, adding that climate change could still cause a lot of damage in Bangladesh if the "rate of sea-level rise is faster than the level of sedimentation".
IPCC head defends panel against new critical study
New Delhi (AFP) April 22, 2010 - The head of the UN's climate change panel defended his organisation Thursday against a new claim that its landmark 2007 report on global warming might have overblown the danger posed to Bangladesh. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), already under fire for errors in its key 2007 report, said a one-metre (three-foot) rise in sea levels would flood 17 percent of Bangladesh and create 20 million refugees by 2050.
But the prediction ignored the role that at least one billion tonnes of sediment, carried by rivers into Bangladesh every year, will play in countering sea level rises, a study by the Dhaka-based Center for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) said. "On the basis of one study one cannot jump to conclusions," IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri told AFP by telephone when asked to comment on the new findings. "The IPCC looks at a range of publications before we take a balanced view on what's likely to happen." The IPCC is made up of several thousand scientists tasked with vetting scientific knowledge on climate change and its impacts.
But its reputation was damaged by a warning in its seminal 2007 report that global warming could melt Himalayan glaciers by 2035, a claim that has been widely discredited and fuelled scepticism about climate change. Pachauri said the new research in Bangladesh would be taken into account in the next study. "The science is evolving. In a number of parts of the world there isn't enough research, so we welcome this study," he added. On the glacier mistakes, he added: "The conclusions we came up with are robust and they are reliable. "One single error doesn't take anything away from the major findings of the report. The fact is that the glaciers are melting."
Dhaka (AFP) April 22, 2010
Scientists in Bangladesh posed a fresh challenge to the UN's top climate change panel Thursday, saying its doomsday forecasts for the country in the body's landmark 2007 report were overblown.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), already under fire for errors in the 2007 report, had said a one-metre (three-foot) rise in sea levels would flood 17 percent of Bangladesh and create 20 million refugees by 2050.
The warning helped create a widespread consensus that the low-lying country was on the "front line" of climate change, but a new study argues the IPCC ignored the role sediment plays in countering sea level rises.
IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri defended his organisation's Bangladesh predictions Thursday, warning that "on the basis of one study one cannot jump to conclusions".
"The IPCC looks at a range of publications before we take a balanced view on what's likely to happen," he told AFP by telephone.
But the IPCC's prediction did not take into account the one billion tonnes of sediment carried by Himalayan rivers into Bangladesh every year, the study funded by the Asian Development Bank said.
"Sediments have been shaping Bangladesh's coast for thousands of years," said Maminul Haque Sarker, director of the Dhaka-based Center for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), who led research for the study.
Previous "studies on the effects of climate change in Bangladesh, including those quoted by the IPCC, did not consider the role of sediment in the growth and adjustment process of the country's coast and rivers," he told AFP.
Even if sea levels rise a maximum one metre in line with the IPCC's 2007 predictions, the new study indicates most of Bangladesh's coastline will remain intact, said Sarker.
"Based on the findings of the study, it appears that most of Bangladesh's coastline, notably the Meghna estuary, which is one of the largest in the world, would rise at the same pace as the sea level growth," he said.
"The study shows that the inundation and flooding pattern of Bangladesh will change due to the sea level rise, but it will be less than what has been predicted," by the IPCC and others, he said.
"The biggest challenge will be to find how we can best manage these sediment deposits, and utilise them to help Bangladesh fight the effects of climate change."
CEGIS's past predictions of the number of people likely to be made homeless every year by the two main Himalayan rivers, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, have proved to be 70 percent accurate, according to their own assessments.
The IPCC is made up of several thousand scientists tasked with vetting scientific knowledge on climate change and its impacts.
But its reputation was damaged by a warning in its seminal 2007 report that global warming could melt Himalayan glaciers by 2035, an assessment that has been widely discredited and fuelled scepticism about climate change.
According to Pachauri, the glacier mistakes should not be allowed to detract from the fact that the IPCC's conclusions overall are "robust and they are reliable".
"One single error doesn't take anything away from the major findings of the report. The fact is that the glaciers are melting," he said.
"The science is evolving. In a number of parts of the world there isn't enough research, so we welcome this study."
Atiq Rahman, a Dhaka-based member of the panel, admitted to AFP that the panel's research on Bangladesh had "not taken into account the role the sediment plays in shaping Bangladesh's coast and estuaries."
"The next IPCC assessment will take it into account," he said, adding that climate change could still cause a lot of damage in Bangladesh if the "rate of sea-level rise is faster than the level of sedimentation".
New Delhi (AFP) April 22, 2010 - The head of the UN's climate change panel defended his organisation Thursday against a new claim that its landmark 2007 report on global warming might have overblown the danger posed to Bangladesh. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), already under fire for errors in its key 2007 report, said a one-metre (three-foot) rise in sea levels would flood 17 percent of Bangladesh and create 20 million refugees by 2050.
But the prediction ignored the role that at least one billion tonnes of sediment, carried by rivers into Bangladesh every year, will play in countering sea level rises, a study by the Dhaka-based Center for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) said. "On the basis of one study one cannot jump to conclusions," IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri told AFP by telephone when asked to comment on the new findings. "The IPCC looks at a range of publications before we take a balanced view on what's likely to happen." The IPCC is made up of several thousand scientists tasked with vetting scientific knowledge on climate change and its impacts.
But its reputation was damaged by a warning in its seminal 2007 report that global warming could melt Himalayan glaciers by 2035, a claim that has been widely discredited and fuelled scepticism about climate change. Pachauri said the new research in Bangladesh would be taken into account in the next study. "The science is evolving. In a number of parts of the world there isn't enough research, so we welcome this study," he added. On the glacier mistakes, he added: "The conclusions we came up with are robust and they are reliable. "One single error doesn't take anything away from the major findings of the report. The fact is that the glaciers are melting."
Saturday, March 20, 2010
www.problogger.com
Based on the success of the recent ProBlogger post, Top 10 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog Using LinkedIn, I thought it would be useful to put a resource post together for small business owners who would like to use Twitter to drive targeted traffic to their blog.
We all know that blogging is a powerful medium for any small business owner that wants to improve SEO, create a social media footprint, or share their backstory.
But how the heck do you use Twitter to drive more traffic to your small business blog?
If you are a small business owner like me, then you are no stranger to the fact that learning how to master Twitter can seem a little bit like wrestling a hungry alligator. Meaning, there is a steep learning curve and if you mess up it can be deadly.
Figuratively speaking, of course!
After using Twitter for the past couple of years, and following a lot of trial and error, below are ten ways that I think you can begin to use Twitter to drive more traffic to your small business blog.
#1: Change the Default Logo
After creating your small business Twitter account, change the default logo to one that represents your style and helps to brand your small business. Twitter is not a ‘join it and they will come’ small business marketing tool.
If you are hoping to reap the rewards and added blog traffic that Twitter can offer, then you have to be willing to put in the time to build trustworthy relationships with potential customers. To that end, when it comes to any business on Twitter, people want to feel like they are engaging with real human beings.
The profile picture is the first thing that new followers will look at. You need to create a logo that quickly gains follower interest if you want them to carry on further and check out your small business blog. By all means, if you use a personal picture make sure it does not portray you as an axe murderer.
Below are two examples of small business profile pictures, and I’ll let you be the judge of which one will work best.
I think this next one is better. How about you?
#2: Show Up
As noted in the intro above, there can be a steep learning curve when it comes to using Twitter to drive traffic to your small business blog. According to a recent article in Adweek:
Only 17 percent of Twitter users updated their accounts in December — an all-time low. An earlier study by the Nielsen Co. revealed 60 percent of Twitter users do not return from one month to the next.
However, I think a lot of small business owners show up once and send a Tweet similar to the one below.
When business owners don’t get any @ replies, identify any new customers, or gain new traffic to their small business blog they feel like they are wasting their time and are gone for good.
Using Twitter properly as a tool to drive blog traffic requires a long term outlook, persistence, and a consistent effort every day.
#3: Complete the Bio Profile
Similar to a mini ‘About’ page, Twitter gives you 160 characters in your profile so you can write a brief Bio to describe who you are and further specify your business. Make sure the link to your small business blog appears somewhere in this section. Or, even better, include your blog as the one html link you are allowed to have.
I am amazed at how many small businesses skip the Bio step. The results of not taking the time to fill out the profile section will give your business a look similar to the one below. Ask yourself, would you visit the small business blog of the ‘iamabusiness’ profile?
If you are not getting targeted traffic for your small business blog from your Twitter Bio, try spicing it up with something similar to SmileMakers INC. When I read the profile for SmileMakers INC I don’t have any questions as to what business they are in.
#4: Brand Your Small Business Twitter background
The available Twitter background space is like getting free real estate where you can create an online billboard. When properly used, the background can help to build your small businesses image and highlight your brand. If you struggle with design work then use one of the many online background creation tools that are available, such as, TwitterImage, TwitBacks, and TwitrBackgrounds.
Although ProBlogger is not a ‘brick & mortar’ small business, Darren has an easily identifiable Twitter background that helps to pique interest in what he is about and can drive casual follower traffic to his blog.
#5: Social proof matters
When it comes to getting traffic for your small business blog on Twitter, the ugly truth is, social proof absolutely matters!
The number of followers you have, the number of people you are following, and the number of Tweets you have sent out will all be a determining factor in the minds of potential customers.
You don’t need to wait until your small business account has as many followers as ProBlogger, Chris Brogan, or even John Jantsch. Although, it certainly helps to have a few hundred followers and to be following a few hundred (see: #2 show up above) before you promote your small business blog on Twitter.
We all know that blogging is a powerful medium for any small business owner that wants to improve SEO, create a social media footprint, or share their backstory.
But how the heck do you use Twitter to drive more traffic to your small business blog?
If you are a small business owner like me, then you are no stranger to the fact that learning how to master Twitter can seem a little bit like wrestling a hungry alligator. Meaning, there is a steep learning curve and if you mess up it can be deadly.
Figuratively speaking, of course!
After using Twitter for the past couple of years, and following a lot of trial and error, below are ten ways that I think you can begin to use Twitter to drive more traffic to your small business blog.
#1: Change the Default Logo
After creating your small business Twitter account, change the default logo to one that represents your style and helps to brand your small business. Twitter is not a ‘join it and they will come’ small business marketing tool.
If you are hoping to reap the rewards and added blog traffic that Twitter can offer, then you have to be willing to put in the time to build trustworthy relationships with potential customers. To that end, when it comes to any business on Twitter, people want to feel like they are engaging with real human beings.
The profile picture is the first thing that new followers will look at. You need to create a logo that quickly gains follower interest if you want them to carry on further and check out your small business blog. By all means, if you use a personal picture make sure it does not portray you as an axe murderer.
Below are two examples of small business profile pictures, and I’ll let you be the judge of which one will work best.
I think this next one is better. How about you?
#2: Show Up
As noted in the intro above, there can be a steep learning curve when it comes to using Twitter to drive traffic to your small business blog. According to a recent article in Adweek:
Only 17 percent of Twitter users updated their accounts in December — an all-time low. An earlier study by the Nielsen Co. revealed 60 percent of Twitter users do not return from one month to the next.
However, I think a lot of small business owners show up once and send a Tweet similar to the one below.
When business owners don’t get any @ replies, identify any new customers, or gain new traffic to their small business blog they feel like they are wasting their time and are gone for good.
Using Twitter properly as a tool to drive blog traffic requires a long term outlook, persistence, and a consistent effort every day.
#3: Complete the Bio Profile
Similar to a mini ‘About’ page, Twitter gives you 160 characters in your profile so you can write a brief Bio to describe who you are and further specify your business. Make sure the link to your small business blog appears somewhere in this section. Or, even better, include your blog as the one html link you are allowed to have.
I am amazed at how many small businesses skip the Bio step. The results of not taking the time to fill out the profile section will give your business a look similar to the one below. Ask yourself, would you visit the small business blog of the ‘iamabusiness’ profile?
If you are not getting targeted traffic for your small business blog from your Twitter Bio, try spicing it up with something similar to SmileMakers INC. When I read the profile for SmileMakers INC I don’t have any questions as to what business they are in.
#4: Brand Your Small Business Twitter background
The available Twitter background space is like getting free real estate where you can create an online billboard. When properly used, the background can help to build your small businesses image and highlight your brand. If you struggle with design work then use one of the many online background creation tools that are available, such as, TwitterImage, TwitBacks, and TwitrBackgrounds.
Although ProBlogger is not a ‘brick & mortar’ small business, Darren has an easily identifiable Twitter background that helps to pique interest in what he is about and can drive casual follower traffic to his blog.
#5: Social proof matters
When it comes to getting traffic for your small business blog on Twitter, the ugly truth is, social proof absolutely matters!
The number of followers you have, the number of people you are following, and the number of Tweets you have sent out will all be a determining factor in the minds of potential customers.
You don’t need to wait until your small business account has as many followers as ProBlogger, Chris Brogan, or even John Jantsch. Although, it certainly helps to have a few hundred followers and to be following a few hundred (see: #2 show up above) before you promote your small business blog on Twitter.
#6: Be Sincere
If you are sincere in your interactions on Twitter, after the initial frustration and dip of feeling like you’re in an echo chamber, you will slowly gain a following that you’ll be able to direct to your small business blog.
Try starting off the morning with a friendly greeting like Jonathan Fields.
Feds Deem Pedestrians, Cyclists and Motorists Equals
At long last, the feds have said the needs of pedestrians and cyclists must be placed alongside, not behind, those of motorists.
In what amounts to a sea change for the Department of Transportation, the automobile will no longer be the prime consideration in federal transportation planning. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the needs of pedestrians and cyclists will be considered along with those of motorists, and he makes it clear that walking and riding are “an important component for livable communities.”
“People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning,” LaHood wrote on his blog. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”
He goes on:
We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
LaHood’s announcement came on the heels of his appearance at the National Bike Summit, where he was greeted like a rock star and told the crowd, “Our mission is the same as your mission,” and “I think we’re beginning to put our money where our mouth is on these issues.”
And how.
The new policy falls in line with changes the Obama Administration has enacted in the past year. In June, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The partnership will coordinate polices to “help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.” LaHood’s announcement is a step toward that goal.
What his policy statement effectively says is multimodal transportation (meaning pedestrians and cyclists) will be an “equal” part of all new infrastructure projects getting funding from Washington.
“Walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use,” reads the introduction to the policy statement. “Legislation and regulations exist that require inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian policies and projects into transportation plans and project development. Accordingly, transportation agencies should plan, fund, and implement improvements to their walking and bicycling networks, including linkages to transit.”
Does this mean every new project will have to consider bicycles and pedestrians as equals to automobiles? Not exactly. States and local governments can, of course, create infrastructure outside the policy if they aren’t using federal funds. That said, when it comes to doling out federal transportation funds, projects that adhere to the new policy statement will be given a higher priority, so it is within the best interests of cities and states to adhere to it. With a new transportation bill looming that could reach a half trillion dollars, anyone wanting a piece of the pie will have to take pedestrians and cyclists into account. Call it a carrot-and-stick approach.
This doesn’t mean you”ll see bike lanes on that new expressway through town. The feds are still going to bankroll conventional roads and highways and so forth. But you’ll see bicycle connection points to these roads, such as trails and shared use pathways to create multimodal transportation.
Beyond making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to get around, the move is intended to make it safer for them to get around. A report released late last year by Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership found more than 43,000 pedestrians nationwide have died since 2000 on roads the authors complain don’t provide adequate crosswalks and other safety features. The authors say states aren’t spending enough to make roads safer for people who are on foot, on a bike or in a wheelchair.
“This is an issue that has been ignored far too long, even as thousands have died or been injured unnecessarily just by doing something as simple as trying to cross the street,” James Corless, director of Transportation for America, said in the T4A blog. “We thank Secretary Lahood for his leadership at DOT and for elevating this urgent issue to the level of prominence that it deserves.”
To that end, the Department of Transportation establishes general recommended actions local governments and transportation agencies should follow to create transportation parity for pedestrians and cyclists. What’s more, the projects must be accessible to all, and they must plan for future growth and demand. “It is more effective to plan for increased usage than to retrofit an older facility,” the policy states.
Some of LaHood’s specific recommendations include integrating bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new, rehabilitated and limited-access bridges. Secretary LaHood also wants more tracking of non-motorized transportation, long-term maintenance and snow removal on existing infrastructure and improved transportation arrangements for bicycles and pedestrians during the construction and rehabilitation of projects.
Given that building highways costs 10 times more (.pdf) more than shared-use pathways, cities could see significant savings. LaHood summed up the outcome of the new policy best when he said it will promote “cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities.”
Photo of a cyclist on New York’s Upper West Side: Ed Yourdon / Flickr
Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/lahood-policy-statement/#ixzz0ighnAFnM
By Jason Kambitsis March 19, 2010
12:48 pm
Categories: Infrastructure
At long last, the feds have said the needs of pedestrians and cyclists must be placed alongside, not behind, those of motorists.
In what amounts to a sea change for the Department of Transportation, the automobile will no longer be the prime consideration in federal transportation planning. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the needs of pedestrians and cyclists will be considered along with those of motorists, and he makes it clear that walking and riding are “an important component for livable communities.”
“People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning,” LaHood wrote on his blog. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”
He goes on:
We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
LaHood’s announcement came on the heels of his appearance at the National Bike Summit, where he was greeted like a rock star and told the crowd, “Our mission is the same as your mission,” and “I think we’re beginning to put our money where our mouth is on these issues.”
And how.
The new policy falls in line with changes the Obama Administration has enacted in the past year. In June, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The partnership will coordinate polices to “help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.” LaHood’s announcement is a step toward that goal.
What his policy statement effectively says is multimodal transportation (meaning pedestrians and cyclists) will be an “equal” part of all new infrastructure projects getting funding from Washington.
“Walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use,” reads the introduction to the policy statement. “Legislation and regulations exist that require inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian policies and projects into transportation plans and project development. Accordingly, transportation agencies should plan, fund, and implement improvements to their walking and bicycling networks, including linkages to transit.”
Does this mean every new project will have to consider bicycles and pedestrians as equals to automobiles? Not exactly. States and local governments can, of course, create infrastructure outside the policy if they aren’t using federal funds. That said, when it comes to doling out federal transportation funds, projects that adhere to the new policy statement will be given a higher priority, so it is within the best interests of cities and states to adhere to it. With a new transportation bill looming that could reach a half trillion dollars, anyone wanting a piece of the pie will have to take pedestrians and cyclists into account. Call it a carrot-and-stick approach.
This doesn’t mean you”ll see bike lanes on that new expressway through town. The feds are still going to bankroll conventional roads and highways and so forth. But you’ll see bicycle connection points to these roads, such as trails and shared use pathways to create multimodal transportation.
Beyond making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to get around, the move is intended to make it safer for them to get around. A report released late last year by Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership found more than 43,000 pedestrians nationwide have died since 2000 on roads the authors complain don’t provide adequate crosswalks and other safety features. The authors say states aren’t spending enough to make roads safer for people who are on foot, on a bike or in a wheelchair.
“This is an issue that has been ignored far too long, even as thousands have died or been injured unnecessarily just by doing something as simple as trying to cross the street,” James Corless, director of Transportation for America, said in the T4A blog. “We thank Secretary Lahood for his leadership at DOT and for elevating this urgent issue to the level of prominence that it deserves.”
To that end, the Department of Transportation establishes general recommended actions local governments and transportation agencies should follow to create transportation parity for pedestrians and cyclists. What’s more, the projects must be accessible to all, and they must plan for future growth and demand. “It is more effective to plan for increased usage than to retrofit an older facility,” the policy states.
Some of LaHood’s specific recommendations include integrating bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new, rehabilitated and limited-access bridges. Secretary LaHood also wants more tracking of non-motorized transportation, long-term maintenance and snow removal on existing infrastructure and improved transportation arrangements for bicycles and pedestrians during the construction and rehabilitation of projects.
Given that building highways costs 10 times more (.pdf) more than shared-use pathways, cities could see significant savings. LaHood summed up the outcome of the new policy best when he said it will promote “cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities.”
Photo of a cyclist on New York’s Upper West Side: Ed Yourdon / Flickr
Photo of a pedestrian in a crosswalk: Mad African!: (Broken Sword) / Flickr
See Also:
Fun Times Ahead As Transportation Bill Takes Shape
At Long Last, Progress On a Transportation Bill
City Streets a Mortal Threat to Pedestrians
Complete Streets Are Great Streets With Room for All
Tags: Bicycles, Infrastructure, pedestrians, Policy, Streets & Highways Post Comment
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Related Topics: Ray LaHood, Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, United States, Bicycling, Culture and Lifestyle
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Posted by: Heffay
03/19/10
1:08 pm
This makes me very happy. So many roads out there that are impractical to use as a bike commuter. Hopefully this will get a lot of roads retrofitted to support multi-mode travel.
Posted by: diginess
03/19/10
2:11 pm
Good deal, there’s too many cities which you cannot traverse easily on foot. Basically this forces people to use vehicles even for short transits. Biking is also much too dangerous.
Posted by: slave138
03/19/10
2:15 pm
I’m hoping this means the cyclists will start being prosecuted for traffic infractions just like any other transportation. No more bikers flying down the sidewalks, running stop signs and red lights, going the wrong way down a one-way road, etc… Once they are given equal consideration, they can start showing equal responsibility when operating their vehicles.
Posted by: dr2chase
03/19/10
2:23 pm
Equality’s a start. Peds best, bikes best, cars last.
Posted by: joe_glow
03/19/10
2:33 pm
@slave138 I get really irritated when I see cyclists being rude to pedestrians, weaving through traffic, ignoring drivers’ right-of-way, etc., but it would be a massive waste of time and money to prosecute bike infractions at the same level as car infractions. No matter what it’s doing, a bike simply isn’t even remotely as dangerous as a car. A cyclist safely running a red light just isn’t a big deal.
Posted by: eldub
03/19/10
2:38 pm
@dr2chase
I’ll second that. We’re not really doing the right thing until pedestrian and non-motorized traffic is given higher priority than polluting, life-threatening, waistline-ballooning motorized traffic. We’ve still got a long road ahead.
Posted by: eldub
03/19/10
2:42 pm
P.S. I forgot to mention the absurd amount of space that motorized transportation consumes.
Posted by: Scatcatpdx
03/19/10
2:45 pm
Greeting from eh fascist state of Portland Oregon. I see they are adopting Portland Metro’s outlook on autos. The truth is Autos meas freedom. I do not have to depend on where I live to get to a job or entertainment. I do not have to depend on the state for my transportation needs. A bike may be good exercise but rotten transportation policy and shekel to freedom.
Posted by: tbuskey
03/19/10
3:12 pm
Yay! But when they say things have been done in favor of Motorized vehicles, they really mean automobiles and sometimes trucks.
I ride motorcycles and some of the roads are dangerous for us too.
Pedestrians should come 1st. I’m tired of driving my car from one mall to the next one 100 yards away because there’s no sidewalk or crosswalks to get there through 40 mph traffic. I worry about my kids or myself getting hit.
Bicyclists often ride differently then the autos because the road has obstacles, the autos are in the bike lines (if they exist) or there is no other way to get from point to point. Most roads are designed exclusively for autos going 40 mph.
Posted by: youdbehotterifnaked
03/19/10
3:13 pm
If all bike riders are going to look like that guy, I am boycotting this.
Posted by: country-mouse
03/19/10
3:16 pm
if you get rid of cars, who is going to pay for the bike ways?
share the road, share the cost.
Posted by: trout007
03/19/10
3:19 pm
Just a way to funnel money towards urban communities. This means that rural projects are put on a back burner because nobody in their right mind is going to create a long country road with a bike lane.
This is a good policy for urban areas though. It is dumb to build a city around roads. But favoring projects that consider each method equal will make sure most money heads towards cities.
Posted by: rofllolhaha
03/19/10
3:20 pm
@scatcatpdx
“The truth is Autos meas freedom. I do not have to depend on where I live to get to a job or entertainment. I do not have to depend on the state for my transportation needs.”
hahahahahahaaha. I hope you’re being sarcastic. If not, well… did you personally build the roads you’re traveling on? Oh right, no, you didn’t. The state or federal government did. Looks like you’re dependent on the state. Freedom? Right. Sitting in traffic and hunting for parking spaces is so liberating! Dealing with auto insurance, flat tires, collisions, etc definitely means freedom. What do other people pay for your freedom? I bet the neighborhoods that were flattened and divided for your expressways do not like the toxic smells and noise of your freedom. What about the fuel of your freedom? Even if you have an electric vehicle, it is still a huge waste of space and requires large, often subsidized, expensive parking facilities. If you use petrol, your vehicle requires imported oil and I’m sure you know the consequences of being so dependent on that resource. Like it or not, your auto is not some individualistic freedom machine. Like the state-subsidized freeways you use, it is part of a network of dependence; dependence from local, state, federal, and foreign governments.
Posted by: arosier
03/19/10
3:20 pm
and skateboarders still have no rights
Posted by: joe_glow
03/19/10
3:28 pm
@Scatcatpdx: You’re totally right that cars and highways give us a kind of freedom that humanity has never known before. But you should be aware just how dependent you are on the government for that freedom: in 2009 the federal government spent $40 billion on highways, about $10 billion on oil and gas subsidies, and pushing $130 billion bailing out the auto industry. You also have to add state expenses to that and, some would say, untold billions the military spends protecting our oil interests. All I’m saying is, you are very, very dependent on the state for your transportation freedom.
A bike may not get you there as fast, but it doesn’t need roads or gas to do it. That’s freedom!
Posted by: Oryansnebula
03/19/10
3:34 pm
To those who feel cyclists should be prosecuted equally for running red lights, riding on sidewalks, etc… you probably don’t ride your bikes around all the time.
Regardless of what the law states, cyclists and automobiles are very different physical forms with much different consequences in the event of an accident. A car is a two ton or greater hunk of metal in which occupants are secured with safety belts and protected by crumple zones and various other safety features. A cyclist is a two hundred pound mass of mostly flesh with no built-in passenger protection. How then would a collision between these two entities constitute equality on both sides of the equation?
I know there are cyclists out there who do crazy things and scare the shit out of drivers, but there are many more that break traffic laws cautiously to protect themselves and make cycling a less disadvantaged mode of transportation than it already is.
And to those who say cars enable freedom, that statement is only partly true. When you live in a big city and have to spend an hour bumper-to-bumper on a freeway, you might see cars as more of a prison than an enabler of freedom. The libertarian mindset that we’re all “free” from one another is utterly insane.
Posted by: Xylenz
03/19/10
3:34 pm
There is one law that supersedes ALL traffic laws, even this one. Its the law of physics. The law of physics gives both corporal and captial punishment to bikers and pedestrians hit by cars under any circumstances. There is no jury or police. There are no appeals or debate possible. Sentence is carried out immediately. Dont believe that this federal law protects you. According to the highest law, if you are smaller then you are dead wrong.
Posted by: theneo
03/19/10
3:42 pm
Call me when cyclists start following the rules of the road.
/anyone who knowingly goes out into public wearing that shit shouldn’t be on the road anyhow
Posted by: theneo
03/19/10
3:44 pm
@Oryansnebula
Does this mean I can hop on my Rascal and start blowing through red lights as I see fit?
Posted by: samagon
03/19/10
3:56 pm
Call me when automobile drivers start following the rules of the road.
Go the speed limit? Who even thinks about it unless they see a cop?
Use turn signals? Ha, why do cars even get fitted with them any more?
Stop at a stop sign? Come to a complete stop before a right turn? Yeah right.
.
Don’t expect other modes of transportation to follow rules when you don’t either.
Posted by: dr2chase
03/19/10
3:57 pm
” and skateboarders still have no rights ”
fit you guys in between peds and bikes, how’s that?
and segways between bikes and cars, on account of they are heavy, wide, and clumsy.
not sure where we put the rollerbladers.
The roads were initially paved for bikes; the roads most bikes ride on, are paid for by property taxes (certainly where I live) not gas taxes; and bicycles wear out roads at a fraction of the rate that cars and trucks do. Bikes do less harm in crashes, and they don’t break traffic laws more often than cars do, they just break different ones (speeding, slopping over stop lines, and rolling stops are the three biggies for cars, along with failure to obey lane-related rules).
Posted by: GalapagosJ
03/19/10
4:00 pm
@joe_glow & @Oryansnebula - Penalizing cyclists is less about enforcing rules that may not be practically applicable for bicycles and more about ensuring safety by encouraging cyclists to behave predictably, as drivers must. Whether or not they want to, cyclists share the road with drivers. (See how I turned the typical use of that phrase around? Hey now!)
If my state (Washington) wants to pass a law that says bicyclists don’t have to stop at stop signs or red lights, that’s fine with me. As long as I can expect that behavior. But currently the law says that they should stop. So when I approach a 4-way stop (which I do every day) and I have the right of way but a bicyclist is approaching from an opposing direction (every other day), I expect that the bicyclist won’t enter the intersection before I do. That doesn’t always happen, so like joe_glow I get irritated. But I let them go. As Xylenz said, the laws of physics are the highest and most painful in the land.
So as our collective transportation administrations encourage more bicycling, I would like to see some of that effort put towards cyclist and driver education, including proper etiquette when the road is being shared. And some money, not a lot, should be spent on enforcing the laws that are in place to remind us of that etiquette. Lack of enforcement leaves a vacuum in which people can favor their own needs over others, which irritates other people, which leads to disagreements and bad behavior, which leads to… rambling posts like this one.
Posted by: AJ
03/19/10
4:12 pm
As an enthusiastic driver, and occasional cyclist, I fully endorse this measure precisely how it is worded. Favoring cyclists and/or pedestrians over the automobile is retarded, cars are far too ubiquitous, practical and fundamentally essential to how this country functions to be relegated to the back seat. Providing space for pedestrians and cyclists to operate is a reasonable measure to decrease congestion and improve safety.
.
Also, there is no reason to prosecute a cyclist for violating traffic laws UNLESS his actions endanger others, even if that endangerment is caused by someone else’s desire to avoid turning the aforementioned cyclist into a smear of chunky, red goo. For example, running a red light after checking that the cross street is clear is fine (and should be for a car, as well); running a red light and causing the person that has a green to slam on their brakes should be a ticket-able offense.
Posted by: JBob
03/19/10
4:16 pm
I live in Phoenix, Arizona.. and the only good place to ride ones bike is along the canals. These provide ‘underpasses’ that allow runners, bikers, baby walkers, skateboarders etc to avoid intersections all together.
Only problem, they only go East/West not North/South, and they don’t cover a good chunk of the city. But they are safe, and make the commute to work a heckuva lot nicer than rush hour traffic.
Car to work = 30 minutes
Bike to work = 45 minutes + health benefits + scenic view = A great trip!
Posted by: connacht
03/19/10
4:50 pm
@country-mouse
EXACTLY!!!! If they are now looked at as “equals” then they need to pay for registration at the least. As far as I’m concerned if a bike wants to use a road meant mainly for automobile traffic they must also be mandated to pay for insurance. But let’s start with registration. Want bike ways and trails? FINE. YOU PAY FOR IT.
Posted by: philthered
03/19/10
4:58 pm
@connacht
I do pay for the bike infrastructure. I pay taxes just like any driver. And I use significantly less resources than your average driver.
All registration would do is create a massive burden to license and tax bikes, while at the same time discouraging the most efficient way to travel.
Posted by: connacht
03/19/10
5:01 pm
@philthered
WRONG. Example: Davis, CA. Almost all the college students in that town ride bikes and DO NOT OWN CARS. Yet they are allowed to use the road, sidewalks, trails, at no cost. This is only possible because other people who pay registration and tax on their cars are paying for the students use of it with their bicycles. If they want to vote and have a say on how the money is spent then they should pay into it themselves instead chosing how to spend other people’s money.
Posted by: Bick66
03/19/10
5:14 pm
“This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”
This is total BS! If cyclists are going to have equal rights on the road then they should have to get a license and pay to have their bikes registered. Why should they get equal right and not pay to use the roads like the rest of the motoring public. I’m all for less cars on the road because it means a cleaner air and less traffic but come on, make them pay too! It should be a small fee, much less than a car but nonetheless they should have to pay something even if it’s only 5 or 10 dollars a year.
Cyclists should also have to be licensed to show that they know the rules of the road and ticketed for traffic violations!
Posted by: philthered
03/19/10
5:18 pm
@connacht
By your logic, pedestrians should also have to pay for registration.
.
Your driving is HEAVILY subsidized by my tax dollars. Gas taxes and registration only pay for a small percentage of road construction and maintenance. The rest comes from general funds that everyone pays like property taxes, income tax, and sales tax.
.
And do you live in Davis? Would you rather each one of those students drive a car? And fill your city with traffic, pollution, and all the other externalities that you as a driver aren’t expected to pay for?
Posted by: Zombowski
03/19/10
5:22 pm
Share the Road… with cars!
Posted by: madpengwin
03/19/10
5:44 pm
bicyclists are the most arrogant pieces of crap youll ever have to deal with on the roads….it doesnt matter if the act of you colliding with something wont cause massive damage…but the way you idiots ride can cause two much larger vehicles to collide through no fault of their own….i wish as a driver i was able to choose when i want to obey the laws of the road
Posted by: HarryTuttle
03/19/10
5:49 pm
Why do some bicyclists dress like they are in the Tour de France? That is hilarious. “Buffy, look at me, I look like I’m a professional racer.”
Look at the idiot in the top photo. Oh, reeeeeeeeally? Oh, do yaaaa?
Posted by: jrgruff
03/19/10
6:15 pm
To the people who say cyclists should pay their fair share:
We already do - only a very small percentage of road costs are maintained by car registration, fees and gas taxes. We all pay our taxes, and bicycles cause FAR less destruction to road services and don’t pollute the environment or congest the roads.
To the people who say cyclists need to be prosecuted for law-breaking the same as cars:
They are, motorists break laws just as often, you just notice it more when a cyclist does it becuase you aren’t expecting a bicycle on the road as often. Also, consider the possible consequences of a bicycle blowing through a stop sign. Now consider the possible consequences of a car doing the same… get my point?
@HarryTuttle: Yes, we do look silly and stupid in lycra or spandex, but have you ever ridden more than 10-15 miles on a bike without stopping? How about at above 20mph? Have you really? Try it in jeans sometime - I feel sorry for your arse and your newly holed pair of jeans if you’re doing that on a daily basis.
Posted by: coldSteel
03/19/10
6:42 pm
For those who think riding a bike in traffic is like a car GET EDUCATED. I ride a bike to/from work occasionally and sometimes I roll through stop signs and red lights. Why? Because when I come to a complete stop it takes a lot more time to get back up to speed which slows others down. It actually keeps traffic flowing by rolling through. Now, I do this after looking both ways and only proceeding when safe. If you are envious of my ability to do this, why not try it yourself and see how much better it is NOT sitting there at a light with no traffic coming the other way. Why is a car “freedom” when you sit in stalled traffic, pay higher and higher prices for gas, insurance, parking and the cars themselves? All this while your weight balloons, costing me more money to treat your impending diabetes and heart disease. For every pedal stroke I make, I’m saving you money. You should be thanking me and others like me. Many cyclists have cars too and pay taxes just like you. We do however cause less wear and tear on the roads and do not pollute our air. If more people biked to work, you would probably get there faster unless you live an ungodly distance away. My commute by car is 15-20 minutes (10 miles). By bike 25-30 because I can go where cars can’t (all public pathways) and I’m not sitting a lights for 5 minutes a time when I simply need to turn right and the guy in front of me needs to go straight. That’s the advantage of being less than 2 feet vs 5-6 feet wide. Those clothes we wear are for your benefit so you can see us. Maybe if you rode more, you could wear lycra with pride. It’s function over form.
Posted by: JBob
03/19/10
7:28 pm
@theneo
I’ll text you when those driving autos do the same… shyeah!
Nothing schools a person better on efficiency then riding a bike in a headwind. The attire looks silly, but its effective.. and the old dude on the bike most likely would wipe the floor with you on strength and endurance.
Now go back to eating your pig skins!
Posted by: mystixa
03/19/10
7:31 pm
weak.
cars pay for the infratructure they use. At least thats what all the propaganda is about these piles of licenses and fuel tax that we pay.
I rode a bike for years as my sole transportation.. the biggest truth about that. Bikes != cars
You get in a wreck with a car, the bike loses. You may get compensated legally, but money doesnt really pay for pain. The bike rider loses.
Our cities do need to be more people friendly this is true. Federal dollars have little to say about local city planning though, so this kind of decision is rediculous.
Posted by: estolinski
03/19/10
8:26 pm
If bikers didn’t dress so flamboyantly I personally wouldn’t have a problem. But c’mon! How fast is that guy gonna go on a downtown street stopping every 500 yards at a stop light to justify wearing that get up?
Posted by: dr2chase
03/19/10
9:41 pm
“If bikers didn’t dress so flamboyantly I personally wouldn’t have a problem…”
You know, you’re wearing a 2000-lb motorized metal jumpsuit. Do we really want to go there, what with the trucks with hoods designed to look like foreskins, truck nuts, fins, spoilers, and those eye-liner LED lights that seem to be the new fashion? And the variations on Calvin pissing on other brands of automobile, and the gratuitous trucker-lady mudflaps, and all the magnetic yellow ribbons, and the wind-shredded American flags? Y’all are real fashionable, yes indeed.
And for reference, I ride in a variety of clothing, sometimes jeans, sometimes tights, rarely a fancy jersey. The time saved by switching in and out of tights on a 10-mile ride is about the same as the time it takes to put them on and off, so it is purely a comfort thing.
Posted by: jerkSack
03/19/10
10:21 pm
about f**kin time
Posted by: JustinWhitlow
03/19/10
10:37 pm
Yawn! Don’t they have anything better to to with their time? Seriously.
Lou
anonymous-VPN.eu.tc
Posted by: tinkerer13
03/19/10
11:21 pm
Excellent! More targets! Fucking bikers, get out of my way or you’ll just be a greasy streak with spokes sticking out.
Posted by: Neal
03/19/10
11:23 pm
I bike and I drive. I live in Portland and I both ride and drive and I think this new way of thinking is good where it will make sense such as urban centers ext. Its something that’s been happening in Portland for a long time.
For those bikers out there who think they don’t have to follow traffic laws especially downtown are the ones who gives bikers the bad wrap and more often then not they don’t run a light or follow the right of ways in 4 way stops because there trying to save themselves from being hit form a car there doing it because they can and I don’t know how many times Ive almost hit a fellow biker because of there ignorance. You are safer following the traffic laws then not and when appropriate flipping off cars who don’t treat you as a part of that flow.
Posted by: Neal
03/19/10
11:24 pm
Also bicyclists who look like the guy in the pic better be racing/training otherwise there tools.
Posted by: sdab
03/19/10
11:37 pm
I like to bike. But there are numb nutz everywhere out there.
This winter some militant cyclist was biking to work every day - even in the snow at 6 AM - totally dark on a 50 mph roadway. Tiny blinking red light protecting him.
Back when cars and bikes traveled the same approximate speeds shared access made sense. On 5 lane major arteries, laws treating a bike equivalent to a auto just makes no sense. Funding for separate and better access to places makes sense.
Mixing not so much.
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Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/lahood-policy-statement/#ixzz0igiam7OD
In what amounts to a sea change for the Department of Transportation, the automobile will no longer be the prime consideration in federal transportation planning. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the needs of pedestrians and cyclists will be considered along with those of motorists, and he makes it clear that walking and riding are “an important component for livable communities.”
“People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning,” LaHood wrote on his blog. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”
He goes on:
We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
LaHood’s announcement came on the heels of his appearance at the National Bike Summit, where he was greeted like a rock star and told the crowd, “Our mission is the same as your mission,” and “I think we’re beginning to put our money where our mouth is on these issues.”
And how.
The new policy falls in line with changes the Obama Administration has enacted in the past year. In June, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The partnership will coordinate polices to “help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.” LaHood’s announcement is a step toward that goal.
What his policy statement effectively says is multimodal transportation (meaning pedestrians and cyclists) will be an “equal” part of all new infrastructure projects getting funding from Washington.
“Walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use,” reads the introduction to the policy statement. “Legislation and regulations exist that require inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian policies and projects into transportation plans and project development. Accordingly, transportation agencies should plan, fund, and implement improvements to their walking and bicycling networks, including linkages to transit.”
Does this mean every new project will have to consider bicycles and pedestrians as equals to automobiles? Not exactly. States and local governments can, of course, create infrastructure outside the policy if they aren’t using federal funds. That said, when it comes to doling out federal transportation funds, projects that adhere to the new policy statement will be given a higher priority, so it is within the best interests of cities and states to adhere to it. With a new transportation bill looming that could reach a half trillion dollars, anyone wanting a piece of the pie will have to take pedestrians and cyclists into account. Call it a carrot-and-stick approach.
This doesn’t mean you”ll see bike lanes on that new expressway through town. The feds are still going to bankroll conventional roads and highways and so forth. But you’ll see bicycle connection points to these roads, such as trails and shared use pathways to create multimodal transportation.
Beyond making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to get around, the move is intended to make it safer for them to get around. A report released late last year by Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership found more than 43,000 pedestrians nationwide have died since 2000 on roads the authors complain don’t provide adequate crosswalks and other safety features. The authors say states aren’t spending enough to make roads safer for people who are on foot, on a bike or in a wheelchair.
“This is an issue that has been ignored far too long, even as thousands have died or been injured unnecessarily just by doing something as simple as trying to cross the street,” James Corless, director of Transportation for America, said in the T4A blog. “We thank Secretary Lahood for his leadership at DOT and for elevating this urgent issue to the level of prominence that it deserves.”
To that end, the Department of Transportation establishes general recommended actions local governments and transportation agencies should follow to create transportation parity for pedestrians and cyclists. What’s more, the projects must be accessible to all, and they must plan for future growth and demand. “It is more effective to plan for increased usage than to retrofit an older facility,” the policy states.
Some of LaHood’s specific recommendations include integrating bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new, rehabilitated and limited-access bridges. Secretary LaHood also wants more tracking of non-motorized transportation, long-term maintenance and snow removal on existing infrastructure and improved transportation arrangements for bicycles and pedestrians during the construction and rehabilitation of projects.
Given that building highways costs 10 times more (.pdf) more than shared-use pathways, cities could see significant savings. LaHood summed up the outcome of the new policy best when he said it will promote “cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities.”
Photo of a cyclist on New York’s Upper West Side: Ed Yourdon / Flickr
Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/lahood-policy-statement/#ixzz0ighnAFnM
12:48 pm
Categories: Infrastructure
At long last, the feds have said the needs of pedestrians and cyclists must be placed alongside, not behind, those of motorists.
In what amounts to a sea change for the Department of Transportation, the automobile will no longer be the prime consideration in federal transportation planning. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the needs of pedestrians and cyclists will be considered along with those of motorists, and he makes it clear that walking and riding are “an important component for livable communities.”
“People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning,” LaHood wrote on his blog. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”
He goes on:
We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
LaHood’s announcement came on the heels of his appearance at the National Bike Summit, where he was greeted like a rock star and told the crowd, “Our mission is the same as your mission,” and “I think we’re beginning to put our money where our mouth is on these issues.”
And how.
The new policy falls in line with changes the Obama Administration has enacted in the past year. In June, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The partnership will coordinate polices to “help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.” LaHood’s announcement is a step toward that goal.
What his policy statement effectively says is multimodal transportation (meaning pedestrians and cyclists) will be an “equal” part of all new infrastructure projects getting funding from Washington.
“Walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use,” reads the introduction to the policy statement. “Legislation and regulations exist that require inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian policies and projects into transportation plans and project development. Accordingly, transportation agencies should plan, fund, and implement improvements to their walking and bicycling networks, including linkages to transit.”
Does this mean every new project will have to consider bicycles and pedestrians as equals to automobiles? Not exactly. States and local governments can, of course, create infrastructure outside the policy if they aren’t using federal funds. That said, when it comes to doling out federal transportation funds, projects that adhere to the new policy statement will be given a higher priority, so it is within the best interests of cities and states to adhere to it. With a new transportation bill looming that could reach a half trillion dollars, anyone wanting a piece of the pie will have to take pedestrians and cyclists into account. Call it a carrot-and-stick approach.
This doesn’t mean you”ll see bike lanes on that new expressway through town. The feds are still going to bankroll conventional roads and highways and so forth. But you’ll see bicycle connection points to these roads, such as trails and shared use pathways to create multimodal transportation.
Beyond making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to get around, the move is intended to make it safer for them to get around. A report released late last year by Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership found more than 43,000 pedestrians nationwide have died since 2000 on roads the authors complain don’t provide adequate crosswalks and other safety features. The authors say states aren’t spending enough to make roads safer for people who are on foot, on a bike or in a wheelchair.
“This is an issue that has been ignored far too long, even as thousands have died or been injured unnecessarily just by doing something as simple as trying to cross the street,” James Corless, director of Transportation for America, said in the T4A blog. “We thank Secretary Lahood for his leadership at DOT and for elevating this urgent issue to the level of prominence that it deserves.”
To that end, the Department of Transportation establishes general recommended actions local governments and transportation agencies should follow to create transportation parity for pedestrians and cyclists. What’s more, the projects must be accessible to all, and they must plan for future growth and demand. “It is more effective to plan for increased usage than to retrofit an older facility,” the policy states.
Some of LaHood’s specific recommendations include integrating bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new, rehabilitated and limited-access bridges. Secretary LaHood also wants more tracking of non-motorized transportation, long-term maintenance and snow removal on existing infrastructure and improved transportation arrangements for bicycles and pedestrians during the construction and rehabilitation of projects.
Given that building highways costs 10 times more (.pdf) more than shared-use pathways, cities could see significant savings. LaHood summed up the outcome of the new policy best when he said it will promote “cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities.”
Photo of a cyclist on New York’s Upper West Side: Ed Yourdon / Flickr
Photo of a pedestrian in a crosswalk: Mad African!: (Broken Sword) / Flickr
See Also:
Fun Times Ahead As Transportation Bill Takes Shape
At Long Last, Progress On a Transportation Bill
City Streets a Mortal Threat to Pedestrians
Complete Streets Are Great Streets With Room for All
Tags: Bicycles, Infrastructure, pedestrians, Policy, Streets & Highways Post Comment
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Related Topics: Ray LaHood, Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, United States, Bicycling, Culture and Lifestyle
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Posted by: Heffay
03/19/10
1:08 pm
This makes me very happy. So many roads out there that are impractical to use as a bike commuter. Hopefully this will get a lot of roads retrofitted to support multi-mode travel.
Posted by: diginess
03/19/10
2:11 pm
Good deal, there’s too many cities which you cannot traverse easily on foot. Basically this forces people to use vehicles even for short transits. Biking is also much too dangerous.
Posted by: slave138
03/19/10
2:15 pm
I’m hoping this means the cyclists will start being prosecuted for traffic infractions just like any other transportation. No more bikers flying down the sidewalks, running stop signs and red lights, going the wrong way down a one-way road, etc… Once they are given equal consideration, they can start showing equal responsibility when operating their vehicles.
Posted by: dr2chase
03/19/10
2:23 pm
Equality’s a start. Peds best, bikes best, cars last.
Posted by: joe_glow
03/19/10
2:33 pm
@slave138 I get really irritated when I see cyclists being rude to pedestrians, weaving through traffic, ignoring drivers’ right-of-way, etc., but it would be a massive waste of time and money to prosecute bike infractions at the same level as car infractions. No matter what it’s doing, a bike simply isn’t even remotely as dangerous as a car. A cyclist safely running a red light just isn’t a big deal.
Posted by: eldub
03/19/10
2:38 pm
@dr2chase
I’ll second that. We’re not really doing the right thing until pedestrian and non-motorized traffic is given higher priority than polluting, life-threatening, waistline-ballooning motorized traffic. We’ve still got a long road ahead.
Posted by: eldub
03/19/10
2:42 pm
P.S. I forgot to mention the absurd amount of space that motorized transportation consumes.
Posted by: Scatcatpdx
03/19/10
2:45 pm
Greeting from eh fascist state of Portland Oregon. I see they are adopting Portland Metro’s outlook on autos. The truth is Autos meas freedom. I do not have to depend on where I live to get to a job or entertainment. I do not have to depend on the state for my transportation needs. A bike may be good exercise but rotten transportation policy and shekel to freedom.
Posted by: tbuskey
03/19/10
3:12 pm
Yay! But when they say things have been done in favor of Motorized vehicles, they really mean automobiles and sometimes trucks.
I ride motorcycles and some of the roads are dangerous for us too.
Pedestrians should come 1st. I’m tired of driving my car from one mall to the next one 100 yards away because there’s no sidewalk or crosswalks to get there through 40 mph traffic. I worry about my kids or myself getting hit.
Bicyclists often ride differently then the autos because the road has obstacles, the autos are in the bike lines (if they exist) or there is no other way to get from point to point. Most roads are designed exclusively for autos going 40 mph.
Posted by: youdbehotterifnaked
03/19/10
3:13 pm
If all bike riders are going to look like that guy, I am boycotting this.
Posted by: country-mouse
03/19/10
3:16 pm
if you get rid of cars, who is going to pay for the bike ways?
share the road, share the cost.
Posted by: trout007
03/19/10
3:19 pm
Just a way to funnel money towards urban communities. This means that rural projects are put on a back burner because nobody in their right mind is going to create a long country road with a bike lane.
This is a good policy for urban areas though. It is dumb to build a city around roads. But favoring projects that consider each method equal will make sure most money heads towards cities.
Posted by: rofllolhaha
03/19/10
3:20 pm
@scatcatpdx
“The truth is Autos meas freedom. I do not have to depend on where I live to get to a job or entertainment. I do not have to depend on the state for my transportation needs.”
hahahahahahaaha. I hope you’re being sarcastic. If not, well… did you personally build the roads you’re traveling on? Oh right, no, you didn’t. The state or federal government did. Looks like you’re dependent on the state. Freedom? Right. Sitting in traffic and hunting for parking spaces is so liberating! Dealing with auto insurance, flat tires, collisions, etc definitely means freedom. What do other people pay for your freedom? I bet the neighborhoods that were flattened and divided for your expressways do not like the toxic smells and noise of your freedom. What about the fuel of your freedom? Even if you have an electric vehicle, it is still a huge waste of space and requires large, often subsidized, expensive parking facilities. If you use petrol, your vehicle requires imported oil and I’m sure you know the consequences of being so dependent on that resource. Like it or not, your auto is not some individualistic freedom machine. Like the state-subsidized freeways you use, it is part of a network of dependence; dependence from local, state, federal, and foreign governments.
Posted by: arosier
03/19/10
3:20 pm
and skateboarders still have no rights
Posted by: joe_glow
03/19/10
3:28 pm
@Scatcatpdx: You’re totally right that cars and highways give us a kind of freedom that humanity has never known before. But you should be aware just how dependent you are on the government for that freedom: in 2009 the federal government spent $40 billion on highways, about $10 billion on oil and gas subsidies, and pushing $130 billion bailing out the auto industry. You also have to add state expenses to that and, some would say, untold billions the military spends protecting our oil interests. All I’m saying is, you are very, very dependent on the state for your transportation freedom.
A bike may not get you there as fast, but it doesn’t need roads or gas to do it. That’s freedom!
Posted by: Oryansnebula
03/19/10
3:34 pm
To those who feel cyclists should be prosecuted equally for running red lights, riding on sidewalks, etc… you probably don’t ride your bikes around all the time.
Regardless of what the law states, cyclists and automobiles are very different physical forms with much different consequences in the event of an accident. A car is a two ton or greater hunk of metal in which occupants are secured with safety belts and protected by crumple zones and various other safety features. A cyclist is a two hundred pound mass of mostly flesh with no built-in passenger protection. How then would a collision between these two entities constitute equality on both sides of the equation?
I know there are cyclists out there who do crazy things and scare the shit out of drivers, but there are many more that break traffic laws cautiously to protect themselves and make cycling a less disadvantaged mode of transportation than it already is.
And to those who say cars enable freedom, that statement is only partly true. When you live in a big city and have to spend an hour bumper-to-bumper on a freeway, you might see cars as more of a prison than an enabler of freedom. The libertarian mindset that we’re all “free” from one another is utterly insane.
Posted by: Xylenz
03/19/10
3:34 pm
There is one law that supersedes ALL traffic laws, even this one. Its the law of physics. The law of physics gives both corporal and captial punishment to bikers and pedestrians hit by cars under any circumstances. There is no jury or police. There are no appeals or debate possible. Sentence is carried out immediately. Dont believe that this federal law protects you. According to the highest law, if you are smaller then you are dead wrong.
Posted by: theneo
03/19/10
3:42 pm
Call me when cyclists start following the rules of the road.
/anyone who knowingly goes out into public wearing that shit shouldn’t be on the road anyhow
Posted by: theneo
03/19/10
3:44 pm
@Oryansnebula
Does this mean I can hop on my Rascal and start blowing through red lights as I see fit?
Posted by: samagon
03/19/10
3:56 pm
Call me when automobile drivers start following the rules of the road.
Go the speed limit? Who even thinks about it unless they see a cop?
Use turn signals? Ha, why do cars even get fitted with them any more?
Stop at a stop sign? Come to a complete stop before a right turn? Yeah right.
.
Don’t expect other modes of transportation to follow rules when you don’t either.
Posted by: dr2chase
03/19/10
3:57 pm
” and skateboarders still have no rights ”
fit you guys in between peds and bikes, how’s that?
and segways between bikes and cars, on account of they are heavy, wide, and clumsy.
not sure where we put the rollerbladers.
The roads were initially paved for bikes; the roads most bikes ride on, are paid for by property taxes (certainly where I live) not gas taxes; and bicycles wear out roads at a fraction of the rate that cars and trucks do. Bikes do less harm in crashes, and they don’t break traffic laws more often than cars do, they just break different ones (speeding, slopping over stop lines, and rolling stops are the three biggies for cars, along with failure to obey lane-related rules).
Posted by: GalapagosJ
03/19/10
4:00 pm
@joe_glow & @Oryansnebula - Penalizing cyclists is less about enforcing rules that may not be practically applicable for bicycles and more about ensuring safety by encouraging cyclists to behave predictably, as drivers must. Whether or not they want to, cyclists share the road with drivers. (See how I turned the typical use of that phrase around? Hey now!)
If my state (Washington) wants to pass a law that says bicyclists don’t have to stop at stop signs or red lights, that’s fine with me. As long as I can expect that behavior. But currently the law says that they should stop. So when I approach a 4-way stop (which I do every day) and I have the right of way but a bicyclist is approaching from an opposing direction (every other day), I expect that the bicyclist won’t enter the intersection before I do. That doesn’t always happen, so like joe_glow I get irritated. But I let them go. As Xylenz said, the laws of physics are the highest and most painful in the land.
So as our collective transportation administrations encourage more bicycling, I would like to see some of that effort put towards cyclist and driver education, including proper etiquette when the road is being shared. And some money, not a lot, should be spent on enforcing the laws that are in place to remind us of that etiquette. Lack of enforcement leaves a vacuum in which people can favor their own needs over others, which irritates other people, which leads to disagreements and bad behavior, which leads to… rambling posts like this one.
Posted by: AJ
03/19/10
4:12 pm
As an enthusiastic driver, and occasional cyclist, I fully endorse this measure precisely how it is worded. Favoring cyclists and/or pedestrians over the automobile is retarded, cars are far too ubiquitous, practical and fundamentally essential to how this country functions to be relegated to the back seat. Providing space for pedestrians and cyclists to operate is a reasonable measure to decrease congestion and improve safety.
.
Also, there is no reason to prosecute a cyclist for violating traffic laws UNLESS his actions endanger others, even if that endangerment is caused by someone else’s desire to avoid turning the aforementioned cyclist into a smear of chunky, red goo. For example, running a red light after checking that the cross street is clear is fine (and should be for a car, as well); running a red light and causing the person that has a green to slam on their brakes should be a ticket-able offense.
Posted by: JBob
03/19/10
4:16 pm
I live in Phoenix, Arizona.. and the only good place to ride ones bike is along the canals. These provide ‘underpasses’ that allow runners, bikers, baby walkers, skateboarders etc to avoid intersections all together.
Only problem, they only go East/West not North/South, and they don’t cover a good chunk of the city. But they are safe, and make the commute to work a heckuva lot nicer than rush hour traffic.
Car to work = 30 minutes
Bike to work = 45 minutes + health benefits + scenic view = A great trip!
Posted by: connacht
03/19/10
4:50 pm
@country-mouse
EXACTLY!!!! If they are now looked at as “equals” then they need to pay for registration at the least. As far as I’m concerned if a bike wants to use a road meant mainly for automobile traffic they must also be mandated to pay for insurance. But let’s start with registration. Want bike ways and trails? FINE. YOU PAY FOR IT.
Posted by: philthered
03/19/10
4:58 pm
@connacht
I do pay for the bike infrastructure. I pay taxes just like any driver. And I use significantly less resources than your average driver.
All registration would do is create a massive burden to license and tax bikes, while at the same time discouraging the most efficient way to travel.
Posted by: connacht
03/19/10
5:01 pm
@philthered
WRONG. Example: Davis, CA. Almost all the college students in that town ride bikes and DO NOT OWN CARS. Yet they are allowed to use the road, sidewalks, trails, at no cost. This is only possible because other people who pay registration and tax on their cars are paying for the students use of it with their bicycles. If they want to vote and have a say on how the money is spent then they should pay into it themselves instead chosing how to spend other people’s money.
Posted by: Bick66
03/19/10
5:14 pm
“This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”
This is total BS! If cyclists are going to have equal rights on the road then they should have to get a license and pay to have their bikes registered. Why should they get equal right and not pay to use the roads like the rest of the motoring public. I’m all for less cars on the road because it means a cleaner air and less traffic but come on, make them pay too! It should be a small fee, much less than a car but nonetheless they should have to pay something even if it’s only 5 or 10 dollars a year.
Cyclists should also have to be licensed to show that they know the rules of the road and ticketed for traffic violations!
Posted by: philthered
03/19/10
5:18 pm
@connacht
By your logic, pedestrians should also have to pay for registration.
.
Your driving is HEAVILY subsidized by my tax dollars. Gas taxes and registration only pay for a small percentage of road construction and maintenance. The rest comes from general funds that everyone pays like property taxes, income tax, and sales tax.
.
And do you live in Davis? Would you rather each one of those students drive a car? And fill your city with traffic, pollution, and all the other externalities that you as a driver aren’t expected to pay for?
Posted by: Zombowski
03/19/10
5:22 pm
Share the Road… with cars!
Posted by: madpengwin
03/19/10
5:44 pm
bicyclists are the most arrogant pieces of crap youll ever have to deal with on the roads….it doesnt matter if the act of you colliding with something wont cause massive damage…but the way you idiots ride can cause two much larger vehicles to collide through no fault of their own….i wish as a driver i was able to choose when i want to obey the laws of the road
Posted by: HarryTuttle
03/19/10
5:49 pm
Why do some bicyclists dress like they are in the Tour de France? That is hilarious. “Buffy, look at me, I look like I’m a professional racer.”
Look at the idiot in the top photo. Oh, reeeeeeeeally? Oh, do yaaaa?
Posted by: jrgruff
03/19/10
6:15 pm
To the people who say cyclists should pay their fair share:
We already do - only a very small percentage of road costs are maintained by car registration, fees and gas taxes. We all pay our taxes, and bicycles cause FAR less destruction to road services and don’t pollute the environment or congest the roads.
To the people who say cyclists need to be prosecuted for law-breaking the same as cars:
They are, motorists break laws just as often, you just notice it more when a cyclist does it becuase you aren’t expecting a bicycle on the road as often. Also, consider the possible consequences of a bicycle blowing through a stop sign. Now consider the possible consequences of a car doing the same… get my point?
@HarryTuttle: Yes, we do look silly and stupid in lycra or spandex, but have you ever ridden more than 10-15 miles on a bike without stopping? How about at above 20mph? Have you really? Try it in jeans sometime - I feel sorry for your arse and your newly holed pair of jeans if you’re doing that on a daily basis.
Posted by: coldSteel
03/19/10
6:42 pm
For those who think riding a bike in traffic is like a car GET EDUCATED. I ride a bike to/from work occasionally and sometimes I roll through stop signs and red lights. Why? Because when I come to a complete stop it takes a lot more time to get back up to speed which slows others down. It actually keeps traffic flowing by rolling through. Now, I do this after looking both ways and only proceeding when safe. If you are envious of my ability to do this, why not try it yourself and see how much better it is NOT sitting there at a light with no traffic coming the other way. Why is a car “freedom” when you sit in stalled traffic, pay higher and higher prices for gas, insurance, parking and the cars themselves? All this while your weight balloons, costing me more money to treat your impending diabetes and heart disease. For every pedal stroke I make, I’m saving you money. You should be thanking me and others like me. Many cyclists have cars too and pay taxes just like you. We do however cause less wear and tear on the roads and do not pollute our air. If more people biked to work, you would probably get there faster unless you live an ungodly distance away. My commute by car is 15-20 minutes (10 miles). By bike 25-30 because I can go where cars can’t (all public pathways) and I’m not sitting a lights for 5 minutes a time when I simply need to turn right and the guy in front of me needs to go straight. That’s the advantage of being less than 2 feet vs 5-6 feet wide. Those clothes we wear are for your benefit so you can see us. Maybe if you rode more, you could wear lycra with pride. It’s function over form.
Posted by: JBob
03/19/10
7:28 pm
@theneo
I’ll text you when those driving autos do the same… shyeah!
Nothing schools a person better on efficiency then riding a bike in a headwind. The attire looks silly, but its effective.. and the old dude on the bike most likely would wipe the floor with you on strength and endurance.
Now go back to eating your pig skins!
Posted by: mystixa
03/19/10
7:31 pm
weak.
cars pay for the infratructure they use. At least thats what all the propaganda is about these piles of licenses and fuel tax that we pay.
I rode a bike for years as my sole transportation.. the biggest truth about that. Bikes != cars
You get in a wreck with a car, the bike loses. You may get compensated legally, but money doesnt really pay for pain. The bike rider loses.
Our cities do need to be more people friendly this is true. Federal dollars have little to say about local city planning though, so this kind of decision is rediculous.
Posted by: estolinski
03/19/10
8:26 pm
If bikers didn’t dress so flamboyantly I personally wouldn’t have a problem. But c’mon! How fast is that guy gonna go on a downtown street stopping every 500 yards at a stop light to justify wearing that get up?
Posted by: dr2chase
03/19/10
9:41 pm
“If bikers didn’t dress so flamboyantly I personally wouldn’t have a problem…”
You know, you’re wearing a 2000-lb motorized metal jumpsuit. Do we really want to go there, what with the trucks with hoods designed to look like foreskins, truck nuts, fins, spoilers, and those eye-liner LED lights that seem to be the new fashion? And the variations on Calvin pissing on other brands of automobile, and the gratuitous trucker-lady mudflaps, and all the magnetic yellow ribbons, and the wind-shredded American flags? Y’all are real fashionable, yes indeed.
And for reference, I ride in a variety of clothing, sometimes jeans, sometimes tights, rarely a fancy jersey. The time saved by switching in and out of tights on a 10-mile ride is about the same as the time it takes to put them on and off, so it is purely a comfort thing.
Posted by: jerkSack
03/19/10
10:21 pm
about f**kin time
Posted by: JustinWhitlow
03/19/10
10:37 pm
Yawn! Don’t they have anything better to to with their time? Seriously.
Lou
anonymous-VPN.eu.tc
Posted by: tinkerer13
03/19/10
11:21 pm
Excellent! More targets! Fucking bikers, get out of my way or you’ll just be a greasy streak with spokes sticking out.
Posted by: Neal
03/19/10
11:23 pm
I bike and I drive. I live in Portland and I both ride and drive and I think this new way of thinking is good where it will make sense such as urban centers ext. Its something that’s been happening in Portland for a long time.
For those bikers out there who think they don’t have to follow traffic laws especially downtown are the ones who gives bikers the bad wrap and more often then not they don’t run a light or follow the right of ways in 4 way stops because there trying to save themselves from being hit form a car there doing it because they can and I don’t know how many times Ive almost hit a fellow biker because of there ignorance. You are safer following the traffic laws then not and when appropriate flipping off cars who don’t treat you as a part of that flow.
Posted by: Neal
03/19/10
11:24 pm
Also bicyclists who look like the guy in the pic better be racing/training otherwise there tools.
Posted by: sdab
03/19/10
11:37 pm
I like to bike. But there are numb nutz everywhere out there.
This winter some militant cyclist was biking to work every day - even in the snow at 6 AM - totally dark on a 50 mph roadway. Tiny blinking red light protecting him.
Back when cars and bikes traveled the same approximate speeds shared access made sense. On 5 lane major arteries, laws treating a bike equivalent to a auto just makes no sense. Funding for separate and better access to places makes sense.
Mixing not so much.
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Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/lahood-policy-statement/#ixzz0igiam7OD
Thursday, March 18, 2010
غياب مبارك عن شاشات التلفزيون يثير قلق المصريين حول صحته
القاهرة - أ ف ب
سجّلت البورصة المصرية الاثنين 15-3-2010 هبوطاً هو الأكبر من نوعه منذ كانون الاول (ديسمبر) الماضي في مناخ اتسم، حسب محللين ماليين ومتعاملين، بتساؤلات حول صحة الرئيس حسني مبارك الذي لم يظهر علناً منذ الجراحة التي اجريت له في السادس من الشهر الجاري في ألمانيا.
وسجل مؤشر اي جي اكس-30 عند الاقفال انخفاضاً بنسبة 3,84% بعد ان سجل امس الاحد انخفاضاً بنسبة 2,4%.
وقال خبير في احدى شركات التداول طلب عدم ذكر اسمه، ان "حالة الترقب تسود بين المستثمرين المصريين بسبب القلق المتعلق بصحة الرئيس مبارك".
وقال محلل مالي آخر لا يريد كذلك الافصاح عن هويته ان "الانخفاض سيستمر ما لم يظهر الرئيس على شاشة التلفزيون"، معبراً بذلك عن وجهة نظر العديد من العاملين والمتعاملين في البورصة المصرية.
وكان مبارك (81 عاماً) أجرى في السادس من آذار (مارس) الجاري جراحة لاستئصال الحوصلة المرارية وزائدة لحمية في الاثني عشر في المستشفى الجامعي بمدينة هايدلبيرغ في ألمانيا، ومازال يتعافى هناك.
وأكدت البيانات التي صدرت عن الفريق الطبي منذ اجراء الجراحة انها تمت بنجاح وأن تحليل الانسجة المستأصلة اثبت انها حميدة، كما اشارت الى انه يتعافى بصورة مطمئنة.
وقال آخر بيان صحي أذاعته السلطات المصرية السبت الماضي نقل عن رئيس الفريق الطبي ماكسبوشلر إن مبارك "في حالة معنوية جيدة ويتمتع بروح الدعابة التي اعتادها مع فريقنا الطبي".
وأوضح البيان أن "قدرة الرئيس على الحركة تتحسن بشكل ملحوظ وجميع الفحوص والتحاليل المعملية التي اجريت لسيادته تسير نتائجها في الاتجاه الصحيح".
ولم يظهر الرئيس المصري علناً او في التلفزيون منذ ان اجريت له الجراحة، كما لم تنشر له اي صورة في المستشفى. ولم يعلن كذلك عن موعد عودته المرتقب للقاهرة.
وكتبت صحيفة "الدستور" المعارضة الاثنين في عنوانها الرئيس ان "مصر تنتظر صورة الرئيس مبارك من ألمانيا" بعد 10 أيام من إجرائه الجراحة.
وقالت الصحيفة، نقلاً عن "مصادر مطلعة، إن "الحالة الصحية للرئيس جيدة ومستقرة لكن في الوقت نفسه تم تأجيل بث صور او لقطات مصورة لضمان ظهوره في احسن حال".
وقال مذيع في التلفزيون الرسمي المصري إن الرئيس مبارك ربما يتحدث هاتفياً قريباً الى المصريين من غرفته في المستشفى.
وكان مبارك الذي يتولى السلطة في مصر منذ 29 عاماً، فوّض اختصاصاته الى رئيس الوزراء احمد نظيف الى ان يعود الى القاهرة.
ولم يعلن الرئيس المصري ما إذا كان يعتزم اعادة ترشيح نفسه لولاية سادسة في الانتخابات الرئاسية عام 2011 ام لا، كما لم يعلن ابنه جمال، الذي تقول الصحف إنه يسعى لخلافته، نواياه بهذا الشأن.
موقع العربية الاخباري
سجّلت البورصة المصرية الاثنين 15-3-2010 هبوطاً هو الأكبر من نوعه منذ كانون الاول (ديسمبر) الماضي في مناخ اتسم، حسب محللين ماليين ومتعاملين، بتساؤلات حول صحة الرئيس حسني مبارك الذي لم يظهر علناً منذ الجراحة التي اجريت له في السادس من الشهر الجاري في ألمانيا.
وسجل مؤشر اي جي اكس-30 عند الاقفال انخفاضاً بنسبة 3,84% بعد ان سجل امس الاحد انخفاضاً بنسبة 2,4%.
وقال خبير في احدى شركات التداول طلب عدم ذكر اسمه، ان "حالة الترقب تسود بين المستثمرين المصريين بسبب القلق المتعلق بصحة الرئيس مبارك".
وقال محلل مالي آخر لا يريد كذلك الافصاح عن هويته ان "الانخفاض سيستمر ما لم يظهر الرئيس على شاشة التلفزيون"، معبراً بذلك عن وجهة نظر العديد من العاملين والمتعاملين في البورصة المصرية.
وكان مبارك (81 عاماً) أجرى في السادس من آذار (مارس) الجاري جراحة لاستئصال الحوصلة المرارية وزائدة لحمية في الاثني عشر في المستشفى الجامعي بمدينة هايدلبيرغ في ألمانيا، ومازال يتعافى هناك.
وأكدت البيانات التي صدرت عن الفريق الطبي منذ اجراء الجراحة انها تمت بنجاح وأن تحليل الانسجة المستأصلة اثبت انها حميدة، كما اشارت الى انه يتعافى بصورة مطمئنة.
وقال آخر بيان صحي أذاعته السلطات المصرية السبت الماضي نقل عن رئيس الفريق الطبي ماكسبوشلر إن مبارك "في حالة معنوية جيدة ويتمتع بروح الدعابة التي اعتادها مع فريقنا الطبي".
وأوضح البيان أن "قدرة الرئيس على الحركة تتحسن بشكل ملحوظ وجميع الفحوص والتحاليل المعملية التي اجريت لسيادته تسير نتائجها في الاتجاه الصحيح".
ولم يظهر الرئيس المصري علناً او في التلفزيون منذ ان اجريت له الجراحة، كما لم تنشر له اي صورة في المستشفى. ولم يعلن كذلك عن موعد عودته المرتقب للقاهرة.
وكتبت صحيفة "الدستور" المعارضة الاثنين في عنوانها الرئيس ان "مصر تنتظر صورة الرئيس مبارك من ألمانيا" بعد 10 أيام من إجرائه الجراحة.
وقالت الصحيفة، نقلاً عن "مصادر مطلعة، إن "الحالة الصحية للرئيس جيدة ومستقرة لكن في الوقت نفسه تم تأجيل بث صور او لقطات مصورة لضمان ظهوره في احسن حال".
وقال مذيع في التلفزيون الرسمي المصري إن الرئيس مبارك ربما يتحدث هاتفياً قريباً الى المصريين من غرفته في المستشفى.
وكان مبارك الذي يتولى السلطة في مصر منذ 29 عاماً، فوّض اختصاصاته الى رئيس الوزراء احمد نظيف الى ان يعود الى القاهرة.
ولم يعلن الرئيس المصري ما إذا كان يعتزم اعادة ترشيح نفسه لولاية سادسة في الانتخابات الرئاسية عام 2011 ام لا، كما لم يعلن ابنه جمال، الذي تقول الصحف إنه يسعى لخلافته، نواياه بهذا الشأن.
موقع العربية الاخباري
مشعل من دمشق لـ المقدسيين: اصمدوا للحفاظ على الأقصى
حث خالد مشعل رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة المقاومة الإسلامية "حماس"، الفلسطينيين من سكان القدس على مواصلة الصمود وحماية المسجد الأقصى المبارك، قائلاً لهم إن الأمة الإسلامية تقف إلى جانبهم، إثر المواجهات العنيفة التي شهدتها الأربعاء بين الشبان فلسطينيين وقوات الاحتلال في أنحاء مختلفة من القدس، احتجاجًا على محاولة "إسرائيلية" محتملة لاقتحام الحرم القدسي لإقامة ما يسمى بـ "الهيكل" غداة تدشين كنيس الخراب.
ودعا الفلسطينيين في الضفة الغربية إلى تجاوز العوائق التي تحول دون الدفاع عن المقدسات، قائلا إن الشعب الفلسطيني في القدس "خُذل من أناس كان بإمكانهم أن يكونوا في الصف الأول فلم يفعلوا"، ملمحًا بذلك إلى السلطة الفلسطينية التي منعت الفلسطينيين من سكان الضفة من التوجه إلى القدس.
الصمود والاستبسال
وتوجه في كلمة من دمشق- خلال تأبين القيادي بـ "الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين- القيادة العامة" فضل شرورو في الذكرى السنوية الأولى لوفاته- إلى المقدسيين حاثًا إياهم على نصرة الأقصى وحماية المقدسات، قائلاً لهم: "بطن الأرض اليوم خير من ظهرها إذا بدأت معاول الهدم عملها في أساسات الأقصى، فواصلوا صمودكم وحمايتكم واستبسالكم يا أهل القدس ويا أهل 48، هذه لحظة تاريخية، والأمة معكم والعالم يشهد لحظة تحول في منطقة الشرط الأوسط، فلا تتوقفوا".
وقال متوجهًات للفلسطينيين بالضفة الغربية المحتلة، "الحر تكفيه الإشارة، القدس والأقصى ومقدساتنا الإسلامية والمسيحية أولاً، وكل العوائق أمام القدس والأقصى والمقدسات تبقى خلف ظهركم، تهون العوائق أمام القدس والأقصى والمقدسات".
دعوة "فتح"
وأطلق دعوة إلى أنصار حركة "فتح" إلى المشاركة في الفعاليات المنددة بالممارسات "الإسرائيلية" الأخيرة بالقدس، مشيدًا بما وصفه بـ "الصوت الصادق" من حاتم عبد القادر، وهو أحد أبرز قادة "فتح" في قطاع غزة.
وقال متوجهًا إلى حركة فتح "السلطة اليوم في الضفة الغربية وعنوانها الحقيقي سلام فياض تشوه الصورة الفلسطينية، تشوه تاريخنا ونضالنا الذي كنتم يا أهل فتح السباقين في إطلاق شرارته، فتعالوا معًا وجميع الفصائل يدًا بيد لنعيد المسيرة إلى نصابها، ولنقدم الوجه الحقيقي للقضية ولنقول رسالتنا المعبرة للصهاينة وللإدارة الأميركية".
وختم مشعل متوجهًا إلى الشعوب العربية والإسلامية بالقول "أدوا واجب الجهاد حيث أنتم فإسرائيل ليست موجودة فقط في القدس وفي الضفة وفلسطين، الخطر في كل مكان، فمن كان صادقاً في حبه للقدس عليه أن يؤدي صلاة الجهاد حيث هو".
الأربعاء, 17 مارس 2010 16:10 وطن
http://www.watan.com
ودعا الفلسطينيين في الضفة الغربية إلى تجاوز العوائق التي تحول دون الدفاع عن المقدسات، قائلا إن الشعب الفلسطيني في القدس "خُذل من أناس كان بإمكانهم أن يكونوا في الصف الأول فلم يفعلوا"، ملمحًا بذلك إلى السلطة الفلسطينية التي منعت الفلسطينيين من سكان الضفة من التوجه إلى القدس.
الصمود والاستبسال
وتوجه في كلمة من دمشق- خلال تأبين القيادي بـ "الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين- القيادة العامة" فضل شرورو في الذكرى السنوية الأولى لوفاته- إلى المقدسيين حاثًا إياهم على نصرة الأقصى وحماية المقدسات، قائلاً لهم: "بطن الأرض اليوم خير من ظهرها إذا بدأت معاول الهدم عملها في أساسات الأقصى، فواصلوا صمودكم وحمايتكم واستبسالكم يا أهل القدس ويا أهل 48، هذه لحظة تاريخية، والأمة معكم والعالم يشهد لحظة تحول في منطقة الشرط الأوسط، فلا تتوقفوا".
وقال متوجهًات للفلسطينيين بالضفة الغربية المحتلة، "الحر تكفيه الإشارة، القدس والأقصى ومقدساتنا الإسلامية والمسيحية أولاً، وكل العوائق أمام القدس والأقصى والمقدسات تبقى خلف ظهركم، تهون العوائق أمام القدس والأقصى والمقدسات".
دعوة "فتح"
وأطلق دعوة إلى أنصار حركة "فتح" إلى المشاركة في الفعاليات المنددة بالممارسات "الإسرائيلية" الأخيرة بالقدس، مشيدًا بما وصفه بـ "الصوت الصادق" من حاتم عبد القادر، وهو أحد أبرز قادة "فتح" في قطاع غزة.
وقال متوجهًا إلى حركة فتح "السلطة اليوم في الضفة الغربية وعنوانها الحقيقي سلام فياض تشوه الصورة الفلسطينية، تشوه تاريخنا ونضالنا الذي كنتم يا أهل فتح السباقين في إطلاق شرارته، فتعالوا معًا وجميع الفصائل يدًا بيد لنعيد المسيرة إلى نصابها، ولنقدم الوجه الحقيقي للقضية ولنقول رسالتنا المعبرة للصهاينة وللإدارة الأميركية".
وختم مشعل متوجهًا إلى الشعوب العربية والإسلامية بالقول "أدوا واجب الجهاد حيث أنتم فإسرائيل ليست موجودة فقط في القدس وفي الضفة وفلسطين، الخطر في كل مكان، فمن كان صادقاً في حبه للقدس عليه أن يؤدي صلاة الجهاد حيث هو".
الأربعاء, 17 مارس 2010 16:10 وطن
http://www.watan.com
الاستقامة
"قل آمنتُ بالله ثم استقم"
تعريف الاستقامة
مفاد هذه التعريفات، وحقيقتها، ومدلولها
فحقيقة هذه التعريفات تُتَرجم في الآتي
أدلة الاستقامة
ما الذي يعين على تحقيق الاستقامة؟
ثمار الاستقامة ونتائجها
الاستقامة، وما أدراك ما الاستقامة، ثم ما أدراك ما الاستقامة، إنها أس الديانة، وسبيل السلامة، إذ هي أكبر كرامة في الدنيا، المفضية إلى الكرامة الأبدية وهي الجنة: "فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ".1
قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله: "أعظم الكرامة لزوم الاستقامة"، فلو مشى المرء على الماء، أوطار أوتربع في الهواء، ما دل ذلك على قبول الله له حتى يستقيم على أمر الله ونهيه، إذ هو الضابط الوحيد للكرامة.
حُكِي للإمام الشافعي رحمه الله ما قاله الليث بن سعد، فقيه مصر ومفتيها في زمانه: "لو رأيتم الرجل يمشي على الماء فلا تعتدوا به ولا تغتروا به حتى تعرضوه على كتاب الله وسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم"، فقال: "لقد قصَّر الليث، لو رأيتم الرجل يمشي على الماء، أويطير في الهواء، فلا تعتدوا به ولا تغتروا به حتى تعرضوه على كتاب الله وسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فإن الشيطان يطير من المشرق إلى المغرب".
أمر بهذه الخطورة والأهمية فيه فلاح الدنيا والآخرة، ينبغي لكل مسلم عاقل أن يسعى لتحقيقه في نفسه، ويحرص على أن ينال منه حظه، فما لا يدرك كله لا يترك جله، فالكيِّس من دان نفسه وعمل لما بعد الموت، والعاجز من أتبع نفسه هواها وتمنى على الله الأماني، كما أخبر الصادق المعصوم، والعاقل من حاسب نفسه قبل أن تُحاسب، ووزن أعماله بميزان الشرع قبل أن توزن عليه، وتزيَّن ليوم العرض الأكبر، كما قال عمر بن الخطاب، الناصح البصير.
وبعد..
فما حقيقة الاستقامة؟ وما دليلها؟ وبِمَ تنال؟ وما ثمرتها؟
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تعريف الاستقامة
لأئمة الدين في تعريف الاستقامة وحدها ألفاظ وأقوال مختلفة، ذات دلالة واحدة، والأقوال هي2:
1. سئل أبو بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه عن الاستقامة، فقال: "أن لا تشرك بالله شيئاً".
2. وقال عمر رضي الله عنه: "أن تستقيم على الأمر والنهي، ولا تروغ روغان الثعلب".
3. وقال عثمان رضي الله عنه: "إخلاص العمل لله".
4. وعرفها علي رضي الله عنه: "بأنها أداء الفرائض".
5. وقال الحسن البصري رحمه الله: "استقاموا على أمر الله، فعملوا بطاعته، واجتنبوا معصيته".
6. وقال مجاهد رحمه الله: "استقاموا على شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله حتى لحقوا بالله".
7. وقال ابن زيد وقتادة رحمهما الله: "الاستقامة على طاعة الله".
8. وقال سفيان الثوري رحمه الله: "العمل على وفاق القول".
9. وقال الربيع بن خيثم رحمه الله: "الإعراض عما سوى الله".
10. وقال الفضيل بن عياض رحمه الله: "الزهد في الفانية، والرغبة في الباقية".
11. وقال ابن تيمية رحمه الله: "الاستقامة على محبة الله وعبوديته، وعدم الالتفات عنه يمنة أويسرى".
12. وقال شيخ الإسلام الهروي رحمه الله: "الاجتهاد في اقتصاد".
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مفاد هذه التعريفات، وحقيقتها، ومدلولها
الاستقامة من الكلمات الجامعة المانعة، كالبر، والخير، والعبادة، فلها تعلق بالقول، والفعل، والاعتقاد.
قال الإمام القرطبي رحمه الله: (هذه الأقوال وإن تداخلت فتلخيصها: اعتدلوا على طاعة الله، عقداً، وقولاً، وفعلاً، وداوموا على ذلك.
وقال ابن القيم رحمه الله: فالاستقامة كلمة جامعة، آخذة بمجامع الدين، وهي القيام بين يدي الله على حقيقة الصدق والوفاء.
والاستقامة تتعلق بالأقوال والأفعال، والأحوال، والنيات، فالاستقامة فيها، وقوعها لله، وبالله، وعلى أمر الله).
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فحقيقة هذه التعريفات تُتَرجم في الآتي
أولاً: الإيمان الصادق بالله عز وجل.
ثانياً: الاتباع الكامل والاقتداء التام بسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
قال الفضيل بن عياض رحمه الله في تفسير قوله تعالى: "خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً"3، قال: أخلصه وأصوبه؛ قيل له: ما أخلصه وأصوبه؟ قال: أن يكون العمل خالصاً لله عز وجل، وموافقاً لسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؛ أوكما قال.
ثالثاً: أداء الواجبات: "ما تقرب إليَّ عبدي بشيء أحبُّ إليَّ مما افترضته عليه" الحديث، وفعل الواجبات أفضل من ترك المحرمات.
رابعاً: الانتهاء عن المحرمات والمكروهات.
خامساً: الإكثار من النوافل والتطوعات: "لا يزال عبدي يتقرب إليَّ بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنتُ سمعه الذي يسمع به، وبصره الذي يبصر به" الحديث.
سادساً: المداومة على أعمال الخير: "أحب العمل إلى الله أدومه" الحديث، وقالت عائشة رضي الله عنها عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "كان عمله ديمة".
سابعاً: التوسط والاعتدال، فخير الأمور الوسط، وعمل قليل في سبيل وسنة خير من كثير في بدعة، والاعتدال لا يعني التسيب والانفلات، فبين التشدد، والالتزام، والتفلت فروق دقيقات.
ثامناً: حفظ الجوارح وسجن اللسان.
تاسعاً: السعي لتزكية النفس: "قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا. وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا"4.
عاشراً: الاجتهاد في طاعة الله عز وجل، وفي نيل مرضاته قدر الطاقة، إذ لا يكلف الله نفساً إلا وسعها.
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أدلة الاستقامة
لقد حث الله على الاستقامة، وأمر بها عباده، وكذلك حض عليها نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم، من ذلك:
قوله تعالى: "اهدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ. صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ"5.
وقوله: " إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ"6.
وقوله: "إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا فَلا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ. أُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا جَزَاء بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ"7.
وقال مخاطباً الرسول وأمته: "فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلاَ تَطْغَوْاْ إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ"8.
وفي صحيح مسلم9 عن سفيان بن عبد الله الثقفي رضي الله عنه قال: قلتُ: يا رسول الله، قل لي في الإسلام قولاً لا أسأل عنه أحداً غيرك، قال: "قل آمنتُ بالله ثم استقم".
زاد الترمذي: قلت: يا رسل الله، ما أخوف ما تخاف عليَّ؟ فأخذ بلسان نفسه، وقال: "هذا".
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ما الذي يعين على تحقيق الاستقامة؟
الاستقامة على أمر الله نعمة عظيمة، ودرجة رفيعة، ومنة عالية، فتحقيقها يحتاج إلى جد، واجتهاد، وصبر، واحتساب، ودعاء، وتضرع، وإخبات، وتوفيق، واحتراز.
أهم المعينات على تحقيق ذلك بعد توفيق الله عز وجل ما يأتي:
أولاً: الدعاء والتضرع، وسؤالها بجد وإخلاص، ولأهمية ذلك أمرنا بقراءة الفاتحة في كل ركعة، لما فيها من سؤال الصراط المستقيم المخالف لأصحاب الجحيم.
فالدعاء هو العبادة، وهو سلاح المستضعفين، وعدة الصالحين، ولا يعجز عنه إلا المخذولين، فالله سبحانه وتعالى مالك الهداية والاستقامة، فلا تُطلب إلا من مالكها.
ثانياً: الاشتغال بالعلم الشرعي، فالعلم قائد والعمل تبع له: "فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ"10، فأمر بالعلم قبل العمل.
وينبغي أن يبدأ بصغار العلم قبل كباره، ويشرع في الأهم ثم المهم، وأن يتلقى من مشايخ أهل السنة الموثوق بدينهم وعقيدتهم وعلمهم، "إن هذا العلم دين، فانظروا ممن تأخذون دينكم"، كما قال مالك وغيره.
ثالثاً: الحرص على التمسك بالسنة، فهي سفينة النجاة، والحذر كل الحذر من البدع والاقتراب من المبتدعين، فإن ذلك هو الداء العظيم، والضلال المبين، بحكم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو ردّ"، وفي رواية: "من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد"، كما جاء في الصحيح، فمن سن سنة سيئة فعليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامة.
رابعاً: مراقبة الله في السر والعلن.
خامساً: مجاهدة النفس، والهوى، والشيطان، وعدم الغفلة عن ذلك، ومحاسبتها في كل وقت وحين، وعلى الجليل والحقير.
سادساً: الإكثار من تلاوة القرآن، ومحاولة حفظه أوما تيسر منه، والمداومة على ورد ثابت.
سابعاً: الإكثار من ذكر الله عز وجل، والمداومة على أذكار الصباح والمساء، وأذكار وأدعية المناسبات المختلفات، فمن لم يوفق للغزو والجهاد، ولا لصيام الهواجر وقيام الليالي، فلا يفوتنه أن يعوض عن ذلك بلسانه.
فقد روي مرفوعاً وموقوفاً كما قال ابن رجب الحنبلي11 رحمه الله: "من فاته الليل أن يكابده، وبخل بماله أن ينفقه، وجبن عن عدوه أن يقاتله، فليكثر من "سبحان الله وبحمده"، فإنها أحب إلى الله من جبل ذهب أوفضة ينفقه في سبيل الله عز جل".
ويغني عنه ما في الصحيح: "لا يزال لسانك رطباً من ذكر الله".
ثامناً: الحرص على سلامة القلب، والحذر من أمراض القلب المعنوية، كالحسد، والرياء، والنفاق، والشك، والحرص، والطمع، والعُجْب، والكِبْر، وطول الأمل، وحب الدنيا، فإنها أخطر من أمراضه الحسية، وهي سبب لكل رزية.
تاسعاً: التقلب بين الخوف والرجاء، في حال الصحة والشباب يغلب جانب الخوف، وعند المرض ونزول البلاء وعند الاحتضار يغلب جانب الرجاء.
عاشراً: مزاحمة العلماء بالركب، والقرب منهم، والحرص على الاستفادة منهم، واقتباس الأدب والسلوك قبل العلم والمعرفة.
أحد عشر: دراسة السيرة النبوية، وتراجم الأصحاب والعلماء، يعين على تزكية النفوس والترقي بها، "فإن التشبه بالرجال فلاح".
الثاني عشر: الحرص على معاشرة الأخيار، فالمرء على دين خليله، والطيورعلى أشكالها تقع، "الأَخِلاء يَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلا الْمُتَّقِينَ"12.
الثالث عشر: الإكثار من ذكر الموت وتوقعه في كل وقت وحين، فهو أقرب إلى أحدنا من شراك نعله.
الرابع عشر: القناعة بما قسم الله، والرضا بذلك، والنظر إلى من هو دونك وليس إلى من هو أرفع منك في شأن الدنيا، أما في شأن الدين: "وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ"13.
الخامس عشر: الخوف والحذر من سوء الخاتمة.
السادس عشر: سؤال الله والاستعاذة به من الفتن، ما ظهر منها وما بطن.
السابع عشر: الاستفادة من الوقت، والحرص عليه، فما العمر إلا أيام، وساعات، وثوان.
الثامن عشر: تجديد التوبة والإنابة، مع تحقيق شروطها والحرص على أن تكون توبة نصوحاً.
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ثمار الاستقامة ونتائجها
ما أكثر ثمار الاستقامة، وما أجل نتائجها، وما أفضل عقباها، نسوق منها ما يلي، إذ العبرة بالخواتيم:
1. السعادة في الدنيا.
فلستُ أرى السعادة جمع مال ولكن التقي هو السعيــد
2. نزول ملائكة الرحمة على المستقيمين عند الموت مطمئنة ومثبتة لهم، ومبشرة إياهم: "أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا"14، أي لا تخافوا الموت، ولا تحزنوا على أولادكم.
3. وكذلك تبشرهم في القبر بالقول الثابت.
4. وعند القيام للبعث والنشور.
5. دخل الجنة دار الكرامة والمقامة: "لاَ يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ"15.
اللهم ارزقنا الاستقامة، وأحلنا دار الكرامة، وأجرنا من الذل، والخزي، والمهانة.
اللهم أحينا مسلمين، وتوفنا مؤمنين، واحشرنا في زمرة الرسل، والأنبياء، والشهداء، والصالحين، اللهم إنا نسألك عيش السعداء، وموت الشهداء، والنصر على الأعداء، والعصمة من الفتن العمياء، وصلى الله وسلم على إمام المتقين، وسيد الغر المحجلين، الداعي إلى خيري الدنيا والدين، وعلى آله، وصحبه، والتابعين.
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تعريف الاستقامة
مفاد هذه التعريفات، وحقيقتها، ومدلولها
فحقيقة هذه التعريفات تُتَرجم في الآتي
أدلة الاستقامة
ما الذي يعين على تحقيق الاستقامة؟
ثمار الاستقامة ونتائجها
الاستقامة، وما أدراك ما الاستقامة، ثم ما أدراك ما الاستقامة، إنها أس الديانة، وسبيل السلامة، إذ هي أكبر كرامة في الدنيا، المفضية إلى الكرامة الأبدية وهي الجنة: "فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ".1
قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله: "أعظم الكرامة لزوم الاستقامة"، فلو مشى المرء على الماء، أوطار أوتربع في الهواء، ما دل ذلك على قبول الله له حتى يستقيم على أمر الله ونهيه، إذ هو الضابط الوحيد للكرامة.
حُكِي للإمام الشافعي رحمه الله ما قاله الليث بن سعد، فقيه مصر ومفتيها في زمانه: "لو رأيتم الرجل يمشي على الماء فلا تعتدوا به ولا تغتروا به حتى تعرضوه على كتاب الله وسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم"، فقال: "لقد قصَّر الليث، لو رأيتم الرجل يمشي على الماء، أويطير في الهواء، فلا تعتدوا به ولا تغتروا به حتى تعرضوه على كتاب الله وسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فإن الشيطان يطير من المشرق إلى المغرب".
أمر بهذه الخطورة والأهمية فيه فلاح الدنيا والآخرة، ينبغي لكل مسلم عاقل أن يسعى لتحقيقه في نفسه، ويحرص على أن ينال منه حظه، فما لا يدرك كله لا يترك جله، فالكيِّس من دان نفسه وعمل لما بعد الموت، والعاجز من أتبع نفسه هواها وتمنى على الله الأماني، كما أخبر الصادق المعصوم، والعاقل من حاسب نفسه قبل أن تُحاسب، ووزن أعماله بميزان الشرع قبل أن توزن عليه، وتزيَّن ليوم العرض الأكبر، كما قال عمر بن الخطاب، الناصح البصير.
وبعد..
فما حقيقة الاستقامة؟ وما دليلها؟ وبِمَ تنال؟ وما ثمرتها؟
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تعريف الاستقامة
لأئمة الدين في تعريف الاستقامة وحدها ألفاظ وأقوال مختلفة، ذات دلالة واحدة، والأقوال هي2:
1. سئل أبو بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه عن الاستقامة، فقال: "أن لا تشرك بالله شيئاً".
2. وقال عمر رضي الله عنه: "أن تستقيم على الأمر والنهي، ولا تروغ روغان الثعلب".
3. وقال عثمان رضي الله عنه: "إخلاص العمل لله".
4. وعرفها علي رضي الله عنه: "بأنها أداء الفرائض".
5. وقال الحسن البصري رحمه الله: "استقاموا على أمر الله، فعملوا بطاعته، واجتنبوا معصيته".
6. وقال مجاهد رحمه الله: "استقاموا على شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله حتى لحقوا بالله".
7. وقال ابن زيد وقتادة رحمهما الله: "الاستقامة على طاعة الله".
8. وقال سفيان الثوري رحمه الله: "العمل على وفاق القول".
9. وقال الربيع بن خيثم رحمه الله: "الإعراض عما سوى الله".
10. وقال الفضيل بن عياض رحمه الله: "الزهد في الفانية، والرغبة في الباقية".
11. وقال ابن تيمية رحمه الله: "الاستقامة على محبة الله وعبوديته، وعدم الالتفات عنه يمنة أويسرى".
12. وقال شيخ الإسلام الهروي رحمه الله: "الاجتهاد في اقتصاد".
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مفاد هذه التعريفات، وحقيقتها، ومدلولها
الاستقامة من الكلمات الجامعة المانعة، كالبر، والخير، والعبادة، فلها تعلق بالقول، والفعل، والاعتقاد.
قال الإمام القرطبي رحمه الله: (هذه الأقوال وإن تداخلت فتلخيصها: اعتدلوا على طاعة الله، عقداً، وقولاً، وفعلاً، وداوموا على ذلك.
وقال ابن القيم رحمه الله: فالاستقامة كلمة جامعة، آخذة بمجامع الدين، وهي القيام بين يدي الله على حقيقة الصدق والوفاء.
والاستقامة تتعلق بالأقوال والأفعال، والأحوال، والنيات، فالاستقامة فيها، وقوعها لله، وبالله، وعلى أمر الله).
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فحقيقة هذه التعريفات تُتَرجم في الآتي
أولاً: الإيمان الصادق بالله عز وجل.
ثانياً: الاتباع الكامل والاقتداء التام بسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
قال الفضيل بن عياض رحمه الله في تفسير قوله تعالى: "خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً"3، قال: أخلصه وأصوبه؛ قيل له: ما أخلصه وأصوبه؟ قال: أن يكون العمل خالصاً لله عز وجل، وموافقاً لسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؛ أوكما قال.
ثالثاً: أداء الواجبات: "ما تقرب إليَّ عبدي بشيء أحبُّ إليَّ مما افترضته عليه" الحديث، وفعل الواجبات أفضل من ترك المحرمات.
رابعاً: الانتهاء عن المحرمات والمكروهات.
خامساً: الإكثار من النوافل والتطوعات: "لا يزال عبدي يتقرب إليَّ بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنتُ سمعه الذي يسمع به، وبصره الذي يبصر به" الحديث.
سادساً: المداومة على أعمال الخير: "أحب العمل إلى الله أدومه" الحديث، وقالت عائشة رضي الله عنها عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "كان عمله ديمة".
سابعاً: التوسط والاعتدال، فخير الأمور الوسط، وعمل قليل في سبيل وسنة خير من كثير في بدعة، والاعتدال لا يعني التسيب والانفلات، فبين التشدد، والالتزام، والتفلت فروق دقيقات.
ثامناً: حفظ الجوارح وسجن اللسان.
تاسعاً: السعي لتزكية النفس: "قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا. وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا"4.
عاشراً: الاجتهاد في طاعة الله عز وجل، وفي نيل مرضاته قدر الطاقة، إذ لا يكلف الله نفساً إلا وسعها.
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أدلة الاستقامة
لقد حث الله على الاستقامة، وأمر بها عباده، وكذلك حض عليها نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم، من ذلك:
قوله تعالى: "اهدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ. صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ"5.
وقوله: " إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ"6.
وقوله: "إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا فَلا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ. أُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا جَزَاء بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ"7.
وقال مخاطباً الرسول وأمته: "فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلاَ تَطْغَوْاْ إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ"8.
وفي صحيح مسلم9 عن سفيان بن عبد الله الثقفي رضي الله عنه قال: قلتُ: يا رسول الله، قل لي في الإسلام قولاً لا أسأل عنه أحداً غيرك، قال: "قل آمنتُ بالله ثم استقم".
زاد الترمذي: قلت: يا رسل الله، ما أخوف ما تخاف عليَّ؟ فأخذ بلسان نفسه، وقال: "هذا".
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ما الذي يعين على تحقيق الاستقامة؟
الاستقامة على أمر الله نعمة عظيمة، ودرجة رفيعة، ومنة عالية، فتحقيقها يحتاج إلى جد، واجتهاد، وصبر، واحتساب، ودعاء، وتضرع، وإخبات، وتوفيق، واحتراز.
أهم المعينات على تحقيق ذلك بعد توفيق الله عز وجل ما يأتي:
أولاً: الدعاء والتضرع، وسؤالها بجد وإخلاص، ولأهمية ذلك أمرنا بقراءة الفاتحة في كل ركعة، لما فيها من سؤال الصراط المستقيم المخالف لأصحاب الجحيم.
فالدعاء هو العبادة، وهو سلاح المستضعفين، وعدة الصالحين، ولا يعجز عنه إلا المخذولين، فالله سبحانه وتعالى مالك الهداية والاستقامة، فلا تُطلب إلا من مالكها.
ثانياً: الاشتغال بالعلم الشرعي، فالعلم قائد والعمل تبع له: "فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ"10، فأمر بالعلم قبل العمل.
وينبغي أن يبدأ بصغار العلم قبل كباره، ويشرع في الأهم ثم المهم، وأن يتلقى من مشايخ أهل السنة الموثوق بدينهم وعقيدتهم وعلمهم، "إن هذا العلم دين، فانظروا ممن تأخذون دينكم"، كما قال مالك وغيره.
ثالثاً: الحرص على التمسك بالسنة، فهي سفينة النجاة، والحذر كل الحذر من البدع والاقتراب من المبتدعين، فإن ذلك هو الداء العظيم، والضلال المبين، بحكم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو ردّ"، وفي رواية: "من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد"، كما جاء في الصحيح، فمن سن سنة سيئة فعليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامة.
رابعاً: مراقبة الله في السر والعلن.
خامساً: مجاهدة النفس، والهوى، والشيطان، وعدم الغفلة عن ذلك، ومحاسبتها في كل وقت وحين، وعلى الجليل والحقير.
سادساً: الإكثار من تلاوة القرآن، ومحاولة حفظه أوما تيسر منه، والمداومة على ورد ثابت.
سابعاً: الإكثار من ذكر الله عز وجل، والمداومة على أذكار الصباح والمساء، وأذكار وأدعية المناسبات المختلفات، فمن لم يوفق للغزو والجهاد، ولا لصيام الهواجر وقيام الليالي، فلا يفوتنه أن يعوض عن ذلك بلسانه.
فقد روي مرفوعاً وموقوفاً كما قال ابن رجب الحنبلي11 رحمه الله: "من فاته الليل أن يكابده، وبخل بماله أن ينفقه، وجبن عن عدوه أن يقاتله، فليكثر من "سبحان الله وبحمده"، فإنها أحب إلى الله من جبل ذهب أوفضة ينفقه في سبيل الله عز جل".
ويغني عنه ما في الصحيح: "لا يزال لسانك رطباً من ذكر الله".
ثامناً: الحرص على سلامة القلب، والحذر من أمراض القلب المعنوية، كالحسد، والرياء، والنفاق، والشك، والحرص، والطمع، والعُجْب، والكِبْر، وطول الأمل، وحب الدنيا، فإنها أخطر من أمراضه الحسية، وهي سبب لكل رزية.
تاسعاً: التقلب بين الخوف والرجاء، في حال الصحة والشباب يغلب جانب الخوف، وعند المرض ونزول البلاء وعند الاحتضار يغلب جانب الرجاء.
عاشراً: مزاحمة العلماء بالركب، والقرب منهم، والحرص على الاستفادة منهم، واقتباس الأدب والسلوك قبل العلم والمعرفة.
أحد عشر: دراسة السيرة النبوية، وتراجم الأصحاب والعلماء، يعين على تزكية النفوس والترقي بها، "فإن التشبه بالرجال فلاح".
الثاني عشر: الحرص على معاشرة الأخيار، فالمرء على دين خليله، والطيورعلى أشكالها تقع، "الأَخِلاء يَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلا الْمُتَّقِينَ"12.
الثالث عشر: الإكثار من ذكر الموت وتوقعه في كل وقت وحين، فهو أقرب إلى أحدنا من شراك نعله.
الرابع عشر: القناعة بما قسم الله، والرضا بذلك، والنظر إلى من هو دونك وليس إلى من هو أرفع منك في شأن الدنيا، أما في شأن الدين: "وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ"13.
الخامس عشر: الخوف والحذر من سوء الخاتمة.
السادس عشر: سؤال الله والاستعاذة به من الفتن، ما ظهر منها وما بطن.
السابع عشر: الاستفادة من الوقت، والحرص عليه، فما العمر إلا أيام، وساعات، وثوان.
الثامن عشر: تجديد التوبة والإنابة، مع تحقيق شروطها والحرص على أن تكون توبة نصوحاً.
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ثمار الاستقامة ونتائجها
ما أكثر ثمار الاستقامة، وما أجل نتائجها، وما أفضل عقباها، نسوق منها ما يلي، إذ العبرة بالخواتيم:
1. السعادة في الدنيا.
فلستُ أرى السعادة جمع مال ولكن التقي هو السعيــد
2. نزول ملائكة الرحمة على المستقيمين عند الموت مطمئنة ومثبتة لهم، ومبشرة إياهم: "أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا"14، أي لا تخافوا الموت، ولا تحزنوا على أولادكم.
3. وكذلك تبشرهم في القبر بالقول الثابت.
4. وعند القيام للبعث والنشور.
5. دخل الجنة دار الكرامة والمقامة: "لاَ يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ"15.
اللهم ارزقنا الاستقامة، وأحلنا دار الكرامة، وأجرنا من الذل، والخزي، والمهانة.
اللهم أحينا مسلمين، وتوفنا مؤمنين، واحشرنا في زمرة الرسل، والأنبياء، والشهداء، والصالحين، اللهم إنا نسألك عيش السعداء، وموت الشهداء، والنصر على الأعداء، والعصمة من الفتن العمياء، وصلى الله وسلم على إمام المتقين، وسيد الغر المحجلين، الداعي إلى خيري الدنيا والدين، وعلى آله، وصحبه، والتابعين.
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