The East Coast Greenway is an urban network of trails stretching 3,000 miles from Key West, Florida to Calais, Maine on the Canadian border. Founded in 1991 by a group of trail advocates, the East Coast Greenway (ECG) began as a vision to provide cyclists and pedestrians with a safe and continuous, traffic-free route connecting 25 major cities along the Eastern seaboard. Today, 25% of the route is complete with car-free trails. The remaining 75% travels on roads that have been studied for safety and, in many cases, use bike lanes or wide shoulders.

East Coast Greenway

Despite a weak economy, the East Coast Greenway saw impressive growth in 2009 and 2010, due in large part to stimulus funding for trail construction. East Coast Greenway Alliance Executive Director, Dennis Markatos‐Soriano stated in last year’s press release:

If we continue to grow at this quick pace, our East Coast Greenway will be safe and accessible to millions of Americans within a few years.

No doubt an ambitious project, the ECG is on the path to turning a dream into a reality and proving that communities are prepared to embrace this national resource. Continued development stimulates local economies and provides green jobs along the route. Other benefits include low-cost transportation, connecting people with local business, reducing traffic congestion, diminishing dependence on fossil fuels, and promoting health and well-being. It’s been designated by some users as the urban version of the Appalachian Trail.

Commuters up and down the east coast use segments of the Greenway in their daily commute, while others take advantage of the recreational opportunities. Many cyclists have biked the entire route. Utilizing rail trails, canal towpaths, current greenways, and waterfront pathways, the East Coast Greenway is mostly paved, though some sections contain crushed stone surfaces. It is suitable for all muscle-powered transportation: cycling, walking, and wheel chairs. Some sections of the route allow in-line skaters and equestrians.

For more information see the East Coast Greenway website.

Artist Rendering of Portland's Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge

Portland, Oregon continues to set the standard of being a bike and pedestrian friendly city by building a 700 foot bridge over Interstate 5 that will allow users to travel from the Lair Hill neighborhood to the South Waterfront District. The Gibbs Street bridge is only for walking and bike riding. Portland bike commuters will benefit from taxes paid by car owners, as, according to Bike Portland, a percentage of the cost of the bridge will come from gas tax and new vehicle registration.

Here’s a video of how the bridge will look:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Building is scheduled to begin this month and is expected to be finished in one year. The bridge will be alongside the aerial tram, just one segment of Portland’s cutting edge public transportation system which also includes MAX Light Rail. To reduce cost, planners went with a steel box girder style bridge. The structure will include stairways and an elevator. The plan also includes improvements to pedestrian crosswalks around the area.

Photo Simulation of Portland's Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge

Pedestrian bridges show a continued commitment by that of the city to maintain safe and convenient alternatives to car travel. It also shows a dedication to supporting citizens in leading a healthy lifestyle.

You can read more about the project at Gibbs Bridge.org and more photos here.

Folding bikes are particularly efficient when used in conjunction with public transit. Unlike regular bikes, they can be taken easily on buses, trains or ferries. In fact, some transit systems will only allow folding bikes to be taken on board. I recently reviewed the Best Folding Bikes of 2008. An efficient addition to these bikes is an electric motor. For a little extra weight, you get the benefit of going up hills easily, and this is often very important to commuters who do not work up a sweat before getting into work. Let’s take a look at one of the better folding electric bikes out there: a Dahon Mu P3 custom-fitted with a BionX electric assist motor.

This bike is called Dahon Conversion and it’s sold by NYCEWheels for $1899 (see photos above and below).

The Dahon Conversion weighs just 42 pounds. It can be folded in less than 20 seconds into a size roughly 13″ x 25″ x 30″.

The folding of the bicycle requires the loosening of 4 clasps and the bicycle collapses to its folded size without removing any of the wheels or adjusting any of the gears. The wires are out of the way and do not obstruct the folding and require no special attention in the folding process.

The bike has a range of 20-30 miles. This version of the bike uses a 250 watt motor and NiMH batteries. If you spend more, you can get a 350 watt motor (add $230) or lithium-ion batteries (add $300).

The BionX standard system includes a control console, a battery and a motor. The control console includes a multi-functional odometer, four assistance levels, four generative settings as well as a battery charge indicator.

You can also create your own folding electric bike. For example, to recreate the Dahon Conversion you could get the Dahon Mu P3 (about $590) and install the BionX motor system yourself (kits start at $1100). Of course you can also use other folding bikes and electric assist kits. Some kits are available for less than $500, however I can’t vouch for their quality. There’s also DVD that will tell you how to fit your bike with an electric motor — its a bit hokey but it shows the basic method of installation.

Another folding electric bike is the iZip EZgo. This inexpensive bike by Currie Technologies, will help you  pedal for 18 to 25 miles with speeds up to 18 mph. The bike weighs 53 pounds, including the motor. The EZgo has a simple twist throttle with a battery gauge. The wheels are 16″ heavy duty alloy with stainless steel spokes. The bike also features an integrated rear carrier to take some items on the go with you.

It’s available from Amazon for $649. The bike’s home page is here.

Biontague is a folding electric mountain bike, created by Electric Cyclery. It’s a Montague Swiss Bike LX folding mountain bike fitted with a Bionx PL350 electric conversion kit. The Biontague bike offers speeds in the 20 MPH range, great hill climbing assistance, and a range of up to 60 miles on a 3-hour charge.

The Montague Swiss is a mountain bike that folds for easy transport and the whole thing weighs only 43.2 lbs. A 36-volt lithium-ion battery pack is mounted down low on the frame.

The price is $2425 from Electric Cyclery, plus $100 shipping in continental USA.