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Mark Ackelson, Chairman of the Board, announced the selection of Terry Eastin as the new executive director of Mississippi River Trail, Inc.. Established in 1995 by the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission to promote a world class bicycling trail along the Mississippi River in the Delta Region, Mississippi River Trail, Inc. was expanded to include all ten states in 2001. Mississippi River Trail, Inc. currently works with federal, state, and local partners to coordinate route development and bicycling promotion from the headwaters of the Misssissippi in Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico.

Ms. Eastin, Co-owner, Eastin Outdoors, Inc., a Fayetteville, Arkansas-based multi-discipline trails firm, is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. Her involvement with outdoor recreation and trails design/construction spans 20+ years. Since the establishment of Eastin Outdoors, Inc. in 1997, Terry and her husband, Ken Eastin, L.A., have managed trails advocacy programs, grant writing, and design/construction projects in almost every part of Arkansas.

A Consultant for Little Rock Parks and Recreation since 2000, Terry is responsible for creating the Headwaters Partnership for the Arkansas River Trail in conjunction with the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program in St. Louis, Missouri. Thirty-four member federal, state, county, and municipal public and private municipal organizations make up the Headwaters Partnership. The project includes two major Arkansas cities, the state's largest county, six national organizations, five state agencies, three elected state offices (Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor and Governor), the state's largest cardiology clinic and an additional sixteen public and private coalitions, businesses, and organizations. Collaboration between these agencies led to the addition of $4.9 million in trail funding for the capitol city since 2003.

Creator of the Arkansas River Trail Medical Mile Project, Terry has led an effort to raise more than $800,000 since 2004 from the state's medical community. This money, while funding construction for a mile of trail, has also been earmarked for the development of the nation's first "outdoor linear health museum" through one of the capitol city's premiere riverside parks.

As Chair of the Arkansas Trails Council and President of Friends For Fayetteville, Terry hosted the first Arkansas Trails Conference in over twelve years in 2001. The Arkansas Trails and Greenways Forum, held in Fayetteville, was attended by more than 230 mayors, council members, parks and recreation professionals, and trails advocates. A lifelong recreation and trails advocate, Terry has devoted her professional career to forwarding the trails movement in Arkansas and elsewhere.

In her new position, Terry will lead MRT, Inc.'s growth and development by expanding outreach, marketing, and technical assistance services. Her focus will include route development, tourism, fundraising, and trail advocacy.

Note that maps of the Mississippi River Trail route through Missouri are available on MoBikeFed's web site.

The League of American Bicyclists exists to promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and works through advocacy and education to create a bicycle-friendly America. They accomplish this by representing the interests of the nation's 57 million cyclists. They have a current membership of 300,000 affiliated cyclists, including 40,000 individuals and 600 affiliated organizations, the League works to bring better bicycling to all communities.

The League was founded as the League of American Wheelmen in 1880. Bicyclists, known then as "wheelmen", were challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt and faced antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers, and pedestrians.

In an effort to improve riding conditions so they might better enjoy their newly discovered sport, over 100,000 cyclists from across the United States joined the League to advocate for paved roads. The success of the League in its first advocacy efforts ultimately led to our national highway system.

Today, joining the League is a critical first step in creating a bicycle-friendly America. Along with the good feeling you'll get knowing your supporting the organization that supports your rights to safe and enjoyable cycling you will receive a subscription to Bicycling magazine, discounts and special offers on travel, cycling products, and more. You'll also get the League's Annual Almanac of Cycling, Tourfinder & Ride Guide, the League's magazine covering the world of cycling, the Bikes Fly Free program (when you book your travel through the League's travel agency) and discount prices at League events, including our National Rally of Cyclists.

You can join today at www.bikeleague.org or by phone at (202) 822-1333.

The Insight Race Across America is pleased to announce a two-hour NBC Sports airing of the 2004 edition of RAAM on Saturday, January 22, 2005, 2.30 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. EST (check your listings for any local variations).

The NBC broadcast adds to a host of feature-length shows focusing on the event internationally, and in its 24th year, RAAM is now receiving worldwide recognition beyond the wildest dreams of the race's founders. As it approaches its quarter-century milestone, RAAM is gradually becoming an international tradition. A key observer of RAAM's development is Jim Lampley, who hosted ABC's Wide World of Sports telecasts of the first five RAAM editions and who is one of the Executive Producers of the upcoming telecast. Lampley's company, Crystal Spring Productions, was hard at work on RAAM even as he worked his twelfth Olympics as a broadcaster for NBC in Athens.

The Insight Race Across America starts in San Diego on June 19th and ends in Atlantic City on June 28th. The planned 3,000 mile route passes through California, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illiniois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, and includes about 150,000 feet of climbing. Up to 150 cyclists from 15 nations are expected to participate in the 2005 edition.

According to Men's Fitness magazine's yearly rankings, Kansas City is the 18th fattest city in the U.S. The only good news is that KC was even lower--14th--in 2004:

Kansas City climbed up four positions, due to better sports participation, less TV watching, and a good commute. However, the city is held back by poor nutrition statewide and a higher than average health risk related to residents with weight issues, according to the CDC. Kansas City does have some hope — fast food and donut shops number merely average, and its commute rate is the third best in the nation. And don't forget the parks: Kansas City ranks in the top ten in acres of city parks and open space among our cities surveyed.

According to a Center for Disease Control study, about 6 out of 10 residents of K.C. residents weigh enough to raise their risk for health problems. Almost 27 percent of Missourians haven't been physically active at all for the past 30 days.

Kansas City has been in the fattest cities list every year since at least 2000 (the first year online results are available). It has ranked as low as 2nd fattest (2000).

In 2002, the European Commission proposed making motorists liable by default, unless proven otherwise, in any collision involving a motorist and a bicycle. This is already the situation in several European countries, but not Great Britain and others.

Here is some discussion about this proposal:

Telegraph.co.uk:

A Commission spokesman said: "Motor vehicles cause most accidents. Whoever is responsible, pedestrians and cyclists usually suffer more. In some member states, the cyclist is covered by the insurance of the vehicle involved in the accident, irrespective of whether the driver is at fault."

He was referring to France, Belgium, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany, where the motorist is almost always liable for damages or compensation regardless of who caused the accident. Brussels now wants the rest of the EU to adopt that system within two to three years.

From discussion in The Back Room (originally from this source)

Settlement of injury claims in the Netherlands

For accidents in which injury or death is caused by a motorised vehicle and the victim is not a participant of motorised traffic ( i.e. pedestrian or cyclist) the liability is strict unless the driver of the motorised vehicle concerned can prove that he is not in any way to blame for the accident. This excuse is almost entirely restricted to proven willful misconduct of the pedestrian or cyclist and is not accepted at all when the injured party is younger than 14 years of age.

Attributable negligence or guilt of the injured party can reduce the liability. For instance when a cyclist or pedestrian ignores a traffic light liability can be reduced to up to 50 %. Passengers of drinking drivers can - under circumstances - be attributed co-responsibility of 30 - 50 % and - most common - not wearing a compulsory seat belt reduces the right for compensation with 25 - 40 % depending on the character of the injuries sustained.......

.....All legitimate claimants can exercise their rights directly against the insurance company of the liable motorist. Damage incurred because of an accident with an unidentified motor vehicle can be claimed with a Guarantee Fund. This fund is sustained by a levy on all motor insurers according to their market share.

A summary of the proposed EU directive:

Article 4(2) Pedestrians and cyclists

A new provision is inserted in Directive 84/5/EEC in order to include in the cover provided by the vehicle insurance personal injuries suffered by pedestrians and cyclists in accidents involving a motor vehicle. This cover under the compulsory insurance of the vehicle should apply, irrespective of whether the driver is at fault.

To avoid any possible confusion between insurance matters (scope of the insurance Directives) and civil law (scope of national legislation), a recital states that the civil liability of pedestrians and cyclists must be governed by the applicable Member State legislation. In other words, the victim's injuries must, in principle, be covered by the vehicle insurance. This cover under the compulsory motor insurance of the vehicle does not determine the civil liability of the pedestrian or cyclist in a specific accident or the level of any award for damages. This should be governed by the applicable national legislation and the national courts.

Situation in Sweden:

Basically if you hit a pedestrian on or near a crossing (including one pushing a cycle), then you're stuffed, well and truly. The law was changed a few years ago so that anyone actually crossing the road on a crossing, or on the pavement near a crossing has absolute priority. If you hit them its your fault, even if they fling themselves under your wheels as you should have slowed down in case they did something stupid.

So the situation today is that drivers are very wary if pedestrians are at or even near crossings, but as a pedestrian its cool. Unfortunately it has now extended in my opinion that people step out even when there is no actual crossing but just near a corner or a junction say, so its safer to stop in my opinion. Of course some of the pedestrians rely on that, but most, incl me, just use common sense and only step out when they see concrete evidence that the vehicle is going to stop.

Diatribe against the proposal, from Great Britain:

Imagine that you are driving blamelessly down the road at a sensible speed when you are broadsided by a drunk cyclist who has just passed a red light doing a wheelie and is chatting on a mobile phone.

In any rational universe, he would take responsibility for the damage and any injuries he suffered.

But rationality and Europe are two mutually contradictory concepts. By the terms of the proposed new legislation, the motorist would have to cover the costs of damage to his car, the bike and any compensation for the cyclist's injuries.

Forget the rights and wrongs of any particular accident. Forget such old-fashioned concepts as responsibility, evidence or justice. To the all-powerful anti-car lobby, all motorists are bike=bashing, pedestrian-chasing baddies who must be punished.

According to a Kansas City Star article, Platte County is building a 6.2-mile hiking and biking trail just south of Platte City.

The East Coast Greenway is a planned 2600-mile bike/hike trail along the east coast stretching from Canada to Florida. The greenway is 20% complete now and will be 80% complete by 2010.

When are we going to get something like this in the midwest?

Missourian Bruche Hibbett, who lost a leg in a climbing accident in a 2001 climbing accident in the Tetons, has completed a cross-country bicycle ride for Amputees Across America, according to a story on Jacksonville.com:

The trip started at the Pacific Ocean on May 31 and was coordinated by Amputees Across America, a national support group that promotes the journey.

The cyclists stopped at hospitals, rehabilitation centers and amputee support groups along the way to increase public awareness of amputees as people with active lifestyles.