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What is Already being done

Hello amigo's and Amiga's!

Thank you for joining me on this lovely fall day. I believe that things are being done in my community to insure both bikers and drivers safety while on the road. But clearly not enough has been done.  I have looked at many websites and have gathered some information.

Vermont has thought about these problems and have done multiple things to help.First they created the bike path in 1990. The South Burlington Bike Path is about 21 miles long. The bike path is good for biking, running, walking, rollerblading and boarding. And then they added footage to roads to create bike lanes. Bike lanes allow bikers to have a little more freedom to go more places on the road. They have also made biking materials available for bikers all around Vermont. There are over 75 bike shops all over Vermont, making buying biking necessities convenient.Vermont has put many laws in place to help  these issues. Like no drunk driving. People think that that law is put in place to protect other drivers. No, it's put in place to protect everyone. Other drivers, bikers, and pedestrians.

Now if we only work off of those things that have already been put in place we could make a big change. By adding on the the bike path to make it go farther around South Burlington. By making the biking lanes bigger and making more of them all over Vermont. If we are able to make changes we should make changes.

Thanks,

Bye!

Citations:

Besse, Lou. "Lake Champlain Bikeways :: Vermont, New York, and Québec in One Bicycling Adventure." Lake Champlain Bikeways :: Vermont, New York, and Québec in One Bicycling Adventure. Doug Yu, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

By, Compiled. "Vermont Bicycling Laws." Vermont Bicycling Laws (n.d.): n. pag. South Burlington Rec Path. 1 July 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

   "Quick Links:." South Burlington Recreation and Parks Department, Vermont, Parks. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

"VBPC." VBPC. N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Interviewing

 Hello guys,

              Thanks for taking the time out of your Football Sunday to read my blog. I mistakenly didn't do the last blog post correctly so I'm doing that one now.  So let's get on with it! I interviewed Three of my family members and my best friend for this project. Here we go!

Dad: Driver-
I interviewed my dad. He drives a lot for work so he has a good idea of a drivers struggle. I asked him some questions and here's what he said.
        -The roads aren't big enough for bikers and drivers because the bikers can't reach the posted speed limit.The info structure is not set up for both drivers and bikers. No I don't bike and I have never been biking in South Burlington. I believe that more educated and more signs reminding vehicle drivers that there are bicyclists on the road and that they need to be aware. I think to decrease the amount of deaths and injuries in Vermont we could add three ft to each side of the road for a true bike lane. I don't bike but if I did it would be on the side of the road because of the lack of bike paths where I live.

Step Mother:Biker-
I interviewed my step mom. She bikes a lot and we bike a lot together. I also asked my step mother some questions and this is what she said.
                -There is a growing problem in VT that needs to be addressed. I think the problem is that drivers not paying attention to their surroundings. Yes I do bike and for both pleasure and commute. No I have never been in an accident involving cars and bikers. There are more places designated for bikers in s.b and more community awareness than other places around the states. Bike helmet, reflective outer wear, mirror on my handlebar, rear view mirror on your glasses, a headlight and taillight that strobe Yes, Volvo has developed a new biker awareness alert system that is installed in cars this could be installed in more vehicles or retro fitted, there is also a new warning system developed in Australia that recently to Garmin alerts bikers when a car is approaching from behind because cars are often so silent that bikers are unaware of their presence. Improve road ways to provide designated biker lanes, provide safety information at the DMV when new drivers obtain driver licences and implement federal regulations for new vehicle alert systems. We cold also do an annual newspaper campaign just before bike season starts, to increase awareness.


Grandmother:Driver/Biker-
I also asked my other grandmother because she lives in Florida and she knows the struggle for bikers and drivers.
            -I feel that in many cases drivers are disrespectful of bikers, and in many other cases bikers exaggerate their limits on the road.Its just not one sided. I think a major cause of accidents involving Bikers and Drivers is Not being aware of each other, both bikers and drivers and not paying attention in general.Yes I do bike, and its for pleasure. I bike on the side of the road because there is no dedicated bike path where I live. I use my bike helmet, front and rear flashers and bright colored clothing and carry cellphone in case of emergency to protect myself and others. I think that very visible clothing, and being aware of night time and day time changes would help a lot.Yes I have been in a few accidents involving bikers and drivers, I was pushed off the road by a driver. I also have got hit by another bike. I have never been biking in South Burlington. I think there needs to be training when you buy a bike on what is OK and not OK and other essential things for a responsible and safe biking experience. And also being aware of materials that are needed and is recommended when riding a bike.

Best Friend:Biker-
I interviewed my best friend Emily  because she bikes a lot, after asking her some questions and this is what she said.
          -I think that if there is a bike path/side walk they should bike on it.If there isn't one yes bike on the road, but if there is a bike path they should bike on it to cause less accidents. I think the major cause of accidents involving drivers and bikers is the lack of bike paths and the amount of carelessness that we see from drivers. No I have not gotten into an accident involving bikers/cars.Yes I bike for pleasure on the bike path and I wear a helmet while biking to protect myself. I think they should make it a law to ride on bike path and have bike paths everywhere. A lot of other places aren't as developed as S.B so they are probably more likely to have accidents because of lack of bike paths and lanes.

Thanks for reading,
Bye

Interviewing Process

Hello,
I made a mistake, I was not aware of what this specific blog post was about for this weekend so I was not prepared. I planned on interviewing the people close to me about my topic next weekend, when I wasn't so busy. So instead of telling you what they said as an answer to my questions, I'm going to tell you what questions I am actually going to ask. I plan to get both sides of the story, in order to follow through with that I will interview a handful of bikers and a handful of drivers. I plan to ask them a lot of questions. But the questions will be slightly different between the drivers and bikers. I plan to ask them both about their opinion on expanding the bike path and if it would actually help or not. I also plan to ask them both about drivers and their experiences on the road. I plan to ask many more questions but that is a clear summary of what I will basically will be asking them. After I complete that I will have to do the same for drivers. I will ask similar questions but with a little word twist. I can't wait to gather opinions from the important people in my life. I hope this wasn't a disappointment. Have a great rest of your week and weekend.

~Lydia

Whats the Story?-My Topic

After thinking and revising our long list of relative topics, I have decided to investigate the battle between bikers and drivers of the road. I became first interested in this when my stepmother and I were riding our bikes on the side of the road and a guy in a large truck came racing pass us. He was nearly close to hitting us. And ever since I moved to South Burlington I have noticed that drivers dislike sharing the road with bikers because of them having a bike path. And I found this to be odd considering that the bike path is what keeps bicyclist off the road. I have already learned that this year Vermont has seen a increase  in bicyclist versus automobiles deaths. It has gone up four deaths since 2005 . Up until this year there was only one death. I want to learn more about those particular accidents and try to figure out the cause. I also want to find out a way to prevent these accidents from happening. Some questions I have about this topic are what would it cost to either expand the bike path or make roads bigger for bikers. I think for everyone to want change is good, but it's the reasoning that affects the change. So I think that in order for people to really understand this is to put themselves into both the drivers and bicyclists shoes and look at this from both angles. That is what I am planning on doing in order to find a solution to this problem. I would like others to get from this that it's not just one persons fault. It is not just the bicyclist's fault, it's also the drivers fault. I hope that after people read/watch this at the end they will learn how to see everyone's different perspective and not just their own. My focus question is 'what can I/we do as a community to stop these deaths from happening? I hope to learn much more.

-Thanks for reading, have a nice afternoon.

KUD Reflection

                I'm really happy to be joining this team but I am really worried about getting things in on time. I have soccer and Basketball everyday and Softball and Dance every other day, so I have a really packed schedule. And that's just sports not schoolwork. A very specific target that seems farthest away for me would be getting everything on time and to my liking. With my busy schedule it will be hard for me to focus on sports and homework so getting things on time and to my liking might be hard for me. I think that most of this will come easily to me, but the only really hard part for me would be putting the video together and making it look good. I am excited about making a change in my community and meeting new people along the way. I am also excited about exploring a new path of writing and learning many more ways to create a better read for people. I don't think that the KUD isn't missing anything, but a personal goal for me would be to become a better writer.

~Have a nice day!

Why I am Working with What's the Story Action Team

                        I enjoy helping people and my community. I think that is a great way for me to do so. You don’t get many options as an Eighth Grader to do this type sort of project so I took the opportunity to do this. I am also motivated by having the opportunity to work with college students and learn much more from different people and broaden my horizons. I really think that we can make a change with this project. And that is a major motivator for me with this project.