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Bikes-to-Go, Cycling Gains Ground at Colleges and in Cities

May is National Bike Month, and more universities continue to commit to bicycling as a sustainable, healthy and environmentally conscious transportation choice. Recently, Harvard University joined Princeton and Yale as an official Bicycle-Friendly University (BFU), and the League of American Bicyclists designated 14 new BFU members, expanding the program to 58 colleges in 30 states across the U.S. with more to come.

When New York City opened registration for a public bike-sharing program, Citi Bike, more than 5,000 people signed up within 30 hours. Similar demand for more cycling options is happening across the nation where shared bicycle programs are taking root (see Tinyurl.com/Top50BikeFriendliestCities).

The popular Washington, D.C., Capital Bikeshare program began operating in September 2010, and is now the nation’s largest, with 200 locking docks able to accommodate more than 1,800 bright-red bicycles. As in many programs, people can sign up for a short-term stint or an annual membership using either a credit card online or at a station kiosk. Then they can unlock a bicycle and return it to any station within the system. All rides under 30 minutes are free, after which escalating fees kick in, encouraging people to make short trips and to keep more bikes available for other riders.

For more information, visit BikeLeague.org.

Global Briefs
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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