User:Northern Muriqui/script

M-185
This sound file contains the spoken version of the Wikipedia article about M-185, the Michigan Highway, recorded by User Lucas Thoms. The material recorded is current as of the 2nd of July, 2014.

M-185 (Michigan Highway), from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at E N dot wikipedia dot org.

M-185 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan that circles Mackinac Island, a popular tourist destination on the Lake Huron side of the Straits of Mackinac, along the island's shoreline. A narrow paved road of 8.004 miles (or 12.881 km), it offers scenic views of the straits that divide the Upper and the Lower peninsulas of Michigan and Lakes Huron and Michigan. It has no connection to any other Michigan state trunkline highways—as it is on an island—and is accessible only by passenger ferry. The City of Mackinac Island, which shares jurisdiction over the island with the Mackinac Island State Park Commission (or MISPC), calls the highway Main Street within the built-up area on the island's southeast quadrant, and Lake Shore Road elsewhere. M-185 passes by several key sites within Mackinac Island State Park, including Fort Mackinac, Arch Rock, British Landing, and Devil's Kitchen. Lake Shore Road carries the highway next to the Lake Huron shoreline, running between the water's edge and woodlands outside of the downtown area.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation (or MDOT), M-185 is "the only state highway in the nation where motor vehicles are banned". Traffic on it is by foot, on horse, by horse-drawn vehicle, or by bicycle. Restrictions on automobiles date back to the 1890s, and since the ban, only a few vehicles have been permitted on the island other than the city's emergency vehicles. The highway was built during the first decade of the 20th century by the state and designated as a state highway in 1933. The highway was paved in the 1950s, and portions were rebuilt to deal with shoreline erosion in the 1980s. Until 2005, it was the only state highway without any automobile accidents.

Contents This article contains three major sections. They are:

Section one: Route Description

Section two: History

Section three: Major Intersections

Section four: See also

Section five: References

Section six: External links

Section one: Route Description As a circular highway, M-185 has no specific termini; the generally accepted starting point is at the mile 0 marker placed in front of the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor Center. The highway uses wooden markers to measure miles instead of the common metal signage; these signs are erected by the MISPC, as MDOT does not install the standard state highway reassurance markers along this roadway. M-185 is one of only three state trunkline highways in Michigan on islands; the others are M-134 on Drummond Island and M-154 on Harsens Island. No part of M-185 has been listed on the National Highway System, a network of roadways important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. Over a half million people travel along the trunkline in a year.

Mackinac Island has been a tourist destination since the late 19th century. The island was the country's second national park, after Yellowstone, until the land was given to Michigan in 1895 to become its first state park.[10] M-185 has been recognized in the press for its unique role as the only state highway without car traffic in the United States by such publications as The Kansas City Star, the Chicago Tribune, the Toronto Star, and The Saturday Evening Post. In 2003, it was named the "best scenic drive" in the state by The Detroit News. In 2008, USA Today named the island one of the "10 great places to get your feet back on the ground" as a car-free destination, highlighting the unique status of M-185 in the process. The magazine Paraplegia News, in an article encouraging its readers to visit Mackinac Island, called the trek around the island on M-185 a "high priority" for visitors. The trip around the island "provides a photo opportunity at every bend in the path", according to the PSA Journal, the official magazine of the Photographic Society of America.

Section one point one: Along the Harbor The beginning and ending of M-185 is marked at the intersection of Main and Fort streets next to the visitor center. That building is operated by the MISPC, but it was originally a US Coast Guard station. From its starting point, M-185 heads east between Marquette Park, at the base of Fort Mackinac, and the marina at Haldimand Bay. The roadway passes the Indian Dormitory (Mackinac Art Center), as well as various hotels, bed and breakfast establishments, private residences and landmarks such as Sainte Anne's Catholic Church, Mission Church and the Mission House. Main Street then turns northeasterly, passing Mission Point Resort (the former Mackinac College), after which the road name changes to Lake Shore Road. Along this section of the trunkline, Shoreline Trail departs to the south and follows the water's edge before returning to M-185 at the city's water filtration plant.

Section one point two: Around the Island After rounding Mission Point, M-185 continues north-northwesterly along the eastern shore of Mackinac Island, first passing Dwightwood Spring then the Arch Rock viewing area just beyond the mile 1 marker. The next two miles (or 3.2 km) of M-185 are relatively isolated and devoid of major landmarks as the highway rounds Hennepin Point and runs along Voyageur's Bay. Other than a few picnic tables, the only feature between Arch Rock and mile 3 is the Lake Shore Nature Trail, a short interpretive trail on the inland side of the road. Just beyond mile 3, Scott's Shore Road, a short gravel-surfaced connecting roadway between Lake Shore Road and Scott's Road, departs inland near Point St. Clair. M-185 is bounded by the interior woods on one side and the beaches and rocky shores on the other through this area.

Mile 4 is situated at Point aux Pins at the northernmost point of the island. Here, M-185 turns southerly, passing the state boat dock and a nature center before coming to British Landing at the intersection with British Landing Road. The area is a popular stopping point for tourists biking or walking M-185; it is the location where British troops came ashore during the Battle of Mackinac Island during the War of 1812. Located around British Landing are various amenities including restrooms, picnic tables, and a concession stand. M-185 continues along Maniboajo Bay and passes the mile 5 marker near Radisson Point.

The next area along M-185 is also sparsely developed as it passes along Griffin Cove. Other than a few newer residential developments, the sights are limited to Brown's Brook, which features a picnic area and interpretive nature trial, and the views of the Mackinac Bridge as the trunkline rounds both Heriot and Perrot points. Between the markers for miles 6 and 7 is the Devil's Kitchen, another popular tourist stopping point, at Jacker Point. Near mile 7 is the West Bluff Stairs leading up the bluff to Pontiac's Lookout. Further along, there is a marker commemorating the filming of a scene from Somewhere in Time as well as views of the Grand Hotel. The building's 660-foot-or-200-meter-long front porch is promoted as the "longest in the world". Visible to the east of the hotel is Michigan's second Governor's Mansion, which is used as a summer retreat for the state's chief executive. At this point, M-185 transitions back to the more developed portion of the island and the road name for the trunkline changes back to Main Street. Next to the roadway, a boardwalk runs from here into the downtown business district.

Section one point three: Entering downtown The first landmark as the highway approaches downtown Mackinac Island is the island's public school building. As it passes the island's public library on the shoreline side of the street, Main Street makes a sweeping curve to the north at Windermere, or Biddle's, Point to run through the downtown district. Other than the library, most of the city's public buildings are actually situated along Market Street, one block behind Main Street. Three streets and a city park allow for connections between Main and Market streets. M-185 through downtown Mackinac Island passes through the major business district, featuring dozens of shops, restaurants and lodging establishments; nearly a dozen of these outlets, feature the authentic Mackinac Island fudge made fresh daily during tourist season. The passenger ferry docks are all situated along Main Street in the downtown area. At the northeastern end of the downtown district, Main Street intersects Fort Street at the state park visitor center to complete its circuit of Mackinac Island.

Section two: History The first city ordinances banning all motorized vehicles from the island were passed on July 6, 1898, with similar state park rules coming in 1901. The residents complained after a doctor's car scared their horses and caused carriage accidents, and these complaints prompted the ban. As such, other than a handful of emergency and utility vehicles as well as others by special, limited-time permit, no cars or trucks are allowed on the island and no motorized vehicles appear on M-185. Traffic on this highway is by foot, on horse, by horse-drawn vehicle, or by bicycle; M-185 is the only such state highway in the country "that allows no automobiles". As a result, the roadside litter is picked up using a horse-drawn wagon.

Lake Shore Road around the island was built between 1900 and 1910 by the state,[25] and the M-185 designation was first assigned on July 12, 1933. The roadway was purpose-built for non-motorized use; it is narrower than other state highways. During the 1950s, the state paved the road in asphalt. Since the 1970s, the MISPC has allowed snowmobiles to operate on Mackinac Island during the winter.

In the mid-1980s, rising water levels in Lake Huron endangered M-185 and bicyclists. The roadway was overwashed by waves from the lake during a storm on May 31, 1985; the waves littered the road with gravel and dirt and raised fears of erosion. MDOT spent around $50,000 (equivalent to $141,000 in 2012) to install 2,500 short tons (equivalent 2,200 long tons or 2,300 t) of rock and filter cloth designed to prevent erosion. The expectation at the time was that Lake Huron could rise another 4–5 inches (or 10–13 cm) that summer. Such a lake level increase prompted worries that the waves would wash away sections of the road. The lake had already washed away shoreline near Arch Rock; there was at least 8 feet (or 2.4 m) of berm between the road and shoreline in the 1970s and by 1985 some sections had been reduced to just 2 inches (or 5.1 cm). Storms later that year washed away sections of M-185, removing huge chunks of asphalt. MDOT closed those stretches on July 7, 1986, after the Independence Day weekend, to fix the damage. Repairs were budgeted to replace the missing sections of roadway at a cost of $894,366 (equivalent to $2.41 million in 2012); tourists were detoured inland, and uphill, to access the island's various tourist attractions.

In 1979, while filming Somewhere in Time, a car was brought on the island for Christopher Reeve's character to drive. The next time that a vehicle was permitted on the island was on July 6, 1998, to commemorate the original ordinance that prohibited cars from Mackinac Island. A 1901 Geneva steam-powered car toured the island and was exhibited in Marquette Park before being towed by horse back to British Landing.

MDOT obtained a $242,000 grant (equivalent to $652,000 in 2012) from the Federal Highway Administration in 2002 to purchase conservation easements along M-185. The land adjacent to the highway on the east side of the island is publicly owned, while along the west it is mostly private. The grant allowed the MISPC and MDOT to either purchase the development rights to adjacent properties along Lake Shore Road, or the adjacent properties themselves.

The only known motor vehicle collision on Mackinac Island occurred on M-185 at the head of the Shepler passenger ferry dock on May 13, 2005, when the island's fire truck slightly damaged the door on the island's ambulance; both vehicles were responding to a report from the ferryboat that an injured passenger required medical attention.[31] Before this incident, it was the only state highway that "never had an automobile accident" according to the Toronto Star.

Section three: Major intersections The entire highway is on Mackinac Island, which is located in Mackinac County. Milemarkers are posted in a counterclockwise fashion.

Fort Street is located at mile 0.0, and is used as the terminus for milemarkers.

British Landing Road is located at mile 4.552 or kilometer 7.326, and leads to interior of the island and British Landing.

Market Street is located at mile 7.607 or kilometer 12.242, and leads to many signposted historic sites in the downtown area.

Fort Street is also located at mile 8.004 or kilometer 12.881, and is used as the terminus for milemarkers.

Section four: See also This section suggests some Wikipedia articles for reading, including the Cycling Portal and the Michigan Highways Portal.

Section five: References There are references available in the written form of this article - please be sure to verify information found on Wikipedia using the references provided or by cross-referencing the information yourself.

Section six: External links In addition to the above, several external links have been listed for finding additional information online.

We now come to the end of the spoken article "M-185 (Michigan highway)"

This sound file and all text in the article are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0.

Note: this page is derived from User:AshLin/Spoken script Ladakh and M-185 (Michigan highway)

McDonald's Cycle Center
This sound file contains the spoken version of the Wikipedia article about the McDonald's Cycle Center, recorded by User Lucas Thoms. The material recorded is current as of the 8th of July, 2014.

McDonald's Cycle Center, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at E N dot wikipedia dot org.

McDonald's Cycle Center (formerly known as Millennium Park Bike Station) is an indoor bike station in the northeast corner of Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city of Chicago built the center at the intersection of East Randolph Street and Columbus Drive, and opened it July 2004. Since June 2006, it has been sponsored by McDonald's and several other partners, including city departments and bicycle advocacy organizations. The bike station, which serves bicycle commuters and utility cyclists, provides lockers, showers, a snack bar with outdoor summer seating, bike repair, bike rental and 300 bicycle parking spaces. The Cycle Center is accessible by membership and day pass. It also accommodates runners and inline skaters, and provides space for a Chicago Police Department Bike Patrol Group.

Planning for the Cycle Center was part of the larger "Bike 2010 Plan", in which the city aimed to make itself more accommodating to bicycle commuters. This plan (now replaced by the "Bike 2015 Plan") included provisions for front-mounted two-bike carriers on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses, permitting bikes to be carried on Chicago 'L' trains, installing numerous bike racks and creating bicycle lanes in streets throughout the city. Additionally, the Chicago metropolitan area's other mass transit providers, Metra and Pace, have developed increased bike accessibility. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was an advocate of the plan, noting it is also an environmentally friendly effort to cut down on traffic. Suburban Chicago-based McDonald's sponsorship of the Cycle Center fitted in well with their efforts to help their customers become more healthy by encouraging "balanced, active lifestyles".

Environmentalists, urban planners and cycling enthusiasts around the world have expressed interest in the Cycle Center, and want to emulate what they see as a success story in urban planning and transit-oriented development. Pro-cycling and environmentalist journalists in publications well beyond the Chicago metropolitan area have described the Cycle Center as exemplary, impressive, unique and ground-breaking.

Contents This article contains eight sections. They are:

Section one: History and Background

Section two: Design

Section three: Facilities

Section four: Critical Review

Section five: See also

Section six: Notes

Section seven: References

Section eight: External Links

Section one: History and Background

Lying between Lake Michigan to the east and the Loop to the west, Grant Park has been Chicago's front yard since the mid-19th century. Its northwest corner, north of Monroe Street and the Art Institute, east of Michigan Avenue, south of Randolph Street, and west of Columbus Drive, had been Illinois Central rail yards and parking lots until 1997, when it was made available for development by the city as Millennium Park. According to 2007 data released in 2008, Millennium Park trailed only Navy Pier as a Chicago tourist attraction.

The Millennium Park bicycle center was designed by David Steele of the architectural firm Muller & Muller, which won a $120,000 contract to design the station by Memorial Day 2004, and commenced the design in August 2003. This was at a time when bike stations were in place or being planned in several U.S. cities, such as Denver, and, in California, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Long Beach and Palo Alto. Developed at the time of "Bike 2010 Plan" discussions, the station was part of Mayor Daley's vision of Chicago as the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States. From the outset the plan was to have separate operators for the Cycle Center's rental and repair services, as well as its coffee and juice bar.

The bike station had originally been planned to occupy 10,000 square feet (or 929 square meters) and cost $2 million, but when completed, the Cycle Center was 16,448 square feet (or 1,528 square meters) and located on a larger exterior plaza. The final two-floor design cost $3.2 million, and a federal grant from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for projects that lessen traffic congestion and improve air quality funded its construction.

The Cycle Center was completed in June 2004 and the official opening occurred on July 19, 2004, the Monday following the Millennium Park's grand opening gala. Attendees for the ribbon cutting included Mayor Daley, CDOT Commissioner Miguel d'Escoto, Chicago Park District General Superintendent Timothy Mitchell, and representatives from the Chicago Bike Federation, Public Building Commission, Chicago Police Department, and Chicago City Council. Managed by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Cycle Center is on the fifth and sixth floors of the Millennium Park parking garage.

Although bicycle centers were already common throughout Europe, Long Beach, California is credited with pioneering commuter-biking hubs offering valet parking, showers and repair services in the United States. As the concept grew, public agencies and private groups in other cities followed suit. The development of the Millennium Park Cycle Center was part of a reversal of bike disincentives stemming from a 1998 Illinois Supreme Court ruling that bikes are "permitted" but not "intended" users of the roads, meaning that local governments have a limited responsibility to keep cyclists safe and that municipalities are immune from bicycle-injury lawsuits unless the street has been clearly marked as a bike route. The city has been actively accommodating cyclists since 1999 through the CDOT Bike Lane Project. At the time of the July 2004 Cycle Center opening, Illinois Senate Bill 275, which would have removed the liability disincentive to add bike lanes, mark bike routes and give cyclists reasonable protection, was at issue.[see notes section below for further information.] At the time, the city of Chicago had 90 miles (or 140 km) of bike lanes (with an additional 110 miles (or 180 km) forthcoming), in excess of 9,000 bike racks, and it had implemented a policy allowing bicycles on CTA trains (at all times excluding weekday morning and afternoon rush hours), CTA buses and Pace buses. In June 2005, Metra allowed a limited number of bicycles on trains during off-peak and weekend hours for the first time on a trial basis. By 2006, the city had 315 miles (507 km) of bike lanes. The planning emphasis in Chicago uses what is known as transit-oriented development, which encourages developers to include bicycle parking.

The structure was originally named the Millennium Park Bike Station, but in June 2006 McDonald's announced a $5 million grant to underwrite the operations of the Cycle Center for 50 years. The bike facility had been the last unsponsored component of Millennium Park. As part of the endowment, McDonald's agreed to be the sponsor of free summer physical fitness programs such as yoga, pilates, and a variety of dance class sessions in Millennium Park for 10 years. McDonald's agreed not to use any of its traditional commercial signage such as the Golden Arches. The McDonald's sponsorship of the Cycle Center and park fitness activity came just a few months after Chicago was named the fattest city in America by Men's Fitness.

The Cycle Center is designed to encourage bicycle commuting to Millennium and Grant Parks as well as to work and other nearby downtown locations, such as the Art Institute of Chicago. It represents two major initiatives by the mayor: to promote cycling and to make the city greener. By supporting cycling as an alternate form of transportation, it will help reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and promote the health benefits of cycling.

Section two: Design

The physical focal point of the Cycle Center is an atrium that introduces the two lower levels of facilities and provides an aesthetic above-ground presence. The atrium, which has been praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin more than once, has a sloping solar paneled roof. The 120 solar panels produce 6.5 percent of the electricity supply required for the climate-controlled building. The Cycle Center has an opaque design, with thin steel frames for its main windows. The interior design uses stainless steel and blond wood, and shade is produced by awnings.

The Cycle Center includes parking for up to 300 bikes, lockers, an Internet station, a cafe, bike rentals, bike repair and private stall showers. During business hours, the facility has 100 spaces set aside for first-come, first-served usage, but after hours the facility is limited to dues-paying members. In addition to the riders, the Chicago Police Lakefront Bicycle Patrol Unit is stationed at the Cycle Center. As the city's high-profile bicycle parking facility, it has served as a demonstration location for efforts to lobby for further bicycle accommodations for the Active Transportation Alliance, League of Illinois Bicyclists, and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn.

Section three: Facilities When the heated and air conditioned McDonald's Cycle Center opened, bicycle parking facilities with amenities, which had first appeared in the U.S. on the West Coast, did not exist in the Midwest. When it opened in 2006 the bike station was one of the country's largest and most modern. The Cycle Center's bicycle parking facilities use high-capacity, two-tiered DoubleParker racks that accommodate more than twice as many bicycles per square foot as traditional bike racks. These racks were manufactured by Josta, a German manufacturer of bicycle parking systems and stands. The interior design was a joint collaboration between the city of Chicago, Josta, and Cycle-Safe, Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, which also produces lockers and racks for bicycles. The Chicago Park District runs the station, which has a full-time staff.

The Cycle Center is at 239 East Randolph Street (at Columbus Drive), and offers convenient connections to mass transit at the nearby Chicago Transit Authority hub, the McCormick Place Busway and Metra trains at Millennium Station.[25] For the annual series of festivals held in Grant Park, such as Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago, the McDonald's Cycle Center is complemented by the Chase Bike Valet at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Monroe Street, which is one block east of Millennium Park. Chase Bank and organizations such as the Active Transportation Alliance sponsor the Chase Bike Valet. The city and its Cycle Center are considered exemplary by other cities in pursuit of covered, secure bicycle parking near public transportation.

Section three point one: Membership

The Cycle Center offers a wide variety of services to its members, and is busiest on Monday and Tuesday mornings. Illinois residents are eligible for Cycle Center monthly or annual memberships, which provide access to the showers and lockers; allow participation in the shared bicycle program; and include discounts on bicycle services, accessories, I-GO car sharing membership, and City bike events. The Cycle Center is affiliated with, and provides free special-event valet bicycle service for events such as Bike The Drive, L.A.T.E. Ride, and Chicago Marathon. As part of their membership agreement, members cannot store perishables and illegal substances in the lockers.

In April 2005, the Cycle Center approached its 500-member capacity, and began a waiting list. Monthly membership was $15 and yearly membership was $90. When the Cycle Center was renamed in 2006, it had an approximate membership of 500 cyclists, who each paid dues of either $15 monthly or $99 annually. About 50,000 riders used the Cycle Center in its first two years. By 2007, the annual membership cost for those selected from the wait list was $20 per month or $149 per year. There are 240 lockers available to members. The Cycle Center has eight private stall showers, four each for men and women, that are equipped with an attached personal dressing area. The station has offered a nutritional continental breakfast including cereal, coffee, fruit, juice and yogurt.

Section three point two: Rentals

The Cycle Center offers a wide variety of bicycle styles, models and accessories for hourly, daily, weekly or monthly rental. Helmets, locks, and trail maps are included with each rental. Deposits can be secured with a valid credit card or driver's license. Children under 18 years old must have a parent or guardian for rentals. Among the types of rentals available are tagalongs, wagons, tandem bicycles and inline skates, and discounts are available with online rentals. Bike Chicago manages the rentals at the Cycle Center, as well as at Navy Pier, North Avenue Beach and Foster Avenue Beach. The citywide rental network emulates those in cities such as Paris, where they have long been common. Showers and lockers were initially available to non-members for a $1 fee, but by 2009, the fee had been raised to $3. One hundred lockers are available to day users.

Section three point three: Repair

The Cycle Center's repair center offers full-time professional bicycle mechanics from 10 am to 6 pm during the summer, between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend inclusive, and part-time during the rest of the year. The repair center has tools available for those who want to fix their bicycle themselves. Repair services are deeply discounted.

Section three point four: Tours

The Cycle Center conducts two- to three-hour tours, with reservations dependent on the season. Tours include the Lake Michigan lakefront, the North Side, the South Side and night-time sightseeing. Self-guided tours are also available. Reservations are recommended from April to August and are required during the rest of the year. In May 2006, regular tours were offered. The biking event Le Tour de Shore was held over 2 days in 2008. Starting at the Cycle Center, the event took riders 90 miles (or 140 km) near Lake Michigan, through the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and along the backroads of both Indiana and Michigan. The Chicago Trolley Company takes bicyclists from the Cycle Center to the DuSable Museum of African American History twice daily for the Presidential Bike tour, which starts on the South Side of Chicago. The bike tour travels to Barack Obama's home in the Kenwood community area, the place of his and Michelle Obama's marriage and other culturally related destinations.

Section four: Critical review

The Chicago Tribune's acclaimed architecture critic, Blair Kamin, gave the Cycle Center three stars (out of a possible four), described as a "gem" for the city and praised several elements of its detail. It has received accolades from numerous architecture and bicycling enthusiasts. Other Tribune writers have described the station as an "oasis for the urban cyclist" and reminiscent of "a hip health club". The Toronto Star described it similarly, saying that it is a "jewel-like glass building" with "amenities of an upscale health club"; it quoted a cycling advocate who said "It's not heaven, but it's close". According to The Plain Dealer, the Cycle Center is the United States' "best-known [bike] station", while The Oregonian describes it as "the ultimate in bicycle stations". The Boston Globe felt that the Cycle Center put Chicago over the top as the nation's most cycling-friendly city.

The Cycle Center avoided much of the controversy that beset most of Millennium Park by remaining open during the paid rental of a large portion of the park by Toyota on September 8, 2005. What proved more controversial were McDonald's claims that, since it is providing a healthier menu and fostering grade school physical education in an effort to help its customers improve their health, sponsoring bicycle and exercise activity in the park augments the company's other initiatives. Longtime writer for the Chicago Tribune and current Tribune health and fitness reporter, Julie Deardorff, described the move as a continuation of the '"McDonaldization" of America' and as somewhat "insidious" because the company is making itself more prominent as the social sentiment is to move away from fast food.

The Cycle Center has helped Chicago to become known as a cycling-friendly city. According to an article in The Washington Post based on selections by the Adventure Cycling Association and Bicycling magazine, Chicago is one of the ten most cycling-friendly cities in the U.S. because of the Cycle Center and the Chicago Department of Transportation's Bicycle Program. The Cycle Center was featured in the Federal Transit Administration's April 2009 report to the United States Congress on a new generation of innovative transit systems entitled Reinventing Transit: American communities finding smarter, cleaner, faster transportation solutions. Cities as far away as Melbourne, Australia, point to Chicago as an example of a city with cycling-friendly features because of the Cycle Center (they also used European cities such as Amsterdam, as well as U.S. cities such as Davis, California and Portland, Oregon as examples). The Chicago Architecture Foundation awarded its 2004 Stein Ray & Harris Patron of the Year award in the governmental category to Millennium Park, specifically mentioning the bike station, Commissioner d'Escoto and the City of Chicago Department of Transportation, along with several other leaders responsible for the development of other park features.

Section five: See also

This section suggests some Wikipedia articles for reading, including Cycling in Chicago and the List of United States Bike Stations.

Section six: Notes

Bill 275 was never voted in the Senate. In later years new bills were proposed in both House and Senate. None of them was passed by both houses.

Section seven: References

There are references available in the written form of this article - please be sure to verify information found on Wikipedia using the references provided or by cross-referencing the information yourself.

Section eight: External links In addition to the above, several external links have been listed for finding additional information online.

We now come to the end of the spoken article "McDonald's Cycle Center."

This sound file and all text in the article are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0