Category: Bicycle Advocacy
Another columnist at the Wall Street Journal has opened up his box of crayons and scribbled a piece that subtracts from the sum of human knowledge. This time it's about bicycles.
The author is P.J. O'Rourke, a branded conservative humorist. I've never thought his writing was all that funny, but I'm generally not a fan of writing with that political bent.
In this piece — “Dear Urban Cyclists; Go Play in Traffic” — he spews about bicycles and how they don't belong on the roads. At issue is the increased installation of bicycle lanes around New York City. They take up room that should be reserved for automobiles, you know.
At one point, I thought he must be using his skills of satire to mock the arguments put forward by reactionaries who write those ill-informed letters to the editor about bicycle use in urban areas. ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/04/02/wsj-needs-to-learn-to-share-the-road-with-bicyclists/
Two news items from the Cascade Bicycle Club on Friday.
David Hiller, the advocacy director for the 13,000-member bike club, reported from the State Capitol in Olympia that the Senate's version of the Vulnerable Users bill (SB 5326) passed the House by a vote of 61-32.
That means legislators still need to hash out any differences that might have cropped up between the versions passed by the Senate and House before it's voted on one last time. Then it goes to Gov. Gregoire …..
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/04/01/washington-bicycling-news-vulnerable-user-bill-progresses-cascade-announces-election-results/
Many of us are riveted to the TV and radio as the tragedy that struck Japan last night unfolds today. My heart goes out to the victims and those waiting to hear from friends and family in that country. [See where to donate, below]
One of the repercussions of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan is the widespread breakdown of the transportation system.
Officials shut down Tokyo's subway system and elevated highways as the danger of aftershocks continues. The result is gridlock on roads leaving the city, prompting many to rely on bicycles as the only way to get home.
A Tokyo-based blogger for an ice-skater fan page took this picture (at left) of people lined up to buy bicycles at a local shop.
The blogger at TokyoByBike.com reported at his Twitter feed that bicycle shops were “showing strong sales tonight as stranded commuters look for an alternative way home.” ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/03/11/bicycles-play-a-role-following-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-where-to-donate-and-find-help/
While college coaches are awaiting the bracket results for the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament, bicycle program coordinators at 32 universities have been waiting for news about their own bids for recognition.
The League of American Bicyclists announced the results this week for its inaugural 20 awards in the Bicycle Friendly Universities program.
Stanford University in Palo Alto led the list with a platinum designation, followed by two universities with gold — UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara.
Nine others received silver level awards and eight received bronze awards …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/03/10/the-other-march-madness-bicycle-friendly-universities-named/
Regular users of Capital Bikeshare should not be surprised if they can't find a rental bicycle this week in Washington DC and its environs.
Hundreds of bicycle advocates are descending on the nation's capital this week for the 10th annual National Bike Summit, and they're sure to be practicing what they preach when it comes to getting around town — they'll do it by bicycle.
US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is giving the keynote speech at a dinner Tuesday night. Although it's doubtful that he'll jump up on a table to give it this year, he's still a full-fledged supporter of bicycling. On Friday, he wrote on his blog:
“I've been to more than 100 cities in more than 40 states across this great country, and everywhere I've gone, people have said they want more ways of getting around …..
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/03/08/national-bike-summit-starts-today-in-washington-dc/
It's good to see that Washington state bicycle advocates are not alone in making progress for so-called vulnerable users bills that seek to protect bicyclists and pedestrians. A bill in New Mexico is similarly moving forward, although one in Maryland might be stalled.
Although the bills aim to levy more severe penalties than simple traffic tickets on motorists who injure or kill bicyclists, they vary widely in their severity.
In Olympia, two vulnerable users bills, one in the House and in the Senate, have passed their respective chambers. Now lobbyists for Cascade Bicycle Club and Bicycle Alliance of Washington are pushing for at least one bill to win approval in the opposite chamber and go to the governor's desk for a signature …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/03/07/vulnerable-users-bike-bills-making-progress-in-wa-and-nm-mixed-results-in-md/
One out of four of the 630 bicyclists killed in traffic accidents in 2009 had a blood alcohol content considered at or above the legal limit for drunken driving.
And in 40% of all highway deaths of bicyclists that year, either the motorist or bicyclist or both had been drinking.
Those facts are included in a US Department of Transportation report entitled “Bicyclists and Other Cyclists” that was released recently as an addendum to the “Traffic Safety Facts of 2009” report that I reported on a couple of weeks ago.
While the study doesn't report the cause of the crashes ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/03/03/alcohol-involvement-in-40-of-bicyclist-fatalities/
“I'm sick and tired of you old guys from Boulder coming up here and acting like you own the road.”
That's how a roadside argument started on a county road south of Loveland, Colorado, between a motorist and a group of three cyclists last July. Before it ended, the motorist had poked at a bicyclist with a baseball …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/03/02/bicycle-quote-sick-and-tired-of-cyclists/
Bicycling in the City of Angels can take flight with today's expected approval of the 2010 Bicycle Plan for the City of Los Angeles.
The plan seeks to expand the city's network of bikeways to 1,680 miles at the rate of 200 miles every five years. The city currently has about 280 miles of disconnected bike lanes and paths on the ground.
The emphasis for the first five years will be to close gaps in the existing system, serve lower income and under-served communities and open bike lanes on major arteries such as Figueroa Street and Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards.
The Los Angeles Times credits vocal bicycle advocates and two high profile bicycle “accidents” for the changing attitude that brought improvements to the plan ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/03/01/los-angeles-set-to-approve-bicycle-master-plan/
The horror and grief caused by a motorist who plowed through a group of peaceful critical mass cyclists in Brazil is captured in this scene from a video posted on YouTube.
The moments that precede this are a sickening reminder of how some motorists become monsters in the presence of bicyclists. Here's a link to the video, but I'll warn you that it's very graphic.
The savagery committed in Porto Alegre on Friday night started with the monthly critical mass bike ride through the streets of this lakeside town in southern Brazil. At least 40 were injured in the attack, incredibly no fatalities have been reported ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/28/motorist-plows-through-critical-mass-cyclists-in-brazil/
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