Category: Bicycle Advocacy
It sounds like the Velib self-service bike program is so popular in Paris that people are just loving those bikes to death.
Of the 20,000 bicycles set out when the program launched less than two years ago, 7,800 have disappeared and 11,600 have been damaged and vandalized.
A TimesOnline story says some of the damage is outright malacious. Other damage is the result of wild stunts that users perform.
In the YouTube video above, the bikes are definitely pushed to their limits, although the filmmaker assures us, “No Velib used in this video was maltreated …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/02/10/the-use-and-abuse-of-paris-velib-bicycles/
While reading that sharrow road markings were making their way to some bicycle routes in Arkansas, I was surprised to learn that they're not yet a federally sanctioned marking for roads.
Sharrows are shared lane markings designed to remind motorists that bicyclists have the right to use the roads and will be present. Many bicycling advocates prefer them to bicycles lanes.
First used in Europe about 20-30 years ago, they're becoming more common in many US cities.
The markings, however, are just now under official review for the US Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Because they're not yet officially included in the manual …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/02/09/sharrow-use-on-urban-bicycle-routes-still-under-review/
Bicycle advocacy attorney Bob Mionske is bringing an end to his long-running “Legally Speaking” column that has appeared in print and online at VeloNews for many years.
A former bicycle racer and now a bicycling rights attorney in Portland, Mionske's columns regularly reported on legal and judicial shortcomings that created a second-class stature for cyclists versus motorists in the eyes of the law.
In his last column at VeloNews, Mionske looked at the high and low points of bicycle law and how the future looks for bicyclists. I'll touch on the points here, but it's worth your time to check them out in depth at his last Legally Speaking column:
More cyclists on the road — Bicycling is soaring in popularity. Not only are more weekend warriors getting out for rides …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/02/07/parting-words-from-bob-mionske-at-legally-speaking/
If the Guinness Book of World Records had a category for “bicycles parked by volunteer valets,” the Washington Area Bicycle Association would surely top the list.
The group set up free bike valet parking for the Barack Obama inauguration in the frigid temperatures on Tuesday and racked 2,040 bicycles.
Most importantly, no one lost a bike. Even a missing helmet was eventually recovered.
Of the two lots, the one at 16th Street was by far the busiest. Volunteers parked 1,127 bicycles at that location, which required them to create an overflow lot with crowd-control fencing. The Jefferson Memorial lot stored 827 bikes. …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/23/volunteers-parked-thousands-of-bikes-for-inauguration/
Imagine living in a place where you're not breaking the law by rolling through an intersection without coming to a complete halt at a stop sign.
Residents in Idaho don't have to imagine it. They live in a state where lawmakers decriminalized stop sign-running 27 years ago. Now legislators in Montana will consider passing a similar law, and bike advocates in Oregon are seeking a similar law.
Bill Schneider at New West magazine reports that Robin Hamilton (D-Missoula) has proposed such a law. Schneider lays out the language here …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/22/montana-might-allow-bicycle-riders-to-slide-through-stop-signs/
Photo by Richard StirbaLast week's announcement that Denver would create a citywide bike-sharing program is the latest in a global transportation trend that's just catching on in the U.S.
More than 30 bike-share programs were launched globally last year, according to the Bike-Sharing blog. That's a 50% increase in one year.
The first bike-share program in the US was launched last year. That distinction goes to Washington DC, left, with its SmartBike DC program — 120 bikes at 10 stations — operated by Clear Channel advertising.
Denver is following up with a plan to make available 500 bicycles at 30 to 40 bike stations beginning in the summer. The program is being launched with a $1 million grant from Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee.
The bikes, which can be rented for a nominal fee, will be stationed around the business and university districts. The program will be called Denver B-cycle Citywide Bike Sharing Program…
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/21/bike-sharing-explosion-denver-miami-beach-san-francisco-philadelphia-twin-cities-montreal-in-2009/
It's kind of hard to believe, but that fringe benefit for bicycle commuters went into effect on Thursday.
You can now actually be reimbursed for riding your bicycle to work.
As of Jan. 1, employers can offer up to $20 per month to employees who regularly commute by bicycle to offset the cost of buying, repairing, improving or storing their bicycles.
Bicyclists can receive the $20 in cash reimbursements, vouchers redeemable at bicycle shops or parking locations, or as a pre-tax deduction program. It depends on what your employer wants to do …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/02/claim-your-bicycle-commuter-tax-benefit-now/
A trend I've noticed that more motorists are ignoring the ban on cellphone use while driving is confirmed by the Washington State Patrol.
Although prohibited in the state since July 1, the law is a secondary offense. That means police must stop the driver for another violation before writing the ticket for cellphone use.
It's important that cellphone laws be followed because distracted motorists make the roads more hazardous, especially for those of us riding bicycles. It has been proven that talking on a phone has the same effect on a motorist's brain as several glasses of wine …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/01/washington-state-drivers-ignore-cellphone-ban/
[Update: Tuesday, Dec. 30 — The driver of the first car turned herself into police Monday night, accompanied by family members and her pastor. Her story to police is that she thought she hit a bicycle in the road, not a person. She was booked on of hit and run, vehicular manslaughter and driving with a suspended license. The driver of the second car hasn't come forward.]
Does anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area take responsibility for their actions while driving?
Authorities in Conta Costa County are trying to solve another hit and run bicyclist fatality, this one on Saturday evening involving two motorists, neither of whom stopped. It follows by a month the hit and run death of bicyclist Mark Pendleton in a rural part of the county.
The latest fatality occurred about 6 p.m. in urban Richmond. Police say Laura Casey was riding her bicycle south on a sparsely populated portion of Carson Boulevard when she was struck from behind and knocked to the ground. Reports the Chronicle:
As Casey screamed for help, several people ran to her aid, officials said, but before they could reach her, a second vehicle hit her and dragged her about 25 feet …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/12/30/another-bay-area-bicyclist-hit-both-cars-left-the-sceneone-motorist-comes-forward-48-hours-later/
The New York City policeman who body-checked the bicyclist in this YouTube video has been charged with filing false statements, assault and harassment charges.
The cop, Patrick Pogan, pleaded not guilty earlier today to all charges.
The original charges Pogan filed against the 29-year-old who he body slammed during a July 25 Critical Mass bike ride in New York City were dropped several months ago. …
Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/12/16/update-charges-in-youtubes-ny-cop-vs-cm-cyclist-knockdown/
Recent Comments