Category: Bicycle Advocacy

Motorist slams into bike tour in Mexican border town; 1 dead

A motorist plowed into a group of bicycle riders in Matamoros, Mexico, on Sunday, killing one and injuring 10 to 14 others. They were part of an organized bike tour, escorted by police, from the border town to a local beach.

The Metro Noticias online newspaper reported 1 dead and 10 to 12 injured in Monday morning's edition; KRGV said that friends of the victims reported 5 dead this morning, although I couldn't find that death toll verified anywhere.

An image taken by someone at the scene shows the car slamming into the cyclists. (You can see a copy of the photo that appeared in the Metro Noticias on the jump, but be warned it's a graphic image of a horrific crash )…

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/06/02/motorist-slams-into-bike-tour-in-mexican-border-town-1-dead/

One Million Bicycles — it's Woodstock on two wheels

There's a big idea afloat to put 1 million new and returning bicyclists on the road next summer.

One Million Bicycles is a bike rally scheduled for August 9, 2009, in 300 cities across all 50 states. The participants — cyclists like you and me — will call for doubling expenditures for bicycling on the national and state levels and give away 1 million new or used bicycles to new or returning riders.

Portland's Joe “Metal Cowboy” Kurmaskie is driving this effort with the support of Congressman Earl Blumenauer and bike organizations and shops across the country.

Kurmaskie mentioned the nationwide celebration at his talk at the Seattle Bike Expo in March and launched it a couple of weeks ago when OneMillionBicycles.org went online.

Where will those 1 million bicycles come from? Kurmaskie suggests we merely choose one from the collections in our garages. As he says in the YouTube video, a bicycle is not necessary for the structural integrity of a garage …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/05/29/one-million-bicycles-its-woodstock-on-two-wheels/

285 Rides of Silence scheduled for today

Today marks the Ride of Silence that honors bicyclists who have died or been injured on public roads. It also raises awareness that we bicycle riders have a right to the road.

At last count, 285 rides are scheduled in 17 countries around the world. The slow, silent processions all start at 7 p.m. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/05/21/285-rides-of-silence-scheduled-for-today/

More Bike to Work Week stuff

Lots of bike commuting news out there for Bike to Work Week. Just remember: you can commute next week, next month and all year, too.

— The Seattle Times is offering a live online Q&A with two bike commute specialists beginning at noon on Thursday. Ask Chris Cameron (Cascade Bicycle Club) or Every Day (Bicycle Alliance of Washington) any questions regarding the routes of equipment in advance of Friday's Bike to Work Day.

— Reuters goes to Taipei to report “Bicycle makers ride high”:

“Rising petrol prices, growing awareness of environmental issues and the popularity of cycling as a recreation sport has fuelled a surge in demand for bicycles around the world.”

The story goes on to report a 14.6 percent sales increase in European Union in past five years, as the US climbed 9 percent in same period.

— Rails to Trails Conservancy lists its Top 10 ways to build a bike commuting habit:

1. Functional bike;
2. Helmet …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/05/14/more-bike-to-work-week-stuff/

Daily outrage: Car passes cyclists, then slams on brakes

Today's “daily outrage” comes from Australia, where several cyclists in a pack of 50 slammed into the back of a car after the driver passed the group then stopped abruptly.

The hit-and-run driver later called a talk show to give his version.

Among those in the bunch cycling in Sydney were Olympic cyclists Ben Kersten, Michelle Ferris, Matthew White, Kevin Nichols and daughter Kate Nichols, who was injured in the 2005 car vs. bicycle crash in Germany that claimed the life of Amy Gillett and injured other members of the Australian cycling team …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/05/09/daily-outrage-car-passes-cyclists-then-slams-on-brakes/

Two Washington communities among 11 new Bicycle Friendly towns

Update: May 2, 2008 — Why were they chosen?

Two outstanding communities for bicycling on the Olympic Peninsula — Bainbridge Island and Port Townsend — have been named among the 11 new Bicycle Friendly communities by the League of American Bicyclists.

The others are Colorado Springs and Durango, Colorado, and Minneapolis, Minnesota (all silver level), and Arcata, California, Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlottesville, Virginia, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Oxford, Mississippi, and Sitka, Alaska (bronze).

Seattle cyclists are familiar with Bainbridge Island for hosting February's Chilly Hilly bike ride, above, when more than 4,000 bicycle riders take the ferry and jam up a 33-mile loop around the island.

Port Townsend, also a ferry stop on the Olympic Peninsula, is a destination for bike touring enthusiasts who enjoy stress-free rural roads. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/05/01/two-washington-communities-among-11-new-bicycle-friendly-towns/

It's May — National Bike Month

If you're a bicycle commuter, or would like to be, May is certainly your month.

Communities across the US are sponsoring bike-to-work activities in May to urge people out of their cars and onto their bikes. In many places that support evaporates quickly, but by then it's hoped that commuters have been inspired to ride their bikes regularly.

Many month-long bike commuter contests begin today. Other dates to remember are National Bike Week from May 12 – 16, and Bike to Work Day on May 16 (other dates in some locales). Check the League of American Bicyclists Bike Month Events page for local listings.

Seattle-based Cascade Bicycle Club is sponsoring events in May, featuring the month-long Group Health Commute Challenge, Vulcan Bike to Work Breakfast, May 7, and the Starbucks Bike-to-Work Day, 6-9 a.m., May 16, when 40 stations are set up around the Puget Sound to help bicyclists get to work …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/05/01/its-may-national-bike-month/

Preserving a western Washington railroad for a bike trail

Trail supporters to meet Thursday in Kirkland

The Cascade Bicycle Club is rallying support to preserve a future abandoned rail bed as a main link for off-road bicycle travel through Renton, Newcastle, Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland.

In a scheme that gets more complicated as time goes on, the Port of Seattle plans to buy the 42-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad right-of-way for future use as a commuter corridor with rail and a hike-bike trail. The devil is in the details, though, as the Port wants the rail line to have priority over the trail, while King County wants the uses “coequal.”

Cascade warns that the Port's position leaves the possibility of a trail in doubt.

“However, the Port of Seattle and the King County Council’s latest plan would give the Port of Seattle veto authority over a future trail, and subordinates trail construction to any “transportation use” – which does not include bicycle commuters on a trail.” …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/04/30/preserving-a-western-washington-railroad-for-a-bike-trail/

Portland goes Platinum — bicycle friendly-wise

Portland has become the first large US city to achieve the Platinum-level as a Bicycle Friendly Community, following only Davis, California, with the designation. The announcement was made Tuesday by the League of American Bicyclists.

Congratulations go to a wide group of activists, politicians, bureaucrats and even the local bike blogger who kept their eyes on the prize in recent years and helped push bicycling into the mainstream of the city's transportation and culture.

Let's hope it gives bicycling enthusiasts elsewhere the incentive to do the work to get their cities added to the list of Bicycle Friendly Cities that currently stands at 72 …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/04/30/portland-goes-platinum-bicycle-friendly-wise/

Swipe this bicycle in Washington DC… with a card

That bike-sharing rental program called SmartBike DC is set to start next month in the nation's capital with 120 bicycles available at 10 spots around the city.

Operated by the Clear Channel outdoor advertising company, it's the first such project in the US and will be similar to other advertising-based bike rental programs in Paris, Lyon, Rennes and Barcelona, Spain. London is expected to get on board by 2010.

San Francisco will host a SmartBike program in the future, and Clear Channel is negotiating in Chicago and Portland …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/04/27/swipe-this-bicycle-in-washington-dc-with-a-card/