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Cycle tracks: safe or dangerous?

A study released this week by the Harvard School of Public Health may reignite the discussion over the safety of cycle tracks for bicycling through urban areas.

The Harvard study, conducted on six cycle tracks in Montreal, found that risk of injury for bicyclists is somewhat less in the physically separated bike lanes than riding in the street. Those findings run counter to previous studies that cycle tracks are more dangerous for bicyclists, especially at intersections.

Those findings could come into play as urban planners search for types of bicycle facilities that encourage more people to ride their bicycles for commuting and running errands. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, for instance, is pushing for 100 miles of separated bike lanes (see video above).

Cycle tracks are bicycle lanes that are physically separated from traffic …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/11/cycle-tracks-safe-or-dangerous/

Reckless homicide charges in cyclist death in South Carolina

A South Carolina man was charged with reckless homicide this week after one of the five bicyclists he struck with his SUV back in October died on Sunday.

Dr. Matthew Burke (left), 38, an Army orthopedic surgeon stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia, suffered severe head trauma in the crash. He leaves behind a wife and 11-month-old daughter.

The case raised a lot of interest in the Augusta area and sparked a stream of comments to the local newspaper. There are arguments over whether cyclists have a right to use the roads (they do), to warnings that Georgia bicyclists should stay off of South Carolina roads. ….

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/10/reckless-homicide-charges-in-cyclist-death-in-south-carolina/

2011 Cycle Oregon route announced; Pacific Coast on itinerary

The surf's up for 2011 Cycle Oregon as the week-long bicycle tour pays a visit to the Pacific Coast for a couple of days on its Sept. 10-17 loop route around the southwestern part of the state.

Organizers announced the route Tuesday night and immediately began taking registrations in-person and online for the 2,200 alloted spots. The 2010 bicycle tour sold out in less than a week.

Registration also opened up for the weekend ride, which is scheduled July 15-17 and based on the campus of Willamette University in Salem.

It might be hard to believe, but the 24th annual week-long bicycle tour will be riding routes …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/09/2011-cycle-oregon-route-announced-pacific-coast-on-itinerary/

Myth-busting the RAGBRAI and Ride the Rockies bike tours

Bicycling enthusiasts know the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) and the Denver Post Ride the Rockies as two iconic cross-state bicycle tours with a combined history of 65 years.

RAGBRAI is the easy one that rolls across the flatness of Iowa. Ride the Rockies is the challenging one that summits mountain passes nearly every day.

Those myths don't exactly bear up to the facts, however.

In terms of elevation gain — which should really be the yardstick for comparing a flat ride and a mountainous ride — there's not much difference between the two. In fact, bicycle riders on 2011 RAGBRAI will face more climbing ….

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/08/myth-busting-the-ragbrai-and-ride-the-rockies-bike-tours/

Update: Long Beach abandons bicycle license program

Requirements for mandatory bicycle registration in some California cities appear to be going the way of the penny farthing into near-extinction.

Long Beach is the latest city to consider abandoning its mandatory bicycle license program. Late last year San Jose ended bicycle registration, a law that had been on the books since 1974, and Los Angeles ended its program in 2009.

[Update: Feb. 9 — The Long Beach City Council approved halting the licensing program.]

The issue in Long Beach is scheduled to come up at Tuesday's City Council meeting, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The city calls itself the most bicycle-friendly in the US; it is listed as a bronze-level bicycle friendly community ….

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/07/update-long-beach-abandons-bicycle-license-program/

2011 Ride the Rockies bike route announced

You mountain goats of the bicycling world should be happy to see that Ride the Rockies returns for its 26th year in 2011 with six mountain passes in six days.

The route for the 412-mile bike tour presented by the Denver Post was revealed on Sunday, with registration opening now through Feb. 25.

The mass participation bike ride, which accepts 2,000 cyclists by lottery, runs from June 11 – 17 from Crested Butte to Georgetown.

For those who might be interested in two weeks of supported bicycle touring, the Bicycle Tour of Colorado starts …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/06/2011-ride-the-rockies-bike-route-announced/

Collegiate cycling powerhouse first to offer minor in bicycling

The president of Lees-McRae College sees the future and it is bicycles.

The small college in the hills of Banner Elk, North Carolina, will become the first in the nation to offer a minor in Bicycle Studies when the program is launched this spring.

Already an athletic cycling powerhouse with 10 national championships since 2003, now bicycling will roll into the academic realm with course offerings for careers on and off the bike.

Students seeking a minor in Bicycle Studies will learn bicycle history and the principles of bicycling, as well as …..

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/05/collegiate-cycling-powerhouse-first-to-offer-minor-in-bicycling/

High Point – Preston Trail: Another gap closed in the Mountains to Sound Greenway

Another missing link in an off-road bicycling route between Seattle and the Cascades has been closed.

The state transportation and parks departments completed a 1.2-mile connector trail between the Issaquah-High Point Trail and the Preston-Snoqualmie Trail in December.

The trail, which cost $4.7 million, eliminates one of the gaps in the Mountains to Sound Greenway that runs from the Seattle waterfront to Central Washington generally along the Interstate 90 corridor.

I rolled up there last month to check it out. It starts across the street …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/04/high-point-preston-trail-another-gap-closed-in-the-mountains-to-sound-greenway/

Women in Uganda choosing careers in bicycling

Women in an isolated district of southwestern Uganda are learning to ride bicycles to make their daily chores easier and to even earn money as bicycle tour guides and mechanics.

The program called Ride 4 a Woman in Buhoma was set up with the assistance of US-based nonprofit One Street to offer local women the opportunity for more social and economic power.

It's just another example where bicycles can be used to improve the quality of life.

Ride 4 a Woman is located near the aptly named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, which is the home to the mountain gorilla and a destination of eco-tourists from around the world. The project rents bicycles and sends tours through the park and the surrounding countryside …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/03/women-in-uganda-choosing-careers-in-bicycling/

January ride-stat discovery: the rainfall-bicycling relational hyperbole theory

My annual goal for bicycling since moving here to Washington state 10 years ago has been 4,000 miles. I've achieved that three times. Three for 10 is not a good record, unless we're talking batting averages.

At the end of 2010, when I missed my goal by about 500 miles, I announced I was shooting for 4,000 miles again this year. By making my monthly totals in a public setting, I'm thinking it will inspire me to keep my eyes on the prize.

So in the spirit of public disclosure, I'm proud to announce that I rode 309 miles in January. That's only about 24 miles off the 333 miles I must average monthly to hit 4,000 miles at the end of the year….

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/02/02/january-ride-stat-discovery-the-rainfall-bicycling-relational-hyperbole-theory/