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The out-of-town news thread, vol. II

Continued, from http://localhost/mb/topic/the-out-of-town-news-thread/, where Stu once wrote, "We have so many stories from out of town, so rather than have one thread for each, I thought I’d start one we can add to, every time we come across happenings from elsewhere." --- Mountain View Police pulled over a Google self-driving car yesterday after noticing a line of cars backing up behind it; it was doing 25 in a 35 zone, on a road with three lanes, so it's unclear why nobody simply passed the damn thing. As noted in the department's blog post, the vehicle's actions were entirely lawful, so no action was taken by the officer. https://twitter.com/MountainViewPD/status/664980312795910144
epanastrophe
2015-11-13 13:05:08
Perhaps TensorFlow (a.k.a Skynet) computed that the optimal speed for that street was indeed 25mph and simply used it. After all this brouhaha, it will probably train an LSTM that chooses just the right moment to vaporize speeding cars, using that 3d-printed laser stored in its trunk...
ahlir
2015-11-13 18:42:52
I'm guessing it would have NOT been pulled over had it been going 45 mph.
mick
2015-11-13 20:35:54
After last week's attacks in Paris, a man played John Lennon's "Imagine" on a piano in a public square. He apparently towed the piano there via a bicycle. Facebook link to video Unfortunately, the video does not show the bike or towing apparatus. ETA: Here is a photo.
Pianist @Klavierkunst carrying his piano by #bicycle to play Lennon's "Imagine" outside of #Bataclan theatre #Paris. pic.twitter.com/8b7En70RcR— Don Jacobson (@BigSurfDon) November 15, 2015
And here is more info about the man and how he thought to drag a piano around Paris on a bike. link
stuinmccandless
2015-11-16 06:18:22
I saw that guy, while I was in Paris in August, playing on a bridge.
jonawebb
2015-11-16 08:49:23
Detroit has a fast-growing bicycle culture. "Slow Roll Detroit, which was founded in 2010 by Detroit residents Jason Hall and Mike MacKool, meets weekly to explore different neighborhoods on their roughly 10-mile route in an effort to highlight new businesses and community projects happening around the city. What started as a few friends meeting informally now draws as many as 5,000 on a given week from all over the city and suburbs." Nice video: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motor-city-bike-city-inside-detroits-bicycle-renaissance-n467316
paulheckbert
2015-11-22 20:09:28
PennLive (Harrisburg): "Aggressive drivers cause more crashes than distracted and drunken drivers combined in PA" http://j.mp/1PPKz9r
epanastrophe
2015-11-25 21:49:37
American cyclist Shannon Galpin has helped support women's cycling in Afghanistan. The country is rated the worst place in the world to be a woman. Generally, women are not allowed to ride bicycles there, except as a sidesaddle passenger. Boys can get to school much faster each day, because they can ride bikes. A few women are bucking the system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aez0ZdRK5Tw
paulheckbert
2015-11-29 11:25:06
ODOT to hold meetings to help plan new bike routes http://www.heraldstaronline.com/page/content.detail/id/636688/ODOT-to-hold-meetings-to-help-plan-new-bike-routes.html?nav=5010 The agencies are hosting two identical public outreach meetings to solicit input and provide information about the state's effort to establish a signed, Ohio bicycle network that will accommodate long-distance bicycling. Once complete, Ohio will have more than 3,000 miles of state and U.S. designated bicycle routes, according to officials.
marko82
2015-12-01 09:23:02
Thanks, Marko82. If you want to email comments to those Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) people, there's an email address here: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D11/newsreleases/Pages/112415.aspx I urged them to create a bike route connecting the Panhandle Trail (Weirton/Steubenville) with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath (Zoarville).
paulheckbert
2015-12-01 12:19:54
Research paper on bicycle use: Tracking global bicycle ownership patterns http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140515006787 excerpts: Over the past four decades, bicycle ownership has been documented in various countries but not globally analyzed. This paper presents an effort to fill this gap by tracking household bicycle possession. Generally, bicycle ownership was highest in Northern Europe and lowest in West, Central and North Africa, and Central Asia. ... We establish that at the global level 42% of households own at least one bicycle. ... Burkina Faso had a high household percentage bike ownership (PBO) of 84.2%, while Armenia had a low value of 4%. ... China, perhaps, exhibits the most dramatic variation [over time]. In 1992, China had a PBO of 97.2%, indicating that there was at least one bicycle available in almost every household. This statistic had dropped to 48.7% by 2007.
paulheckbert
2015-12-03 12:44:17
Dateline: Davidson, Maryland Davidsonville man spared jail time for assault on cyclist after crash link
stuinmccandless
2015-12-05 20:01:04
Rather than 16 hours of community service, it would be more reformative for the hit and run driver to cycle for 16 hours on the road. Not sure if I want our court system imposing creative fines like that. But the biker in me thinks it would be effective.
dfiler
2015-12-06 23:39:12
"I think the majority of drivers don't realize that cyclists have a legal right to use the road and the driver is required to give the cyclist 3 feet of space when passing, when safe to do so," Korin said. The wording bothers me here. I think he means the driver should wait until it's safe to pass. But I think a lot of people will think he means you don't have to give three feet if there's oncoming traffic.
jonawebb
2015-12-07 08:54:41
California city loses lawsuit from family of bike rider killed on road with narrow bike lanes and no lighting http://j.mp/1O9pbpA "In June 2012, Dr. Gerald Brett Weiss, a nationally known neurosurgeon, was killed when he was hit from behind while riding his bicycle in the community of Indian Wells, CA. In mid-November of this year his family won a $5.8 million judgment against Indian Wells, claiming that the city was negligent in not providing sufficient width for bike lanes or lighting that would have prevented the crash.… "Although the driver was allegedly drunk, the city was still found 35 percent liable and ended up responsible for the bulk of the judgment because the driver was underinsured. The city argued that the driver and the bicyclist himself were responsible for the crash, and that the road was too dangerous to bike.…"
epanastrophe
2015-12-17 12:48:26
Columbus: "New bike lanes causing confusion north of Downtown" http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/12/13/new-route-doubt.html Reading the article, it's hard for me to envision what's going on there, but I *really* like this: “Frankly, it’s a corridor that has traveled at a much-higher-than-posted speed historically.... It’s specifically designed to help people travel at the appropriate speed.” Thoughts going through drivers' minds: "OMG, what's going on here? I have to *slow down* and pay attention!?! I'm sooooo CONFUSED!!"
rustyred
2015-12-17 14:26:25
@RustyRed If that scooter driver received a ticket he would no longer be confused.
fultonco
2015-12-17 17:41:16
^ I think that if this was truly "good" infra it would be self evident of where you should ride/drive; and you should also know what speed to drive without needing signs to tell you. IMHO, Complete Streets are more than just adding bike lanes (paint). There is soo much room to work with here, yet they failed to think beyond paint.
marko82
2015-12-17 18:03:46
Portland considering raising meter rates in its Downtown. As always, concerns have been raised for low-wage workers who supposedly drive to work because their work hours start or end outside bus service hours. Starbucks manager and chair of downtown retail council Craig Bush, speaking in favour of the proposal: Anecdotally, I’d like to also say…I have ten employees, seven would be considered 'low-wage', none drive.... Council member: How do your 4 a.m. workers get there? Bush: They bike or they walk. http://bikeportland.org/2015/12/18/starbucks-manager-endorsing-parking-rate-hike-says-his-low-income-workers-bike-anyway-170692
epanastrophe
2015-12-18 14:11:28
^Wow. That graph of who parks in downtown Portland (by income category) is pretty telling. I wonder if the data exists to do one for Pittsburgh. My gut would tell me that the graph would be similar.
marko82
2015-12-18 15:44:44
@ Marko82 Yes. Also, if memory serves me correctly, there are some bike lanes in Ohio that allow motorized scooters to travel there also. Near Cincinnati, I remember seeing a bike lane that has a red motor scooter "sharrow" painted in it, as well as the traditional bicycle sharrow.
fultonco
2015-12-18 17:58:08
Thanks Michael & Stu It's interesting that Pgh seems to drive more (as a percentage) within most wage brackets. I guess that's due to Portland having a better transit system then us. http://i.imgur.com/2CSNTe5.png
marko82
2015-12-19 19:36:57
Just thinking about where I work, on the Northside. There are less than a handful who bike in at all. The bus stops out front were eliminated, some time ago. The nearest stops are at least a mile or more away. The closest trolley stop is almost 3 miles away. The area is industrial in nature. Any neighborhoods close by are pretty rough. I'm guessing that the income bracket most fall into is in the $25-60K range. All drive in, daily. Some from long distances (Beaver and Westmoreland Counties). Many do the parkway crawl, both ways, every day.
fultonco
2015-12-20 06:44:19
@marko82: your graph has no axis labels.
paulheckbert
2015-12-22 09:27:43
Yeah I realized that shortly after i posted it but I had already closed my spreadsheet without saving it. The Y-axis is percentage of single occupant driving into central business district, the X-axis is income. See Michael's google-doc for details.
marko82
2015-12-22 10:12:45
In September 2015, 5-year-old Max Wyatt was riding a bicycle in Boise, Idaho, when he was struck by a car and dragged 40 feet, sustaining numerous injuries that prompted over two months in a hospital. The driver was charged with inattentive driving. This article focuses on the community reaction: fundraising and the successful drive to change Idaho driver testing: http://www.boisebicycleproject.org/themax/
paulheckbert
2015-12-23 07:43:52
Toronto's bike share system might be replacing some of its fleet. link While I'm on the site, I'll also point out that the home page for the article linked above is to the Toronto equivalent of Bike-Pgh.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-08 09:53:23
Thanks for the link above, re Toronto's bikeshare system. BikingToronto is a news and events site in Toronto... our local BikePGH equivalent is Cycle Toronto. Having said this, I volunteer with Cycle Toronto a lot, help with a few campaigns for bikelanes and ward (neighborhood) advocacy, and am a member of the fundraising committee. :)
bikingtoronto
2016-01-08 10:14:08
Not the Onion. Bill introduced in Missouri to require bicycles to have a 15-foot flag attached. Yes, FIFTEEN. http://www.house.mo.gov/billsummary.aspx?bill=HB2046&year=2016&code=R 307.189. Every bicycle, as defined in section 307.180, operating upon a lettered 2 county road shall be equipped with a flag clearly visible from the rear and suspended not 3 less than fifteen feet above the roadway when the bicycle is standing upright. The flag 4 shall be fluorescent orange in color.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-12 16:54:52
When I was a teenager my mom got it into her head that it would be a good idea for my younger brother and me to have flags on our bikes. We were made to mount 6' vertical flags (the kind recumbents sometimes have) from our rear axles. The drag was tremendous. I'm not sure, exactly, how we lost them eventually. But 15' is an amazing proposal. A bike with a 15' flag wouldn't be able to go under tunnels and bridges. I'm assuming the idea is to compromise, say on 7.5'. But whoever proposed this deserves to get targeted by the bike community and voted out of office.
jonawebb
2016-01-13 08:10:12
When I read this I envisioned stopping next to a road and slightly leaning the bike to the left, then having the top of the flag grabbed by a truck on it's way past pulling bike and rider into it's side.
helen-s
2016-01-13 08:50:53
^following a link in the above article, NSW is also increasing fines to CYCLISTS Fines for cycling offences, currently standardised at $71, will be increased for not wearing a helmet (to $319), running a red light ($425), riding dangerously ($425), holding on to a moving vehicle ($319) and not stopping at a children’s or pedestrian crossing ($425). The fine for not having ID is $106. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/dec/21/nsw-cyclists-must-carry-id-and-will-face-same-fines-as-drivers-under-new-laws
marko82
2016-01-14 11:34:53
Bike lanes and gentrification: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/14/why-bike-lanes-are-hugely-unpopular-in-some-neighborhoods The article mentions the chicken-and-egg nature of the relationship between bike lanes and gentrification; dense urban neighborhoods are most favorable for gentrification and are also the best locations for bike lanes. But it doesn't explore solutions. I'd like to think that here in Pittsburgh we're trying to address this. We should be adding bike infrastructure across the city, not just focusing on the areas where it is likely to have the biggest economic benefit. We should be adding bike infrastructure up into the Hill District and out to the South Hills.
jonawebb
2016-01-14 13:46:40
Not sure if this is the best place to post: I'm a long way from PGH now! The Travoy has been an absolute champ. No mechanical problems or flat tires to date and I'm just 55 miles from the Pacific Ocean. I didn't have any problems going downhill on it, even at higher speeds. Then again my bike is so heavy that my top speeds probably didn't exceed 25 mph. Overall the Travoy is a sturdy companion and performed well on uneven roads or trails and rolling over curbs when walking my bike to get on/off sidewalks. Please send everyone in Pittsburgh my regards. One of my favorite stops across this great country! Cheers from Claremont, CA Jeffrey
durishange
2016-01-14 14:06:25
A dumb Washington Times editorial observes bike-intensive cities like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Oslo, and argues that European-style bicycle culture can’t carry over to the US because (a) American cities are too big, and (b) American cyclists “regard themselves as God’s noblemen”. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/14/editorial-america-looks-to-europe-for-bicycle-solu/ The article used a January 12 photo of a cyclist in Pittsburgh as illustration:
paulheckbert
2016-01-18 21:11:20
Recall that the Washington Times is a doctrinaire right-wing (though little read) newspaper owned by the Moonies. And apparently the editors failed to notice that women also cycle ("God’s noblemen", huh?)
ahlir
2016-01-18 21:54:46
TBF, we are God's noblepeople.
jonawebb
2016-01-19 07:02:40
^ I don't know. To me it looks like the guy doesn't get the girl in either scenario. He should get a bike.
marko82
2016-01-20 21:04:31
who knows, maybe she stops to say thank you and they get to talking...but it sure ain't gonna happen if she's pissed at him for dumping snow in the bike lane. on the other hand, maybe she's just not into men. or he into women...
epanastrophe
2016-01-20 21:06:26
stop it, stop it now, please.
vannever
2016-01-20 22:40:46
Aw, ok. Let's instead talk about language politics in Latvia ! The poster is in Russian instead of Latvian. A recent referendum made Latvian the (only) official language. But the city is Riga, where the majority of residents are ethnic Russian. So it would make sense. Or maybe one of the figures is Latvian and the other is Russian. But which is which?
ahlir
2016-01-21 08:09:20
I wish I knew either language well enough to make an intelligent comment. I can halfkindasortaalmost sound out what the words sound like, but haven't more than a 10% chance of understanding what they mean, let alone pick up on any nuances of language or politics.
stuinmccandless
2016-01-21 09:41:08
In this case, all you really need to know is that Latvian is written in a variant of the Latin character set, not Cyrillic.
epanastrophe
2016-01-21 13:50:56
Oh, FFS. Not three weeks after the Missouri 15-foot-flag bill, nearly a dozen South Dakota reps and three state senators have introduced a bill to require cyclists to dismount and exit the roadway for passing cars and remove language allowing lane-taking: http://www.cyclelicio.us/2016/south-dakota-bill-to-require-cyclists-to-dismount-for-passing-cars/ https://twitter.com/cyclelicious/status/691621684785209344 bill text: http://legis.sd.gov/Legislative_Session/Bills/Bill.aspx?File=HB1073P.htm&Session=2016
epanastrophe
2016-01-25 14:40:36
The two bills should be combined, with the additional requirement to climb the flagpole, remove the flag, and wave at the winner, nascar style, as he/she passes.
byogman
2016-01-25 18:45:49
@paulheckbert That is quite an agenda !
fultonco
2016-02-01 18:07:46
Ugly story about pedestrians hit by a car near Boston https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/02/01/authorities-investigating-two-possible-pedestrian-incidents/eMCxk27nIBWpdFeLypwAHJ/story.html?p1=Article_Trending_Most_Viewed It's nice that the driver is being charged with an appropriate-sounding charge "... charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon " Oddly enough the part about not knowing that someone was stuck under the car seems to have some credibility in this case.
mick
2016-02-02 13:07:06
I'm getting a 404 kitten on that link.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-05 18:18:21
Ghost Ride tomorrow, in Cincinnati, for a well-known cyclist killed recently: "There will be a ghost ride to honor Michael Prater on Saturday at 2:00pm corner of Wilmer and Airport Road. The ride will go past the site of another bike fatality, Andrew Gast, to place a ghost bike in Kellogg Park around 3:15pm. Michael loved biking...and while this will give us pause, we will be back on our bikes the next warm day...just like Michael would have done." http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/02/04/michael-prater-cycling-fed-his-soul/79825624/
fultonco
2016-02-06 07:49:19
Cheyenne, Wyoming, had a law requiring bicycle licensing, but they just voted to repeal it: http://www.wyomingnews.com/news/bicycle-license-repeal-passes-cheyenne-city-council/article_dd079bb6-cef9-11e5-bbb9-0f4145dd6bae.html "Until the repeal, all bicycles in Cheyenne were technically required to be registered with the city clerk’s office. Bicycle owners who registered with the city were given a decal – or license plate in years past – to affix to the bicycle. However, the law was not enforced in recent decades. In fact, just one license was issued in 2015."
paulheckbert
2016-02-09 11:33:20
@paulheckbert From Oklahoma Law Local authorities may regulate the operation of bicycles in their jurisdiction. They may also require registration and licensing of bicycles. (Title 47 § 15 102) Check with your city or county government to determine if they have additional regulations concerning bicyclists.
fultonco
2016-02-09 18:11:35
Stockholm cleans their bike trails with this machine twice a day, seven days a week, in the winter. The city (population 800,000) has nine Irish-made "Multihog" machines. "A big tank sprays a saltwater mix. Researchers are studying the proper mixture to get the optimal friction on about 100 miles of bike paths here." http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-02-12/snow-roads-sweden-no-problem
paulheckbert
2016-02-12 20:34:48
NASCAR drivers pedal from St. Augustine for bike safety http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20160217/NEWS/160219519/101063?Title=NASCAR-drivers-pedal-from-St-Augustine-for-bike-safety NASCAR drivers and professional cyclists hopped on bicycles Wednesday morning and pedaled 60 miles from St. Augustine to Daytona International Speedway to raise awareness for bicycle and pedestrian safety. "I think the message is just awareness," Johnson said after the ride. "People on these bikes are moms, dads, children, and sometimes motorists let their frustrations get the best of them and don't realize they're putting somebody in harm's way."
marko82
2016-02-18 10:46:24
New Castle, PA Second phase of Riverwalk project rolls ahead http://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/second-phase-of-riverwalk-project-rolls-ahead/article_9df3a5a8-d5b8-11e5-91cb-df82aefa9b41.html "Phase two will formally designate the 1.4-mile loop downtown that connects to the Neshannock Creek Trail," Staniszewski said, explaining the loop will cover portions of downtown streets and paths along the creek. "We're working with our engineers and the county to come up with a final design to provide access for bicycles along the route and to make it bicycle and pedestrian friendly."
marko82
2016-02-18 12:00:48
ANGIER, N.C. (WTVD) -- Four experienced cyclists are being treated at WakeMed Hospital after authorities say they were thrown from their bikes after being hit by a driver. .... [The driver] told ABC11 that when she saw the cyclists there was another car coming in the opposite direction and there wasn't room to move over. Authorities said the the four cyclists were riding in a single-file line. "It started in the middle of the road right there and then I pulled up here to get out of the road," said Williams. "Why didn't she slow down? Why did she try to pass when it wasn't safe? The two seconds she would have saved passing them wasn't worth it. Just absolutely not worth it," said [local rider Jerry] Phelps.
2 of the 4 riders, randonneurs who were on a 124-mile ride, are listed in critical condition; charges are said to be pending, though the article doesn't say what they might be. http://abc11.com/news/cyclists-in-hospital-after-being-hit-by-car-in-angier/1209921/
epanastrophe
2016-02-21 11:07:24
There is so much ad-ware built into the WNCN website, I had to shut down my computer. I couldn't even get the browser to close.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-21 16:14:24
Streetview of the collision site in North Carolina: https://goo.gl/maps/cicSNkThmMR2 The speed limit on non-municipal NC roads is 55 mph. I wonder how fast this driver was traveling, to not see four cyclists on a relatively flat and straight road, and to hit them all.
paulheckbert
2016-02-21 16:17:33
"Williams told ABC11 that when she saw the cyclists there was another car coming in the opposite direction and there wasn't room to move over. Authorities said the the four cyclists were riding in a single-file line." No room to move over. Poor woman...shame her car wasn't equipped with any means to slow down or stop in a hurry.
reddan
2016-02-21 17:26:36
From the story, it sounds like there will be charges filed against the driver. Her admission that she saw the cyclists and made the conscious decision that there wasn't room to move over sounds, to me, like a basis for a reckless driving charge or something similar.
jonawebb
2016-02-21 17:31:00
Women on bikes in Gaza: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/world/middleeast/gaza-women-on-bikes-face-a-long-road-to-acceptance.html “Listen, girls, there’s nothing left in my orchard except firewood,” Ms. Suleiman said, using a Palestinian saying for being a spinster. “But you are young. I want you, when you get married, to make riding your bikes a condition of marriage.” The younger women erupted in laughter at the suggestion. “He’ll give me a beating!”
jonawebb
2016-02-23 09:20:29
“The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) was recently recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as one of more than 1,132 Bicycle Friendly Businesses nationwide. The department achieved a Bronze-level designation for its efforts at and around the Commonwealth Keystone Building on North Street in Harrisburg.” http://fox43.com/2016/02/22/penndot-achieves-bicycle-friendly-business-designation-from-league-of-american-bicyclists/ See a list of Pennsylvania businesses with this designation: http://bikeleague.org/bfa/awards (click on the state)
paulheckbert
2016-02-23 11:10:58
Wow. Bronze level for PennDOT. Doesn't exactly inspire much confidence in the LAB, does it?
jonawebb
2016-02-23 11:13:48
For PennDOT's efforts as an employer at their main office facility in HBG, not for their efforts as a governmental agency for the State.
epanastrophe
2016-02-23 11:24:54
Wow, I don't even have words. Rare.
edmonds59
2016-02-23 13:28:47
Cute little video from Halifax: "How to Park in a Bike Lane"
"In honour of the new—apparently totally confusing—bike lanes on Hollis Street, PLANifax and The Coast offer a friendly guide to the etiquette of cars parking where bikes are supposed to ride."
https://youtu.be/miMd5-2NLk8
epanastrophe
2016-02-23 17:04:39
Oh, hey, Youtube embeds work again. Um, yay?
epanastrophe
2016-02-23 17:05:06
Regarding the North Carolina car driver that hit four cyclists on Saturday: As of Monday, two of the cyclists were out of the hospital, but one was still unconscious. One cyclist questions the driver's story: “she probably hit all four of us before she realized that she hit anybody.” The police say alcohol and speed were not factors in the crash. But the driver was on probation for a drug conviction. http://wncn.com/2016/02/22/was-she-texting-injured-bike-rider-asks-after-driver-hits-4-johnston-co-bicyclists/ Meanwhile, the NC legislature asked the state's Department of Transportation months ago to review car & bike safety laws. DOT is proposing a four foot law. "But the DOT rejected some suggestions from [their review] committee, including one that said there should be no change to a provision of state law that says bicycle riders should stay "as far right as is practicable." Instead, the DOT's proposal would require cyclists to stay in the right half of their lane." Cyclists are objecting, noting that in intersections, especially, it's often safest for cyclists to be left-of-center. [audio, 11 min.] http://wunc.org/post/proposed-new-rules-road-bicycles#stream/0
paulheckbert
2016-02-25 05:07:43
From the land DownUnder - you can't make this stuff up Bike bells the focus of police crackdown on cyclists around Brisbane http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/police-crackdown-on-bicycles-without-bells-in-queensland/7198784 A police operation at the base of the popular hill saw riders pulled over and fined for not having a bell. Four separate $117 fines were issued at a number of locations in the area under the Queensland Road Rules. Many cyclists choose to use a vocal warning instead of a bell, yet Sergeant Stevens said that was not enough. "It needs to be a bell or a horn warning," he said. "The same as cars and motor vehicles, they're required to meet certain standards. "Everyone is required to maintain their vehicle or bicycle in accordance to the legislation, just as a car has to have a working horn."
marko82
2016-02-25 11:15:18
This is not a requirement in PA, BTW -- I checked. We're only required to have lights & reflectors at night, and a brake (even on a fixie).
jonawebb
2016-02-25 11:20:11
@ erok Another aspect of this is that Brecksville is in an area where bike trails of the Metroparks System and the Emerald Necklace pass through and where the Cuyahoga Valley Recreational Area lies. One would think that a community, long-benefitting from bicycle touring, would have more of a collective consciousness regarding the sport.
fultonco
2016-03-02 18:12:21
Getting chased by turkeys is bad enough.
jonawebb
2016-03-08 07:09:44
@jonawebb @JZ, yup. I'd rather deal with the local Suicidal Trail Bunnies
chrishent
2016-03-08 14:51:13
I hear the cameraman was egging the ostrich on...
reddan
2016-03-09 22:18:00
The story on women cycling is from 2014. Has anyone conducted any follow-up research on this?
stuinmccandless
2016-03-14 14:54:48
awesome because it's a fun fake?
paulheckbert
2016-03-30 08:16:21
@Buffalo Cleveland man can’t believe he got cited for breaking the law Maybe he should move to Pittsburgh, where he can be confident that would not happen.
mick
2016-03-31 16:05:47
Five myths about bicycling from The Washington Post http://wpo.st/sqgR1
yalecohen
2016-04-03 07:33:32
If that photo is supposed to be a clickable link, it does not work on my iPad. Can we have another link, please?
stuinmccandless
2016-04-08 14:21:11
"If that photo is supposed to be a clickable link, it does not work on my iPad. Can we have another link, please?" here you go: http://nyti.ms/23hIQB4 GAH! Dammit! every various link I tried to paste here comes up with that un-clickable photo! Sorry, I tried.
rustyred
2016-04-08 14:24:49
In Chrome it appears as an unclickable photo, too, but when I right-click and choose "open in new tab" it works. So maybe play around with the link somehow on the iPad.
jonawebb
2016-04-08 14:30:25
Also, the email notices for new posts strip out images and links from text. Oddly, the one RustyRed posted, the url came through (but is probably turning into an image here via some wordpress magic/bullshit); the one jonawebb posted just came through as "Cheating in triathlon" by itself.
epanastrophe
2016-04-08 15:02:39
Now that I have an actual computer in front of me, lemmesee if I can screw with the link. Try clicking this. Yep, works on the laptop, and it works on the iPad. The key was to strip off that "embed oem" thing at the end of the link, and then hand-construct an html "A" tag in which to embed it.
stuinmccandless
2016-04-08 16:36:46
This is a start, but it should be more questions than 2 for bike / ped safety.
benzo
2016-04-12 09:37:49
Ikea stores to start selling a belt-drive bike in the fall. http://www.bike-eu.com/home/nieuws/2016/4/global-start-in-bikes-by-ikea-10126058 According to IKEA spokesperson Annique van der Valk, IKEA’s start in bikes is not a pilot or a test. “As it is a perfect fit with what IKEA stands like offering customers healthy and environmental-sound solutions. Of course we will monitor the success in sales and depending on that opt for more bikes to offer at our stores.”
marko82
2016-04-13 09:26:38
Road diet? It's just paint. From LA Mother, Daughter And Dog Struck And Killed In Crosswalk By SUV http://laist.com/2016/04/12/mother_and_daughter_struck_and_kill.php Though the intersection of Roscoe and Jason is an uncontrolled intersection, it does have a distinguished ‘zebra’ crosswalk with marking signs. The road is one of several in the L.A. area that has been put on a ‘road-diet’ in theory making the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists by surrendering a vehicle travel lane for bicycle lanes. The speed limit, however, remains 40 mph, and there are no flashing yellow lights to more pronouncedly signal the presence of a crosswalk. Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/6PvT9Q78Lk52
marko82
2016-04-13 10:03:17
"Posted 40" is equivalent to "a goddamned expressway", in common practice. That road should be posted 30.
stuinmccandless
2016-04-13 12:20:27
I thought this is interesting. Someone took people's drawings of bikes and rendered them using CAD: http://imgur.com/a/VZQXk
jonawebb
2016-04-15 07:46:13
Yeah, interesting MOTORCYCLE design. I have no idea who the target audience is for this thing.
benzo
2016-04-26 14:44:47
From Howell, MI (north west of Detroit) Bikes welcome in downtown Howell City officials noted the increasing popularity of bicycle riding, especially as more area residents opt for more-active lifestyles, as reason to rescind the old ordinance. Sounds nice. But this is their idea of bike friendly: The city this spring will install 10 pavement marking signs at downtown entry areas, indicating riders should dismount walk walk their bikes. http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/community/howell/2016/04/27/bicycles-howell-downtown-welcome/83601086/
marko82
2016-04-28 08:51:39
Boston MA: 'City Council approved a proposal Wednesday to lower the speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph in the city of Boston, unless otherwise posted. 'The measure, which was supported unanimously, would also decrease the speed limit to 15 mph in school zones, as well as other “municipally designated zones,” such as areas near senior centers or MBTA stations. '“We need to eliminate traffic fatalities in the city streets,” said Councilor Frank Baker, who sponsored the proposal. “Lowering the speed limit is an important step in the right direction.”' https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/04/27/boston-city-council-votes-unanimously-lower-city-speed-limit-20-mph (The measure still needs to be signed by the mayor and, for some reason, passed by the state legislature.)
epanastrophe
2016-04-28 13:11:28
It needs state approval because it's a home-rule overriding the Massachusetts General Law WRT traffic regulation. Not something the state legislature generally favors. Boston City Council is essentially powerless, but at least they and the mayor and the state DOT are generally pro-bike. Things have come a long way in the past 15 years thanks to the previous mayor. Tho this reply belongs in the "Taking the Lane" thread, I'll deposit it here. MassBike is the statewide bike advocacy group, and like BikePgh, they're generally conflict-averse and (like most bike "advocacy" groups) view their primary mandate as educating and encouraging non-cyclists to begin riding, rather than doing anything meaningful to improve conditions for people who actually ride bikes already. Out of sheer frustration with that, a new group formed called the "Boston Cyclists' Union" who are much more outspoken about the issues that cyclists face daily on the streets. Both groups seems to coexist and support one another, for the most part. Perhaps that dual-organization model might be an option here. Although the progress in Boston would not have gotten anywhere without the strong support of the previous mayor, no matter what the advocacy groups did.
ornoth
2016-04-28 16:02:40
A 20mph speed limit within city limits in Pittsburgh is long overdue. particularly in crowded areas: Downtown, Oakland, etc. Do our elected representatives have the spine to make this happen? Is BikePgh moving on this front? This is really important. In the meanwhile cyclists and pedestrians are dying in the streets (literally).
ahlir
2016-04-28 19:21:25
Regarding the one minute of intense exercise, I've seen similar items recently, as well. There is also the doing away with the carbohydrate-heavy diet and going with a high fat approach, which sustains one longer w/o the need to continuously eat during a long workout.
fultonco
2016-04-30 05:33:31
A glimpse of urban biking in California, from a film created by AAA in the midst of the 1970s bike boom: "Only One Road: the bike-car traffic mix". I note: * almost no helmets * no bike clothes * cyclists are biking closer to parked cars than we do * cars driving slower * cars driving with windows open (partly a California thing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mceGPDKrahg
paulheckbert
2016-05-01 21:44:02
@ ahlir A 20mph speed limit within city limits in Pittsburgh is long overdue. Why? If they enforced the speed laws in Pittsburgh, my life would change profoundly. Changing a number on a sign when it's not enforced? Why bother?
mick
2016-05-02 00:34:42
Regarding the 1975 California Film... Ah, the good old days. What we didn't know didn't hurt us. There were fewer haters back in the '70s and the country roads were a little closer to the big city, making an escape to peace and quiet a bit easier.
fultonco
2016-05-02 15:56:50
L.A. ordered to pay $23.7 million in 'dangerous intersection' death http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-pedro-intersection-lawsuit-20160502-story.html
A jury on Monday found the City of Los Angeles primarily liable for a traffic collision that killed a scientist in San Pedro three years ago. The jury awarded $23.7 million to the widow and young son of Thomas Guilmette, a 59-year-old Northrop Grumman employee who died three years ago after his motorcycle struck a car that had inched into traffic on a busy avenue in northwest San Pedro. …residents…had complained for years about the blind corner at Summerland and Cabrillo avenues but the city was "not responsive." …Drivers waiting on Cabrillo to turn left onto Summerland were forced to edge into oncoming traffic to peer around a blind corner, attorneys said. …The judgment was unusually large, [the family's attorney Don] Liddy said, because attorneys showed the jury that L.A. officials had planned in 2001 and 2009 to make changes to the intersection that could have improved visibility. After Guilmette's death, city officials added a stop sign on Summerland at Cabrillo and restricted street parking there in an attempt to improve visibility. "It wasn’t until after the [crash] that they followed their own plan," Liddy said.
epanastrophe
2016-05-03 16:24:48
This BBC story says, regarding cycling or exercising in polluted air, that the benefits of exercise almost always outweigh the risks of health problems due to pollution. "It found that for an average air pollution concentration in an urban area, the tipping point - when the risks begin to outweigh the benefits - comes after a huge seven hours of cycling or 16 hours of walking a day." (But I'm guessing Pittsburgh's air is worse than "average" urban air pollution). http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36208003 If that worries you about cycling, consider this other study that suggests that the air pollution inside a car is sometimes worse than that outside, due to nitrogen dioxide: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35504768
paulheckbert
2016-05-05 20:49:15
"the only charge Bolshma-is facing is an ordinance violation for riding his bike on the sidewalk." What about, at least, involuntary manslaughter, to start with?
yalecohen
2016-05-09 22:38:18
"Fatal accidents involving stoned drivers soared in Washington since pot was legalized." I'm noticing an rising number of vehicles passing by that leave a thick odor of weed in their wake. I'm amazed by this. What's wrong with staying home, sitting on the couch watching The Wall and eating Cheetos? BUY YOUR MUNCHIES BEFORE YOU GET STONED!
rustyred
2016-05-10 10:45:51
@marko, I agree that he should face some additional sanction beyond a ticket for riding on the sidewalk. Of course, he would be liable under civil law, just as when a motorist kills somebody through inattentive driving. So that's something. But I don't think an involuntary manslaughter charge would stand, for the same reason it is hard to get juries to convict on this against motorists. There has to be something additional (such as DUI) for someone to be convicted -- even though the charge seems to fit as the law is written. I actually don't know what the appropriate thing to do is. At the very least, the cyclist should take a course on how to ride in a city, and get off the sidewalk.
jonawebb
2016-05-10 10:52:55
Regarding dope(s) on the trail: There is much "weed" odor along the multi-use trails these days--and it ain't from pollen or skunks...I'll have to keep an eye open for littered Cheetos bags. I DO prefer that odor to tobacco odor from second hand smoke--which we know is hazardous to one's health
yalecohen
2016-05-10 11:04:20
I don't think Red was referring to odors on trails, but rather roads.
stuinmccandless
2016-05-10 12:36:39
The pot study is a lot of definitive hype, but I'm not sure how scientifically sound the results are. My statistical classes are well behind me and I know there are others on here with vast more understanding than I, but when you delve into the details, there are a lot of assumptions. And there is this: Slightly more than half of all drivers had an unknown (missing) values for THC presence and concentration, including 1,243 (41.0%) who were not tested for drugs at all So to fill in those unknown cases they created an "imputation model" which took into account a bunch of variables like day of week, make of car, age of driver, seatbelt use, etc. to build a 'likelihood' that the person would have been tested positive if they had been tested. So they threw a lot of random variables against the wall and looked for correlations, and surprise, they found some. They even state bias could still be present in the imputed values. I'm not sure I have much confidence in their results. And then there is the larger issue of there being a lot of variability in THC blood concentration and user impairment, etc. which the study also points out. So yeah, I don't want people getting impaired and driving, and I don't want them distracted by their phones or brushing their teeth while driving either, but this would not be the study I would base a whole lot of laws around. AAA Study: https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/PrevalenceOfMarijuanaInvolvement.pdf
marko82
2016-05-10 13:28:53
Philadelphia's Bike Coalition goes for a ride with reactionary tabloid columnist Stu Bykofsky--who in one of his many anti-cyclist columns coined the term 'pedalphile'--and raises nearly $2000 for a local shelter and service agency: http://bicyclecoalition.org/byko-ride-raises-nearly-2000-charity/
epanastrophe
2016-05-11 20:59:52
Some interesting things about this crash report in Boston: http://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/05/12/cyclist-hit-coors-light-truck-cambridge A: "The truck does not appear to have sideguards, which are designed to push cyclists away from the truck to prevent them from being swept under the wheels in a crash." THEY MAKE SUCH A THING!??! Wow. http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2014/09/sideguards-save-lives.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart.jpg B: no mention of helmet use or the word 'accident' in the article.
rustyred
2016-05-12 12:09:13
@rustyred yup, side guards have slowly been installed in more and more trucks over the past few years. The 'burgh has yet to see them (or at least I haven't seen one), but the City of Boston, as of October 2014, mandates that all large, city-contracted vehicles be equipped with those guards and other safety devices: http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=14853
chrishent
2016-05-12 12:38:22
The bike is under the cab, which makes it more difficult to explain this by the cyclist pulling up on the truck's right and getting hooked. That may well be what happened, if in fact she managed to get almost in front of the truck while doing that, and got run over. Video would help explain what actually happened. I have not heard of these sideguards, either. Rather like a cattle-catcher on a locomotive?
stuinmccandless
2016-05-12 13:34:23
@marko82, would this help get a person from, say, your street to the nearest bus stop? I look at that Perrymont-Lindisfarne district by me in the Ross-McCandless area, and there are a lot of people a mile from a transit stop who could very well ride the 12 or O12 every day, but the main reason they drive is to get that first/last mile.
stuinmccandless
2016-05-12 14:49:06
@JZ Those things would be great somewhere that has smooth pavement. Looks like they would cause and immediate OTB on the typical deep potholes that appear after every freeze thaw cycle. I would prefer a normal folding bike with 20" wheels or larger.
benzo
2016-05-12 15:10:17
@benzo I agree. I would be surprised if there isn't someone offering a folder w/ electric assist. That electric trike seems like it would just be a glorified paperweight if you had any type of mechanical or the battery died.
ka_jun
2016-05-13 09:40:32
https://vimeo.com/165305738 On March 20th, 2016, Team Cycling Academy - Israel's first pro cycling team took on a special ride. The team, which consist of 14 riders coming from 10 different countries, chose a different path than the one it usually practices on its daily training rides. For a day, the riders ignored their specific intense training routine and took on a 200km journey through the heart of Tuscany - starting in Florence and finishing at world heritage city of Assisi - copying the exact same route Bartali use to ride by himself. The course, that started in Bartali's house in Florence and ended in Assisi, took the riders along the route that Bartali rode through, while delivering fake documents for Italy Jews. Bartali, who was honoured in 2013 as a Righteous among the Nations by the Yad Vashem institute, used his bike to save more than 800 Jews during the Holocaust. During the war, the Italian Champion, who won multiple editions of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, used his fame to carry messages and documents to the Italian Resistance. Cycling from Florence, through Tuscany, pretending to being "training", he hid the secret documents inside his bike frame, risked his life, and in doing so helped save over 800 Jews. Years later, it was announced that Bartali hid a Jewish family in his cellar, and kept them away from the Nazis. Yet, Bartali never talked about his great deeds during the Holocaust. "il bene si fa, ma non si dice" he used to say- "Good is something you do, not something you talk about".
yalecohen
2016-05-14 11:08:41
Very cool. Thanks.
edmonds59
2016-05-16 08:17:12
Velo Induced Demand.
vannever
2016-05-17 12:35:10
"It is another skirmish in the smoldering class war being waged on the roads of Beijing. The growing number of private car drivers is at odds with the millions of residents who ride two- and three-wheeled electric cycles. The conflict has stirred emotions about inequality in urban China, pitting wealthier drivers against the blue-collar workers who need the electric bikes to make a living. ... The city has up to 2.5 million electric bicycles, and sales have reached 300,000 each year." http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/world/asia/beijing-traffic-electric-bikes.html
paulheckbert
2016-05-30 23:55:59
Someone does not need guerilla tactics... It's a money making machine for local townships... even you have only 2 police offices... Let police officers to install this application and study traffic pattern a little bit. As soon as local street with 25 mph and/or bike route is recommended, it's almost guaranteed that above 90% of through-goers are going to exceed speed limits or cut through bike lanes, or roll through stop signs. Just give tickets. As soon as road marked as unsafe police should move to the next street. So basically police does not chase anyone -- they come to the police to pay money on their own... And police should never close all streets! Keep flow coming, don't plug it.
mikhail
2016-06-06 10:24:57
Today is D-Day. Couple of notes: first, Pittsburgh played a huge role in this. The LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) were designed at Dravo Corp and many were manufactured there on Neville Island. Also, obviously, a lot of the steel that went into ships etc. was made here. And there's this photo of Canadian soldiers unloading with their bikes: CkRMANWXEAE1y2c
jonawebb
2016-06-06 13:59:00
The headline has apparently been changed on that NY story--it now says "Fuel Truck Strikes, Kills Bicyclist In Brooklyn".
Caroline Samponaro, with the pedestrian and bicyclist advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said this is a textbook example of what happens too often. “Every 38 hours a New Yorker is killed in a traffic crash,” Samponaro told 1010 WINS’ Roger Stern. “We can do better than that as a city.” Twenty-four hours earlier, a pedestrian was struck and killed by an SUV in a Manhattan crosswalk.
Mildly impressive: The word 'accident' does not appear once on the page as it stands now (4:20pm).
epanastrophe
2016-06-07 15:21:25
Yeah, after reading the story, it struck me that there was a disconnect between the headline and what actually appears to have occurred, (i.e. truck driver was cited w/ failing to yield).
ka_jun
2016-06-07 15:23:35
from a local tv station: "Markus Eberhard said he was leaving Markin Glen Park after fishing when someone shouted at him to watch out. He said the pickup nearly ran over his foot. He said before he could shout to warn the bicyclists, [the] pickup hit them.… "A driver of the pickup fled on foot after the crash [but] has since been taken into custody." http://woodtv.com/2016/06/07/bicyclists-dead-after-crash-north-of-kalamazoo/ (_A_ driver? /shrug)
epanastrophe
2016-06-07 19:57:54
NY crash looks like a left-side bike lane (like Penn Ave), and driver turned left across the cyclist's path of travel. Talking to his son in the passenger seat instead of looking where he's going as he turned? Who knows; everything is speculation, and nobody is going to admit to anything. Chances of there being video are slim to none. Still, it does look like they're going to charge the driver. But the really annoying piece of this is the original news headline, which effectively blames the victim. For the millions of people who pay no attention to details, this is all that matters -> Those damned cyclists again.
stuinmccandless
2016-06-08 05:19:02
More on the horrifying crash in Kalamazoo. The riders were from the Kalamazoo Bicycling Club. Five are dead, none children. Four others in hospital. The 50-year old driver from western Michigan was caught, after he tried to flee on foot. Not charged yet. Several agencies were searching for the pickup at the time of the crash -- the driver's erratic driving had been reported about 30 minutes earlier. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kalamazoo-bike-accident-michigan-police-pickup-truck-driven-erratically/ http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2016/06/kalamazoo_cycling_community_gr.html http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/06/07/police-least-8-victims-multiple-dead-after-car-hits-bicyclists-kalamazoo/85574556/
jonawebb
2016-06-08 09:05:54
This story has a very small bicycle component, but is a MUST READ: 'She’s known in local newspapers as 23-year-old “Emily Doe” — a pseudonym to protect her privacy amid an emotional court battle in which former Stanford University varsity swimmer Brock Allen Turner was found guilty for her sexual assault. Prosecutors said that in January 2015, witnesses saw Turner sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on campus. The case came to a close Thursday when the judge sentenced Turner to six months in county jail and then probation, and ordered him to register as a sex offender over three sexual assault convictions: assault with the intent to commit rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration with a foreign object of an unconscious person, according to Palo Alto Online.' From her lengthy (MUST READ) statement: "Most importantly, thank you to the two men who saved me, who I have yet to meet. I sleep with two bicycles that I drew taped above my bed to remind myself there are heroes in this story. That we are looking out for one another. To have known all of these people, to have felt their protection and love, is something I will never forget." Her statement: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/da/newsroom/newsreleases/Documents/B-Turner%20VIS.pdf https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/06/04/you-took-away-my-worth-a-rape-victim-delivers-powerful-message-to-a-former-stanford-swimmer/?tid=a_inl (See short video) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/07/the-swedish-stanford-students-who-rescued-an-unconscious-sexual-assault-victim-speak-out/?wpisrc=nl_az_most https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/06/a-steep-price-to-pay-for-20-minutes-of-action-dad-defends-stanford-sex-offender/?tid=pm_national_pop_b
yalecohen
2016-06-08 09:26:01
Coverage of the Kalamazoo ride of silence (about 500 to 700 riders strong) for the nine victims of Tuesday's crash. http://woodtv.com/2016/06/08/massive-turnout-for-ride-of-silence-for-killed-cyclists/ http://wwmt.com/news/local/hundreds-turn-out-for-ride-of-silence-to-honor-kalamazoo-bike-tragedy-victims http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/outreach/ride-of-silence-for-kalamazoo-victims-happening-today/237248271 Edit to Add: Kalamazoo Strong Organization is taking donations to help the victims and families of the bicyclists killed and injured by a suspected drunken driver Tuesday night in Cooper Township, north of Kalamazoo. http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/outreach/kalamazoo-cycling-tragedy-how-you-can-help/237186238
marko82
2016-06-09 08:41:51
@Marko82 A heart-warming story
fultonco
2016-06-11 16:29:04
Never heard of Jeff Getting before this month, starting to wish he'd move to Pittsburgh and run for DA here....
epanastrophe
2016-06-22 13:27:12
From bikeyface's Twitter: an intersection in Boston that is worse than anything we have here, I think https://t.co/72w4gIBrTS
jonawebb
2016-06-22 19:09:58
Nah, Inman's not really that bad. it's just two streets that intersect at shallow angles. But like many Boston/Cambridge roads, outsiders are kinda screwed until they learn the pattern, especially when to turn left across oncoming traffic. Hampshire Street already has bike lanes, but Cambridge Street mostly not. Not saying Inman couldn't couldn't use a redesign, but it's not even the worst intersection in Cambridge. In fact, six months ago it was one of my preferred routes home. ;^)
ornoth
2016-06-22 19:57:03
According to a comment on the story, she was doored into the path of a truck. Be careful, could easily happen here. Give parked cars a few feet.
jonawebb
2016-06-24 08:09:05
Ashtabula, Ohio: This cyclist is a guy I've known for years, he runs front and rear-facing cameras for his commutes... he handled this Ohio Trooper like_a_boss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=S3SFMIEN59I In the week since it's been posted it's received 26K views. He's having a difficult time getting in touch with the Trooper's supervisor to discuss the matter.
rustyred
2016-06-26 18:04:42
NYC, showing the wrong way to implement vision zero consistently. Maybe enforcement personnel need to go to an optometrist, because they seem to have zero vision on vision zero.
benzo
2016-07-07 13:01:25
DiBlasio talks a good game but he has desperately pathetic control over the NYPD.
edmonds59
2016-07-07 14:08:52
When we were in Chicago last week, I was struck by the amount cycling infrastructure in the Lake View East/Mid North District. Saw a lot of cyclists, that said, none of the riders we saw were running lights at night and seemed to be "newer" riders.
ka_jun
2016-07-07 14:27:39
@jz, regarding Chicago riders, I definitely saw a lot of idiotic riding over there this past weekend. Many wrong way riders, and lots of blown red lights. This isn't new to me, though. Before I moved to Pittsburgh, I used to go to Chicago/Evanston/Wilmette several times a year, and it always struck me how I was seemingly the only roadie that bothered to stop at red lights. I guess they really wanted to keep that paceline going...
chrishent
2016-07-12 13:32:25
This seems like a fair sentence for "accidentally" taking a life: Plea deal for Orleans town clerk (Cape Cod) http://capecod.wickedlocal.com/news/20160715/plea-deal-for-orleans-town-clerk The conditions include: loss of license -- beginning Jan. 1, 2018 she may drive between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. only; May must perform 300 hours community service with the UMass Amherst Police Department and/or the Amherst Police Department on initiatives geared toward promoting pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist safety and awareness on and around the UMass Amherst campus; and May needs to make charitable contribution of $7,500 to be divided equally between UMass police and Amherst police for pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist awareness and safety initiatives.
marko82
2016-07-15 11:19:26
@jonawebb - you forgot one more point, aggressively enforce laws violated by cyclists.
benzo
2016-07-19 08:20:45
Ian McKay is planning a trip "that would be a challenge for anyone" — on "A Different Set of Wheels". (Specifically, wheelchair wheels.)
Here’s the plan. I’m setting aside two weeks. August 13-27, 2016. I intend to travel Washington state from north to south. Along with a support crew, I plan to navigate through the state on multiuse paths and roadways, all the while posting about my experience on social media. The idea is to find out firsthand and share with the public how accessible our state is for nonmotorized users, specifically people in wheelchairs.
Ian is looking for sponsors and donors, and also route help and ride alongs. (Anything raised above trip costs will go to Washington Bikes to support their "statewide work for better connections that are safe, accessible, and available to everyone.") http://wabikes.org/2016/07/18/different-set-wheels-ride-ian-mackay/
epanastrophe
2016-07-21 07:45:30
I can't help but think John Cleese was involved in developing that routine.
edmonds59
2016-08-03 11:37:37
Miami FL, which has no elevation changes anywhere
What do you mean? I thought it was slowly sinking into the ocean... :-)  
ahlir
2016-08-17 11:30:32
A seven-month engineering study will assess how much weight the Brooklyn Bridge can carry and consider options for expanding its walkway and bike lane. http://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000004595972/brooklyn-bridge-study-sizes-up-expansion.html   BikeSnobNYC adds: "Come on, do they really need a study to prove that the path needs widening? I coulda told you that shit for free. And it's not like cyclists haven't been lobbying for a better bike lane since...oh, I dunno, 1897?"
paulheckbert
2016-08-17 13:13:14
New biking law is born from tragedy http://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/Articles/2016/08/17/Biking-law-8-17-16.aspx Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed House Bill 5912, which amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to state that every bicyclist on a highway is entitled to all of the rights, “including, but not limited to” the ones dealing with right of way. “The Fourth District in so ruling also made the legal point that the right of way statutes are for the protection of the person, not the vehicle,” Keating wrote. “In other words, these statutes are to protect the person driving a motor vehicle or operating a bicycle. Under Illinois law it is not the object (i.e., “the vehicle”) that gets right of way, it is the person who is legally on the roadway.” ------------------------- It would be nice to have a few 'clarifications' to Pennsylvania's laws regarding cycling too. For instance, exactly what constitutes 'as far right as practicable'? I'd much rather have wording that says when a travel lane is less than X-feet the cyclist may control the whole lane regardless of speed, etc.
marko82
2016-08-18 09:35:32
Googling tells me that the first Pedal Pittsburgh was in 1994, it was run by the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh before Bike Pgh! took over. So Columbus definitely did not beat Pgh. http://www.popcitymedia.com/devnews/pedalpgh050411.aspx However, Bike the Cbus is great, my son and I did it last year, really nice. I am currently undergoing a city-crush on Columbus these days though, Columbus is so cool.
edmonds59
2016-08-20 11:23:50
PDX: Teenager killed yesterday by SUV driver who used center turn lane to pass a car that had stopped so she could cross the street: http://bikeportland.org/2016/08/20/speeding-driver-kills-teenage-girl-who-was-crossing-se-hawthorne-189858 Locals today held a sit-in of the lane at the site of the crash: https://twitter.com/__P__J/status/767048074057306113 https://twitter.com/__P__J/status/767098347320520704 https://twitter.com/__P__J/status/767076954474291200 https://twitter.com/__P__J/status/767073479233458176 As of 6:45pm ET (3:45 Portland time), they're still out there.
epanastrophe
2016-08-20 17:43:17
Damn, I wished they'd gotten a turnout of several dozen, so as to block the whole damned street. Shut the thing down. Refuse to move. Raise hell. Get arrested, even.
stuinmccandless
2016-08-21 19:47:55
Huh.  Someone running magnesium pedals?
ka_jun
2016-08-25 10:53:21
Billionaire Richard Branson survives head-first bicycle crash on concrete road: He was cycling on a road in the British Virgin Islands (wearing a helmet), hit a speed bump, flew off the bike, suffered a cracked cheek, torn ligaments, and cuts. https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/my-life-flashed-my-eyes
paulheckbert
2016-08-27 00:40:39
well, it's a shame about the bike; but it did get rid of two cars :-)  
ahlir
2016-08-29 19:52:47
London: BBC presenter Jeremy Vine has published video footage showing a driver threatening to knock him out and allegedly assaulting him while he was on his bicycle. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/aug/30/jeremy-vine-posts-footage-alleged-road-rage-incident-cycle via Guardian Opinion: "TV presenter’s recent run-in reflects a pattern of ‘very scary’ incidents on our roads. Drivers must stop putting vulnerable cyclists’ lives at risk." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/31/jeremy-vine-near-miss-cyclists-bad-drivers-roads (bonus: by the same columnist, from last spring: "Can [London Mayor] Sadiq Khan stand up to bike bashers and make London a cycling city?")
epanastrophe
2016-08-31 13:00:26
Regarding the house being hit in North Carolina, maybe it's just me but if I had lived there since 2004, I'd a had me a big ass stone wall built by now. Any asshole who would want to try his luck wit dat sum bitch would be more than welcome.
fultonco
2016-09-08 15:58:57
They have a stone wall. That's what's taken the hit a couple of those times. But avoiding stop signs flying through the air shouldn't be something you have to deal with on your living room sofa. The bigger problem, if you look at the StreetView, is the passing stroad. It's a four-lane, officially posted 45 mph highway, and I'm going to say ambient 55 as a routine, with peaks in the 65 range. In fact, the curve these cars are missing is posted as a cautionary 35. I'm trying to think of a road around here that's like that. Maybe Steubenville Pike between I-79 and the Thornburg Bridge, maybe PA8 north of Etna, maybe parts of Allegheny River Blvd, maybe Banksville Road. Even Saw Mill Run and McKnight are 35 and 40. I don't know what you do with a road like that. Tearing down the house is one solution, of course. If I were king, I'd put it on a road diet, one lane each way, 35 mph.
stuinmccandless
2016-09-09 18:24:18
Ford buys Chariot, makes bike-sharing deal in alt-transport push http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Ford-to-buy-SF-shuttle-service-Chariot-and-expand-9212829.php “We’re going to see bikes reproducing like bunnies all over the Bay Area,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who was joined by mayors Ed Lee of San Francisco and Tom Bates of Berkeley. “We embrace Silicon Valley, but sometimes the old technologies are the best.” Motivate’s seven-speed street bikes, rented in half-hour increments, aren’t designed for long hauls or recreational use. Instead they are strictly a Point A to Point B system, said Cynthia Armour, advocacy manager of Bike East Bay. Her group will reach out to lower-income residents to tout the program, which will be discounted for people who have subsidized utilities
marko82
2016-09-09 22:02:25
Woman Breaks World Speed Record by Riding a Bicycle at 147 Mph http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/sports/a22837/world-speed-record-riding-a-bicycle-147-mph/ The pace car towed Mueller to about 90 mph, but the acceleration up to 147 mph was all from her legs. The bike's drive train uses two 60-tooth chainrings in a double-reduction configuration to provide a massive amount of torque, while keeping the chainrings far enough off the ground for clearance (something that would be difficult with one even larger chainring)....A very high gearing on a road bike will have about 125 gear inches. Mueller's custom bike has 488 gear inches, allowing her to accelerate by pedaling at about 102 RPM when she is already going more than 100 mph.  
marko82
2016-09-14 10:57:56
Geese are only slow and waddly until you piss 'em off. trust me on this one.
epanastrophe
2016-09-15 12:30:45
I like the comments on this anti-bike screed: http://jezebel.com/bicycles-are-for-suckers-and-the-dead-1786716376
My husband did his first triathlon this summer, and bought a road bike that cost (in my opinion) an outrageous $1600. Then he got to the race and found out his bike was “like bringing a donkey to the Kentucky Derby.” He’s trying to sell his motorcycle so he can buy a $6000 (!!!!!) tri bike before the same triathlon rolls around next summer. And they don’t even have kickstands!
Classic.
jonawebb
2016-09-16 13:07:12
From Bike Cleveland's facebook:
Shelli Snyder, one of Bike Cleveland's founding members and past board members, has been biking from Cleveland to Seattle. Last night Shelli was struck by a driver in Montana from behind at 60mph. (The driver was detained) Troopers and an ambulance were on the scene within minutes. Shelli has suffered a left hip/leg injury and fractured skull. She underwent surgery last evening to repair the hip/leg and relive the swelling from bleeding in her brain. At this time Shelli is in critical condition. Friends and family are on their way to Montana to be by her side. Please keep Shelli in your prayers. You can help with her recovery bills by donating to her at https://www.gofundme.com/2ptgcefw
epanastrophe
2016-09-19 10:15:41
If you don't live in New York then you could always fork the project on GitHub and set up your own crowd-sourced traffic violation reporting map in your own city or town.
Hmmmm....
epanastrophe
2016-09-23 16:31:33
92.3 The Fan co-host Anthony Lima under fire from Cleveland bicycle community http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/09/923_the_fan_co-host_anthony_li.html Anthony Lima, co-host of 92.3 The Fan's The Ken Carman Show, apologized on Friday after he said during the morning drive-time program that he got a "murderous feeling" when he got stuck behind cyclists. Bike Cleveland Executive Director Jacob VanSickle on Friday wrote a letter addressed to the station's director of programming, Andy Roth, demanding that the station go further and run educational announcements produced by Bike Cleveland. The group also called on Lima, Carman and the show's producers to take part in a class, taught by Bike Cleveland members, to show what cyclists encounter on the road.
marko82
2016-09-26 10:57:41
At least two of Carman & Lima's advertisers are pissed--including the owner of a car dealership whose ad was used for one of the comments, who identifies himself as a cyclist and says his ads have been frozen: https://www.facebook.com/bikecleveland/posts/1505858712764978 However, this problem is systemic. A station in Dallas, also owned by CBS and using the same branding, just had drive-time hosts making the same jokes not two months ago: http://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/1076019-local-radio-show-suggests-buzzing-cyclists.html Wasn't there a similar incident here a few years ago? Does my memory deceive me or was it KDKA--our own CBS-owned "The Fan" sportsradio..?
epanastrophe
2016-09-26 12:57:51
There's a very useful analysis there from one of the commentators:
from one of my favourite sources... http://www.vtpi.org/whoserd.pdf Whose Roads? Evaluating Bicyclists’ and Pedestrians’ Right to Use Public Roadways Victoria Transport Policy Institute from page twelve... 'In 2011 (the latest data available) U.S. governments spent $206 billion on roads and motorists drove 2,946 billion miles, so roadway costs averaged about 7.0¢ per mile (FHWA 2012). During that same year motorists paid $127 billion in road user fees, which averages 4.3¢ per mile – the remaining 2.7¢ spent on roads is from general taxes. A typical motorist who drives 12,000 annual miles imposes $840 in roadway costs, pays $516 in roadway user fees and $224 in general taxes spent on roadways. Non-drivers tend to travel less, people who rely primarily on bicycling for transportation typically ride 3 to 6 miles per day or 1,000 to 2,000 annually. If their costs are an order of magnitude smaller than automobile travel (0.7¢ per mile), a typical cyclist imposes $7 to $14 in roadway costs, and pays $224 in general taxes toward roadways, a significant overpayment. '
(Though at least as far as wear and tear on the roads go, cyclist costs are about 1/160,000 that of automobile users. So the overpayment is probably larger.)
jonawebb
2016-09-26 13:33:38
2,400 Miles of Seattle Neighborhood Streets to Get New Speed Limit https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/seattle-speed-limit-20-mph Seattle wants drivers to slow down — by 5 mph to be exact. City Council voted unanimously on Monday to reduce Seattle’s default arterial speed limit from 30 to 25 mph and the nonarterial speed limit from 25 to 20. Of course, posting new speed limit signs does little to actually slow drivers down, a fact brought up time and again in public testimony and by SDOT staff at the hearing. “Our streets are designed for fast-moving vehicles with very little provision for people walking, biking or using transit,” said Merlin Rainwater, a Seattle Bike Advisory Board member, at the hearing. “As you pass this critical important law please also commit to street calming infrastructure as well as education and enforcement.”
marko82
2016-09-27 11:03:03
From a retweet by @Vannevar: some young people were wearing clown masks as a prank, and the police arrested them: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/sumner/2016/09/27/4-cited-clown-prank-portland/91185074/ But then there's this:
Portland police received another call Tuesday morning reporting a clown was riding a bicycle near Highways 109 and 52. The report was false and police found a person riding a bike wearing a safety vest with flashing lights to warn traffic, Heavner said.
jonawebb
2016-09-28 09:24:50
Yes, Pittsburgh had a radio host encouraging threats against cyclists: Mike Pintek. On air in 2010, he said "I have been tempted…to just bump ’em. OK – I have been so tempted…to pull up behind them.. put my car in neutral and jam the accelerator down, and race the engine to scare the living crap out of them." http://localhost/message-board/topic/kdka-radios-mike-pintek-is-a-sick-sick-man/ See blog discussion, "KDKA'S MIKE PINTEK IS A DANGEROUS IDIOT": http://vannevar.blogspot.com/2010/06/kdka-mike-pintek-dangerous-idiot.html and another thread from 2015: http://localhost/message-board/topic/kdka-mike-pintek-anti-bike-again/
paulheckbert
2016-09-28 09:25:20
I was away and did not have a chance to see and reply to Stu's comments until now.  Regarding the stone wall and the oft "visited" house in North Carolina:  When I made my comments, I had seen the puny decorative stone wall that apparently did not do much to alleviate the problem.  When I said, that given 12 years, I would have built a stone wall that would adequately protect my house and family (aka "a BIG ASS stone wall")  I meant something with a bit more substance to it than the one in the picture.  And, I am quite capable of building it myself, in a lot less time than 12 years. What I would not do is sit back idly, expecting the government to take care of the problem (which it apparently is not doing in any sort of real time). I would also not continue to leave my family unprotected and I would not commit financial suicide by abandoning my home that I had been working and paying for during the past dozen years or so. Perhaps protecting oneself and one's family are concepts not universally understood today.  Perhaps it is difficult for some to understand that there are still people around who can do these things w/o help from the government. It may not be possible to have a road diet done, to slow motorists down, or convince highway engineers to change how roads are constructed.  However, it is possible to protect your family without ruining your credit rating.  These days, if you need it, they make you-tube videos on the subject.
fultonco
2016-09-28 21:00:26
Equity 101: Bikes v. Bodies on Bikes http://la.streetsblog.org/2016/09/28/equity-101-bikes-v-bodies-on-bikes/ There exists a pretty significant chasm within the mobility advocacy community when it comes to issues of equity and justice. At the heart of it lies the question of where one anchors the frameworks that guide their thinking: on the bicycle or on the body moving through space on those two wheels... When challenged to think about the body moving through space on that bicycle – the starting point for most folks who work on transportation and mobility through a justice lens – the limitations of a bike-centric approach quickly become apparent. As does the divide between advocacy camps... If we look at the issue through the lens of the body, however, we tend to begin with questions about the extent to which that individual or group can freely access the public space in the first place.
marko82
2016-09-29 10:06:45
Dark chocolate boosts workout performance Nyt
jonawebb
2016-10-02 20:57:30
@ fultonco  .  Perhaps it is difficult for some to understand that there are still people around who can do these things w/o help from the government.   Please tell me about these people who never use roads, call an ambulance, or call the police. Do they use municipal water?  Send their kids to the state supported schools?
mick
2016-10-02 22:10:47
LA Times Op-Ed: Cyclists don’t follow the rules of the road? Maybe it’s time to change those rules http://www.latimes.com/opinion/livable-city/la-oe-babin-bicycle-laws-20161003-snap-story.html
Cities around the world are demonstrating that simply changing the rules in favor of cyclists can make roads more welcoming.…streets are already governed by different rules for different users, such as laws that require slower speed limits for big trucks, or that mandate school buses to stop at uncontrolled railway crossings. Rather than demonize cyclists for their inability to conform to rules designed for cars, laws should recognize that riding a bike is different than driving.
epanastrophe
2016-10-03 14:01:23
This quote from Lovely Bicycle makes me think Ireland is @stu's paradise:
Having recently studied for the Irish Driving Theory test, I was impressed by how much of the material was devoted to dealing with cyclists. In fact, next to tractors, cyclists were probably the most frequently mentioned "other" in the questions involving other road users, outnumbering mentions of motorbikes, pedestrians, and horses. Every possible scenario involving an encounter with a cyclist was covered: from how to read hand signals and what sort of maneuvers to expect, to how to overtake a cyclist and what to do when passing is not safe ("be patient and wait; do not sound horn").
jonawebb
2016-10-14 15:09:54
DC's contributory-negligence reform law was signed by the Mayor this month and sent to Congress last week; pending Federal review, Act A21-0490 is expected to take effect in December.
The act would permit bicyclists and pedestrians to receive compensation from a driver's insurance as long as the non-motorized party is less than 50 percent at fault. Under current law, a bicyclist or pedestrian deemed 1 percent at fault is ineligible for any compensation. This contributory negligence policy would be replaced by a form of comparative negligence. — https://dcbac.blogspot.com/2016/07/bac-statement-in-support-of.html
More on the changes from Washington City Paper, from the law's first-pass vote in the summer: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/city-desk/blog/20827771/dc-council-unanimously-passes-bike-and-pedestrian-safety-bill-without-debate  
epanastrophe
2016-10-17 19:05:43
Vannevar found: Warren Huska of Toronto bikes with a pool noodle protruding out to the left, to induce drivers to give him a wider berth. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/10/18/cyclist-says-his-pool-noodle-makes-toronto-streets-safer-for-him.html (when I try to view the above in Chrome, I get a video error, for some reason, but the link worked with Safari) The change he noticed was “almost magical,” Huska said. “Suddenly all the cars are changing lanes to go around me.” But he also shared raw video of an encounter with a driver that intentionally struck the noodle -- not so magical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxgmNAe_bSE  
paulheckbert
2016-10-18 22:22:19
Someone at the Squirrel Hill Bike-Ped meeting tried this exact thing, and was stopped by a cop. Something about carrying a protruding load. Not clear that's actually against the law for bikes, but the cop thought so. YMMV, of course.
jonawebb
2016-10-19 09:06:56
Not totally apropos, but here's a pic from Bloor St in Toronto, on a Saturday night. Bikes are all over the place. I would note the bike parking which seems to be at capacity and the bike lane, on a street that's not all that wide. And there's even some token car parking thrown in. It can be done.
ahlir
2016-10-19 10:15:50
Toronto: 10 pedestrians [were] struck Thursday morning. By evening, 8 more were hit.
Const. Clint Stibbe, spokesperson for Traffic Services of the Toronto Police Service, was unable to say whether 18 is…the most pedestrians struck in a day, but it was well above expectations. “Almost three times higher,” said Stibbe.
Though the piece does eventually go on to describe the city's impending Road Safety Plan, which will go into effect this winter, drivers are almost entirely missing from the article...
epanastrophe
2016-10-21 16:08:19
Angry driver knocks local radio host off his bicycle during charity ride http://www.10news.com/news/angry-driver-knocks-local-radio-host-off-his-bicycle-during-charity-ride A man driving a red Ford Ranger truck was stuck behind a support van that was escorting Sullivan and Northbrook. The van had signs on the back, Sullivan noted. "'Caution,' 'Cyclist Ahead'; lights are flashing, the whole thing," said Sullivan. However, the man still blared his horn at the cyclists. Sullivan went back and explained to the driver that Northbrook is a paraplegic and can't go that fast because he hand-peddles his bike. "'We've gone 590 miles, give me 90 seconds, I'll have him up and over this grade, you can be on your way,'" Sullivan said he told the man. "Completely agitated, he says to me, 'I don't care if it's f-ing God up there. Get out of the f-ing road.'" Sullivan said that's when he stopped talking to the man and got back on his bike. The truck's driver accelerated and hit Sullivan's bike, causing him to fall to the roadway. Carlsbad police did not arrest a motorist who knocked him off his bike.  
marko82
2016-10-27 10:54:59
Tampa is getting Google-guided autonomous small transit vehicles. Tampa Bay Times story
stuinmccandless
2016-10-29 09:51:03
I ran across an interesting article today. It's from 2006, but it's surprisingly topical. A quote:
Riders like me want to believe we’re doing our part for the environment. We want to believe that having the best equipment is an expression of commitment. But I don’t know a single rider who commutes more than the people I met for this story, who do it purely out of necessity, and who do so on bikes that, while fashioned to look like high-end mountain bikes, are stripped of so many essential engineering details that we’d consider them unreliable, unsafe, and certainly unenjoyable.
 
ahlir
2016-10-29 19:52:52
Driver accused of killing bicyclist on bridge laughed about suspended license, documents say http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/11/driver_accused_of_killing_bicy.html A suspended driver who lost control of his SUV and fatally struck a bicyclist Saturday on the St. Johns Bridge chuckled when he told a Portland police officer that he'd gotten 30 to 40 tickets for driving with a suspended license over the last 20 years, court documents say.  
marko82
2016-11-03 11:21:22
From The Guardian:
Motor City Detroit built the automobiles, oil capital Houston fueled them and Los Angeles was carved up by freeways in their honor. Yet now all three cities are pushing walking, cycling and the use of public transport. So does this mean America’s love affair with the car is finally waning? America’s road trip: will the US ever kick the car habit?
Detroit mayor Mike Duggan: “We can’t compete with the suburbs on their terms, but we can offer young people bikeable and walkable neighbourhoods, and that’s at the heart of what we’re trying to do.”  Every new bikeway in Detroit is to be a protected bikeway, apparently--though that's a lot easier to do when you've got nine-lane surface roads that carry three lanes' worth of traffic all over the city...
epanastrophe
2016-11-07 16:45:42
I had a cable lock (with user settable combination) combination somehow change after I locked it; I had to get cable cutters. I learned the hard way that u-locks need lube in the key hole periodically when it froze up on me. You can be sure to have good luck (mazel tov), if you include a bagel with your lock.
yalecohen
2016-11-12 23:51:56
  . [deleted post until I can get the link to the article]
stuinmccandless
2016-11-21 06:30:53
Cadel Evans laments hostility toward cyclists in Sydney, Australia: "Countries like Italy have really narrow roads but they're used to cyclists. A lot of people ride there. They're not necessarily cyclists but they ride a bike to church or the shops or whatever. They see it from the rider's angle so they just have respect and understanding. That doesn't cost money. That's not widening roads and moving buildings. That's just a change in mentality." http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/even-tour-de-france-winner-cadel-evans-finds-cycling-in-sydney-too-intimidating-20161117-gss316.html
paulheckbert
2016-11-22 10:54:29
Portland, OR, is working on an Off-road Cycling Master Plan to "develop a citywide plan for a system of off-road cycling facilities – such as sustainable trail networks, skill parks and pump tracks".  (Oh, and they're looking for a (paid) intern for the Spring, too.)
Meanwhile, in the east, the Cambridge is once again trying to face down an old problem: an octopus of an intersection with a total of seven* exits on five different streets, some of the heaviest bus and bike traffic in Massachusetts, and a fire station -- and an above-average crash rate, which took another cyclist's life this summer. The City proposed bending one or the other of the two major streets to meet the other at a 90* angle, creating two large intersections out of one giant monstrosity.  Advocates, including the Boston Cyclists Union, were unimpressed.  A roundabout was seen as infeasible; though long, the space is not wide. The advocates' solution? Squish the roundabout.  Presenting: The Peanutabout.  The Green Lane Project is impressed (though some of Streetsblog's commenters are not). * work with me here...
epanastrophe
2016-12-01 22:19:48
"Dear Driver" | via BikeLaw.com: A bike rider's letter to the pickup driver who nearly killed him http://j.mp/2gccEb8
epanastrophe
2016-12-07 17:13:36
OBF’s House Bill 154 passed the Ohio Senate by a 30-1 vote on Thursday, December 8! From the Outspoken' Wheelmen (Youngstown, OH) Things literally came down to the wire! But thanks to everyone who contacted legislators, our "3 foot passing clearance" bill overwhelmingly passed the Ohio Senate. There were some slight editorial changes the Senate leaders insisted on, so it went back to the House, where those changes were overwhelmingly approved. Our bill is now, legally, an "act." The act now goes to Governor Kasich for his signature. Given the huge support, he is certainly not expected to veto it. If he does not sign within 10 days, it becomes law without his signature. Again, thanks to everyone who helped with this effort! - Frank Krygowski
fultonco
2016-12-10 07:36:19
British Transport Secretery Chris Grayling sent cyclist flying with his car door, video shows https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/15/chris-grayling-sent-cyclist-flying-with-his-car-door-video-shows He too was unaware of Grayling’s identity at the time of the incident, but sent the video to the Guardian after seeing the minister in an interview reported in Cycling Weekly earlier this month, where Grayling had complained that cycle lanes in London “cause too much of a problem for road users”.
erok
2016-12-19 09:51:45
Ha, I know that velodrome. That's where PBP starts and ends. I had a beer and slept on the floor of that velodrome. That velodrome is a friend of mine.
jonawebb
2017-01-05 13:39:59
@jonawebb Yes,  but will the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome still be your friend after you turn 100?  Or will it only love you when you're young and pretty?
mick
2017-01-05 14:26:57
Aww
jonawebb
2017-01-05 14:35:35
From NewYork High Court Rules The City Can Be Sued For Failing To Redesign Streets With Chronic Speeding http://gothamist.com/2017/01/06/court_ruling_vision_zero_crash_liab.php We do not suggest that a municipality has a proprietary duty to keep its roadways free from all unlawful or reckless driving behavior. Under the particular circumstances of this case, however, plaintiffs demonstrated that the City was made aware through repeated complaints of ongoing speeding along Gerritsen Avenue, that the City could have implemented roadway design changes in the form of traffic calming measures to deter speeding, and that the City failed to conduct a study of whether traffic calming measures were appropriate and therefore failed to implement any such measures.We therefore conclude that the specific acts or omissions that plaintiffs claim caused the injury arose from the City's failure to keep Gerritsen Avenue in a reasonably safe condition. I wonder if this would hold up in Pennsylvania.
marko82
2017-01-06 17:13:27
I wonder if this would hold up in Pennsylvania.
Unlikely, it's a different jurisdiction. It would require a separate action. But it is a precedent and might be useful. (I'm not a lawyer but I play one on the interweb.)
ahlir
2017-01-06 20:18:57
The ordinance doesn't explicitly allow passing via the contraflowing car lane, which seems to effectively give the cyclist (and pedestrian) the whole lane...especially since the 5 feet is defined as the cyclist and the car extensions (mirrors, e.g.)
yalecohen
2017-01-07 01:16:52
On the 5 feet please Ann Arbor sign, the driver is in a British car. Also isn't just for bikes but for peds/wheelchairs in the road.
edronline
2017-01-07 08:15:20
@fultonco, I'm hitting a pay wall.  Can you cut-n-past the letter if not too long.
marko82
2017-01-07 09:40:09
Re the Ann Arbor sign: could be sign for the future. The sign shows a person in a driverless car.
kolo-jezdec
2017-01-07 09:56:15
@kolo, good point. Off topic but wonder how driverless cars will adapt to different laws in different areas. And road peculiarities such as the Michigan left.
edronline
2017-01-07 10:04:07
@Marko82 Please be careful driving on NM 602 To the editor, Years ago I initiated a petition to the Highway Department and successfully got the portion of New Mexico Highway 602 in front of the Vanderwagen Post Office double solid striped to prevent passing in this area. Vehicles are pulling in and out from the post office throughout the day and there is no third lane to assist this. Vehicles are passing on the offside of the highway when others are waiting to cross the other lane in attempting to enter the post office parking area. N.M. 602 is marked to be traveled at 55 mph. Traffic is often well above this. On my drive to Gallup, I travel at 55-60 mph set on cruise control. I am passed as though almost standing still — especially between Mustang and the Zuni turnoff. This morning I observed a pickup truck pass two other vehicles in front of the post office over the double solid stripe both when the pickup truck started to pass and again over the double solid stripe when returning to the southbound lane. This highway is a two lane rural road with some little offside. Over years the population using this highway has greatly increased as have the number of homes along the highway. We all need to be more aware of others using this road and not be so selfish that we create dangerous situations — either by speeding, by passing incorrectly, by not remaining aware of others, etc. The Jan. 3 Independent reported (on page 3 where the obituaries usually are) a head-on collision where alcohol was not involved on N.M. 602 just a few miles from the Vanderwagen Post Office. No one died, but three people were injured and the highway was closed. Please be careful. Please take care of each other. Please obey the posted speed and the center markings. Please avoid using your cellphone or other devices while driving. Let’s all have a happy New Year. Susan J. Morris Vanderwagen
fultonco
2017-01-07 10:21:07
Interesting that the letter writer urges people to follow the spped limit while she admits to exceeding it herself.  I find this attitude regarding speed limits to be quite common.  It is not viewed as a maximum, but rather a minimum.
kolo-jezdec
2017-01-07 11:07:54
"This morning Governor Cuomo announced that [New York] state would invest in building a $200 million Empire State Trail that would span 750 miles and become the largest, state multi-use trail in the nation. The project would build upon two existing but incomplete trailways—the Hudson River Valley Greenway (now 50 percent complete) and the Erie Canalway (now 80 percent complete)—and essentially run from Battery Park City all the way up to the Canadian border in the North Country, and from Albany to Buffalo." https://www.6sqft.com/cuomo-announces-750-mile-empire-state-trail-a-continuous-trail-connecting-nyc-to-canada/
paulheckbert
2017-01-12 00:51:07
Transportation Agencies Will Finally Measure the Movement of People, Not Just Cars: http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/01/12/transportation-agencies-will-finally-measure-movement-of-people-not-just-cars/
“U.S. DOT took an important step to change course, releasing new standards to guide how transportation agencies measure their performance. Advocates for transit and walkability say the policy is a significant improvement. … "The revised U.S. DOT standards will lead agencies to assess their work in ways that support investments in transit and active transportation, according to Stephen Lee Davis at Transportation for America, which led the charge to reform the rule. Keep in mind that funding is not at stake here — U.S. DOT can’t reward or punish state DOTs based on how they perform. But state DOTs will now have to set new goals and report on their progress, and advocates will have new ways to hold transportation policy makers accountable."
More, from the aforementioned Transportation for America: "USDOT rewrites congestion rule in response to outpouring of feedback": http://t4america.org/2017/01/12/usdot-rewrites-congestion-rule-in-response-to-overwhelming-criticism/
epanastrophe
2017-01-13 00:48:39
Boy it would have been nice to have had that in our hot little fists the night we all met with PennDOT over the Forbes Corridor plan.
stuinmccandless
2017-01-13 10:16:08
Can this be undone once America is made great again in 7 days?   Or are these rules that the federal government makes that would take forever to undo?
edronline
2017-01-13 16:55:42
@edronline, from the Streetsblog post linked above:
U.S. DOT’s new rule…, it’s worth noting, can’t be struck down easily, because it’s the product of a lengthy regulatory process mandated by the 2012 federal transportation bill.
epanastrophe
2017-01-13 19:06:19
Found this on Twitter. From the boy scouts.
jonawebb
2017-01-14 09:07:20
Akhilesh Yadav, Indian Politician, Wins Right to Use Bicycle as Election Symbol “The cycle moves after you strike a balance, of pushing the pedal and holding the handle, and I feel that somehow the cycle teaches us something,” he said in a recent speech. “If we move with as much balance as we do while riding a bicycle, we will be successful in life.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/world/asia/indian-politician-wins-right-to-use-bicycle-as-election-symbol.html He's got my vote. But here's the counter-argument:
Mr. Wilfred, of the election commission, said Mulayam Singh Yadav could take his pick among several unclaimed symbols, including a light bulb, a toffee, a pressure cooker, a sewing machine, ice cream, bread and cauliflower.
jonawebb
2017-01-17 09:27:35
Nakheel invests $41m in building cycle tracks in Dubai http://tradearabia.com/news/CONS_319427.html Dubai-based master developer Nakheel is investing Dh150 million ($40.8 million) in bringing 105 km of bicycle tracks to its communities across the UAE emirate, with all routes linked to the government’s Cycling Masterplan...  will be constructed over the next two years, with phased delivery between now and Q2 2019.  “Our new cycle track network will make cycling more accessible and inspire people to get pedalling as a way to keep fit, socialise and help the environment. Under our plan, people will be able to bike their way to the shops, school and friends’ houses without getting into a car.
marko82
2017-01-18 09:26:29
Since I've been digging through the Buffalo News a lot this week, this one caught my eye. http://buffalonews.com/2017/01/18/city-hallways-jan-18-fillmore-bike-lanes-extend-seneca/ Partial text: The city plans to add bike lanes to Fillmore from William to Seneca streets, Finn told the planners. There are already bike lanes on Fillmore from Sycamore to William, so this will bring them all the way to Seneca, he said. The bike lanes won't change the driving or parking patterns, Finn said. When the bike lane is added, he said,  the vehicle traffic lanes will both be 11 feet wide. The bike lanes will be six feet wide. Bicycles are, by state law, allowed on the roadways, but the designated lanes make the streets safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers, according to the  city's Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board. And this comment: Jim Parker didnt realize that bikes by State Law were allowed on roadways.....shouldnt these bikes require registration and insurance same as the motor vehicles that they share the road with ?.......if not - why ?   --> Didn't realize bikes were allowed on roadways.
stuinmccandless
2017-01-20 09:13:43
Walmart Facing Class Action over Negligent Bicycle Assembly https://www.bigclassaction.com/lawsuit/walmart-facing-class-action-over-negligent-bicycle.php According to the complaint, Wal-Mart’s bike assemblers are allegedly not properly trained or certified, which has led to the “negligent and reckless bike assembly procedures” that ultimately injured Johnson and likely other consumers, the suit states.The retailer could have provided that training and certification for less than $30 per employee.    
marko82
2017-01-20 09:15:26
Where in the world can they get adequate training for only $30?
benzo
2017-01-20 16:46:35
They're Walmart. They know how to buy labor at below cost. But seriously: class of 10 clerks, $300 for the instructor.
ahlir
2017-01-20 18:21:28
"Drivers across the state [of Massachusetts] could be penalized with a ticket of up to $50 for stopping in a bike lane under legislation sent to the governor's desk on Tuesday, the last day of the biennial session. ... there is not currently a statewide rule against stopping in bike lanes. ... The bill exempts drivers stopped in a bike lane for an emergency ..." http://www.wbur.org/news/2017/01/04/bike-lane-fines-bill Is there a fine in PA? Is it enforced?
paulheckbert
2017-01-25 09:10:24
China to Open World’s Longest ‘Bike Lane in the Sky’ Read more: http://en.yibada.com/articles/189278/20170126/china-to-open-world-s-longest-bike-lane-in-the-sky.htm#ixzz4WsRhQ1Ex ... 7.6 kilometers in length, was built under the city’s Bus Rapid Transit line where cyclists are protected from the blazing sun and pouring rain. The world’s first ‘bike in the sky connects with six Bus Rapid Transit Stations, three overpasses, four buildings, and has 11 exits. Measuring 4.8 meters wide, the two-way lane offers 355 parking lots for shared bikes and 253 lots for private bikes on seven platforms, 1.3-meter tall guardrails, and 30,000 lights are also installed along the lane.
marko82
2017-01-26 09:18:34
Imagine taking Rt 65 from the McKees Rocks Bridge to the Fort Duquesne Bridge, dropping it to 30 mph, adding seven traffic lights and a roundabout. Buffalo, NY. buffalonews.com/2017/01/25/more/ The Scajaquada Expressway, also known to the locals as "the 198", is a main artery in the north end of the city. It's built on top of what once had been part of Frederick Law Olmstead's big wide boulevards.
stuinmccandless
2017-01-26 12:40:08
@paulheckbert This morning Governor Cuomo announced that [New York] state would invest in building a $200 million Empire State Trail that would span 750 miles and become the largest, state multi-use trail in the nation.    This is great news. On the other hand, there will be (sooner or later) a coast-to-coast bikeway.   If there is no trail from Pittsburgh to the Panhandle trail, and this NY thing gets done? The coast-to-coast bike trail will not go through Pittsburgh.
mick
2017-01-30 13:07:39
I guess the question is how else would the trail go?  As far as I know there's nothing in northern ohio going east-west.  there is a decent trail system going North-south from what i've read -- cleveland, columbus, Cincy.  And there doesn't seem to be anything East-West from buffalo-erie-Cleveland...
edronline
2017-01-30 14:09:37
The Philadelphia International Cycling Classic [has been] cancelled for 2017.... Unfortunately, according to press reports, the City was not able to find enough sponsors to host it this year, to pay for the police and other services.... Last time the event was cancelled, the City and Congressman Bob Brady were able to negotiate a deal to bring a race back to Philadelphia. Today, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is calling upon the City to reconsider the cancellation of the race and find a solution to bring it back this June. That’s why we’ve set up this petition. Sign it and let Philadelphia’s political leadership know that you support finding a way to bring back the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic this year.
epanastrophe
2017-02-02 23:34:44
Yes.  And this also explains the old PA turnpike/I 79 and route 28/pa turnpike.
edronline
2017-02-06 18:53:12
Aging well, from an old (really old) cyclist: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/well/move/lessons-on-aging-well-from-a-105-year-old-cyclist.html This is the guy who set the world record recently for people in his age group (he's the only one to attempt it at his age) by riding 14 miles in 60 minutes. I'd thought he was an experienced cyclist but he only started after retirement. "But since his retirement, he had begun cycling most days of the week, either on an indoor trainer or the roads near his home in suburban Paris." After training he was able to ride 17 miles in 60 minutes. So it's possible to increase athletic performance even at 105.
jonawebb
2017-02-13 10:17:04
The article is not at all surprising to me- of course you can improve by upping your workouts at any age. I think the problem is if you are already training at as high a level as you feel you can (due to life/time/dietary constraints) it is difficult to improve at a faster rate than you decline.
helen-s
2017-02-13 16:33:20
There was a group doing the same here in Pgh. I saw it on this message board but I can find the link ....
edronline
2017-03-01 12:29:40
They should get in touch with the authors of "The influence of a bicycle commuter's appearance on drivers’ overtaking proximities:an on-road test of bicyclist stereotypes, highvisibility clothing and safety aids in the United Kingdom."
A MaxBotix MB1200 XL-MaxSonar-EZ0 temperature-compensated ultrasonic distance sensor, which is accurate to within 1 cm, was used to record, at 10 Hz temporal resolution, the closest object to the right of the bicycle (this study took place in the United Kingdom, where traffic travels on the left and overtakes on the right). This sensor fed into an Arduino Uno prototyping computer running specially written software which recorded to an SD card, 10 times per second, the date and time, the proximity reading from the sensor, and a record of whether or not a button mounted on the bicycle’s handlebars was pressed (see below). Researchers wishing to conduct a similar experiment can construct such a unit for approximately €100, and the plans and software needed to do this can be obtained from the authors, as can software automatically to extract the closest passing proximity for each vehicle.
(See http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2013/11/26/overtaking-cyclists/.)
jonawebb
2017-03-01 12:38:38
^I'm surprised by that study's results that clothing doesn't matter; I'd be interested in reading the whole paper. Their conclusion that 1 to 2 Percent of passes continue to be dangerously close seems about right though.
marko82
2017-03-02 09:17:29
Toilet plunger campaign leads to safety makeover of Wichita bike lane http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article137642098.html The improvement happened about two weeks after members of Yellowbrick Street Team, a tactical urbanism group, installed some makeshift posts fashioned from toilet plungers, reflective tape and masonry adhesive.
marko82
2017-03-10 09:22:00
^Update: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/kiplingers-editor-recalled-as-having-a-beautiful-way-with-words/2017/03/11/d37c1a40-067a-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html?utm_term=.21ad846c9d33 Police have not said whether the bicyclist went through a red light or if Clark stepped into the street against a pedestrian signal. Police said the cyclist remained at the scene and no charges have been filed pending the conclusion of the investigation. Clark was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center with a head injury
marko82
2017-03-12 11:42:55
^very nice statement by WABA. Does AAA post statements like this after car crashes? (/sarcasm)
marko82
2017-03-15 19:50:45
I don't like one phrase:
 Yield to people who are more vulnerable.
It shows that the whole thinking process is tied to cars. Bicyclist is as vulnerable as pedestrian. There is no cage around bicyclist. And saw cases when bicyclist was hurt more then pedestrian.
mikhail
2017-03-16 08:24:10
I think it was a relative statement in terms of potential injury.
edronline
2017-03-16 09:09:15
I hope @mikhail is just making the point that cyclists can easily be injured, and not saying that they should not yield to pedestrians. Cyclists should always yield to pedestrians, even when they aren't paying attention and are walking where they're not supposed to (I'm not saying that's what happened here). And a preventable death like this is a tragedy. Even when it happens so rarely, and so commonly with automobiles.
jonawebb
2017-03-16 09:23:43
I think, as a bicyclist, it feels "weird" to be on the agent of harm side, as we feel vulnerable 99.9 percent of the time while on the bike. I like how they brought it back to vision zero principles, which we fight for here on the message board and also bikepgh fights for as an organization. We don't always feel heard, and dangerous things don't always change, and the deck is still stacked against us. But hopefully more people are buying into improving the built environment so that risks are mitigated.
edronline
2017-03-16 12:43:51
True, there's no cage around the cyclist, but he will often be wearing a helmet, while the pedestrian won't be. That might be enough to make the pedestrian more vulnerable in a cyclist-vs-pedestrian collision.
steven
2017-03-16 15:38:10
True, there’s no cage around the cyclist, but he will often be wearing a helmet, while the pedestrian won’t be. That might be enough to make the pedestrian more vulnerable in a cyclist-vs-pedestrian collision.
  May be and may be not. Bicyclists the ones that would carry more speed after collision in most cases. It is natural trying to avoid direct collision.    
not saying that they should not yield to pedestrians. Cyclists should always yield to pedestrians,
I am not saying that they should not yield to pedestrians. But neither I am saying that they _alwasy_ should yield to pedestrians. This is two way road.      
mikhail
2017-03-20 20:06:17
re @jonawebb's video: The problem is not the pedestrians (or those obnoxious cyclists). The problem is crappy urban design that squeezes peds and bikers into ridiculously narrow spaces and forces needless confrontations. Would this video even exist if the walkway was wide enough to accommodate people traffic? And that damn road next to them is three lanes wide! In one direction. And pretty much empty. What a waste! [Note: On second look maybe it's two lanes with a breakdown lane. But I believe my point is still valid. The problem is design that ignores people needs.]
ahlir
2017-03-20 22:18:47
The walk/bikeway on the Brooklyn bridge wasn't designed for its popularity, either way back when the bridge had several levels or now.
edronline
2017-03-21 07:13:54
Ohio's three-foot passing law took effect last week: Plain Dealerhttp://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/03/ohios_new_bike_passing_law_goe.html WJW-TV: http://fox8.com/2017/03/20/new-ohio-law-requires-3-foot-buffer-for-cyclists-on-roads/ Via Bike Cleveland: http://www.bikecleveland.org/bike-cle/news/three-feet-of-celebration/2017/03/ Another new law "permits bicyclists to proceed through an intersection after stopping and yielding the right-of-way if not detected by the signaling device", according to a second PD article: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/03/breaking_down_ohios_bicycle_la.html
epanastrophe
2017-03-28 21:03:24
that's the lucky side of Atlanta. At least they have the Doraville MARTA line to help out, plus buses. If this had happened on NW I-75, near Cobb County, oof. No train, and almost no buses. Basically, northern Allegheny County.
chrishent
2017-03-31 13:35:35
To me it's a damn shame that the bridge burning in Atlanta didn't happen on the "unlucky" side of town.  An accident with no fatalities that gives a wakeup call to a large group of drivers:  "Depend soley  on your car and you might get hosed?"  What a nice idea!
mick
2017-04-03 13:47:39
Speaking of bridge fire, I was wondering if anyone have done a study on the effect of liberty bridge closure due to fire last year on driving habits? Liberty Bridge Fire Liberty bridge fire
ninjaturtle0304
2017-04-03 16:05:03
My guess is no study and also no difference as it wasn't closed long enough. I bet you need a Greenfield bridge length closing to make a difference.
edronline
2017-04-03 17:02:43
re: traffic patterns during bridge closures Here's a paper on the I-35E collapse in Minnesota for all you superwonks:  https://www.lrrb.org/pdf/201021.pdf   Their findings are consistent with similar studies I've read on the Alaska Way in Seattle and Embarcadero in San Francisco;  in networks with redundant routes and modal choice, major closures show little if any impact on overall travel times once patterns settle in.  The "disappearing traffic" phenomenon.  People find alternatives and eventually the additional demand spreads out accordingly without much reduction in number or time.
nmr
2017-04-04 11:32:25
Why Cycling Works in Tokyo - nice video. 14% of trips in Tokyo are made by bicycle. This may seem surprisingly high considering that Tokyo has almost no separated bicycle lanes. Apparently other factors contribute to the popularity of cycling:
  • car parking is very expensive
  • shopping districts are numerous and compact (narrow streets)
  • many people don't own cars
  • biking on the sidewalk is accepted
https://vimeo.com/157120644
paulheckbert
2017-04-04 15:17:37
MT state senator--the same one who wanted to ban riders from two-lane roads with less than a 3-foot shoulder--adds amendment to bill funding invasive-species prevention that would require out-of-state bike riders to buy bike stickers (but not motorized fishing boat operators). Bicycling magazine: http://www.bicycling.com/culture/this-montana-senator-wants-to-tax-every-cyclist-who-visits-the-state Bozeman Daily Chroniclehttp://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/environment/bill-to-fight-spread-of-mussels-gets-funding-from-bicyclists/article_90d56c4c-17f6-53ef-8242-17ac1aeed427.html
“This is the third time this year that [Montana has] gotten national attention, but for the wrong reasons,” [Melinda Barnes, executive director of Bike Walk Montana,] said. “People are starting to wonder what’s going on up here. It’s entirely possible that riders are just going to avoid coming to Montana.”
epanastrophe
2017-04-04 17:49:01
The Rankin Bridge has a bike lane a bit like that. The trick is to make that sudden 45 degree left turn so you can catch the green lane, then 45 degree right to hit the sharrow. I wonder if the PennDOT (or whoever) designers ever biked it. https://flic.kr/p/Tq1Vi3
paulheckbert
2017-04-07 21:44:13
@paulheckbert  I wonder if the PennDOT (or whoever) designers ever biked it. No, you don't.
mick
2017-04-11 22:28:34
Also, the 3 stacked signs are confusing, ending with a yield. From what I can tell it means that bikes should yield to cars.   It looks like a sign mashup in the style of an old fashioned ransom note cut out of newspapers letter by letter.
edronline
2017-04-12 06:45:34
Yeah, I know about that connector. But once you get to the road it's a dash to the bridge with no crosswalks or a walk along a highway shoulder. It's not super fun on a bike either. Would be nice to have a bike lane up to the bridge and a legit marked crossing to get to the ramp up the bridge, basically, anything better than what's there now. I can't image people wanting to walk down the hill from whitaker at mifflin st to catch a 61 bus here, crossing 4 lanes of traffic, and then walking down a highway shoulder to access it.
benzo
2017-04-13 14:16:35
A sign prohibits pedestrians crossing 837 at the light at Mifflin Street, though it's probably the safest place to cross to reach the inbound bus shelter. I guess pedestrians on Mifflin are "supposed" to catch an outbound bus, then transfer to an inbound bus at an intersection that permits crossing the street. (Or else PennDOT's big idea on pedestrian safety for the area is to tell pedestrians to not be there.)
steven
2017-04-13 18:47:10
Just catching up on the thread... @paulheckbert posts about cycling in Japan and how it's 14% of city trips. I would like to add that slower car speeds are also important: cars just don't move that fast, so a cyclist feels (and is) safer. Unlike our streets. A civic commitment to non-motorized traffic also fosters a positive attitude towards cycling. For example, in Dresden I saw a sign at the entrance to a pedestrian shopping street that welcomes both pedestrians and cyclists: (Note the parent + child graphic: kids and bikes can mix!) Could we have some of that in Pittsburgh?
ahlir
2017-04-14 08:07:10
@jonawebb Comment from '...cyclist who killed the woman in DC ...' "I grew up in Pennsylvania. We had to take an annual bicycle test and get a license for the bike in order to ride it in any public space (streets, sidewalks, etc.). No reason not to require that in DC, too. And proof of insurance. Drivers of cars have to do this, why not bicycle riders? As this sad incident proves, bikes can kill." Anyone know about this? Was this all of PA? Only some places.? Is it in effect anywhere these days?
yalecohen
2017-04-14 11:00:41
My money is on that this is a misremembering of reality from some past decade. Or wishful reminiscing.
stuinmccandless
2017-04-14 16:15:32
Agreed.  You think a state would give up any source of revenue like that? And all that drivers Ed, testing, and licensing has pretty much gotten the car on peds death rate to zero across the nation.
edronline
2017-04-14 19:17:04
this is a misremembering of reality
Actually I believe this is referred to an "alternative fact" (but it is not "fake news", which is a different concept.)
ahlir
2017-04-14 19:28:02
I wasn't asking opinions, but if anyone knew about this. But since you asked, I'll wager any amount that there is (public street) bicycle licensure in PA. Any takers?
yalecohen
2017-04-15 01:49:43
I didn't know of any places like that, but Google found some. Lancaster County. Hershey, PA. Lansdale, PA (though this page merely says bike licenses are available for $1, not specifically that they're required). I wouldn't be surprised if there are other small PA towns with such an ordinance that have not yet put that fact on the web for Google to notice. I didn't find any evidence on the web for a required annual bicycle test in PA, but if some small town had one a few decades ago and eliminated it, I wouldn't expect to find any documentation of it online.
steven
2017-04-15 08:32:34
And what I found was similar. They are stickers for your bike. Not licensing the riders. We had them growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio.  Overall compliance was proportional to enforcement- zero. Supposedly an annual sticker. Was most useful for helping the police track a stolen bike. http://shakeronline.com/for-residents/bikes-and-hikes/bike-license
edronline
2017-04-15 09:51:01
Just as a reminder, one of our own, right here on this message board, managed to put the wheels in motion to get rid of one of those stupid town laws. Here's the thread, and Erica still pops in here occasionally.
stuinmccandless
2017-04-16 13:07:54
Spent several days last week with my kids in Cincinnati, where I lived in the late 90s. City spent about $160 million on a 3 mile street car loop that runs between the riverfront /cbd and over the Rhine, which is basically the equivalent ses and distance wise of Pittsburgh uptown. Only difference is that the huge hill up to Clifton and University of Cincinnati and hospitals starts after the streetcar ends. The ridership is lacking. When I looked at the route, I couldn't understand what the attraction for riders would be.  Should have been linked to Clifton /universities/hospitals.  Also unclear why they needed rails and overhead wires. Could have done the same for much cheaper with buses.   Although we went downtown from otr, we never used the street car. We either walked or took and Uber, or drove across to KY.   Makes me think that pgh is on the right track with the brt. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/12/streetcar-numbers-blip-ominous-trend/96440018/
edronline
2017-04-16 14:13:49
Dockless bikes story. Among other things, some company will soon deploy in 10 US cities.
ahlir
2017-04-16 17:26:53
Op-ed by police chiefs of San Francisco and San Jose, California:  Let us have speed cameras, they save lives. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/20/police-chiefs-speed-safety-cameras-in-san-jose-san-francisco-can-save-lives/
Washington, D.C. experienced a 70 percent reduction in traffic deaths after installing speed safety cameras. Similarly, Portland, Oregon saw a 53 percent reduction in fatalities after implementing the technology.… AB 342…will allow San José and San Francisco to conduct a five-year pilot program that employs speed safety cameras to supplement traditional traffic enforcement.
epanastrophe
2017-04-20 13:57:51
I was wondering if anyone has done a study on the effect of liberty bridge closure due to fire last year on driving habits?
@Gordon It's strictly anecdotal, but the brief closure of the Liberty Bridge in September is what caused me to start biking 17 miles per week I was previously driving. I stuck with it through the winter, and now bike about 40 miles each week I used to drive. I doubt anyone else had a similar reaction to that event though.
altay
2017-04-20 15:58:13
@ Altay - kudos to you!
edmonds59
2017-04-20 16:10:10
In the midst of Iraq's war against Islamic State, a bicycle culture takes root http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-iraq-mosul-bike-2017-story.html He has not had any close calls while biking, other than flat tires from the rubble (he carries a bike pump in his baskets for those, but like every other Mosul bicyclist and most Iraqi soldiers, he never wears a helmet). He's biking in a war zone, and this reporter thinks it's relevant to comment on helmet use?  Sheesh
marko82
2017-04-24 10:39:38
Velofix: mobile bike repair. https://www.velofix.com/ Not in Pittsburgh AFAIK, but interesting. Moving into US markets.
jonawebb
2017-04-24 14:51:01
A collection of ideas for making US cities safer for cycling: https://www.outsideonline.com/2175521/bike-industrys-sharpest-minds-making-roads-safer-riders * make noise, be an advocate * every city should have colored, separated bike lanes * policymakers should ride bikes around * stronger car control laws * turn wasteland into bike lanes * build protected intersections * install bike sensors into roads, and create green waves of traffic signals for cyclists * require everyone to ride bikes to the ice cream shop once a week * mandatory bike education for children * ban big rigs in cities * cars should refuse to run if driver is unlicensed, apps should refuse to run at driving speeds
paulheckbert
2017-05-03 22:41:17
https://twitter.com/TheRaceRadio/status/860185102172553216 Eighteen months into a seven-year sentence for killing a Baltimore framebuilder while driving drunk and texting, Bishop Heather Cook has her first parole hearing next week. Cook "is eligible for early parole because…Maryland does not classify vehicular homicide as a violent crime." https://cyclingtips.com/2017/05/eligible-for-parole-after-18-months-in-prison-the-builder-the-bishop-and-a-most-violent-crime/
epanastrophe
2017-05-05 00:03:28
I was pretty astounded after Jon(?) Posted the pa vehicular homicide code in another thread on here yesterday. It was obviously written by drivers for drivers. That any crash is an "accident" and any loss of life is "accidental" unless you've done something so heinous with your vehicle (purposefully try to run someone down I guess) Seems to be the same across most states.
edronline
2017-05-05 08:26:30
I watched that Houston video. Mixed feelings. First, thumbs up that the police care, and chase down motorists for bicycle infractions. Second, thumbs up for running front and rear video. It's good to see that the pros do it much the same as I do. Third, thumbs up for working as a team, having a bike cop as decoy, and a cruiser to perform the actual stop. Now some concerns. #1, bike cop was way far right of center in the lane. That invites close passes. I don't know Texas traffic rules, so I cannot knowledgeably discuss that point further. #2, bad road design. No lane edge line. The bike cop is in what I would call the gutter. Again, I have no specific knowledge of TX road design standards. #3, that road looks like McKnight. Scary as hell, ambient speed too high to start with.
stuinmccandless
2017-05-06 12:26:01
Denver recently added a two-way cycletrack to a major automotive commute route, South Broadway, shifting a "parking lane into one of five traffic lanes, one of which already was reserved for buses and right turns during afternoon rush hour." Drivers have, predictably, grumbled, but, ninth months later,
perhaps surprisingly, as a city study of Broadway found, there was little noticeable change in travel time for cars in the first few months of the Broadway bike lane pilot, even as three lanes did the work of four. Before the installation, it took an average of 11 minutes and 50 seconds to drive the 2.5-mile stretch from Colfax Avenue downtown to Interstate 25. After, the same distance took an average of 11 minutes and 59 seconds.
The city is now planning to make the right lane a 24-hour bus lane, rather than just in rush hour, and to extend the bikeway which itself gets little use due to lack of connections. http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/08/denver-commute-broadway-bikeway/ (Bonus quote, from a UC-Denver planning professor: “Our priority is not necessarily to accommodate auto-driving suburbanites…Our priority is serving the whole public: people who walk, people who take transit, people who bike — as well as people who drive.”)
epanastrophe
2017-05-08 17:39:20
Perhaps by now you've seen the June 2016 issue of Bicycling Magazine.  There are several sections devoted to motor vehicle/bicycle collisions, road design, vision zero policies across the country, safe riding practices, etc.  It would be worth picking up a copy, if you're not a subscriber already.
fultonco
2017-05-08 17:50:25
Another quote I like about the Denver article: “What we’re trying to think about is from the person-trip capacity — so how many people can we move? For several decades, we’ve been thinking about it in terms of ‘How many vehicles can we move?’ ” ~ Crissy Fanganello, Denver’s director of transportation   PennDOT could really use this paradigm shift after their failure on the Route 51 improvement project.
ninjaturtle0304
2017-05-08 18:49:37
The issue of Bicycling Magazine referred to above is June 2017, not June 2016.  I just received it in the mail, a couple of days ago.
fultonco
2017-05-09 06:28:36
This looks like what you are referring to. http://www.bicycling.com/enough   Darlene Harris must have written Pittsburgh's blurb in the 13 safest cities to cycle (there are only two on the list east of the Mississippi,as far as I can reckon) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania From 2000 to 2013, Pittsburgh saw an incredible 409 percent increase in bike commuters. In 2014, the city partnered with the Green Lane Project, an initiative from People for Bikes’ Big Jump Project, to add three protected bike lanes, including a cycle track on Penn Avenue that funnels riders from the Strip District to Downtown. With the new infrastructure, the city now has over 40 miles of bike lanes.
edronline
2017-05-09 07:02:48
From the Literary Digest, 1896 "It is also doubtless true that to the woman of impure life the wheel may offer a convenient means for facilitating the execution of immoral designs, but that the pastime itself has a tendency to degrade or demoralize is a proposition too absurd for a moment’s consideration. A woman who will violate the decencies and proprieties of life while wheeling will violate them upon other occasions when the opportunity is offered." https://books.google.com/books?id=ZoA4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA361&lpg=PA361
paulheckbert
2017-05-11 15:08:46
OK, so I confess to watching the PBS show "Call the Midwife" weekly with my wife. It's set in the early 1960s in Britain, and is the story of a group of midwives working in London's East End out of a Episcopal convent. It's a pretty feminine show, BTW, which regularly features babies being born, discussion of lady parts, etc. Anyway. Last week they had a car crash. One of the midwives is driving and a kid runs out in front of the car, is struck, and ends up lying on the street. What grabbed me about this is the sequence of actions: 1. The midwife driver is mortified, transfixed, as the other midwife tends to the kid and an ambulance is called. 2. The police show up, interview people to find out what happened. 3. THEY TAKE THE KEYS AWAY FROM THE DRIVER. The car is impounded. 4. THE DRIVER HAS TO GO TO THE POLICE STATION AND IS INTERVIEWED ON HER DRIVING HISTORY. When did she get her license; how; her insurance status; has there ever been a claim. 5. THEY TAKE A URINE SAMPLE FOR ALCOHOL TESTING. 6. THEY DO A FULL INVESTIGATION OF WHAT HAPPENED. Looking for witnesses, finding none at first, the midwife's status is undetermined. She will have to appear before a judge. Things look iffy. 7. Finally, somebody tracks down one of the kid's brothers, and the policeman carefully interviews them (they've been reluctant to talk; they weren't supposed to be in the street). They say the kid just ran out in front of the car. Everybody sighs relief. 8. Eventually, investigation concluded and judge satisfied, the midwife gets her car back, her driving privileges restored, though it takes some encouragement to get her behind the wheel. The thing is, THIS IS WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN here. If you hit or kill somebody, you should NOT be allowed to drive again until there is a full investigation and it is determined you are not at fault. Maybe things happen like this in Europe today, but here in the United States, it's pretty much: if you don't flee, aren't drunk, and say you're sorry: you're good, sorry for the inconvenience, let's get your insurance info and get you on your way. DAMN IT. And even if you end up losing your license, it's no big deal, because NO ONE EVER CHECKS. Edit: corrected the word 'accident' to the politcally correct 'crash', per a lizard's comment below.
jonawebb
2017-05-18 13:44:16
Is ACCIDENT the British spelling of CRASH?
yalecohen
2017-05-18 14:02:14
Bike Advocacy and the LA City Council elections make Jezebel What Happens When a Bike-Friendly L.A. City Council Candidate Turns Out to Be an Internet Troll? http://theslot.jezebel.com/what-happens-when-a-bike-friendly-l-a-city-council-can-1795257632 For context, this is important: When a Progressive Community Fails to See Its Own Biases, Bullying and Bigotry Get a Pass http://la.streetsblog.org/2017/05/08/when-a-progressive-community-fails-to-see-its-own-biases-bullying-and-bigotry-get-a-pass/
erok
2017-05-19 11:51:54
Greater Greater Washington goes Behind the Handlebars with DC Council member and occasional cyclist Brandon Todd for Bike to Work Day: https://ggwash.org/view/63508/
epanastrophe
2017-05-23 12:25:11
NYC to trial extending sidewalks along eight congested blocks of Seventh Avenue between Penn Station and Times Square, plus a complete closure of a couple blocks of Broadway to create pedestrian plazas for the summer: http://nyc.streetsblog.org/2017/05/23/dot-to-widen-sidewalks-on-7th-avenue-between-penn-station-and-times-square/ Perhaps more interesting, however, is the fact that Dan Gilman posted a link to this story.  Maybe go suggest him some places we should do something similar in Pittsburgh: https://twitter.com/danielgilman/status/867365412664729600
epanastrophe
2017-05-24 11:04:45
Not much about his Pittsburgh past, though. Do we have any details elsewhere?
stuinmccandless
2017-06-02 12:42:16
I don't know anything beyond the story above.  I just thought someone on the board might know him.
marko82
2017-06-02 15:38:06
Baltimore mayor downgrades plans for parking-protected two-way bike lane, claiming it fails to adhere to fire codes...which the city has never previously enforced, including for parking changes. https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2017/06/02/an-outcry-as-pugh-halts-potomac-street-bike-lane/ http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/06/05/baltimore-mayor-caves-to-nimbys-hacks-away-at-protected-bike-lane/ https://www.bikemore.net/news/fightforbikes
Baltimore City is effectively stating the Fire Department needs 20 feet clear to safely fight fires, despite the fact many streets in Baltimore fail to meet this standard, including the streets one block east and west of Potomac Street, which have in places just 9 feet clear. This was not made an issue when miles of reverse angle parking installation, containing thousands of parking spaces, created the same condition as Potomac Street throughout Southeast Baltimore.
One strain of responses from Baltimore residents has been photos of their 'illegal' streets...: https://twitter.com/jdg5132/status/871796827884060672
epanastrophe
2017-06-05 17:51:19
"He talked about extreme bicycle gangs scaring women getting out of their cars and in other situations..."   Yaaaasssss!!!
edronline
2017-06-07 13:14:19
PA Title 75 Section 3542(c): Whenever any vehicle is stopped at any crosswalk at an intersection or at any marked crosswalk to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle. But, as the article says, MD changed its law to explicitly permit cyclists to ride in crosswalks. PA has not done that. In PA, you can legally ride on the sidewalk (except in business districts or where signs prohibit it), but the law is silent on whether you must dismount to cross a street. If you choose not to dismount, you're not protected the way pedestrians are. Drivers don't have to yield the right of way to you, as they do to pedestrians, and if a car does stop for you, the car behind it can go around the stopped car. Similarly, a pedestrian on a sidewalk has the right of way over a car coming out an alley or driveway, but again, per section 3547, not a cyclist on that same sidewalk.
steven
2017-06-10 22:38:06
The city of Seattle this April "activated a new adaptive traffic signal system along the Mercer corridor". "Press coverage was uniformly glowing. The Seattle Times gushed “New, high-tech traffic signals make the Mercer Street trek less messy.” … The reality was not quite as rosy. The gains for cars were modest and the cost to safety and pedestrian mobility was high. Average travel time for cars moving in the westbound direction from one end of the corridor to the other, according to SDOT’s own figures, actually got worse.  Eastbound travel times showed improvements of 18 seconds in the morning and 2.7 minutes in the evening. Meanwhile, people on foot were experiencing waits of more than three minutes just to cross the street. " https://twitter.com/OffQuality/status/874676553870921728 https://www.theurbanist.org/2017/06/09/adaptive-signal-system-kicks-pedestrians-curb/
epanastrophe
2017-06-13 17:36:51
San Diego: Disabled truck moved out of driving lane into bike lane. Woman drives her car into back of truck. She's dead, her passenger and the truck driver hospitalized. Local news coverage
stuinmccandless
2017-06-14 12:45:07
As predicted, Dan Hanegby's family found video that contradicts the NYPD's messaging immediately after the crash that killed him, that he had swerved into a bus that was passing him.  Per Gothamist, he holds a straight line until the bus hits his handlebars.  Gothamist has apparently also been contacted by a bus passenger who
was in the front seat of the bus and witnessed the crash. Her account aligns with the video; she said she wanted to make it clear that the "story," as initially reported, "was not correct." "We brushed him causing him to loose [sic] control," she wrote in an email. "I was in the front seat of this bus and witnessed it. He was ahead of us and the driver may have felt that he had enough room to proceed." "He most likely lost control because the bus was inches away. My heart breaks for this man and his family," she added.
http://gothamist.com/2017/06/15/citi_bike_video_hanegby.php
epanastrophe
2017-06-16 12:34:48
Regarding Dan Hanegby's death, once again, police assumed it was cyclist's fault for getting hit be a motor vehicle. Fortunately, there was a surveillance camera that recorded the incidence and proved it was the motorist's fault. But you can't expect to have surveillance camera everywhere. That's why it's important to have bicycle dash cams mounted on your bicycle. Regardless, we need better infrastructure that separates cyclists from motorists, so that even when motorists screw up, the chance they kill cyclists would be slim. In the distant future, I'd like to see all human operated motor vehicles requiring special and highly-scrutinized permits to run on public roads.
ninjaturtle0304
2017-06-17 20:52:08
Infrastructure has zero to do with this. This is all on the bus driver.
stuinmccandless
2017-06-18 05:31:25
Bullshit. If there were a protected bike lane, the bus wouldn't have been able to get close enough to hit a cyclist. The road there is nearly wide enough for four lanes, but is marked as two lanes of parking with a single, 17-foot wide, shared travel lane. Wide lanes invite speeding and squeezing past perceived obstacles. https://twitter.com/ctoocheck/status/876264736639340544
epanastrophe
2017-06-18 10:57:41
OTOH, NYC has rules on where buses should be, and as I understand it it shouldn't have been on that street in the first place.
jonawebb
2017-06-18 12:53:05
edroline:  Many years ago (late winter/early spring of 1983), my cousin and I rode bikes from Tucson to Flagstaff, on I-10 and I-17.  We did use surface roads to get through Phoenix.  We had  relatives transport us from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon where we spent several days backpacking the Grand Canyon.  Then we went by bike from Flagstaff to New Mexico via I-40.  Somewhere in NM we went north on a mostly 2 lane road to end up in Cortez. CO.  We had no issues with motor vehicles nor with law enforcement.  There were 2 interactions with police.  East of Flagstaff a state trooper stopped us; he was looking for a cyclist who had a family emergency and was needed at home (this was well before cell phones).  A few days later, just after entering NM, my cousin shredded a tire on some debris he rode over.  A local police gave him a ride to the nearest town and back to get a tire while I stayed with the bikes.  We saw more than a few fellow cyclists along the way.  Things are different out west, or at least they used to be.
kolo-jezdec
2017-06-26 14:17:03
That is a great story!  In some of the valleys it looks like the interstate is the only way to get from town to town. I-40 replaced a lot of the old route 66 too.  Besides the mountain passes the roads are extremely straight with visibility for miles and super wide shoulders, maybe 2-3 times as wide as typically seen in PA. The car thermometer read 125F on I10 in CA and AZ  so you picked a much better time to bike ride than summer.
edronline
2017-06-26 15:08:55
Kolo,  great story.  I've driven them roads in a car... would be wild to do them by bike! (just not this year, 120 F!!!!)
marko82
2017-06-26 21:58:45
Rev. Laura Everett, in the Daily Beast: "Popular perception of bicycles solely as recreation rather than transit tools leads to bad policy." http://www.thedailybeast.com/we-need-to-ditch-all-the-old-cliches-about-bicyclists
If I learn to notice, I can see cyclists who don’t fit the young, rich, white, documented, and male stereotype. I can see folks obliged to ride late at night after the public transit stops. If I learn to look, I can see folks who ride because they don’t have a license. If I stop to notice, I’ll recognize cyclists who ride because it’s cheap transit in an expensive city. If we learn to see everyone who rides at all times and for all reasons, maybe we can also learn to design more just roads and more equitable transit.
epanastrophe
2017-07-03 11:38:50
Local history: Bicyclist’s daily commute was Akron novelty in 1950s and 1960s Cycling to Work — What a Concept! If bicycle commuting seems weird to some people now, think of how it was viewed in the 1950s. He didn’t wear a bike helmet, kneepads or reflective vest — just a three-piece suit with impeccable tailoring. Dr. Joseph S. Lichty, a hospital administrator in Akron, endured a lot of teasing about his preferred mode of transportation, but his fondness and appreciation for bicycling never wavered. “In fact, I think a lot of our traffic problems would be solved if more people rode bicycles,” he explained. Lichty’s daily commute was a novelty in the 1950s and 1960s as the well-dressed gentleman pumped his long legs and steered his three-speed bike alongside gigantic automobiles in congested West Akron. “Frankly, I’m hooted at — when I’m not greeted with outright stares of surprise,” he said. The Pittsburgh native, 49, .... http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/history/local-history-bicyclist-s-daily-commute-was-akron-novelty-in-1950s-and-1960s-1.771926
yalecohen
2017-07-06 03:28:59
With regard to Eric Fishbein having been killed on Route 96, near Leoti, Kansas, I've ridden Kansas Route 96, from Rush Center to the Colorado Line.  In Colorado, it becomes CO-96, which I was on until reaching Ordway.   The google street view link, in one of the article comments, is as I remember the road.  You're not going to find too many straighter roads anywhere.  Talk about long sight lines, is to the horizon good enough?  Traffic volume can be visualized by an experience I had upon stopping on the side of the road and hearing complete silence.  When a motorized vehicle approaches, you can see it before you can hear it.  Once you begin to hear the motor, it takes a few minutes for the vehicle to reach you.  Once it passes, you can hear it for awhile then the sound dissipates but the vehicle can still be seen until it drops over the horizon.  Should a vehicle hit a bicyclist under those sorts of conditions?
fultonco
2017-07-06 18:15:39
I am quoted in this article about cycling in my hometown. The quote is accurate but incomplete. I further stated that cyclists, to be safe, should take the lane. Problem: This goes against NY State law. The law needs changed. http://bit.ly/2sMTi2L Further comment I left on the article: I am quoted in the article as saying it should be made clear that it is not a bike lane. At 2:59 in this video, someone opens a car door into the "lane". Had I been four seconds earlier, I would have been knocked over. Solution: Do what I do elsewhere in the video. Anywhere there is a parked car, get in the traffic lane (after checking that it's clear, and signaling).
stuinmccandless
2017-07-06 23:55:08
In Virginia when they build new roads they always add bike lanes. You see them all over the place there. It's awesome. So I'm jealous of this situation: bike advocates don't like the plans to put the bike lane for I-66 too close to the road (separated by a Jersey barrier): https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/biking-advocates-worry-i-66-expansion-project-puts-a-bike-trail-too-close-to-traffic/2017/07/09/9e21d216-6266-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html (Imagine, btw, bike lanes alone the Mon-Fay. Or the Boulevard of the Allies.)
jonawebb
2017-07-10 08:09:01
Earlier versions didn't even have the jersey barrier. Imagine the Jail Trail with nothing between the Parkway's cars and you but a strip of grass a few feet wide--and a wall on the far side (so that if someone does hit you, they can make sure you go splat)...
epanastrophe
2017-07-10 08:13:31
Dallas: "At long last, the Trinity River toll road might just die for good"
You know how to kill a zombie, yes? Just shoot them in the head, remove the brain. Easy.  Easier, anyway, than offing a zombie toll road that has been lurching and moaning ever forward without the good sense to just die already. But — and I can't believe I'm typing this — the giant Trinity River toll road may be days away from its final demise. This is not another tease. This is real. Almost surreal. For years I've taken people down to the floodway and pointed to the earthen levees and said can you freaking believe how foolish this city is for wanting to build a massive highway next to a forever-promised park and a river that's supposed to flood.
Kinda sounds familiar, no? https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/07/11/long-last-trinity-river-toll-road-might-just-die-good
epanastrophe
2017-07-12 13:49:52
My cousin's in Montreal. Interesting notes on bike practices there:
Bike trivia Montreal: 1 Groups of cyclists are treated as one vehicle at a stop sign, and only the first member of the group must stop. The rest may follow without stopping. 2. All one way streets have a bike lane allowing cyclists to go against traffic. 3. There are 800 km of bike lanes for Montreal
jonawebb
2017-07-16 14:33:13
And, a lot of the lanes are separated from traffic by a wide concrete barrier.
edronline
2017-07-16 15:53:17
"the bicycle tax will be earmarked for infrastructure like bike ways and pedestrian paths. " So shouldn't they tax rollerblades, running shoes, walking shoes, hiking boots, etc, wheel chairs, dogs, dog leashes, ..., strollers,
yalecohen
2017-07-16 23:46:05
They should only tax rollerbladers if they plan to build a network of paths just for rollerbladers with the money. Likewise, lanes only for strollers could be financed with a stroller tax. But I assume they're not going to be building significant infrastructure exclusively for rollerbladers or stroller users, so there's no sense in having a tax to support that. On the other hand, they have built and continue to build bike-specific infrastructure. I think we have dog taxes already (required licensing fees); I imagine they do too. Probably they help support some dog-related government services. Sure, ideally the government should encourage cycling for all the usual reasons, and a tax on it seems to go against that. Oregon has no sales tax, and creating one (more or less) that's only for bikes (plus some other things) seems odd for a state with such a bike-friendly reputation. But the negative aspects of a bike tax might be more than offset if they use that money to build lots of improved facilities for cyclists there over the next few decades. Or not. It'll be an interesting experiment to watch, anyway.
steven
2017-07-17 04:16:01
“the bicycle tax will be earmarked for infrastructure like bike ways and PEDESTRIAN paths. ”
yalecohen
2017-07-17 05:13:53
Just wondering if bike stores will find a way around the tax. Like selling the frame and the wheels separately. In PA stores get to keep 1 percent of the sales tax to cover their admin fees for this tax. Doesn't seem like bike stores get a cut of the fee to help them administrate it.
edronline
2017-07-17 06:35:06
It seems like something that will hit bike shops pretty hard. It's already plenty easy to order bikes on the Internet.
jonawebb
2017-07-17 08:15:27
@edronline do you have a reference of the 1% discount--that seems kinda steep. AllI could find was (from http://www.revenue.pa.gov/FormsandPublications/FormsforBusinesses/Documents/Sales-Use%20Tax/rev-717.pdf) DISCOuNT (72 P.S. § 7227) Effective for returns that have a period end date after August 1, 2016, the vendor discount for licensees for timely filed returns and payments is limited to the lesser of $25 or 1 percent of tax collected for a monthly filer, $75 or 1 percent of tax collected for a quarterly filer and $150 or 1 percent of tax collected for a semi-annual filer which isn't for administration, but "timely" filing... The document referenced above is interesting reading; it's interesting to note what is subject to sales tax, and what is not (you can see what lobbys are most successful): T-Biking clothing NT – Belts and suspenders NT – garters and garter belts NT – gym suits T – Handkerchiefs NT – Headwear for everyday wear T – Helmets NT – Hosiery, pantyhose and peds NT – Hunting clothing, including camouflage and blaze orange NT – Leotards and tights NT – Leather wearing apparel NT – Lingerie (some may consider some bike clothing as lingerie) NT – Rainwear [what about biking rainwear??] NT – Toothbrush, electric NT – Toothbrush, toothpaste, tooth cleaners, dental floss and replacement brushes for electric toothbrush T – water picks T – Sun allergy cream T – Sunburn preventives - suntan creams, lotions, oils, sunblock, etc. NT – Sunburn treatment, lotions or creams T – Vegetable seeds, vegetable plants, flowers, and fruit trees NT – Vegetable seeds, vegetable plants, and fruit trees purchased with food stamps **T – Breath mints T – Brewed coffee NT – Candy apples NT – Candy and gum NT – Caramel corn NT – Coffee, cold bottled and flavored T – Coffee, hot NT – Fruit drinks, noncarbonated or reconstituted, containing at least 25% natural fruit juice T – Fruit drinks, noncarbonated or reconstituted, containing less than 25% natural fruit juice NT – Milk *T – Nonalcoholic beverages unless specifically exempt NT – Party trays, vegetable, cheese, seafood, meat **NT – Power / Energy Bars **NT – Pretzels and chips **NT – Protein Bars T – Pumpkins – for decoration NT – Pumpkins – for food T – Salad bars, self-service T – Sandwiches T – Soft drinks, bottled and non-bottled (including soft drink mixes in powder, liquid or tablet form) NT – Soy milk T – Sports drinks T – Sushi NT – Sweeteners, artificial *NT – Tea, all forms including liquid and powdered tea, except hot tea NT – water, including nonflavored mineral water T – water, flavored, including vitamin water T – Buckles for articles other than clothing NT – Buckles for clothing T – Buttons for articles other than clothing NT – Buttons for clothing T – Fabrics for articles other than clothing NT – Fabrics for clothing T – knitting yarn for articles other than clothing NT – knitting yarn for clothing T – Laces, ribbons, edgings, trimmings for articles other than clothing NT – Laces, ribbons, edgings, trimmings for clothing NT – Shoulder pads T – Zippers for articles other than clothing NT – Zippers for clothing NT – Contact lenses and wetting solutions T – Contact lenses cleaning solutions T – Bicycles, parts, accessories and supplies NT – Baseball caps and tee shirts NT – Bowling shirts T – Bowling shoes, purchase and rental NT – gym suits, outfits NT – Hunting clothing, including camouflage and blaze orange NT – jogging outfits, running shoes
yalecohen
2017-07-17 08:16:52
Hey,I think you are right. I always heard 1 percent fee, but I guess it is capped at almost nothing.  At least nothing worth the time collecting it for the state.
edronline
2017-07-17 08:41:30
You are right -- it was 1% no cap before, but it seems that the cap was imposed starting 8/1/16 per this PA website I found: Line 4 - Discount: A discount will be automatically calculated if the return, together with full remittance is filed on or before the due date. This field can not be edited. NOTE: A vendor discount cap is imposed on returns with a period end date after Aug. 1, 2016. The timely filing discount per return will be as follows; monthly filers will be the lesser of 1 percent or $25, quarterly filers will be the lesser of 1 percent or $75, and semi-annual filers will be the lesser of 1 percent or $150. https://www.etides.state.pa.us/instructions/st/return.htm
edronline
2017-07-17 08:44:55
Dankuwel, Paul. Geen probleem.  Nederlands is bijna engels :)
mattk
2017-07-21 13:48:39
Mebbe I'm rong, but couldn't you accomplish that much easier using an app to capture accelerometer data from any smartfone?
ornoth
2017-07-21 17:21:35
From the League of American Bicyclists: Coming to grips with Oregon’s Bike Tax http://bikeleague.org/content/coming-grips-oregon%E2%80%99s-bike-tax .... »The “user fee” concept is problematic because it collapses into absurdity when applied to all road users. Nobody seriously makes proposals to tax shoes to pay for sidewalks, or to tax wheelchairs to pay for ADA-compliant ramps. ... ....
yalecohen
2017-07-25 01:21:05
More New Yorkers Opting for Life in the Bike Lane "Biking has become part of New York’s commuting culture as the city expands bike routes and Citi Bikes become ubiquitous. There are more than 450,000 daily bike trips. On one of Brooklyn’s busier commuter streets, bicycles now outnumber cars. “New York has really become a biking world,” said Jace Rivera, 42, a former construction worker who so enjoyed riding his bike to work that he changed careers last year to become a bike messenger. “The city has gotten a lot more crowded, and the trains have gotten a lot more expensive. By biking, you spare yourself the crowds, you save a lot of money, and you can go to work on time.” Biking has become part of New York’s commuting infrastructure as bike routes have been expanded and a fleet of 10,000 Citi Bikes has been deployed to more than 600 locations. Today there are more than 450,000 daily bike trips in the city, up from 170,000 in 2005, an increase that has outpaced population and employment growth, according to city officials. ..." https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/nyregion/new-yorkers-bike-lanes-commuting.html
paulheckbert
2017-07-30 23:54:35
^calling Steff B.!
marko82
2017-08-08 20:21:19
Ok, I know this isn't bicycle related; and it could be placed in the 'dangerous driver' or 'cars hitting buildings' threads, but.... Car plunges from downtown Austin parking garage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRSHTA5iaPI
marko82
2017-08-11 11:22:55
I almost peed myself watching that.  Imagine if you were in the turning around car.
edronline
2017-08-11 12:04:29
OpEd on cyclists breaking the law, by the daughter of the woman killed by a cyclist in DC: Wheels of Misfortune https://nyti.ms/2vp9f3J
jonawebb
2017-08-11 17:34:50
There was a story on the NPR show Here and Now yesterday about bike life. However I can't find a link to this on their website. It was basically about Urban dirt biking using motorized bikes and how people are weaving in and out of traffic which is annoying drivers and other cyclist. It seems to be more of a coastal kind of thing in a may also be linked to places with a larger Latino population. I haven't heard about this in Pittsburgh.
edronline
2017-08-18 12:35:04
West Palm Beach, Florida, gets serious about building bike lanes. Link
stuinmccandless
2017-08-24 22:10:35
DC also uses those, or similar, particularly on Pennsylvania Ave between the White House and the Capital, where the federal government mandated something that wouldn't interfere with the tourists' view and which could be removed easily for inaugural parades and suchlike.  You can see an example on streetview here: https://goo.gl/maps/UCeYQcPtU252 Other areas, like this two-way cycle track on First Ave NE near Union Station, have a combination of bollards (like Pittsburgh uses) and parking-stops: https://goo.gl/maps/yV6n86KVHyM2
epanastrophe
2017-08-27 22:55:26
In Louisiana: "A Ville Platte man and two teenagers are recovering after all three were hit by a truck [while they walked along the side of a road that lacked a sidewalk]. However, they are facing charges, and the driver isn't. Police have fined the three for not wearing reflective clothing at night and charged them with obstructing a public passage." There's a petition to drop the charges against the pedestrians. https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/justice-for-ville-platte-pedestrians  
paulheckbert
2017-09-06 00:05:04
The original story. They're being charged with violating a city ordinance requiring reflective clothing (!) while walking at night (a misdemeanor). This being America, there's a racial component (the three are African-American). Sigh.
jonawebb
2017-09-06 08:04:47
This is interesting. Cyclist are filing a class action lawsuit to stop UPS drivers from blocking bike lanes in NYC.
jonawebb
2017-09-07 18:17:29
Not exactly "news", per se, i suppose, but kinda fun: the transportation engineering department of Montgomery County (MD) spent a couple hours last night documenting the process of installing a green lane, bike box, and other pavement markings in Silver Spring. Yes, they literally live-tweeted watching--or making--paint dry. With puns. https://twitter.com/MoCo_DTE/status/908474769011601408
epanastrophe
2017-09-15 10:03:25
So I'm in Seattle and they have a helmet law here. I've seen just one cyclist without a helmet so far. Two with motorcycle helmets. But the one cyclist without a helmet said they don't enforce it. Also dockless bike share, Three different companies.
jonawebb
2017-09-28 18:54:05
Montreal puts up a no left turn sign and makes a street impossible to legally enter. This story is bullshit. First of all, the photo at the top of the article shows a "No Left Turn" plaque. But this is Montréal. There will not be any signs in English. If you look closely at the photo in the tweet further down: you see that what was done was to add two plaques: the graphic "no left turn" and a yellow "nouvelle signalisation". Maybe up on that post is where drivers naturally look to figure out what they can do? And the photos don't match. In reality, the signs are there to override the one-way left graphic sign. So what's the big deal? You're supposed to obey the salient sign(s), which explain themselves. And, as the article eventually admits, there's construction further up the street. And maybe why some drivers were turning in anyway: they have business to be there. But hey, it's Québec; they'd do it different. In France it might have been a no-entry graphic with "sauf riverains" on it. Around here, something with "local traffic only". [NOTE: Yes, that's a share-bike corral off to the left.]
ahlir
2017-10-03 23:38:44
Are you saying you think that those Montreal signs which literally mean New Signage and No Left Turn really mean that only local traffic may turn left? Seems unlikely to me. I agree that the article on the website used a stock photo of a No Left Turn sign, instead of a photo of the actual sign, but I don't see how that changed the meaning of the standard graphic for No Left Turn. I think the meaning is clear. The street is one-way, but you may not legally turn left there to enter it. And there's no other way to legally enter the street because of the road configuration. No doubt some drivers ignored the signage and illegally entered the street, but not because the signs really didn't mean what they said.
steven
2017-10-04 06:22:05
I think the whole thing was supposed to be ironic. That sign went up very early and they didn't alert anyone that it was for construction and when they rerouted the road one way the other way. They did things backwards so it looked very funny. People ignored it anyway but thought that it was very ironic. And it also gave them something else to make fun of the Montreal government for which I think people like doing.
edronline
2017-10-04 07:21:44
Well, ok. I guess it really was an insightful piece of journalism and I just missed the point.
ahlir
2017-10-04 08:33:15
SMART confronts crush of bike-toting commuters http://www.petaluma360.com/news/7495571-181/smart-confronts-crush-of-bike-toting?artslide=0 “There are way more people riding their bikes than I expected,” said Deb Fudge, Windsor’s mayor and the chairwoman of SMART’s board of directors. “That’s a good thing. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do in Sonoma County, is get people out of cars. And they’re doing it. And they’re getting to the stations lots of different ways.”
marko82
2017-10-05 19:56:09
The New York Times had an article in the Men's Style section on "biking to work, arriving in style". Not hard-hitting journalism, but it was ok. Their advice: ride slowly & don't wear a backpack to avoid getting sweaty, shower or freshen up at work, change your clothes, stand in front of the air conditioner for five minutes. They didn't address rain/snow. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/fashion/mens-style/biking-to-work.html
paulheckbert
2017-10-09 20:47:40
What got me about that article is the guy who rides 2 1/2 miles and arrives soaked in sweat. How? Hot weather?
jonawebb
2017-10-09 22:27:16
Eh,I sweat when it is 50 out. Some people have different accommodation to heat.
edronline
2017-10-10 06:20:34
“I hate to slow down.” Tough shit, jackass.
epanastrophe
2017-10-10 20:23:09
Wow! That shows how big this beautiful young woman's heart is. I need a strong, caring girl like this in my life!
zzwergel
2017-10-14 22:18:00
Aurora, Colorado: 'Oh my gosh that guy shot me': Man sentenced for firing pellet gun at cyclist At least they caught this S.O.B. link (Warning, loud ad starts immediately.)
stuinmccandless
2017-10-15 01:03:25
Ontario and Quebec have had a law since 2009 requiring speed limiters (speed governors) on large trucks set at 65 mph, and some believe it has improved safety.  http://fleetowner.com/regulations/speed-limiters-perspective-ontario. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US is considering a similar law, but many in the trucking industry want no speed regulation. See their irrational video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdZnQNEInSE Speed governors for cars were discussed previously in another thread: http://localhost/message-board/topic/car-less-drivers/page/3/#post-342797.  
paulheckbert
2017-10-17 11:09:39

At some point trucks will all be computer driven...

edronline
2017-10-17 13:05:38
Startup in NYC is collecting data on cyclist attention level as they make their way through the city. It looks like a helmet camera + cheap EEG sensor (hopefully something more than a Neurosky). Video not super informative, but it's interesting. (Imaging a system that detects potential hazards and makes sure the rider is paying attention.) https://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000005478077/biking-with-biosensors-in-new-york-city.html?hp&clickSource=story-heading&WT.nav=top-news&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=VideoThumb®ion=AColumn
ahlir
2017-10-17 19:08:44
Addendum: I believe that regular city-street riders have already internalized most of the critical signs (or if not, they've probably quit biking). My first realization of this was starting to notice cars with drivers talking on their phone (and no, it was not just a majority class thing): Their cars didn't seem to be under complete control, e.g. slight weaving, etc. If you can notice, you take precautions. But a detection system would still be useful for people who have hesitated to mix into traffic. For example, on my ride home today I went by two bikers doing the sidewalk. That's not right. Sidewalks are for peds. Make it easier for riders to feel safe(er) doing the street (when we belong). Additional addendum: At some public meeting in the past, a police official indicated that they have twelve (12) officers detailed to traffic issues (like speeding). For the entire city. And you wonder why the streets seem inhospitable?
ahlir
2017-10-17 21:25:05
From the NY Times:
Even the suggestion that someone is watching us tends to influence us: In 2011, researchers at Newcastle University in England posted pictures of a pair of male eyes and the caption, “Cycle Thieves: We Are Watching You.” Bike thefts decreased by 62 percent in those locations — and not elsewhere.
ahlir
2017-10-21 20:36:43
Vancouver has "police have decoy bikes all over" signs.
edronline
2017-10-21 20:55:45
And that’s not the only big road in Bflo being considered for demolition. The Skyway needs a $75M rebuild. A good many are asking if it’s worth it.
stuinmccandless
2017-10-21 23:16:28
Authorities ID bicyclist struck, killed by pickup truck in Washington County (Robert E. Henry, 51, of Washington, Pa.) http://www.post-gazette.com/local/washington/2017/10/27/Authorities-ID-bicyclist-struck-killed-by-pickup-in-Washington-County/stories/201710270146 More detail: https://observer-reporter.com/news/localnews/bicyclist-killed-thursday-identified-as-buffalo-man/article_65e6e9ec-bb33-11e7-8009-1750aafd6e4e.html Hell: "Robert E. Henry, 51, was struck and killed by a pickup truck about 7:10 p.m. in front of his home in the 3400 block of Route 40." "State police said Derek Ryan Hartzog, 26, of Washington, was driving west when his truck went off the right side of the road onto the shoulder and struck the bicycle Henry was riding on the westbound shoulder." Shit. I feel awful for the guy's family and friends. Guy was just riding on the shoulder in front of his house. Fuck fuck fuck. Right around here: https://goo.gl/maps/FFAmqTBaVQ92
jonawebb
2017-10-27 22:24:05
Wow.  I don't think this is the woman the complaint was about, but even if it was - since when is looking at houses illegal?  Not to mention his made-up description of what happened.
marko82
2017-10-28 18:12:04
Your Presidential news:  
jonawebb
2017-10-28 19:44:34
Wait. Riding his bike in front of his house on the shoulder? Riding, really? More likely standing stock still, waiting for traffic to pass before starting to move. To be hit while on the shoulder, moving or not, sounds like at the least distracted driving, and possibly intentional really close pass and got closer than he expected; in other words, third degree murder.
stuinmccandless
2017-10-28 23:56:31
(Assuming you put the photo on your Twitter and Facebook profiles and tell HR about it, and your employer has government contracts.)
jonawebb
2017-11-07 07:35:29
Toledo woman shuts down road widening proposal. Part of the campaign involved leading a bike ride. Click thru for bikes photo. https://t.co/eKXF9qh835?amp=1
stuinmccandless
2017-11-09 17:18:53
I needed that laugh.
fultonco
2017-11-13 21:55:53
That Senator sounds like a mensch.
edronline
2017-12-16 11:27:29
Veronica Moss says "bikers are a pimple on the butt of any city" https://vimeo.com/12499634 (Kate McKinnon before she joined Saturday Night Live)
paulheckbert
2018-01-27 17:37:49
That kind of riding is definitely going to get one killed.
zzwergel
2018-02-01 02:34:36
And, according to Bicycling Magazine, NYC is one of the top bike-friendly cities in the country. I'd like to see a true study done of bicycle-friendly areas in the USA.
fultonco
2018-02-03 09:40:02
Regarding the Australia story, that roo will rue the day it crossed the road without looking.
paulheckbert
2018-02-04 17:57:27
From http://www.metronews.ca/views/opinion/2017/01/03/math-myth-busting-our-worst-urban-planning-misconceptions.html Here are just a few examples: ·        A common political argument is that bike and transit riders should "pay their own way." A study in Vancouver however suggested that for every dollar we individually spend on walking, society pays just 1 cent. For biking, it's eight cents, and for bus-riding, $1.50. But for every personal dollar spent driving, society pays a whopping $9.20! Such math makes clear where the big subsidies are, without even starting to count the broader environmental, economic, spatial and quality-of-life consequences of our movement choices. The less people need to drive in our cities, the less we all pay, in more ways than one. ·        Another study in Copenhagen (where the full cost of transportation choices are routinely calculated) found that when you factor in costs like time, accidents, pollution and climate change, each kilometre cycled actually gains society 18 cents!
yalecohen
2018-02-09 23:44:49
@jonawebb @ 01/13/2018 at 9:29pm > So weird to read a story where traffic planners treat cycling routes as something to be taken into account when doing mass transit construction. It’s like reading about another country. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/01/11/montgomery-plans-new-bike-lanes-to-help-cyclists-during-purple-line-construction
...did we read the same story?  They're having to take cycling into account now because they completely failed to do so before construction started.  Riders who commute between Bethesda to Silver Spring were saying well before the trail closed that the detour, especially in Chevy Chase, was  unsafe and unacceptable.  Now that it's been closed for several months, Montgomery County is finally listening.
epanastrophe
2018-02-10 23:42:39
At least there was a detour. Imagine having bike paths along the parkways, here.
jonawebb
2018-02-11 09:37:01
This isn't the freeway-side trail, though; that's a separate issue (in a different state, though also in metro DC)--this is more like if, after the Strip District Trail had been closed for several months, the City had finally realized that Smallman St is dangerous and started working on an alternative. (Or, perhaps, since the closed trail is significantly longer than the Strip Trail, imagine if the South Side Trail were closed so they could put a T extension in to Homestead; while a better trail would result, in the meantime they told riders to use Carson Street from Smithfield to Birmingham and Irvine through Hazelwood to the Glenwood Bridge.  Some might be okay with it, but many, especially those who ride with young children and those who simply don't wish to Forester in traffic, could find it unsafe and off-putting.)
epanastrophe
2018-02-11 10:02:11
I think you're right. I may have posted the wrong link.
jonawebb
2018-02-11 17:13:24
A piece on e-bikes, and a quote:
Think of an e-bike as a replacement for a car, not [for] a manually powered bike
ahlir
2018-02-12 15:17:45
In Scottsdale az this weekend. Bike lanes everywhere. And in Scottsdale some intersections without bike lanes (ie bikes need to be on the sidewalk) have two sets of call buttons for the walk signs. One at regular height and a second one at about 5 feet off the ground for those on a bicycle.
edronline
2018-02-18 00:09:30
Looks like this is where it happened.  I imagine she was trying to cross to the path on the center divider.   Don't know why they designed the path to meet the roadway and look like a crossing if they don't want people crossing there.
greg-h
2018-03-19 15:04:58
if that's the case than that's terrible design. On the other hand, autonomous vehicles need to do a better job spotting humans even in places they "shouldn't belong."
edronline
2018-03-19 17:38:21
According to news sources now, the person who was killed was a pedestrian. Interesting to see the public outcry over this. It seems like most people never think about their rights as pedestrians (and worse, many protest pedestrian infrastructure) but seem to be freaking out about this. Not that they are wrong to be concerned (I agree)... but many people die every day as a result of cars.
bree33
2018-03-19 20:14:22
gracias. that explains a lot.
edronline
2018-03-20 14:19:42
speaking of "unbelievable fines for bike offenses", a group of kids from (largely Black) East Oakland, CA, say police officers in neighboring (mostly white) San Leandro have been harassing them, up to and including intentionally dooring them and confiscating their bikes at gunpoint. https://m.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/when-police-take-kids-bikes/Content?oid=14580518
The stories told by these kids are troubling: Cops would sometimes open the doors of their police cruisers just as kids go by, knocking them off their bikes. Or, police allegedly pulled their guns and held a group of kids at gunpoint. One said an officer ran after his friend and tackled him off his moving bicycle in the Wells Fargo parking lot off East 14th Street. The kids said San Leandro police officers also sometimes said they were going to give the nice scraper bikes that they confiscated from Oakland youth to their own children. San Leandro police officials did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment for this report.
[via @bikinginLA, https://twitter.com/bikinginla/status/979450602236215296 ]
epanastrophe
2018-04-03 23:36:32
Lessons from Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Stockholm, and New York on making cycling and walking safer in cities. The lessons seem to be
  • force cars to slow down (30 mph or less). In the Netherlands they concluded that "the best way to slow cars down is to throw away all the techniques that traffic engineers developed to make traffic flow quickly."
  • congestion zones with variable pricing, for cars
  • wide pedestrian sidewalks
  • lots of bike lanes
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/opinion/there-are-better-ways-to-get-around-town.html
paulheckbert
2018-05-16 02:12:16
I traveled, by bicycle, along the Mexican border in 1980.  Several locals that I met along the way warned me about bandits and small groups who would come across the border to rob vulnerable people, or worse.  Fortunately, I didn't encounter any such individuals.  Sounds like things haven't improved, since that time.
fultonco
2018-05-17 06:32:23
Loudoun County, VA- A fitness tracking app and information from the public helped identify a cyclist in the assault of another cyclist last month on the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail Detectives with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office discovered the suspect was utilizing the STRAVA app as he traveled in the area of the assault. Through the investigation and interviews with independent witnesses, Edward A. Shortnacy, 48, of Vienna, was positively identified as the suspect. Shortnacy was charged today with malicious wounding. The charge stems from an incident April 22 where the victim was riding his bike west on the W&OD Trail near Ashburn Village Boulevard and was attempting to pass two bicyclists. He was reportedly riding on the center line when the suspect was coming from the opposite direction. The suspect reached his arm out intentionally and struck the victim on his helmet. The victim fell to the ground and was seriously injured. The suspect rode off in the opposite direction. The victim was taken to the Lansdowne Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital and later transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital and was later released. Shortnacy turned himself over to authorities Thursday morning and was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
fultonco
2018-05-18 05:46:38
Terrible... One man was killed and another was seriously injured when they encountered a cougar Saturday while mountain biking in Washington state. Authorities said the two men were on a morning bike ride in the foothills near North Bend when the attack occurred. The mountain lion ran into the woods and officers with the Washington Department of Fish and Game are trying to track it, King County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott said. The 31-year-old survivor was taken to a hospital 30 miles west in Seattle. He is listed in serious condition in the emergency room but was alert and talking, Harborview Medical Center said in a statement. A search and rescue team has been dispatched to recover the body of the deceased man. KIRO-TV reported that the injured man called 911 shortly before 11 a.m. and shouted, “Can you hear me? Help!” and then the call hung up. Authorities found the cougar standing over the body of the dead biker, the station reported. It wasn't immediately clear if the two victims were biking together or separately. http://triblive.com/usworld/world/13668756-74/cougar-attacks-mountain-bikers-1-dead-one-injured
1gearonly
2018-05-20 08:30:17
re: spilled coffee. Our President would have denied even having coffee and dropping said coffee, and then days later change his story by blaming the Clintons via Twitter for setting him up to drop the coffee.
edronline
2018-06-07 10:03:47
I wonder how much of this is made worse by mapping services like Waze or Google? My sense is that in calculating the quickest route it'll take you off the highways and main streets and along smaller streets, where people are more likely to be walking. I know via Google maps around Pittsburgh it routes traffic from 28 S going to 279 N on Chestnut, which isn't the official signed route. My guess is that several streets back there have much more traffic due to mapping software- before only locals or those that study paper maps would have known..
edronline
2018-06-24 14:08:39
And if you look closely at the second photo in that article, the woman with the yellow glove, you will see a familiar face. That’s @gimpPAC, Tricia Chicka, who moved to DC about a year ago. Still has the “tax-paying cyclist” sticker on her helmet, part of a @bikepgh giveaway some time ago.
stuinmccandless
2018-07-16 04:45:55
Just thot I'd share.
ornoth
2018-07-22 08:44:29
A different perspective appeared in the current newsletter of the Outspokin' Wheelmen, a bike club in Youngstown, Ohio.  The author is Frank Krygowski, who has been a certified Effective Cycling Instructor and frequent newsletter contributor for the past 25 years or more. "Innovative" bike facilities:  What's wrong with weirdness? As OSW Safety Chairman, I've said a lot about being skeptical of weird bike facilities. First, I don't believe weirdness is needed. I have decades of riding experience, I've studied bike issues, I've seen tons of data, and I know that competent riding on ordinary roads, following the normal rules of the road, is extremely safe.  It's literally safer than not riding at all, since bicycling’s benefits far outweigh its tiny risks. Second, I don't think weird facilities (otherwise known as "innovative") necessarily make riding safer.  Traffic needs clear rules that everyone knows and understands.  When "innovation" is thrown in, the rules change and people get surprised. "Think quick!  Here's a surprise bicyclist!" is a recipe for disaster. But there are hundreds of bike advocates who disagree.  They love "innovation" and think that stodgy old engineers are harming bicycling.  Their mantra seems to be "Every bike facility is a good bike facility."  They've pushed for bike lanes even in door zones.  (Surprise!  A door is going to pop open right in front of your bike!)  They've pushed for hidden "cycletracks." (Surprise!  A fast bicycle is popping into an intersection from behind parked cars!) They seem to say “Hey, it’s innovative!  What could go wrong?” Here's a report on what has gone wrong. First, let's talk bike boxes.  These are green painted boxes all the way across a traffic lane, just before the crosswalk stripe. Several years ago, Portland painted these at eleven intersections.  Why?  To prevent the "right hook" deaths that the bike lanes near the curbs had caused, when vehicles turned right and ran over straight-ahead cyclists.  Supposedly, the boxes would mean a cyclist could pass cars at a red light on the right, then safely sit out the red light directly in front of the cars, nice and visible - and, um, never mind what happens if the light is green. So how did it work out?  Well, more people did ride their bikes, probably because they were told the boxes were safe. But in the four years after the bike boxes, there were twice as many right hook collisions at those intersections. (See tinyurl.com/portl-box ) Why didn't the bike boxes work?  Because the cyclists felt safe passing on the right when the light was green.  And because it's very difficult for a right-turning motorist to look back over his right shoulder for passing bikes, while steering around the curve and also watching for pedestrians up ahead.  All this is just what the bike safety experts from around the country had been saying!  But those stodgy old guys just aren't innovative, you know?  
fultonco
2018-07-31 20:00:21
Regarding #Adifferentperspective. The reasoning is grossly flawed with faulty and unsubstantiated rhetoric. First Frank laments, "First let's talk bike boxes...." and proceeds to lambast bike boxes; he makes his point which one can accept or dispute. But there is no "second." Is this the extent of his argument or possibly this is an abridged version of his diatribe??? @jonawebb please correct me. Second...his earlier arguments are pure unsubstantiated opinion regarding very general topics...e.g....all innovation is weird..bad..unnecessary...dangerous...etc... I suggest rereading his missive with as critical an eye that he presents and I think you may just hear the the siren song of an angry old man uncomfortable with change and selfishly focussed...which innappropriate for the "advocate" he claims to be....then again, you may not...(but I had two points...)... [a single data point, bike boxes, is used to damn and "dam" all innovation...]  
yalecohen
2018-08-01 08:20:50
Regarding the post above about the article by Frank Krygowski:  Is there a link available to the full article?
kolo-jezdec
2018-08-01 08:26:43
Over/under 99% chance Frank Krygowski is a white male of average or better physical condition? Time for vehicular cyclists to check their privilege at the door and get under our tent once and for all.
nmr
2018-08-01 09:59:43
I believe the article was abbreviated for the newsletter.  Perhaps, the rest of his thoughts will appear next month.  If so, I'll pass them along. By presenting this, I was not necessarily agreeing or disagreeing.  Just putting it out there for consumption and/or discussion. The questions I must ask, regarding some of the new bicycle infrastructure are, Does everyone riding a bicycle understand how to operate in  these lanes or boxes?  Does everyone driving a motor vehicle know what to do in such situations?  Are we willing to sacrifice a few lives and limbs for the sake of the learning curves? This Summer, on several occasions I've found myself in the bike lane on Schenley Drive, where it ends (begins) at Roberto Clemente Drive.  What is one supposed to do there, when the light changes and there is traffic?  Is one, (A) To assume that drivers will defer to a cyclist and cut diagonally across the lanes to get into the normal travel flow? (B) Go up on the sidewalk, to one's left and ride down to the next intersection?, (C) Just wait there until there is a break in traffic and then cut over?, (D) Something else entirely that I haven't yet considered?  Most of the time, one can catch a break, of one kind or another, but could also be a potential problem.  Frank would definitely call this little piece of infrastructure a bit weird.
fultonco
2018-08-03 18:13:48
I agree with that. Having both directions of bike lanes on only one side of the street is super weird for everyone. Cyclists, peds, and cars.
edronline
2018-08-03 20:13:59
There is a huge difference between critiquing poor bicycle infrastructure design, which almost always results from deference to motor vehicle flow and storage, and full-on advocating for vehicular cycling, which has resulted in exactly zero increase in mode share nor increase in safety in the 40 plus years people like Frank have been pushing it, personal anecdotes aside.   There is objective, indisputable, easily-sourced evidence that protected cycling facilities increase ridership and decrease crashes.
nmr
2018-08-06 16:19:36
I agree but it's worth noting that the vehicular cyclists were fighting against the idea that cyclists be limited to riding only in bike Lanes. They've largely won that fight. I think that's good.
jonawebb
2018-08-06 17:59:40
@Marko82, She is doing that in the wake of a car.
zzwergel
2018-09-17 00:29:10
Yes Zak, and she's a real bad-ass pushing over 700 Watts of power while risking her life!
marko82
2018-09-17 09:07:33
Stupidity on the move in Louisiana. https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_fb1a7a56-abec-11e8-9fb7-4379516d294b.html The parish council formed a committee to study possible steps to enhance safety. And that group voted Wednesday evening to pass three recommendations along to the full council, which could in turn vote those suggestions into law in coming months — including requirements that bicyclists wear fluorescent garments and ride single file in groups of 10 or less.
stuinmccandless
2018-10-04 06:53:57
Remember Heather Cook, the (now-former) Episcopalian Bishop who while driving drunk* hit and killed a man biking outside Baltimore in 2014? She was convicted, and sent to prison...and now wants her sentence reduced. From the Washington Post: Ex-bishop who fatally struck cyclist seeks sentencing change https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/local/ex-bishop-who-fatally-struck-cyclist-seeks-sentencing-change/2018/10/06/b9b86c1c-c8ca-11e8-b2b5-79270f9cce17_story.html
Heather Cook has asked Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy Doory to change two of her four sentences from consecutive to concurrent status. That could cut two years off the seven-year sentence Doory imposed for the 2014 crash that killed Tom Palermo.
Maryland apparently doesn't consider vehicular manslaughter or hit and run resulting in death to be violent felonies, so this could mean she gets out as early as next month. Several #bikeDC folks are sending a letter to the judge this week; if you'd like, here's how you can do the same: https://twitter.com/ginacico/status/1048740758654791680 (* to a stupefying degree, still nearly three times the legal limit when she returned to the scene half an hour later...)
epanastrophe
2018-10-07 16:46:33
Reminds me of one of my favorite websites. Mind you this bridge has all sorts of lights and warnings but this keeps happening http://11foot8.com
edronline
2018-10-07 21:19:40
From Bicycling Magazine's review of top US cycling cities, a discussion about Columbus, OH: What happens when you ask a traffic engineer to go riding with you? “They see the street differently and understand why a design does or doesn’t work,” says Catherine Girves, the executive director of Yay Bikes!, Columbus’s advocacy group. In 2013, a local DOT official asked Girves for feedback on a project. Girves suggested to the official that they go experience the streets as cyclists—and actually see and feel how the design could be improved. In some cases that meant moving bike lanes out of drain-studded gutters. In others it meant creating better ways for bikes to navigate turning cars. Columbus’s first “professional development ride” was born, and now it’s a regular part of the state’s bike infrastructure design process. “It was like we watched a lightbulb go off,” she says of witnessing the engineers navigating sub-par bike lanes strewn with glass and drainage grates. Columbus started the program, but now Girves and her colleague travel all over Ohio doing “professional development rides” with various city DOTs. ... the city’s police chief is a cyclist who rides regularly on the roads. “It’s been amazing to have a chief that ‘gets it,’” says Girves. https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a23676188/best-bike-cities-2018/
paulheckbert
2018-10-13 14:09:01
My takeway from this is that we missed a great opportunity years ago to call Bike Pittsburgh "Yinz bike" instead.
edronline
2018-10-13 14:54:06
While America Suffocated Transit, Other Countries Embraced It While America Suffocated Transit, Other Countries Embraced It Jonathan English, CityLab The widespread failure of American mass transit is usually blamed on cheap gas and suburban sprawl. But the full story of why other countries succeed is more complicated... https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/10/while-america-suffocated-transit-other-countries-embraced-it/572167/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits There's discussion in the article that rail lines (abandoned or not) can "easily" be used for rapid transit... which has implications for rail trails... though that doesn't preclude rail with trail..
yalecohen
2018-10-13 20:24:48
To be fair, the show dumped on a prior version of the Pittsburgh app, from years ago. The current one doesn't have the particular bad design they ridiculed (a long drop-down list of topics). It has a single screen of about a dozen topics. And as far as the Boston app working well, the podcast ends with them acknowledging that their design, while better than what Pittsburgh once had, and what Boston had before, was causing far more work for their operators, and how they were planning to soon release a brand new version of the app that would eliminate the "select a problem type from this list" notion entirely, and use AI to classify problems described in free-form text. They believe their new AI will work great, and people will be happy to describe all problems by keying in sentences about them, rather than selecting a problem like "street light out" from a list of common problems. And if not, they'll just redesign it once again. Users usually hate it whenever developers completely redesign some software every year or two, just as the users have finally gotten used to the old version. But perhaps their app will be the exception.
steven
2018-10-18 02:04:59
the 311 website is still bad.  There are about 15 options in the first dropdown menu, and 95% of them take you to submenus with many more options.  So probably about 200 options total. And you have to put something down before you can free text what the problem is.   Not to mention the back end problems -- not every city department uses 311 directly. A lot of them still get faxes from 311. And there's rarely if any feedback to 311 or to the person submitting the complaint. And there's still a lot of buck passing. If 311 determines it is in the city of pgh but not a city problem, they rarely if ever do anything to pass along the problem to the right agency (i.e., bridge sidewalks never getting cleaned here in pittsburgh)
edronline
2018-10-18 06:14:32
“Bad teeth no bar"
jonawebb
2018-11-12 07:30:58
If caught in a car traffic jam when you need to escape wildfire, a bicycle can be a good option: In Santa Rosa, California, one year ago: "Ruiz went back to the house, grabbed a bicycle with a toddler trailer, and rode out through the fire with her daughters in back – all despite being due the next week." https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article178823066.html
paulheckbert
2018-11-12 11:39:27
Escaping the Camp Fire in Northern California by bicycle: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/09/traffic-gridlock-makes-getting-to-camp-fire-evacuation-centers-difficult/ "For a number of evacuees from Paradise, a normally 30-minute drive to Chico took hours on Thursday. Some took other modes of transportation and were able to get to safety faster. … Virgil Ritter, a Paradise resident who lives at a mobile home park near Kalico Kitchen, rode his bike down the Skyway with flames on both sides of the road to get to Chico. Ritter, 67, said he was hit by sparks and embers, and, at one point, had to lift his bike over a fallen power line. He does not have a car."
paulheckbert
2018-11-15 14:36:54
Good to know I’m not the only person on the planet suggesting retesting drivers at every license renewal.
stuinmccandless
2018-12-10 07:25:24
White bicyclist charged in what D.C. prosecutors say was racially motivated assault on black motorist "As the driver passed Smith, authorities say Smith reached out and hit the car trunk with an object. When the driver stopped his car and threatened to call police, prosecutors say Smith tried to pedal away. The driver then grabbed the bike while attempting to call 911. Authorities say Smith then repeatedly called the driver the n-word and struck him in the head with a U-lock." https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/white-bicyclist-charged-in-what-dc-prosecutors-say-was-racially-motivated-assault-on-black-motorist/2019/01/03/f7838ae8-0f80-11e9-84fc-d58c33d6c8c7_story.html
jonawebb
2019-01-03 22:45:05
Betsy DeVos involved in a bike crash
  (Must keep my opinions to myself... Must keep my opinions to myself...)
edronline
2019-01-19 16:32:53
I know. It really puts my theory that all road cyclists are fine upstanding people to the test.
jonawebb
2019-01-19 19:26:25
New York Times has an "Overlooked" series with obits of people who were skipped over in the past. The first batch was overlooked women. This current batch is overlooked African-Americans, including Major Taylor. This is fascinating read, and there are about 15 other people who have been overlooked with equally fascinating stories. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/obituaries/major-taylor-overlooked.html
edronline
2019-02-01 15:46:18
Road Race Paused After Woman Rider Catches Up With the Men Nicole Hanselmann caught up with the men’s group about 22 miles into the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad road bike race on Saturday. Officials paused the women’s race for 10 minutes to give the men enough time to get back ahead. Hanselmann restarted with her original time gap but was eventually caught and finished in 74th place. https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a26632366/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-nicole-hanselmann/?utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=socialflowFBBI&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2aVPc60EPzrB5HikfKmkITOqVefRk2VYyE99XCXafocZwTHZMBk5dBUuQ
rustyred
2019-03-04 21:14:37
that was a good NYT article. also seems that other cities (LA, SF, Seattle, Philly...) are looking into it if the NYC trial is successful. NYC will toll cars driving into areas below 60th. What I'm wondering is how they'll do this, as there are plenty of ways of getting to below 60th. To get on the island below 60th you have to cross a bridge or tunnel from NJ, Queens, or Brooklyn, so that part is easy, but what about the cars travelling on the avenues in Manhattan. Are they going to put up toll readers at every downtown travelling avenue between 60th and 61st (i.e., 2nd, Lex, Park, 5th, etc. etc). It also seems that the FDR and West side highway are excluded, so are they going to set up readers at every single intersection off of those two below 60th? Very interesting technology and logical issues since cities are laid out like... cities.
edronline
2019-04-02 13:19:27
If I was doing it I'd require people who drive in those areas to have an automatic system for paying tolls. Something like EZPass etc. Anybody who didn't have the system would get a ticket.
jonawebb
2019-04-02 14:08:11
From what I read on other sites MTA or NYS or NYC or whoever else is in charge doesn't actually know what the system would look like. There's an RFP for a system. My guess is that other cities will wait for NY to figure this out first.
edronline
2019-04-02 20:42:01
London has already figured this out.  They have had congestion pricing since 2003.  NYC will probably just mimic their system. There are hundreds of roads in and out of London's congestion zone, and apparently they have lots of signs warning drivers that they are nearing the zone, then cameras are recording the license plates that go in and out of that zone at every single entry point.  Then their system checks for a payment for that license plate number, and if there is no payment for that vehicle by midnight the next day, the vehicle's owner gets fined. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge https://www.toptiplondon.com/practical-tips/london-congestion-charge/  
alleghenian
2019-04-02 22:36:51
From what I read it looks like they don't want to go with a camera based system. I think Americans have lots of privacy concerns that Brits don't have with zillions of cameras. They want something more high tech. But they don't know exactly what.
edronline
2019-04-03 10:48:27
Painted cycle lanes result in closer passes by motorists finds study https://road.cc/content/news/259204-painted-cycle-lanes-result-closer-passes-motorists-finds-study The researchers found that one in every 17 passing events was a close pass (defined as under 1m). Passing events that occurred on a road with a painted bike lane and a parked car had an average passing distance that was 40cm less than on a road without a bike lane or parked car. ..."In situations where the cyclist is in the same lane as the motorist, the driver is required to perform an overtaking manoeuvre. Whereas in situations where the cyclist is in a marked bicycle lane, the motorist has a clear lane ahead and not required to overtake. As a result, we believe that there is less of a conscious requirement for drivers to provide additional passing distance."
marko82
2019-04-12 16:31:49
I agree that passes are much closer with only a white lane separating you in the bike lane from traffic but the white line is also typically magical in that I've never had anyone veer into the bike lane while passing and thus I've felt safer even with the closer passes. Maybe it's all psychological.
edronline
2019-04-12 20:46:52
The day after Dave was killed, another rider was hit two blocks away.  The next day, Abdul Seck, visiting from the Bronx, was killed when someone ran a stop sign and hit another car, which in turn hit Seck, who was walking on the sidewalk.  After that things start to run together, but at least two more people have been injured while riding on DC streets since then—in fact, they met in the hospital.  It's been kind of a rough week.  For other DC folks, there will be a big rally in front of the Wilson Building at noon on Friday. https://twitter.com/WABADC/status/1120714731046735874 For other non-DC folks, there is a coordinated national action in his honor Friday: https://twitter.com/rightlegpegged/status/1121092192108535808 (As may be mentioned in the Post articles @jonawebb posted, Dave was in part known for an action where he set out a series of water-filled solo cups along a Pennsylvania Avenue's center-running bike lane to show how dangerous the rampant u-turns through the lane were, on Bike to Work Day: https://twitter.com/darsal/status/335344380967796736 When that didn't work, he turned to pool noodles. https://www.flickr.com/photos/rootchopper/19566313641 There are now rubber barriers like parking-lot wheelstops (called, in fact, "park-its") the length of the PA Ave bike lane.)
epanastrophe
2019-04-25 02:35:55
Regarding the alcoholic murderous female bishop... she's getting "points" for working with inmates... I don't see how that can count for very much... that's what she was trained for.. it doesn't show any change... she hasn't necessarily shown she won't drink..drive drunk..leave the scene of a crime...while incarcerated...because she hasn't had the opportunity...she is acting as she did before...and if she could her hands on some booze and a car...would she run someone over and leave the scene...??
yalecohen
2019-05-03 02:00:44
A nice video about Tilikum Crossing, a bike/ped/bus/rail bridge (no cars!) that opened in Portland, Oregon in 2015. https://vimeo.com/333547115
paulheckbert
2019-05-05 10:37:13
An excellent video on designing streets with cyclists and pedestrians in mind, with examples from the Netherlands: Five Principles of Systematic Safety:
  1. Speed Control and Separation
  2. Functional Harmony
  3. Predictability and Simplicity
  4. Forgivingness and Restrictiveness
  5. State Awareness
https://youtu.be/5aNtsWvNYKE
paulheckbert
2019-05-18 21:02:08
I guess not all super blocks are the same. This article is about SLC and nyc. I guess the difference is that in Barca they want to keep peds/bikes flowing through the center of the blocks while in slc they are huge blocks of all buildings. https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2008/02/22/lets-chop-up-superblocks/
edronline
2019-05-26 22:43:48
Сегодня впервые во многих странах был отмечен Всемирный день велосипеда, учреждённый Резолюцией Генеральной Ассамблеи Организации Объединённых Наций по инициативе Президента Туркменистана Гурбангулы Бердымухамедова. or if your Turkmen is rusty: Today, for the first time in many countries, World Bicycle Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the initiative of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, was celebrated. ... In addition to boys and girls, many adults recall with pleasure the sensations of childhood behind the wheel of a two-wheeled “car,” and many who appeared on the iron horse with knitting needles appeared in the cyclists' ranks. ... Now the country has a tendency to develop mass sports, and cycling is one of the most accessible and “popular” types of physical activity. Finally, riding a bike brings a great emotional pleasure, and at the same time a wonderful opportunity to explore the world around, to visit the wonderful, protected parts of nature, without damaging their ecology. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that as a result of one international opinion poll on the subject of the most outstanding invention of mankind, the bicycle was recognized as the winner: by the number of votes, he bypassed such inventions as the telephone and the Internet combined! http://tdh.gov.tm/news/articles.aspx&article13160&cat11  
paulheckbert
2019-06-15 00:27:37
thanks. It embedded weirdly. Oddly if you hold down control and then left click the picture it opens the article in another window...
edronline
2019-06-17 17:40:35
BikeSnobNYC writes about car-on-bike deaths: "Vision Zero has always completely failed to address the real problem in New York City, which is the unchecked and ever-increasing number of cars and trucks on the city’s streets. Paris, London, Copenhagen, Madrid, Tokyo: all of these cities have taken meaningful steps to reduce automobile traffic, like banning cars certain days of the month or phasing out car sales. But not New York." https://www.outsideonline.com/2399345/recent-cyclist-death-toll-new-york-city
paulheckbert
2019-07-06 23:16:25
In Israel on vacation. Lots of ebikes and scooters (those lime/bird ones) in the major cities. Not sure I've seen a non ebike here yet. People ride all over- street, sidewalk, light rail access. Definitely need to keep awake as a pedestrian. There are lots of hills so ebikes/e assist needed as a commuter
edronline
2019-07-10 10:42:06
BBC Crowdscience podcast episode about traffic. Only reliable way to decrease congestion is via congestion pricing. Everything else , including increasing public transportation, increases congestion or keeps it the same. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csz1t3
edronline
2019-07-14 07:24:30
Canton Ave not the steepest? For a minute there, I thought they re-measured Welsh Way as taking the title. Oh well.
stuinmccandless
2019-07-17 07:22:18
This is another message board bug. I use chrome and cut and paste the link in and it converts it to something unopenable. Oi.
edronline
2019-07-21 20:53:13
“Less than a month after announcing a moratorium on Madrid’s car ban in the city center on the justification that traffic is part of the city’s identity (yes, seriously), the city’s right-wing coalition is now poised to reverse itself and go back to the ban that has been in place since December, CityLab reports. Who would have thought a pro-traffic political platform could backfire? This reversal-of-the-reversal is particularly noteworthy because of the manner in which the backpedal happened: through upheld court challenges and mass protest.“ https://jalopnik.com/madrids-car-ban-flip-flop-shows-just-how-much-people-in-1836724939
paulheckbert
2019-07-27 19:00:59
From the story above about NYC’s proposed cycling plan, regarding bollards “the barriers should also be placed close together and be sturdy enough to keep cars from crossing into the bike lanes. Cars have driven through or right over flexible plastic rods that currently run alongside some lanes”. Pittsburgh drivers would never do that.
paulheckbert
2019-07-27 19:21:59
The only reason why bolards are on their sides here in PGH is because they're tired.
edronline
2019-07-27 21:43:31
This (above story about prosecutors not charging drivers who kill cyclists) is the thing that pisses me off more than anything. If I had my way, advocacy groups would stop spending their money and effort on walkers and people who don't actually ride bikes and put as much effort as possible into ensuring that drivers who injure and kill cyclists are actually held accountable for their actions. There's a hierarchy of needs in the cycling community, and I think ensuring road safety and legal protection should be at the absolute top of the list. /rant
ornoth
2019-08-16 14:49:15
Ah, the NY Post. Need read no further.
stuinmccandless
2019-09-12 07:23:39
Bikers do go fast through Central Park. Also rollerbladers. Although I'm not an NYC resident, I've never heard anyone complain about this before (or the same thing in prospect Park, which is closed to cars much of the day).
edronline
2019-09-12 07:48:25
Very good article: Why Is Bill De Blasio Trying to Kill Me? New York’s Mayor Claims to Be Progressive but Favors Drivers Over Bicyclists. https://theintercept.com/2019/09/22/new-york-city-cars-bicycles-de-blasio/ "it feels like the de Blasio administration is luring us into a trap: 'Here’s a new [unprotected] bike lane, please come and use it, you’re going to love it, ha ha ha.' ... The problem is the absence of an infrastructure that gives bikers, pedestrians, and even delivery trucks what they need so they don’t go to war against each other for the rat-infested crumbs of asphalt the city has them fighting over. Cyclists need protected lanes and prioritized lights all over the city."
paulheckbert
2019-09-22 19:36:24
NYC, a Twitter thread, click through to the Reddit post. Summary: Guy on a rental bike bodily threatened by pickup truck driver on a city park trail, but NYPD did jackshit about it. Scary story about the driver, totally reprehensible story about the police. https://twitter.com/shmuli/status/1190951168131948545?s=21
stuinmccandless
2019-11-03 16:06:05
If you're paranoid about bike safety, festoon your bike with lights like this crazy Floridian.

https://youtu.be/9goJVi7aXTg

paulheckbert
2019-12-19 12:01:00
Bike share bikes used as obstacles for coronavirus quarantine in China: "when I got to the gate I had to slam on the brakes. Someone had taken a dozen ride-share bikes, lashed them together with wire and piled them in between the barriers. Then, for good measure, they’d fastened the heap to the posts with more wire, making it into some sort of postmodern commentary on our hyper-mobile society." https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/opinion/coronavirus-china-epidemic.html
paulheckbert
2020-01-31 00:27:52
Sad story from Syracuse, NY Beloved Syracuse street musician Eli Harris struck twice by cars riding his bike, dies  

Syracuse, N.Y. — Marshall Street belonged to Elijah “Eli” Harris Jr.

For decades, Harris made the Syracuse street his stage. He played his guitar and sang on Marshall Street before and after games at the Carrier Dome, serenading fans as they passed by.

“He called Marshall Street his alleyway,” said musician Joe Driscoll, “and he appointed himself the musical mayor of the street.”

[ … ] Harris, 62, was killed Tuesday night in a double hit-and-run crash on the city’s South Side, the Syracuse Police Department said in a news release Wednesday evening. More at the site: https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2020/04/beloved-syracuse-street-musician-eli-harris-struck-twice-by-cars-riding-his-bike-dies.html  
mick
2020-04-16 22:27:58
Take Back the Streets From the Automobile With people hunkered down at home, cities should act quickly to find a better balance between cars and pedestrians and cyclists. By Justin Gillis and Heather Thompson NYT 20 june 2020  
ahlir
2020-06-22 08:22:51
↑ Yikes. Rusten Sheskey, the Kenosha cop that killed Jacob Blake is quoted as saying: "What I like most [about being a cop] is that you’re dealing with people on perhaps the worst day of their lives and you can try and help them as much as you can and make that day a little bit better."
paulheckbert
2020-08-31 20:31:29
(Third attempt to post.  Evidently it didn't like my link.  Story can be found searching on "arlington trail rage."  Apologies if multiples show up.) Arrest Made in Aggressive Cyclist Case Arlington County police have arrested a man they say is the cyclist behind a series of “trail rage” incidents on local trails. On Friday, ACPD issued a community warning about a middle-aged man who had aggressively cursed at, mooned and in some cases struck pedestrians, in at least five separate incidents along trails in Arlington. Police say they received “numerous tips” over the weekend, which led them to identify a suspect. “On the evening of Sunday, September 6, police executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence and took him into custody without incident,” police said in a press release today. “David Marlowe, 55, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with Robbery, Assault and Battery (x3), Indecent Exposure(x5) and Felony Possession with the Intent to Distribute Marijuana. He is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond.” Felony possession of marijuana?  FELONY?  Jeez.  What is wrong with the police these days?    
mick
2020-09-07 16:25:57
Felony possession With intent to distribute.  That last part is important.  In Virginia, it usually means at least 2 0f 3 things:
  • Person has more than 5 pounds of the drug. (11 oz or less is misdemeanor in most cases)
  • Person has indicated he is not a marijuana user or that the marijuana he has is not for his personal use.
  • Marijuana is packaged in such a way as to make distribution easier, or person has packaging materials with him.
Intent to distribute is the key charge.
kolo-jezdec
2020-09-08 13:39:09
The City Where Cars Are Not Welcome: Heidelberg, Germany "Mr. Würzner’s goal is to reduce dependence on cars, no matter where they get their juice. Heidelberg is buying a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses, building a network of bicycle “superhighways” to the suburbs and designing neighborhoods to discourage all vehicles and encourage walking. Residents who give up their cars get to ride public transportation free for a year." https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/28/business/heidelberg-cars-environment.html  
paulheckbert
2021-03-01 23:28:43
England vs the US Not sure whether it belongs here or in "Great things European cyclists get" thread.  "Great things" y'know, like enforcement of the law. US woman who killed teen biker Harry Dunn wouldn't face prosecution in America, lawyer claims (msn.com) Her lawyer says, "So in the United States these cases are only prosecuted where there is evidence of recklessness that rises to the level of close to intent, so drunk driving, distracted driving or a hit-and-run situation or excessive speeding. But there was none of that here," As a practical matter, her lawyer is right.  In the US, you are allow to drive like a total drunkard as long as you are sober.  That isn't actually the law, though,  as the article point out. I don't think they should even allow cars on the public roads until car drivers learn to obey traffic laws, but that is just me.  
mick
2021-03-09 15:25:21
North Carolina driver arrested after striking protesters with car
North Carolina driver arrested after striking protesters with car: Police (msn.com) "A North Carolina motorist is behind bars after authorities said she struck two protesters during a Monday demonstration for Andrew Brown..." Most relevant for us, methinks: "Lisa Michelle O'Quinn, 41, was jailed on Tuesday and charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, one count of carelessness and recklessness, and one count of unsafe movement, the Elizabeth City Police Department announced." To, me that is the appropriate charge for on attack using a car: "assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill."  The crime is a serious felony, not something minor we should have to beg the authorities to issue a traffic ticket.
mick
2021-05-25 15:15:59
Wheelie kids have fun riding bikes around Perth Amboy, NJ but because
  • many are black & brown
  • they're having fun in the street but not in cars
  • they're easy targets for enforcement
  • selective enforcement of dumb, local bike registration law allows it
one kid is arrested and 4 bikes are seized by the police. See video https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a36732615/wheelie-kids-inclusion/
paulheckbert
2021-06-19 18:44:50
Compilation of dooring and right-hook crashes, with excellent soundtrack https://vimeo.com/142871438
paulheckbert
2021-09-02 19:39:05
October 2 2021 update on the Texas incident, above: https://www.bikelaw.com/2021/10/waller-bike-crash/ "In light of the recent Waller Bike Crash in Texas, and in an effort to help untangle and unpack some of the emotionally-charged comments, questions, and inaccurate assumptions being made, we want to update you on the parts that we can share. I hope that this will also help clear up any confusion regarding some of the misinformation we’ve been reading in many of the media articles that have been published and on numerous social media channels, ours included."
stuinmccandless
2021-10-04 18:49:19
Interesting, thanks for posting that. No charges to this point is not unusual in traffic incidents. There is no indication the driver was impaired, but I wonder if he was required to submit to a blood test or at least a field sobriety check? That is usually standard procedure in a crash with injuries. I also wonder if the vehicle was impounded? The nepotism reference is interesting, wonder what that refers to? There is a redacted copy of the police report on the internet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_a9bUdYAk4TIebOO-CnKN2vj3I9YaI7C/view
kolo-jezdec
2021-10-05 08:09:35