Those mapping sites get smarter all the time. One one you can “avoid major routes.” Now here’s a petition to have Google Include a “bike there” option. You can read more about it at Gene Bisbe’s Biking Bis blog and find a link to go sign the petition. I did.

“Bike There” petition for Google Maps gets support

by Gene Bisbee at 09:13AM (PST) on February 29, 2008  |  Permanent Link  |  Cosmos

A petition that asks Google to add bicycle routes in a “Bike There” application for finding directions at Google Maps is gaining a lot of support already.

So how are the TRCers going to celebrate? Lots of ideas here.

Read more 

As a club, the board thinks we need to do more promotion of cycling. I have a Wash State Bicycle License Plate and I used to have a Share the Road bumper sticker. This article raises some questions about what that phrase might mean and also about what is the best way to promote cycling.–corrie

Share the road?

By Fritz

James in Greenville wants “Share the road” messages on local buses to help reinforce the idea that cyclists belong on the road. He especially likes the campaign in Atlanta, Georgia, where real people are pictured in the ads instead of just stylized, impersonal bike icons. The real faces humanize cyclists as real people instead of just obstructions in the road.On the Thunderhead Alliance mailing list there’s a discussion about the pros and cons of the “Share the Road” message. Patty Vinyard, executive director of the St. Louis Bike Federation, wants to make biking irresistible. She feels the basic messages of “Share the road” are negative. Consider her points:

The Bellingham Herald reports on a program called vehicular cycling. The Washington State Senate is also working on a bill to require information about cycling in the driver’s manual and another program on the coast is requiring driver’s ed classes to integrate cycling and pedestrian rights in its curriculum. Sounds like lots of folks working on the issue. That’s good, but we haven’t begun to hit saturation yet.–Corrie

Scott Dorough leaned closer to make sure I heard what he had to say.

“Vehicular cycling,” he said, over the din of people talking and eating pizza.

At first, the term sounded a bit strange to me, then Dorough made the meaning clear.

“Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles,” he explained.

That’s the approach Dorough and other local bicycle instructors use when they teach adults how to ride safely on busy streets and open roads.

They teach through EverybodyBike, part of the Whatcom Smart Trips program run by the Whatcom Council of Governments.

http://www.everybodybike.com/default.aspx#helpInfo

When the wife of a cyclist killed in a RAGBRAI a couple of years ago, sued the county for poor road maintenance, the county refused to let RAGBRAI use its roads. Now they have a plan to limit liability. What do you think?–Corrie

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa’s county leaders say they’ve come up with a plan to limit liability of bicycle accidents on county and city roads.

The Iowa State Association of Counties drafted legislation that bars bicycle riders from collecting damages from counties or cities for most accidents.

Read More 

Spending time each day reading blogs and news about bicycling has exposed me to for more incidents between bikes and cars than I would have thought.–Corrie

Motorists who don’t stop after hitting bicycle riders

by Gene Bisbee at 07:00AM (PST) on February 13, 2008 | Permanent Link | Cosmos

What is it about hitting a bicyclist that causes some people not to stop and try to help? A GhostCycle.org survey revealed that one in five bike accidents involving another vehicle were hit-and-run. Here are two recent cases that are particularly despicable:

read more

DKNY Marketing Campaign Co-opts Ghost Bikes

If you’re familiar with Ghost Bikes, those impromptu memorials that pop up to mark places where bicyclists have been struck by cars, then you can understand why so many people are so ticked off by a recent take-off on the ghost bikes that attempts to promote a clothing line.

Read the rest of the story

I think I might have gotten off the road if I saw a snowplow tossing up a foot of snow in my direction. Still this is an interesting account of a near miss–with video.–Corrie

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske: Attack of the abominable snow (plow) man

By Bob Mionske

Posted Feb. 8, 2008

Article Extras

• Photos

Closer and closer and closer…

Dear Readers,
Here we are in February, deep in the middle of winter. And some of you know what all that snow and ice means…Icebiking! (see www.icebike.org if you haven’t yet). Yes, not even winter snows can keep intrepid cyclists from their rides…Which explains how a Milwaukee reader named Jeff Frings came to be on his bike one wintry night. Jeff’s experience with a snow plow that night, and the official response afterwards, is the subject of this week’s column.

Read the rest of the story. 

I don’t read Dear Abby. Honest. I remember my mother reading those letters to Dad every day. Linda spotted this column. I remember her saying it was all about bicycling but I never checked it out. This Abby column is all over the web the morning so it might as well be here–we do a fair amount of riding on bike paths.–corrie

Bike Path Etiquette According to Dear Abby

Dear Abby had a bunch of letters in her column one day this week about bike path etiquette. Don’t know if ol’ Abby is a cyclist or not, but she sure seemed interested in the way that bicyclists and walkers interact out on the trail.

Under the heading “Common Courtesy Conquers the Perils of the Bike Path,” Abby and a bunch of helpful letter-writers trade advice. One guy offers tips on how to notify walkers that they’re about to be passed (”When I’m on my bike, I always slow down and call out “On your left!” to warn the walker that I’m passing”) and another urges users of a shared path to have the slowest traffic keep to the right, so that there’s no interference between joggers, cyclists, walkers and roller-bladers.

It’s a nice switch from the normal advice to the love-lorn that dominates the column, and from now on, when I’m on my bike I’m definitely keeping an eye out for Dear Abby on the path. I think yeah, maybe she is cyclist. At least her hair-do would imply so.

Jim McCracken sends this notice from the Seattle Times. The infamous “right hook” claims another cyclist.

Danger in the bike lane

By Mike Lindblom

Seattle Times transportation reporter

PREV 1 of 3 NEXT

MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Seattle is trying to address the number of dangers bicyclists face on city streets. One of the most common accidents is the “right hook” — a bike going straight enters an intersection and is hit by a car turning right. Above, bikers ride cautiously after crossing the Fremont Bridge.

MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Bicyclists say the signs at the Fremont Bridge telling motorists to yield to bicyclists enhance safety. Seattle is trying to make some bike lanes more noticeable by painting them green.

Related

• How can we make the streets safer?

Safe cycling

Be visible. State law requires a headlight and rear reflector after dark, but riders should add a solid or blinking rear light. Wear bright or reflective clothes and reflective leg bands. A flag is good for short or recumbent cycles. Use a rearview mirror. It can be mounted on a helmet or handlebar. It will be easier to gauge whether you can move out into the roadway, and whether approaching drivers are likely to pass you at a safe distance.

Avoid blind spots. Bicyclists on sidewalks, or who pass cars on the right, become virtually invisible to drivers.

Be predictable. Stake out a clear position. Don’t weave frequently between the main roadway and the curb.

Use residential streets that run parallel to traffic-heavy corridors.

“Take the lane” when it’s safer than being squeezed to the right, especially riding downhill.

Educate yourself. Two good online articles are “How to Not Get Hit by Cars” at bicyclesafe.com, and “Avoid the Suicide Slot” on Kent’s Bike Blog.

Sources: BicycleSafe.com; Kent Peterson, Bicycle Alliance of Washington

Matt Corwin was pedaling home from work on his usual route when he approached the University Bridge. A line of cars waited at the red light, as Corwin cruised past in the bike lane.

As he entered the intersection, an SUV turned right — into Corwin’s path. Corwin squeezed his hand brakes. He stopped 2 feet from the SUV. The driver never saw him.

Doug sends this along for your approval–Corrie

This video shows a biker suspect who was being chased on a highest-pursuited highway by the police. This exclusive footage of the pursuit was shown on Channel 4, unknown if it was related to Channel 4 KRON. However, the suspect on the bike is believed to be a super-cyclist, who can speed up more than any miles per hour without anyone could catch up to him.

In the meantime, the police tries to make the suspect pull over from the bike, but he refused and threw a water bottle at the police car. As the chase continues, the suspect slipped through two pick-up trucks, preventing the police to go through. But the police went the other way around and continued to chase him, until the suspect managed to slip past another two railroad trucks and made it through, after the police got stuck !!!!

Watch the video 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIheXP_FcGQ

March 4, 5, and 6th in Washington D.C. No, I won’t be going but it is nice to know cyclists have our own lobbyists.–Corrie

National Bike Summit 2008

Climbing Capitol Hill:
Putting Bicyclists In the Seat of Power

The legendary polka dot jersey is given to the best climber in the Tour de France. Become a champion of bicycling by climbing Capitol Hill, March 4-6 as a participant at the 2008 National Bike Summit in Washington, DC. Pack your suit and discover the power you have to influence national transportation, energy, environment and health policy for the better: For bicycling.

Read more

This notice comes from the Washlington Bicycle Alliance

Tomorrow is Transportation Advocacy Day and we have three bills scheduled for hearings tomorrow. The Bicycle Alliance will be testifying in favor of these bills. Please join us in Olympia if you can, or contact members of the Transportation Committee to weigh in! House Transportation Committee: Tuesday Jan 29 at 3:30 HB 2564: Mattew “Tatsuo” Nakata Act. Adds bicyclist and pedestrian safety information to drivers’ education curriculum. Amends RCW 46.82.420 to ensure that operators of motor vehicles are instructed in the importance of safely sharing the road with bicyclists and pedestrians. HB 2732: Requires motorists to give a minimum of three feet of safe passing distance when overtaking and passing bicyclists and pedestrians. This will enhance the safety of non-motorized users and permit police officers to more easily enforce the existing safe passage law. Senate Transportation Committee: Tuesday Jan 29 at 3:30 SB 6420: Companion bill to HB 2564, Matthew “Tatsuo” Nakata Act. For a list of House Transporation Committee members: http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/TR/members.htm For a list of Senate Transportation Committee members: http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/TRAN/members.htm

This is Bicycle.net’s take on the LA Times series I mentioned in the first post about the woman’s sentence. You can link to the Times series from here too. I’ve been sitting on this because it is pretty long but Steve’s contribution makes it relevant. We can’t see this as a war. We’ll lose it. –Corrie

Huffy vs. Hummer: Debate Bikes -vs- cars

By VeloGuy on January 7th, 2008 | ShareThis

I read this article on the LA Times website and thought that it is a good article to spur some debate. Who is right, the cyclists, or the car drivers? I do not have the answer that will make both sides happy. But what I do know is that there is no answer that both the bike riders and the car drivers will ever agree on. As a cyclist who has had too many close calls to remember, I do think that car drivers have to (no, must) be held to a very high standard due to the shear weight difference between our vehicles. If I hit a car with my bike I am certain that I will not kill the auto driver, but the car driver has a much higher chance of killing the cyclists. People riding bikes will never go away, and drivers need to be put on alert. The penalties for not sharing the road should be more severe than they are currently. We need to adopt the same attitude you would find in, lets say Italy, where they expect to see a cyclist around the corner.

Steve sends this news item in the war between cyclists and drivers. Wait, despite recent reports that drivers seldom receive any penalty in collisions with bicycles, despite the momentary surge of pleasure you might feel that this woman was not only sentenced but that perhaps her real attitude towards cyclists being revealed garnered her a stiffer sentence–despite that, we must remember that this is not a war. An excellent dialogue/debate appeared in the LA Times this month covering this conflict between cyclists and motorists. –Corrie

Woman Jailed After Laughing Over Victim

AP

Posted: 2008-01-25 09:32:40

Filed Under: Crime News, Law News, Nation News

TUCSON, Ariz. (Jan. 24) — A judge sentenced a woman to nearly the maximum prison term for negligent homicide after hearing a recorded jail conversation in which she made light of the bicyclist she killed.

Melissa Arrington, 27, was convicted two months ago of negligent homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI in connection with the December 2006 death of Paul L’Ecuyer.

 

Tucson Police / AP

Read the rest of the story and watch the news video.

MikeRiddle asked me to compose a letter of support for Lynn Moss’s application for a grant from Idaho Parks and Rec to build a trail from Lindsay Creek just below the new development up to the new community park on Warner. Lynn has visions of linking Lindsay and Tammany with a bike route over 21st. He would also like to tie together Spalding Park, Hell’s Gate Park, and Dworkshak using existing railbeds. I like his vision.–Corrie

Lynn Moss,

 Lewiston cyclists ride the Lindsay Creek route frequently. We call this the Lewiston Loop. Starting at the Southway Boat launch we either ride up Tammany and down Lindsay Creek or reverse it. As population increases with a new housing development, the narrow Lindsay Creek route becomes more problematic.

 The possibility of having a trail system from Lindsay Creek up to Warner Ave is exciting. This opens up access through the new community park to Orchards residents and lays the ground work to feed future use by the high school and college staff and students as well as providing a first leg in a future trail system to tie the designated bike routes of Lindsay Creek and Tammany together.

 This project supports not only recreational cyclists but is a first step in encouraging bicycle commuting. It is a step in the right direction for all Lewiston residents.

 The Twin Rivers Cyclists are pleased to support the city’s application for an Idaho Parks and Recreation Recreational Trail Grant.

For the President, Mike Riddle

Corrie Rosetti, Treasurer
Twin Rivers Cyclists
Twinriverscyclists.org

Asotin County’s going to build it whether you show up or not. Come see what the plan is and why it is what it is. Who knows, you might even persuade them to change it.

Four routes will be on display to move pedestrians and bicyclists back and forth from the Clarkston Heights to the Fleshman Way on a15th.

The preferred route is a seoarate trauk on the south side of Scenic. Traffic issues at the top of scenic will be addressed with an intersection redesign as a separate project coming this spring. The trail will be accessible to west side bicyclists by crossing Appleside a half block up from Rolling Hills Drive. The county engineer assures me the new design will discourage crossing at the scary top of the hill.

Any effort by local authorities to recognize and provide for bicyclists and pedestrians needs our support. 4 to 7 at the Aquatic Center on Dustan Loop.

–Corrie

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske: Insurance for your bike

Published January 17, 2008 by VeloNews
By Robert Mionske, JD

Dear Readers,
Two weeks ago, we received a letter to the editor from Darin Baer asking about the availability of insurance for expensive bikes. We received several letters in response, including one asking about protection for the rider. We figured all of it might be a good subject for our legal columnist to take on. - Editor

Read the rest of the story.

The Bike Racks of Los Angeles

The good people at Bicycle Fixation have recently posted a colorful collection of photos showing some of LA’s more interesting bike racks.

From Richard Risemberg, who edits the site and did the bike rack photography:

“Los Angeles has for a long time been a city of dreary architecture, spaces seemingly designed under an imperative towards blandness,” writes Rick. “In an effort to improve both the functioning and the appearance of our city, Los Angeles has placed a number of bike racks in the area around downtown that try to do more than just give you a place to loop a U-lock: acknowledgement not only of the bicycle’s efficacy and nobility as transport, but also of the very real and fundamental human need for beauty. . .”

See the complete photo collection and essay on the bike racks of LA

Bicycles are vehicles on the road and must obey all laws and pay all “fees” Virginia may have gone too far this time. –Corrie

One bike and $1,050 fine

While the legislature debates abusive driver fees, a cyclist appeals his penalties.

By Kimball Payne |247-4765

January 11, 2008

Newport News - Kajuan Cornish, 19, ran afoul of the General Assembly’s controversial abusive driver fees Thursday, when he was convicted of reckless driving in Newport News traffic court.

The conviction for crossing over Warwick Boulevard during afternoon rush hour triggered more than $1,050 in fees under a program designed to raise money to pay for highway maintenance.

Cornish got the ticket while steering his 18-speed Huffy bicycle back to work.

Read more and see a video