New at Twin Rivers Cyclists?

Check out the latest on this project on the advocacy page.
A stakeholders meeting at the Asotin County Aquatic Center on Thursday, taught me a great deal about how these projects get done–mostly, how slow grind the gears of bureaucracy. It would bed nice if we could just make a correction this intersection happen over night. Among the concerns, how to handle traffic flow during construction.

The good news is that everyone seems very knowledgeable and very positive about the need for this work. I’m pleased that bikes are even being considered, but even more than that, we seem to be high on the list of considerations.
You’ll find a pdf with three alternative plans from the last study done in 2004. These are just ideas at this stage but you’ll find them interesting even if you don’t see paths explicitly marked.

–Corrie

I think this is the same video used yesterday as an illustration of irresponsible, risky, cycling. No argument. –Corrie
Sclipo: Learn how to navigate thru New York Traffic from the pros.
Learn how to navigate thru New York Traffic from the pros.

This is a video of a Alley Cat, which is a bike messenger race. The video is taken from the helmet of one of the racers. You will see all the tricks they use to get thru the city faster than anyone else. Don’t stop, don’t brake, don’t fear, just pedal like a SOB!!

–Corrie

So, some drunk out there may have my number and there’s really nothing I can do about it. Still, I’m likely to keep riding. Alan Durning’s post on Gristmill , an envirnonmental blog, thoroughly addresses this question.

Here’s a quote I’d like you to consdier:

. . . as many as half of car-bike crashes are the cyclist’s fault: the cyclist ran a stop sign, made an illegal turn, rode against traffic, or otherwise broke the law.

This is an excellent article with lots of supporting links. It considers not only safety risks but health benefits and addresses the safety gap between US and European cyclists.
–Corrie

Safe streets

Not pedaling can kill you

Posted by Alan Durning at 9:33 AM on 09 Oct 2007

My youngest son had a bike wreck this summer: a driver cut him off on a steep downhill. Peter managed to avoid the car by tumbling over the curb, but the fall inflicted some nasty road rash. It also inspired me to dig into the question of bicycle safety more rigorously than before: Is it safe for Peter to be biking so much?

The first stakeholders meeting will be held Nov. 29th. Apparently we have all been interviewed and now we are being brought together.

Read an update on the Advocacy Page.

–Corrie

On Friday Doug and I road south of Asotin.. A fellow on a mountain bike left the boat launch about 10 minutes ahead of us. We caught up with him just South of Asotin. He was riding on the left side of the road. His presence became a threat to us riding on the right when we encountered northbound cars. I don’t feel comfortable correcting someone’s cycling, but riding the roads is dangerous enough without cyclists making it more dangerous by riding erratically or incorrectly.

If you haven’t read Bicycling Magazine’s current issue, you might want to look at Special Report: Fixing America’s Broken Traffic Laws.

Or maybe you shouldn’t. You might not want to get on a road bike ever again. These Sonoma County cyclists were killed while cycling safely. 700 cyclists in the US die each year. Yes, die. While the figure below seems to show a decrease in bicycle deaths since 1975, the article challenges this trend pointing out when more cyclists are on the road the accident rate is reduced.

Despite all the advocacy efforts in Sonoma County, CA–the focus of the report–cycling is still dangerous. Apparently the key is changing the culture to recognize that bicycles belong.

Such countries as the Netherelands have much reduced bicycle accident rates–but then about half the population cycles or walks. Turns out being a cyclists makes you more aware of cycles on the road and therefor more careful. Duh.

Riding on the wrong side of the road won’t help. Double Duh.

I should have handed this guy a club card and asked him to visit the safe cycling section of the advocacy page. Triple Duh!

Read the article in Bicycling and then visit Organizations on the Advocacy Page to see what groups have to say about improving cycling safety. Be sure to check out the video at the top about what Berkley has done to make cycling safe.
–Corrie