Category: Biking Elsewhere

-> According to the Jan. 29th Thunderhead Weather Report, "SRAM has announced a grant of $400,000 to the Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking and the League of American Bicyclists to boost the advocacy capacity of local cyclists. Jeffrey Miller, President of the Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking commented on the strength SRAM will provide to Alliance organizations working at the local level. ‘Much of the progress over the past decade has been through the hard work of these dedicated advocates. This incredible support from SRAM boosts our ability to support them directly.’
"’SRAM’s generosity builds on what is best about the League and the Alliance: trusted and practical programs for increasing bicycle-friendliness and effective, passionate advocacy for change,’ says Andy Clarke, President of the League. The broadening partnership of the Alliance and the League will allow the two organizations to not only provide technical and training assistance to grassroots organizations, it will also create a new grant making program. Details of this new program will be announced in the weeks to come…"
Continue reading “SRAM AWARDS $400,000 TO THUNDERHEAD AND LAB”

Below is some background information, written by and used with permission of Dr. Barry Zalph, Expectative Director of Bicycling for Louisville, about Kentucky House Bill 88. Barry and the staff of Bicycling for Louisville and several attorneys drafted HB 88 which will create the new law of "Vehicular Assault of a Bicyclist or Pedestrian." I’ve included a link to the HB 88 and a link to allow you to contact members of the Kentucky Legislature to express your views about the bill. I would also be interested to hear your comments and answer any questions you may have about HB 88. E-mail your comments or questions to me at RMLCI at aol dot com. The link to HB 88 is: https://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/09RS/HB88.htm and the link to contact Kentucky Legislators is: www.lrc.ky.gov/Legislators.htm
Here’s some background:
As in many (but not all) other states, Kentucky law generally does not allow law enforcement officers to issue citations or make arrests for non-felony traffic violations not witnessed by the officer. Kentucky law makes exceptions for DUI and hit-and-run. Felony charges are very rarely leveled against drivers unless alcohol or drugs are involved and a fatal or crippling injury results. Because most crashes occur when no officer is on hand to witness them, criminal charges are rarely filed in connection with the crashes. This means that a bicyclist can be obeying all of the traffic laws and minding her or his own business, get crippled or killed by a reckless driver, and have no legal recourse except through a lengthy civil (lawsuit) process. The news accounts say, "No charges will be filed," giving the impression of a tragic accident for which nobody is at fault. This is equally true if physical evidence and eyewitness testimony shows that the driver was speeding, passing illegally, failing to yield right of way, running a red light, etc. at the time of the crash. From a public policy perspective, the lack of enforceable criminal penalties sends the message that these crash-causing driving violations are of no concern to the Commonwealth, and that it is merely a private (civil) matter for the involved parties to resolve among themselves. This helps to perpetuate the attitude that Kentuckians’ convenience as car drivers trumps any responsibility that they have for the safety of other road users – as long as the driver is not intoxicated.
The central portion of our bill creates a new offense, vehicular assault of a bicyclist or pedestrian, defined as a vehicle operator (and yes, this can be a bicyclist as well as a motorist) hitting a bicyclist or pedestrian while operating her or his vehicle in a reckless manner. Reckless, according to long-standing Kentucky law, means a combination of two things: 1) failing to avoid a substantial and unjustifiable risk; and 2) grossly deviating from the standard of care exercised by a reasonable person under those conditions. To convict someone of this crime, the prosecutor would need to prove recklessness. This provides a large degree of protection for vehicle operators who hit someone through little or no fault of their own. Our bill would specifically empower law enforcement officers to issue a citation or make an arrest for this crime on the basis of "probable cause," another well-established legal term that means good reason to believe that the person committed the crime, regardless of whether the officer witnessed it. This means that if an officer arrived at the scene of a car-bike or car-ped crash, looked at the evidence, and had strong reason to believe that one party to the crash caused it by driving recklessly, the officer could charge that person with vehicular assault of a bicyclist or pedestrian. In my opinion, this charge would have been appropriate in three of the four most recent car-caused bicyclist fatalities in Louisville. Under current law, no charges were filed in any of those cases.
Continue reading “"Vehicular Assault of a Bicyclist or Pedestrian." & KY House Bill 88”

[From Bike Portland]
Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced an amendment last night that would prohibit funding of “bicycle routes” and paths from the economic stimulus package that’s working its way through Capitol Hill right now.

According to staffers in Representative Earl Blumenauer’s office who are following the bill closely, Sen. DeMint’s amendment was supported in a speech by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)

DeMint is chair of the Senate Steering Committee. On Tuesday, he told Newsmax.com:

“When people see bike trails and hiking trails and golf courses, they know this is not designed to stimulate the economy and create jobs. It’s just basically special-interest pork barrel spending.”

Here is the amendment:

And the text reads:

Prohibition on use of funds for trails and off-road vehicle routes. None of the funds made available under this Act shall be used for bicycle, walking, or wildnerness trails, or off-road vehicle routes.

And Blumenauer, like he has done many times in the past, has issued a response (emphasis mine):

“Republican amendments and assertions that the creation of hike and bike trails in the recovery plan will not create jobs or stimulate the economy shows us just short-sighted and out of touch they are.

Investment in bike paths will not only improve our economy, and take our country in the right direction for our future; it is precisely the kind of investment the American people want. American families have indicated time and again in the passage of bond measures across the country that they favor spending on alternative transportation, such as bicycles and mass transit, over spending on more highway capacity.

Americans want a real solution to the economic crisis, not just a band-aid fix. These investments will stimulate the economy in the present and point our nation toward the economic and environmental realities of the future.”

We’ll keep you posted on the status of this amendment.

UPDATE: The League of American Bicyclists has addressed the DeMint statement and amendment in their “Trash Talk” section.

Continue reading “Senate amendment would strip bike funding from stimulus bill; Blumenauer responds”

[From the League of American Bicyclists]

Stimulus Amendment To Prohibit Bike Funding Take Action! Call Your Senator Immediately   Senator DeMint (R-SC) has offered an amendment to SPECIFICALLY prohibit funding for bicycles, walking and offroad vehicles. The amendment ONLY goes after bicycle, walking, and offroad vehicle funding. The Amendment has been offered but not introduced.  We do not have a schedule for when this will be introduced and voted on, but we need to alert all Senators to urge them to vote against such amendments and ensure that funding for bicycle infrastructure remain eligible under the transportation funds provided in the stimulus package.

If the number of kids who walk and bike to school was restored to 1969 levels, our nation would cut 3.2 billion vehicle miles, 1.5 million tons of CO2, and 89,000 tons of other pollutants annually. This is the equivalent of keeping more than 250,000 cars off the road for a year.
Continue reading “If kids could only walk or bike to school”

Description: The recalled trainers are a stationary frame that allows bicycles to be converted into stationary bicycles. The recalled models include: CycleOps Pro Series Trainer models 9014 (SuperMagneto Pro), 9331 (JetFluid Pro), 9460 (PowerBeam Pro), 9321 (JetFluid Pro Winter Training Kit), and 9322 (SuperMagneto Pro Winter Training Kit) without the secondary locking pin. The model number and style names are printed on the left side of the main frame of the trainer.
Sold at: Independent bicycle retailers nationwide from October 2008 through November 2008 for between about $400 and $1200.
Continue reading “Saris Cycling Group Recalls Stationary Bicycle Trainers Due to Fall Hazard”

Taken from Roadbikerider.com
Product recall: Clif Bar is recalling 14 products sold in the U.S. and 4 in Canada because they contain peanut butter from the Peanut Corporation of America. PCA is being investigated as the source of a recent salmonella outbreak. Affected products include various Clif Bars, Clif Builder’s Bars, Clif MOJO bars, Clif Kid Organic ZBaRs and Luna Bars. Specific info is on the company’s website at https://www.clifbar.com/voluntary-recall

In marshaling support for its campaign, the NSC cited a myriad of studies but particularly one by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis that found that driver use of cell phones contributes to 6% of vehicle crashes — or 636,000 crashes — leading to 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 annual deaths.
States have been adding restrictions to driver cell phone use in a patchwork fashion, with a recent emphasis on outlawing texting while driving. Some states have enacted legislation controlling the use of cell phones but permitting the use of hands-free devices. Nearly 20 states have enacted legislation that restricts use of cell phones by novice drivers. Froetscher appeared to have no illusions that states would jump immediately to ban all moving vehicle use of cell phones, and she acknowledged that it may initially be difficult to enforce strict bans.
Continue reading “Complete Ban On Cell Phone Use While Driving Sought”

Idaho has had this law on the books for 27 years with no increase in bicycle-related accidents.
…
“A person operating a bicycle approaching a stop sign shall slow down and, if required for safety, stop before entering the intersection. After slowing to a reasonable speed or stopping, the person shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching another highway close enough to constitute an immediate hazard. After slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way, a person operating a bicycle may proceed through he intersection without stopping.”
I suspect this idea might give some motorists and police officers–at least those who don’t ride their bicycles–heartburn or worse. Before giving in to a knee-jerk reaction, consider this.
Continue reading “MORE STATES NEED THIS COMMON SENSE BICYCLE LAW”

Among the many changes the new law makes, it adds police training on bicycle law and dangerous behavior by bicyclists and motorists; explains how a motorist should safely pass a bicycle; explains how a motorist should safely make a turn in front of a bicycle; makes "dooring" (opening a car door into the path of a bicycle or other vehicle) subject to ticket and fine; permits bicyclists to ride two abreast when it does not impede cars from passing; and adds legal protections for bicyclists who choose to ride to the right of other traffic.
Continue reading “Massachusetts Governor Signs Bicyclist Safety Bill”