Category: Biking Elsewhere

By Rick Bernardi, J.D., Bicycle Law
You’ve probably seen “the comment.” It goes something like this. A news article reports that a cyclist was injured, or maybe even killed. The cyclist was following the law. The driver was not. Maybe the driver was just being careless. Maybe the driver was deliberately targeting the cyclist for harassment, or worse.
It doesn’t matter, because “the comment” always follows the same logic: “When cyclists stop breaking the law…” Regardless of what actually happened, regardless of the fact that this particular cyclist was following the law and this particular driver was not, some aggrieved motorist feels obliged to point out that cyclists break the law.
This is the myth of the scofflaw cyclist.
Now, let’s talk about myths for a moment.
Typically, people will use the word “myth” to mean a falsehood. That, however, is not an accurate meaning of “myth.” A myth is actually a story that explains the world according to the perspective of the story-teller. Every culture, for example, has a myth about how the world was created, and how the people of that particular culture came to be in this world.
So by “myth,” I don’t mean that it’s falsehood that cyclists break the law. Of course it’s true that some cyclists break the law. But it’s also true that some cyclists obey the law. Some drivers break the law. Some drivers obey the law. Some pedestrians break the law. Some pedestrians obey the law.
The truth is, motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians are all really just human beings getting around by different means, and all three groups break the law, each in their own way. Motorists speed. Cyclists run stop signs. Pedestrians jaywalk.
The problem is, if somebody wants to explain why one of those groups—cyclists, for example—are a cultural outsider that should be discriminated against, the truth is too complex, too messy, to support that conclusion. So a myth, the myth that cyclists are scofflaws, explains why they are unworthy of protection, unworthy of justice, unworthy of compassion.
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Read the full article: https://www.bicyclelaw.com/blog/index.cfm/2012/12/5/Confronting-the-Scofflaw-Cyclist

Guardian Concept Uses Lasers to Tell Pedestrians When to Cross
Continue reading “Lasers Make Everything Better: Laser Crosswalk Concept”

by Angie Schmitt, Streets Blog
One more reason to reduce driving: Exposure to high levels of traffic pollutants may increase the risk that children will develop autism, according to a study published recently in the Archives of General Psychology.
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The study found that autistic children and their mothers were twice as likely to live in high-pollution areas during pregnancy and the first year of life, controlling for other factors.
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https://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/11/27/researchers-find-link-between-autism-and-traffic-pollution/

Crowded bike paths and near empty roads.

I had a bunch of stories come up on my news feed that I thought I would share:
COUNTY MAY ALLOW BICYCLIST SUITS AGAINST HOSTILE DRIVERS
The Press Democrat: Sonoma County set to study making it easier for bicyclists to sue hostile drivers
https://www.bicyclelaw.com/news/n.cfm//county-may-allow-bicyclist-suits-against-hostile-drivers
INJURED BICYCLIST: NO WAY IT WAS AN ACCIDENT
https://www.bicyclelaw.com/news/n.cfm//injured-bicyclist-no-way-it-was-an-accident
CYCLIST HIT BY TRUCK DRIVER SAYS INCIDENT WAS INTENTIONAL
https://www.bicyclelaw.com/news/n.cfm//cyclist-hit-by-truck-driver-says-incident-was-intentional
ABUSE OF CYCLISTS ALMOST LIKE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, CLAIMS AA
https://www.bicyclelaw.com/news/n.cfm//abuse-of-cyclists-almost-like-racial-discrimination-claims-aa
Hey, angry driver: Smile for the bike cam (NBC News)
https://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49958627#49958627

B’ Spokes: Just to note at one community meeting where residents were complaining about speeding motorists and how hard it was to cross the street (no lights or crosswalks) BDOT offered to raise the speed limit. :/ We seriously need to end the notion that streets are safer with higher speeds (a concept from 1964)
https://streetsblog.net/2012/11/16/one-for-the-dustbin-the-85th-percentile-rule-in-traffic-engineering/

-> According to an article in the Nov. 19th ECF Newsletter, "A UK study compared more than 2,600 people with cancer-related fatigue who did or didn’t go through an exercise program. While past studies point to talk therapy, nutrition counseling and acupuncture as possible remedies, this study suggests that cycling and walking helps manage fatigue. ‘We’re not expecting people to go out and be running a mile the next day,’ said Fiona Cramp, who worked on the analysis at the University of the West of England in Bristol told Reuters. ‘Some people will be well enough that they’re able to go for a jog or go for a bike ride, and if they can, that’s great. But we would encourage people to start with a low level.’"
"In the health world, cycling is something of a miracle ‘drug’. Studies have found that it can detect early signs of Parkinson’s disease, and other studies have noted that an hour of moderate to vigorous cycling extends an individual’s expected healthy lifetime by more than an hour. ‘Governments should see cycling as a key tool in the public health portfolio,’ says Dr. Randy Rzewinicki, ECF’s Health Policy Officer and Project Manager. ‘The health benefits of cycling for transportation are phenomenal. People feel better, they’re much less likely to be depressed, or fatigued and productivity is higher. That’s without mentioning cycling’s ability to combat cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and strokes.’ According to Rzewinicki, even the dangers of cycling, such as air pollution are outweighed by benefits, at a factor of up to 100 to 1."
Source: https://bit.ly/TbPALz
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

-> According to the Fall 2012 FHWA Pedestrian Forum, "The FHWA strongly encourages the use of ‘road diets’ (roadway reconfiguration) where appropriate. The classic ‘road diet,’ involves converting an undivided four lane roadway into three lanes made up of two through lanes and a center two-way left turn lane. The reduction of lanes allows the roadway to be reallocated for other uses such as bike lanes, pedestrian crossing islands, and/or parking. Road diets have multiple safety and operational benefits for vehicles as well as pedestrians, such as:"
Decreasing vehicle travel lanes for pedestrians to cross,
Providing room for a pedestrian crossing island,
Improving safety for bicyclists when bike lanes are added,
Providing the opportunity for on-street parking,
Reducing rear-end and sideswipe crashes, and
Improving speed limit compliance and decreasing crash severity when crashes do occur.
"Roadways with Average Daily Traffic (ADT) of 20,000 or less may be good candidates for a road diet and should be evaluated for feasibility. It has been shown that roads with 15,000 ADT or less had very good results in the areas of safety, operations, and livability."
"Driveway density, transit routes, the number and design of intersections along the corridor, as well as operational characteristics are some considerations to be evaluated before deciding to implement a road diet. Road diets can be low cost if planned in conjunction with reconstruction or simple overlay projects, since a road diet mostly consists of restriping."
https://1.usa.gov/T0ZvA8
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

[B’ Spokes: Attention all cycling advocates.]
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by Tanya Snyder, Streets Blog
Big congrats to the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition, which had a “pretty cool success” Thursday, in the words of Policy Director Sarah Clark Stuart. The entire Streets and Services Committee of the City Council voted to approve a complete streets bill, advancing what could be one of the strongest municipal complete streets policies in the nation.
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What makes this complete streets bill uniquely enforceable, said Stuart, is that projects will be held up against a checklist to determine whether they are making the maximum possible accommodations to all users.
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https://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/11/19/philly-bike-win-complete-streets-bill-sails-through-city-council-committee/

B’ Spokes: Maybe this is an idea we should try next time Baltimore tries to remove a bike lane without input from the cycling community…
https://streetsblog.net/2012/11/13/photos-toronto-protesters-meet-bike-lane-removal-crews-head-on/