Month: May 2010

https://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html#grade-k-3

In the referenced article points out some of the difficulty we face getting recognition as a significant transportation option. Currently the situation is like asking Drivers what is their primary weather condition when they drive? Fair, rainy or snowy. Since fair weather is the primary weather we drive in so therefore we do not need to plow roads or proved storm drains. Just think of all the money we could save by not supporting minor weather conditions. Absurd, right? Then the same should apply to cycling as well. Fair weather cycling should count for consideration in transportation planning just as foul weather planning exists in motorized planning.
Continue reading “1,100 bike miles and still not considered a cyclist by the Census Bureau”

By David Riley/Daily News staff – Milford Daily News
In a decade bicycling up to 100 miles a week around his Wayland home, Rick Cohen figures 95 percent of the drivers and cyclists he’s encountered have been respectful and safe.
It’s the other 5 percent that can give a bad name to either mode of transit – the drivers who roar past bikes a few inches away, the cyclists who breeze through red lights.
A statewide bicycling association launched a new public awareness campaign last week in hopes of making both sides more aware of the role bicycles play on the road. To Cohen, it sounds like the best bet to reduce rocky – even dangerous – encounters between motor and pedal power.
"I think, really, awareness is the best way to go, and the acceptance that we both share the roads," said Cohen, 52, a triathlete.
The Mass. Bicycle Coalition, or MassBike, started its initiative – "Same Roads, Same Rules" – with support from the state’s transportation, public safety and recreation agencies.
"The whole idea of the campaign is to give people some key information about safe biking and safe driving around bicyclists, and not so much say, ‘Follow the rules because it’s the law,"’ said David Watson, MassBike’s executive director. "It’s more, ‘Do it because it’s common sense.’ It’s a way to keep each other safe."
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The campaign also coincides with Bay State Bike Week – today through Friday – and a series of bicycling events planned statewide. Its centerpiece is a website, www.sameroadssamerules.org, with tips for motorists and bicyclists alike, and a section dispelling common myths.
For drivers, for example, the site notes cyclists have the right to ride in the road, and warns against the "right hook," when a car makes a sudden right turn across a bike’s path.
For cyclists, the site urges not to ride against the flow of traffic or alongside one another if cars cannot pass safely, among other tips.
The Mass. Department of Transportation and Registry of Motor Vehicles are featuring the campaign on their websites and displaying information at RMV branches.
MassBike is handing out spoke cards with tips for bikes on one side and drivers on the other, while also sending out street teams to talk to people, Watson said. The RMV will hand out materials, too.
MassBike kicked off the campaign after carrying out a survey that found a surge in commuter and recreational bicycling, Watson said. Of about 1,800 responses, 65 percent of respondents said they both rode and drove, he said.
It’s clear "bicyclists by and large know what they ought to be doing, but are making decisions to do something else because either they feel it’s inconvenient or they feel it’s unsafe to follow the rules," Watson said.
"At the same time, many motorists, the majority of motorists, have no idea what the rules are or how they’re supposed to interact with bicyclists," he said.
Watson said while he understands cyclists disagree about the safest ways to ride, following a common set of rules will make interactions between cars and bikes more predictable.
Several local cyclists agreed, seeing fault on both sides.
Len Svitenko, 34, of Northborough, often commutes a little more than 10 miles each way to his job at Staples in Framingham, mostly pedaling along Rte. 30. For the most part, drivers give him plenty of space.
One motorist called him a four-letter word, but that happens among drivers, too, he said.
It troubles him to see cyclists riding side-by-side on narrow roads in the area. Svitenko said cyclists need to respect drivers if they want respect in return.
"If we all obey the same rules and pretend like a car is a bike and a bike is a car, people would be a lot less upset," he said. "It’s a mutual understanding, it’s mutual respect, and both sides should try to find a common ground."
Jeff Johnston, owner of Milford Bicycle, said he sees discourtesy on both sides. Drivers who text and drive worry him, and he’s encountered motorists who honked and told him to get off the road. At the same time, he sees cyclists in dark clothes, without helmets.
"I think it certainly could help," he said of MassBike’s campaign. "You’re going to see more and more cyclists, and I think people are going to become more and more aware anyhow. I think it can’t hurt."
Henry Trujillo, 51, of Hopkinton, who rides recreationally, said he’s a fan of the "three feet please" campaign, which asks drivers to give cyclists three feet of space when passing. That also allows cyclists to avoid hazards on the side of the road without weaving into traffic, he said.
For more information, visit the Same Roads, Same Rules website, or visit massbike.org/bsbw for more on Bay State Bike Week.
Continue reading “Campaign promotes bicycle awareness, safety”

Recent fatal collisions have renewed calls for cyclists and motorists to share the road, as well as an increased need for bike safety.
"I think that we can’t stop ourselves from biking because of those stories but at the same time it proves we need to be more careful," said cyclist Veronique Boily.
Late Sunday night, a 16-year-old male cyclist was killed when he was hit by a speeding motorcycle. On May 14, three cyclists were killed and three others were injured after they were hit by a vehicle southeast of Montreal.
Last July, a group now referred to as the "Kanata 5" were struck by a mini-van and seriously injured in Ottawa’s west end.
The collisions have also served as tragic reminders about the need for drivers and cyclists to improve their relationship on the road. However, not everyone is on board.
"I think personally the roads should just be for cars," said one motorist.
The chair of the city’s roads and cycling committee says Ottawa needs designated bike lanes.
"We’re lucky in Ottawa the roads are pretty safe. There are certainly things we could do to make them safer, though," said Michael Powell.
Powell also says cyclists need to be visible and predictable, and both drivers and cyclists need to do shoulder checks often.
Many health officials say just a helmet could reduce the chance of a head injury in a collision.
Although Ontario has a helmet law, once you are 18 you can opt out of wearing a helmet.
Continue reading “Recent crashes won’t stop cyclists from hitting the road”

BOX SOAP
By Stephen Box
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I’m looking forward to the day when we celebrate cyclists and their contribution to our communities. For your consideration, I offer up a few reasons to be thankful for the cyclists who have gone before us as well as those who ride the streets of LA today.
• It was cyclists who spearheaded the 19th century “Good Roads” movement that resulted in a national campaign to pave America’s roads, affording cyclists and motorists alike a smooth ride. Ironically, for all of the contributions to the development of national road standards, cyclists still find themselves fighting for their place on the street. [LINK ]
• Many of the mechanical innovations now associated with the automobile were originally invented for cycling. It was Dr. Dunlop who invented pneumatic tires for his son’s bike. Rack and pinion steering, the differential, the band brakes, and even geared assembly-line machinery all originated in the world of bicycles.
• The development of human flight is the result of two bicycle mechanics who used their bike shop to develop the aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. Orville and Wilbur Wright spent years experimenting with gliders before they added an engine and took to the sky in the historic flight that saw their three-axis control trump the more powerful engines of their competitors. [LINK ]
• The bicycle craze of the 1890’s challenged popular perceptions of femininity and fashion, resulting in a movement away from Victorian sensibilities. The battle over restrictive clothing challenged public perceptions of female athleticism and proper female behavior. Susan B. Anthony commented that “bicycling has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.” [LINK]
• Cyclists today continue to fight for streets that are safe and effective for all people. The next time you see a cyclist on the streets of Los Angeles, wave (Don’t honk, we think it means danger!) and give a silent thanks to the cyclists who developed LA’s Backbone Bikeway Network [LINK] , a commitment to connectivity that focuses city resources on the streets that connect major destinations.
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Great Streets don’t happen by accident, they require year-round work by professionals who know that our streets are for people and who understand that what’s good for cyclists is also good for the community.
“See you on the Streets!”
Continue reading “Be thankful for cyclists”