New York, NY - ICYMI, an exhaustive cover story about New York City, bike lanes and the so-called bikelash was in last week's New York Magazine - "For bike lanes to really work, New Yorkers are going to have to learn to share." It also turned out that the anti-bike lane sentiment is a minority position (54% support, 39% oppose) and the city's deputy mayor pushed back on the effectiveness of bike lanes (in audio form here). "From 2001 through 2005, four pedestrians were killed in bike-pedestrian accidents. From 2006 through 2010, while cycling in the city doubled, three pedestrians were killed in bike-pedestrian accidents." I was in NYC last week. I rode many of the new bike lanes and pathways. Let me say that they're nice, but if you think we have a problem with people and cars in the bike lane, you don't know how good we have. I literally could not go two blocks without something or someone in the way. Police cars? Check. Runners? Check. People pushing strollers the wrong way? Bike Salmon? Construction equipment? Buses? Parked motorcycles? Check to all of those - in 90 minutes of biking.
Toronto - Toronto joins the League of Bike-sharing Cities in May. Like DC, they're using 1000 Bixi bikes.
Chicago - Illinois cyclists call on the state to track doorings. The state does not consider that a "crash" because the car isn't moving.
Nebraska - Though not news, it is news to me. In 2008 a federal judge basically declared railbanking illegal "A federal judge ruled in January 2008 that the now-abandoned land should have been returned to owners, not handed over for rail trails, under the terms of some easements granted to the railroads for construction and use of rail lines." I couldn't find any more information about the case, but I did find a lot more about property rights and rail-trail conversions.
Grand Junction, CO - NPS denied Lance Armstrong's Colorado bike race's request to staging a portion of the race in Colorado National Monument.
Yellowstone - Roads in Yellowstone will be open to bicycles for three weeks before car access is allowed. Must be nice.
Chico, CA - Two pedicab passengers sued the city of Chico after their pedicab was hit from behind by a car. Ironically they took the pedicab because they were too drunk to drive, but then were hit by a drunk driver. Their case against the city - that the bike lane was too narrow - was thrown out in part because the state designed the bike lane.
London - An assesment of Boris Bikes by someone who doesn't like biking. And the Laverstoke Park Ice Cream Race- see pro cyclists race while "selling ice creams during the race on Mercedes modified bikes featuring a special ice cream container on the front."
Yellowstone: "Riders must be prepared to encounter bears and other wildlife and should expect winter weather conditions."
Hmm, that doesn't sound too good. Bears and blizzards? Whoa.
Good to hear that more cities are installing Bixi systems. Some day I'd like to visit all the Bixi cities and check out all the bikeshare systems. Not so thrilled about Toronto's drab bike colors though. They look like business suits.
Posted by: Michael H. | March 28, 2011 at 02:20 AM
I just saw "Frozen" - the ski lift horror flick, so now I'm freaked out about the cold and wild animals.
Posted by: washcycle | March 28, 2011 at 11:42 AM